I had written that last post months ago. It has just felt like it wasn't worth breaking the ice for such an insignificant update. Also, I feel like I shouldn't have the time to write here, since me posting is evidence that I'm not doing my work.
But it turns out that I'm not productive even when I'm not writing in here, so I might as well spend the time I would otherwise be procrastinating by watching things online updating this.
I am headed to collegiate nationals for handball on Tuesday. I've been worried since last Thursday, when I hurt my hip that I might not be able to compete at my best, but I got out and ran around on it today and I am encouraged.
I am preliminarily seeded 6th in the country, which is pretty cool in and of itself, but my personal goal is to make the final four. I watched my competition play in the pro tournament this weekend, and while they are admittedly very good, I don't think it would be unreasonable to beat either one of them. Of course, the way the draws work is incredibly complicated, so I will probably be spending as much time trying to figure out what the consequences of winning and losing each match would be as actually playing. To give myself the best chance at making the final four I need to avoid winding up in 7th or 8th after the first two seeding matches, so deciphering the draw sheet will be very important. I just hope it's not in my best interest to throw a match. I have a hard time doing that.
In other handball news, the day after I injured my hip I played in two divisions at a local tournament. This ended poorly for my dad and me in the open division, but my mom and I actually wound up victorious in our parent/child division, which was amazing. We weren't expecting to win in the finals, but luckily my mom kept hitting the serve exactly how I wanted her to, which neutralized their stronger player and allowed me to take over the rallies. If I would have played better with my dad, I have no doubt this would have been my happiest tournament, but unfortunately my hip was not up to the task.
I'll step backward one more time and mention briefly that I was also proud of myself for playing a close game with Luis Moreno, the number 2 ranked player in the world. I was down 8-18 in the second game and ran off 11 out of the next 13 points before my fatigue got the better of me. I wish I could say I was surprised, but it's no secret that I haven't been working out as much as I used to. My conditioning has suffered, but my overall play quality has improved, so it's mostly a wash. I win more now than I used to, but I know at some point I will have to prioritize my fitness again to improve to another level.
I know this post is going to come across as self-aggrandizing, but hey, that's what blogs are for, right? So to continue the trend, I'll tell you about the fact that my professor told me I was one of his smarter students after I represented a (somewhat complicated) scenario on the board in a mathematical equation and solved it in front of the class. This will strike anyone who knows me as exceedingly high praise, since I am terrible at math. I was riding pretty high as I left the building. He also mentioned that he was looking for a student to write a paper that he would later contribute to and get published as a co-author. Opportunities just keep presenting themselves. So naturally I'm writing here instead of working on anything school related...
(Did you see that? That was me bringing this post full-circle. A classic literary technique used through the ages to give readers a sense of closure. All is right with the world, dear reader.) I hope to write again soon. I still have so much to say, but I'm distracted right now and just wanted to get some of this down before I forgot it even happened. Not that my mom will let me forget we won a tournament together, but still.
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