Page 58 of Game Plan
16
HAWK
Game day.
Those words made the blood roar in my ears every time.
I couldn't sleep in if I wanted to, but I had to force myself to calm down and focus. An adrenaline spike in the morning wouldn't be as useful as one during the game. I didn't like them then either, if I was honest. Adrenaline made me excited and that had the potential to make me careless.
I needed to be cool and calm.
A quick workout in my basement gym worked off the early nerves, followed by a cold shower to rinse off the sweat and the remains of the night's sleep.
By nine am, I was ready to battle pregame traffic to get to the stadium for preparations.
The guys and I went over our strategy for the game until we knew it better than we knew our own names. We'd studied the opposition's plays as well, until I could visualise the way the game would go down, step by step, throw by throw.
All right, how it would look if it went according to plan. The reality might be slightly different. Okay, maybe a lot, but I prided myself on my ability to understand the game so well I wasn't taken by surprise too often.
"Conny, you're looking chipper today," Mary said with a warm smile.
I grinned back. "It's a beautiful day." The sun was shining, the team was fit, and Vera and Brody agreed to bring Becca to the game. For the first time in a long time, it felt like all the pieces of my life were falling into place.
"It certainly is," Mary agreed. "I haven't throttled Bob in his sleep yet."
I chuckled. "The toilet seat wars continue?"
She responded with a gusty sigh. "It's a never-ending conflict, but I haven't surrendered yet."
"Have you ever thought about separate toilets?" I asked.
"Truthfully," she said slowly, "I've thought about separate states, just to keep the peace. Too extreme?"
I held my fingers apart slightly. "Just a little. Have the Boars arrived yet?" Or as Bam liked to call them, Bacon.
"Not yet," Mary said. "Most of the mighty Humpbacks are here though." She drew herself up taller, pride in us evident on her face.
I affected my most commanding presence in response, which may or may not have included the flexing of muscles.
Mary laughed. "Get on with you, boy, before your head can't fit through the door with your oversized ego."
"Too late." I pretended to duck under the already oversized door frame while she laughed.
"Bro," Bam greeted me as I stepped into the locker room. He lay on the floor, off to one side, eyes half-closed. He looked like he was ready for a nap.
"Bro." I stepped around him and grabbed the game-day program off the bench before I sat in front of my locker. All the guys had their own way of getting ready for a game. Mine started by taking a few minutes to breathe, take in the moment and look at the jersey which hung in my locker, my name on the back.
I let my mind wander back to the first time I saw it; I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. It still was. It reminded me why I worked so hard to get here and why I kept on working to stay here. The sensation when I looked at it was indescribable, although many journalists have asked me to try. It went beyond pride. Whatever it was, it swelled my chest and choked me up a little until I focused on my breathing and calming my mind.
"Hey." Chase flopped down beside me, only a towel around his waist. Some of the guys liked to shower before a game, to wake up their muscles and wash away any lingering nerves.
"Hey." The locker room would be a roar of excitement after the game, but it never was before. Everyone was caught up in their own mental and physical preparation.
"Kyle is free," Chase said before he stood and started to dress.
"Cool." I stood and quickly changed before I hunted down Kyle, the team's favourite administer of therapeutic massage. It's a total cliche, but the man had magic hands and understood just where the muscles needed to be worked to loosen them, especially any spots with old or ongoing injuries.
As I approached, Kyle didn't say a word, just waved me onto the table. He, too, understood the need for focus before the game, not idle chitchat.
