One Of the Boys

Monday night I played league on the men's team I sub on.  I try very hard to play decent and want to play my best because they are the top team on the league and I want to contribute like the rest of the great players on our team.

I have been nervous lately when I have played for them.  The pressure to play well on a good team is pretty dang tough!

BTW, I play on this team so my b/f and I can play Scotch Doubles in Vegas at BCAPL Nationals.  As you all know, in order to play doubles, you have to play in the same league, so that's why I play on this team.

On this night, the captain wasn't there and one guy who hasn't been there in a while was there.  I became the captain and called out all the matches, set up the line up, made sure everyone was playing the right people, kept score, etc.

The guy who hadn't been there in while was very hyper and talkative.  He was making jokes, laughing a lot, more than I have seen before.  He's always in a good mood, but his mood was elevated on this night for sure for some reason.

On this team, if you break and run, each teammate owes you fifty cents.  A table run is worth a quarter, and winning all 5 of your games is worth $1 from every teammate.

I was playing SUPER good this night.  I was impressing myself, lol.  I was running out well, playing great safes, staying down; it felt FANTASTIC.

My boyfriend was watching all my games and complimented my shots throughout the night.  Another teammate said, "we all need to step up our game to be at Melinda's level," lol.  Every teammate was very supportive and complimentary.  One guy even told me, "a lot of people are talking about how much your game has improved and how well you have been playing."

And the bonus of the night was, one of the teammates told me that I belong on their team because I play so well.  I was very pumped up.  :)  But, the kudos didn't get in my way of games - I still played solid and didn't let the words get to me, like have in the past.

As you all know, if you start to think about how WELL you are playing, you no longer focus on your fundamentals.  

Back to the night - I got a rack and run my second game and my boyfriend collected the quarters for me. I was pretty happy to get a Table Run!

Then I found myself with 4 wins before the final round.  My boyfriend also had 4 wins and he and I were the only ones undefeated on the team!  The team had already won the match a round before, but we were both going for 5-0.

The other teammates started to ask who was undefeated. I finally figured out they were trying to find out who they *might* owe a $1 to for a perfect score (5-0)

My last game, I played the best player on the other team while one of our teammates, the real happy, talkative one, starts talking to me while I'm at the table.

WTF?

I finally figure out he wants me to lose so he doesn't have to give me a dollar!!

Now, granted, I have seen this go on all season, and the previous season, but I recall the players would talk shit to them before or after the match, not during.  Maybe comment after a miss, but not while trying to shoot. 

Only one other time was I on the verge of 5-0 and no one tried to shark me then....

But this guy was deliberately sharking me while I was at the table; MY OWN TEAMMATE!

I missed a tough shot, because I was too worried about shape, and also because I wasn't 100% focused.  He distracted me;  It worked.  And I didn't stay down like all the other shots I made all night (and I had some FANTASTIC shots this night!). 

So, I missed the ball, and my teammate is all happy about it!

I get mad and snap to him, "that's not right!  I am going for end of season money, buddy!"  He just laughed and laughed. 

We get money for break and runs and perfect scores at the end of the season.

I was pissed!

Instead of saying more to that guy, I do what most females do, I took it out on my boyfriend.  I turned to him, raised my voice, and snapped, "That's not right!"

He said, "I know, just calm down."

I snapped again, "I can't believe it!"

Now, granted, was I more upset I dogged the perfect score, or that he was trying to shark me?  And the whole time, the guy just kept laughing and laughing.  He thought it was the funniest thing.

After my opponent runs out for the win, and no longer have a perfect night, my teammate CLAPS for him because he beat me!

That was it.  I was LIVID!

I snap at my boyfriend, "REALLY???  That was uncalled for!"

My boyfriend tries to calm me down, "It will be okay."

"I'm going for the end of season money, this is NOT right."

"Don't snap at me," he finally snaps back.

I say defiantly, "I'm gonna blog about!"

"Do it!" he tells me encouragingly.

I try as HARD as I can not to be mad at the guy, but I really am upset.  And embarrassed.  And I HATE being embarrassed.

As I sat in my chair trying to calm down, it reminded me of when Tiger Woods' Dad would deliberately distract Tiger in the rain on the golf course, to get his mental toughness tight and teach him about distractions.

"Use it as a test," I tried to tell myself.

My teammate then has his turn at the table and after a couple of misses he says, "that's what I get for trying to save a dollar."  Meaning, karma came and bit him in the ass for trying to shark me.

He never did shark my b/f his last match and he went on to get a perfect score, and $1 from each teammate.  :)

I came to the conclusion that if I am going to be on this team, I'm going to treated like one of the boys.  I guess I need to put up with it be on their team.  Since they are the top team in the league, I'll keep at it.