The Clutch

I wrote before how being in the clutch position comes with it some pretty tough responsibilities.

Being the hill-hill person means you either win it for the team, or lose it for the team.

Can you handle both?

Winning hill-hill is easy.  Or is it?

Sure, AFTER you win it's fun and hugs and high fives and smiles.

During the match, your heart is beating, you feel the pressure, you know it ALL lies in your hands.

And what about if you lose?  Can you handle that horrible situation?

I was the hill-hill person for our team this past weekend in the finals, it went hill-hill.  I felt very comfortable in that position.  I have been here for the last 3-4 years for my women's teams events, so I'm used to it.

And, as I have stated before, *I* would rather be the person who dogs it for the team than anyone else on the team!

PLEASE let me be that person!

Why?

Because I can handle losses now.

I really can.

Would I be upset?

Sure; of course.

I have a couple of hill-hills I didn't win.  And each time I knew I gave it my best (even tho I felt bad, but I also knew it wasn't the end of the world.

Last weekend, I had to play safe and instead of the soft safe I envisioned, I did not hit the ball and rail.  That gave my opponent ball-in-hand and she ran out the 3 balls to win for her team in the finales of this hill-hill game.

My team was still SO very happy we were even in the finals.  SO very happy we even got hill-hill!

While I felt deflated, I knew I would be alright. And sure enough, my captain came up to me and said, "I'm so glad that was you.  Any other teammate would be crying their eyes out right now."

And she is right.  All these years of experience - I WOULD rather be the player that lets us down.  I can handle it.  In my 20s to mid 30s - I KNOW I couldn't have.  I sat at home weeping over missed shots for days back then.

Not anymore.

I think the coolest part (besides my teammates fighting to the end and getting second in our women's league playoffs) was that my captain recognized how important it was that I was handling the loss well for the team.  And that I was the right person for that position.