These were basically my first tournaments playing with a 'big team', by which I mean big enough to have O and D lines and big enough that fatigue wasn't a factor. I certainly felt tired and sore after No Surf, but I was at top speed even in the finals. I was an offensive line cutter and played an average of around 7 points a game.
Scinny was a different story. I had a heel injury, and so didn't really play until the finals, when my parents came to watch.
It felt great to have a specific role (offensive cutting). It allowed me to narrow the focus of my game. I didn't have to be "the man" so I could be more creative with my cutting, and just assume that everyone else was doing their job. Although I didn't play as many points as I usually would in a tournament, I was free to put all of my effort into each one, without any thought for saving energy for later. Some points I would run into position after the pull, make a couple cuts, catch and throw once, and then we would score. It felt almost artistic when we executed the offense well.
What will happen when we face better competition? Will our offense break down? Will we get upset and start assigning blame? Or will they push us to new heights? Some of both? I'm excited to see it happen.
By the way, it's early in the season, but Central Regionals looks to be a fight between Madcow, Prairie Fire, Machine, Madison Club, and Sub Zero. At least we're guaranteed three bids.
