Never let it be said that we at Oxford City are not intrepid. It is in this adventurous spirit that we made our way to our final outdoor tournament of the summer — just up the road, in Didcot.
Now, I must confess I’ve been feeling a bit down about my korfball in the last few weeks. This is partly because I aggravated one of my recurring finger injuries a couple of weeks ago; and partly because the prospect of stepping up to regional training is scary. Will I be able to hack it?
Thankfully, the Didcot Dragons tournament has gone some way to dispelling those doubts. We may not have rocked the Harwell Recreation Ground with our final position (I never found out), but it was a great chance for our newer players — me included — to get experience against strong opposition.
Here are the two main lessons I took from Didcot and my other two tournaments:
Players at higher level aren’t superhuman: International and regional players are usually taller or faster; definitely more experienced; and better at scoring than opponents I’m used to. That doesn’t mean they’re unplayable. Tournaments have helped shed some of this fear.
Get the right mindset: I don’t think of myself as sporty or competitive, and that’s probably one of my big problems. It turns out that I can be both if I want to be. My unusually angry and belligerent defensive showing against Bristol City was a highlight; and showed me the benefit of taking an irrational dislike to my opponent, at least while I’m on the pitch.
That doesn’t mean I think I’ve got this whole korfball thing sussed. I don’t. But, with effort in training in matches, it does give me the confidence that one day I might. And there are plenty of City matches to learn in this season, from League 2 to regional.
So after a tough few weeks, there’s only one way to greet the new season: bring it on!
Rich Heap, web editor
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