enjoying a day at the beach with the girls
GOOD NEWS: 2 weeks down
BAD NEWS: 4 weeks to go (think all WPS players agree with this) yucky.
So . . . season 3 has begun and what a two weeks its been. The most common statement I have received, “is wait what?! Are you serious?!? Ha, yes take that how you want ha.
The best way for me to explain the statement above is to have a little comparison reflection time.
INFAMOUS DAY ONE.
Magic Jack: Show up to the fields and before we could sit down we were told to get ready to play 60 minute scrimmage (thank heavens I’m a vet, Lord can only guess what the poor rookies were thinking ha). After that we were sent into our “locker room,” a house that has been bought right next to our field and converted to a club house, for a doctor to do the necessary physical. Best thing about it was it only 15 minutes and very painless.
Red Stars: Show up to the hospital where we had to go through a good 6 hours of tests – enough said.
Which one was more “professional, “ probably Chicago. Which one was the one that I preferred, Magic Jack.
WEEK ONE/TWO:
Magic Jack: No fitness tests. That’s right, everything we have done has been with a ball. Don’t let this fool you though my friends – the one v. ones, two 90 minute scrimmages in three day, and speed work has been more than enough work to put me in bed not a minute past 10 pm each night. ha
Chicago: Beep test and 300 shuttles
Again, Chicago might have been the more “normal” first week yet which one do I prefer, Magic Jack.
Last but not least our living situation (yes the rumors are true) Ill just let the pictures do the talking on this one . . .
view of our living room
our balcony view, yes that's the ocean 
the amazing roof top!
Not only are we in these ridiculous nice condos (still feel a bit uncomfortable being in something so nice) but what is even nicer than them, is the fact that it only takes us 15 minutes to get to practice. I can’t begin to explain how crappy it felt to get up every morning knowing you had an hour plus to get to the fields.
I mean, even out of season I don’t think I have ever arrived to a destination in Chicago in the time period it says on “Google Maps.” Everyone knows that you have to give a good 30 minutes to even travel a simple 5 miles. So refreshing to just be able to fly to practice, literally :p
I know it seems from this first entry that we have it made. I’ll admit the 80 degree weather and the apartments make it feel this way. However, like everything, it comes with a price.
Before we even could put on our cleats on we were informed of what our owner is going to demand from us every day. It’s simple, work for what you are given or he will replace you with someone that will. It might sound harsh to some, but if there is something I have learned in these last two years, is it no joke.
Even as unconventional as it seems in these first two weeks I have felt more appreciated then my first two years combined. I feel wanted as a player and respected for what I can do! They aren’t asking me to change my ways to be like this player or that one. They are telling me to do what I am great at, to be the best Ella Masar I can be or as our coach calls me, the best Gerd Muller aka Der Bomber. lol
A clip of him playing:
tp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mj6x_RHvQA
I have been reading the book called Wide Awake by Erwin Raphael McManus and he says it the best,
“Because what you care about is what you dream about. Your passions fuel your dreams. God doesn’t say yes to everything we ask, because our dreams need to be fueled by the right things. Some dreams aren’t worth losing sleep over. Still, there are dreams you had better not sleep through. When God is at the core of our lives, he becomes the inspirer of our dreams. If we want to live the wide awake life of our dreams, we must trust God to guide us on a journey we cannot take on our own.”
I had dreams in Chicago and until Omid came in, I lost too much sleep watching them fall through my finger tips. Lord knows there were times I wanted to quit but for some reason I was allowed to keep fighting. I finally feel like I am where I am suppose to be.
It doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to, however, the beauty of faith is hoping for a brighter tomorrow. My year 3 is going to be a good year because I have fought for it to be.
Bottom line I have learned that people can take almost everything from you, but the one thing they can never touch is hard work. No matter what, this year will be good because the only hard day was yesterday, ya dig
