Sticks and Branches

So, I came to this realization a while ago (a couple of years, at least) when I started playing travel soccer outside of my area. Not all women, especially ones serious about a sport, are sticks. Some of us, myself included, are branches. This is further cemented at the collegiate level. Let me explain.

Around the middle of my sophomore year of high school, after I had been playing with WAZA Flo for going on two years, I realized that it's okay to not be a stick (to be, in other words, a size 3 or below). It is not in my family to be a skinny-mini. We have some amazing cooks and bakers in the family and we like food. I like food. Especially home cooking. But if you're a size 3 with no hips (lovehandles can also be used here) then it's a little hard to bump somebody off the ball and use your body effectively to shield it.

When I got to college for pre-season, I was really happy to see that there were girls who were built like me.

Bottom line: women are built differently from each other. We have hips, we have thighs, and if you truly love your sport, you will lift weights and work your body to its fullest potential. There is nothing wrong with not being able to wear baby toll T-shirts because your arms kind of make the seams bulge. Or unbuttoning the sleeves on your favorite plaid overshirt because your biceps have gotten a little bigger. And pants - if you have hips, cover 'em with denim and remember your thighs actually have a purpose, namely, getting you up and down a field after a round object. Keep it in perspective.

Remember this the next time you look in the mirror. We're all built differently, outside and in. =] And in case you were wondering, I'm proud to be a branch.

Road Race

Today I ran my first ever 5k. It wasn't bad. I didn't keel over on the side of the road or burst into tears of any of that stuff. My ankle was screaming at me by the second mile, but other than that it was okay.

And wearing only a pinnie for a shirt is oddly freeing in a way.

Jumpin' in the lake was also fun, too, though it was, and I don't put this lightly, really DAMN cold! But once you got out it was okay again, and the breeze was really nice. It was actually really refreshing.

Then I went on to referee three soccer games in the span of 6 hours. Needless to say my legs kind of hurt. But I'm home, and the weather's nice, so everything, like it should be, is pretty dang good. And the $72 from today on the table downstairs helps, too.