My first game!

I really did not think I would be playing a game this soon after arriving, but Laurent set-up 4-5 matches for us to play before we have our first game of the regular season on September 15.

So, even though we didn't have any "real" handball practice (we ran through plays and did fast-breaks on Thursday, but I definitely didn't take more than 2 shots or do any defensive contact), we played our first game Friday night!

I really did not know what to expect- from myself, from the girls, or from Laurent. The game was in Nimes, about 40-45 minutes away from Montpellier, and we left here in cars at 7pm. We arrived at the gym by about 7:50 and started our warm-up shortly after 8pm.

Laurent was pretty laid back- of course, I didn't really understand anything he said to us in the locker room other than the usual gist of things that coaches say (take care of the ball, work together on defense, use the fast break), but I looked as attentive as I could.

The warm-up was almost exactly the same warm-up we used to do with the National Team before we amped it up. Jogging, skipping, karaoke, defensive shuffle for a few minutes up and down the court followed by some passing, goalie warm-up, position shots, and fast-break. At least I could do the complete warm-up without having to understand anything!

I was surprised I started the game, but was excited to be playing. There were four plays we had practiced the day before, but I could not understand ANYTHING on the court. To confuse things, there is another Jennifer in the backcourt so when they would yell "Jen" I didn't know if they wanted her to cross or me to come set a block. So, at some point I just figured go with the flow and look for opportunities to move without stressing about the plays.

I scored the first goal of the game, and then another one a few minutes later. After that our backcourts went to town, and were scoring great shots from 9m, so I was mostly setting blocks and picks for them. I'm excited to be playing with a lot of girls who have a lot of experience, even if it will take me a little while to learn how they move and what they want from me. Hopefully Laurent will help me get their sooner!

There were parts of the game that looked really good, and some of it that was as ugly as you would expect from a team who hasn't practiced together or played in 4 months. The positive part is the potential is there- we have strong players who can shoot well from every position. It is impressive. The fast break is ugly and we threw away a lot of balls by rushing, but that will get better as we practice and play.

Still trying to figure out the defense- I think we started with a 5-1 and dropped down to a 6-0 that worked much better. The girl who used to play on top of the 5-1 has retired so no one else seemed that excited to jump into that without much practice.

The team we played against ran a lot of what I think looked like the Canadian play "passage" whereby they pull one backcourt all the way to the other side and create a quick overload. This proved tricky for us a few times, but once we figured out what we were doing, I think we adjusted well. Laurents seemed pretty content with our defense, so hopefully that won't be a weakness for us in the season.

I ended up playing 50 minutes, which I am still amazed I was able to do considering the week I've had! But I was really excited to play and did my best to hustle for my new teammates and coach, even if I struggled to understand everything that was going on. I made sure I told my backcourts (in broken french) that I am there to work for them, and if they want something different/better from me, to tell me.

Laurent was also super nice, and said some nice things to me after the game. He also told me that I lean too quickly when I'm shooting and that a good goalie (unlike the one we played last night) will be able to read me very easily this way. He said we'll work on that next week. I told him I am here to learn, so please teach me anything you can!

I guess the girls were tired after the long week, so everyone showered and headed back. I was desperate for some sugar, since I'd played almost an entire game on one meal of bread and jam. When I got home I made an egg and tomato sandwhich, had a bunch of juice, and even something with chocolate to try to refuel myself a bit.

When I got home it was around 11pm, and although I was physically tired I was a little hyped up and didn't fall asleep right away. But when I did- it was good.

Yay for my team! We won the game 24-19! Hopefully it gets better from here! I would love to be on a winning team this year :)