Forge tryouts started

First day of Forge tryouts today. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Yeah, six hours with an hour break around 1. It was a long day, but I definitely knew that going into the day. Hell, I wouldn't be trying out if I didn't think I could make it.

And speaking of making Forge, there's a saying I've heard a couple times that I don't quite understand. It goes something like this:

"I don't think I'll make the team, but I'm just going to tryouts to get better."

It's not the last part of that sentence that frustrates me, it's the first. Regardless if you'll make the team, you should head into any tryout expecting to make the team. You should give it your all and show the captains/coaches that you deserve to be on the team. If you walk into a tryout and aren't 100% sure that you can make the team, then you won't be giving 100% when you're trying out. There's no way around that. If you don't think you can make a team, especially one as competitive as Forge, you will always have that in the back of your mind and won't be trying your hardest. I've seen it in a few players on different levels.

I've even done this before, back when I started out at Pitt as a freshman. And even as I continued to make cut after cut during the fall, I never thought I'd be make the A-team come spring. And sure enough, I wasn't giving 100% and didn't make the last cut.

Anyways, Forge tryouts were intense, but nobody said it would be easy. A lot of good drills that tested different aspects of the game with intrasquad scrimmages to three between every drill or so. I was definitely able to showcase a few of my skills (my speed in the beginning and my throws in the second half).

On the injury front, the groin problem showed back up. Very tough and painful to start accelerate. I was able to get some good step-outs on my throws, but I could definitely feel it.

Tomorrow: Intrasquad scrimmage at 12 p.m. and then scrimmage against Pitt-A at 2 p.m. We'll see how the groin feels and gauge how much I play on that.