Recap: Last week, I wrote about how I made that oh-so unique resolution to Get Back In Shape and shared about my sweaty but enjoyable experience of the nearly deadly zumba class I attended at the Rec centre. This resolution is hard for me to keep because every year I tell myself that I’ll start running again (which I hate) or working out at the gym (which I hate more).
Committing to forms of exercise I don’t enjoy obviously doesn’t work, because I dread having to do it. Dragging my butt out of bed in the morning is that much harder if I know I’ll have to put on my running tights to jog sluggishly through the freezing cold. So, the moral of the story is that solo exercise is apparently not the thing for me. I did really enjoy zumba though, so maybe team or peer-involved activities could be easier commitments to keep. With this mindset, I embarked on the next segment of my Fitness Journey.
Part Two: Futsal
In the spirit of trying new, more socially-involved activities, I accept my roommate’s offer to join her futsal team. (For those of you who don’t know, futsal is defined as a “fast paced variation of soccer” on the UBC Recreation page and the leagues play indoors at the SRC).
I tentatively stretch my legs as I wait for the game to start. My roommate convinced me that it’s fine if I’m not great at soccer, because they really just need girls to make the co-ed requirements. Besides, the whole point is to have fun, so no one cares if they win or lose.
Tell that to the butterflies flopping around in my stomach.
I nervously sit on the bench, waiting for our captain to switch me in. Both teams look like they know what they’re doing and it turns out my team has some fleet-footed members. Both sides score before I even get subbed in. After five minutes of fast play, our captain calls for a switch and I take my place in defence. My five minutes fly on by as I run around trying to block the ball from the other team and clumsily passing it up to our offense.
They score, we score. They score again. I have a hard time keeping track of who is in the lead, but that might be because they definitely weren’t joking when they said the game was fast. I think the other team has more goals than us, but it’s hard to tell because everyone is just as enthusiastic and peppy whether we’re winning or not. I get put on again just as the other team is about to kick from half. I see my teammate step towards center, so I do too, trying to stop the guy kicking from getting it straight in the net like he has the last couple times. For a brief moment, time slows down as he winds up and kicks the ball, lofting it straight towards my head. It occurs to me that maybe I should move, but before I can react time suddenly restores and the ball comes shooting towards me like a bullet.
I can’t include what I said after that because it was 100% indecent. The ref didn’t card me though, probably because he understood that taking a ball to the skull really freaking hurts. I stay on though, waving off my roommate when she stands to relieve me.
“I got this,” I say bravely, only wincing a little bit for dramatic emphasis and definitely not because it feels like my brain is throbbing.
And I honestly did have it. We finished out the game and when the last whistle blew I almost forgot I could have brain trauma. (Just kidding, it seriously wasn’t that bad). We lost the game, but it was still really fun and everyone congratulated me for unintentionally taking a header and not even crying. At the end, we all shook hands and there was honestly no hard feelings because it had been such a good game. Later, my roommate asked me what number I wanted on my team shirt. I’ve never had one of those before. I think that’s pretty damn cool.
Check back again next week for another update on my resolution, in which I’ll be playing water basketball! (I swear, this is also a real thing. Trust me.)