Getting Cut

This past weekend I had to "cut" my first ever player after the Jr. Shamrocks rookie camp. This got me thinking about the times I have been cut and released from a team and the best way to rebound from cut. I have been cut from 2 summer games teams and from the intermediate shamrocks my first year. More recently I have been cut from the Toronto Rocks and the Philadelphia Wings.

No matter how many times you are cut you need to believe in your skills and have faith that you will rebound. You need to work harder to improve weather skill wise or physically by hitting the gym hard.

You need to also try and find an opportunity to still compete at the highest level possible or find other opportunities to grow as a goalie and a person.

When I was cut from the summer games team another opportunity presented itself to me; playing in The Jr. B provincials against player who were up to 6 years old then myself. And when I was released from the Int. Rocks I shopped my talent to other teams in the league who needed a goalie and landed a spot in New West. That was a long summer taking the ferry over to the mainland 2-3 times a week but it made me mature as a player and was a great chance to still compete at the highest level.

When I have been cut from the NLL teams I kept my head up knowing that I will eventually get another chance and if I work hard and have good summers with the shamrocks that I will be noticed and I will be back in the league sooner rather than later.

No matter how many times you get cut you need to believe in your abilities and keep your eye on your goal because the cream will always rise to the top.

Some advice

Some advice for any young goalie is watching as much lacrosse as possible. You can learn allot from watching other goalies. These goalies may play a completely different style of game from you but you can use some of their tricks to your repertoire.
Along with watching the goalies watch the game. The more you learn how offensive players move and their tendencies the better equipped you will be when you face shooters at your level.
A good way to learn lacrosse is by officiating. Officiating will make you watch the game through a different perspective as well as learning all the rules. This will also get you use to being yelled and heckled at by fans and parents.

Darrell Royal: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

A goalie must have one overriding quality-- he must want to be a goalie. - Emile Francis

Ken Dryden Goaltending Quote

Because the demands on a goalie are mostly mental, it means that for a goalie, the biggest enemy is himself. Not a puck(or ball), not an opponent, not a quirk of size or style. Him. The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt, all the symptoms of his position, in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing. The successful goalie understands these neuroses, accepts them, and puts them under control. The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them, his mind in knots, his body quickly following. - Ken Dryden