Between the Posts: All of the Footy.

I want to say I've had some time to reflect on the weekend now that this is my second Monday of the week, but everything has been such a whirlwind the past 36 hours so I haven't had time to really digest the situation. Arriving at the Sydney airport led to my frantic 2 hour sprint around the building because I found out I didn't have an actual ticket to get home (shout out to Cyclone Winston), so I didn't have time to really gather my bearings before the long sleep in the air. I'm pretty sure I broke a new record for the 20m sprint AND the agility test all within the duty free area, but I managed to make it on the plane right as the gate was closing. After my flight landed in Los Angeles, I spent another two hours getting through customs and our ever famous rush hour, took a nap, and now I'm back at work like any other Monday. Did the last two weeks actually just happen?

Where do I even begin? I think I should start by thanking the entire group of people involved in this camp (Libby, Jan, Daisy, Rookie Me, etc.) for being such great people and amazing hosts. I can't thank them enough for putting in the time and effort to not only put on a great event, but to make me feel so welcome and accepted during my short stay. They made me feel like I belonged and they were insanely helpful before and during the camp. Women's Footy is in good hands as long as these people continue to be involved. Daisy is a legend, of course, and I could tell immediately how passionate she was about the game. It was absolutely inspiring to be around such dedicated people. 

On Saturday we were invited to the Swans game, and it was a blast to see AFL live and in person once again. Prior to game time, we were invited to a function at the Blacktown Center, which allowed us to meet a great group of people who work for the AFL. Pretty exciting stuff considering most Americans will never get to see a game in person, let alone meeting the people who make it all happen. Before the skies opened up and "encouraged" us to sprint for our vehicles, I got to chat with a fun group of women who play for the Southern Power. They told me a me a bit about their club (they claim to be the best!), and how they've been doing on the recruiting front. I think I'm seeing an opportunity with our Australian Exchange Program!

Sunday was a whole different beast and probably what everyone has been waiting to hear about, so here it goes: 

Floor, meet Kim.

The first surprise of the day came from fellow Magpie, Bec, who joined Katie and I at the camp. It was great having another "New Yorker" along for the ride. Everyone seemed really happy to have Americans attending the event and I feel like Katie and I had some extra motivation going into it. After the introductions and warm-ups concluded, the testing began. I think, at this point, it's best for me to just skip over the beep test, so I'm going to do just that. Anyway, we were timed on a 20m sprint and I think I was above average on that, so not too shabby. During the agility test, I created an opportunity to come face-to-face with the floor. In other words, I slipped after they tried to wipe the floor down and slammed onto the ground. Hard. Did I break my wrist doing something that doesn't involved contact? Not sure yet - details to come after I get some free time to get an x-ray. Maybe the swelling is just due to the flight? What is the wrist version of cankles?

After I proved I can take a hit (a graceful one at that), I won the vertical jump. All of those squats on the bosu ball seemed to have paid off, so I'm pretty happy with the result. We were then sent to eat lunch and start preparing for the next part of our day. The fitness testing was complete! Time to strap on the boots and head outside! Kicking around with the girls was a good time, and the coaches were quite helpful. During the 1 v 1 drill and the main game, I managed to score a few goals and get some positive feedback from the coaches. I'm not exactly sure if I'm happy with my overall performance, but I did walk away knowing the things I need to be working on for the future, so that in itself is a win. Hopefully, Katie and I proved Americans can ball too. 

The entire event was very professional and all of the staff and potential AFL players were enthusiastic about everything. All people involved really seemed to enjoy themselves and everyone was very welcoming. Quite a few girls were shocked when they heard footy was being played over here in the US. We might have some new fans and followers on our hands, and that was part of the overall goal. I think Katie and I showed there was talent over here in America, and our talent comes with just as much passion as anyone could ask for, regardless of our home nation. All in all, it was a great day and I learned a lot. Beep test aside, I had a fantastic time.

Now What??

Once the camp was finished I started to receive messages from multiple supporters asking what the plan was for the future. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure. I still haven't figured out the visa situation and it seems like getting a job over there could be the one thing preventing me from achieving my ultimate goal. I definitely need to be playing for a team in Australia on a consistent basis and I haven't figured out how to make it happen. Funding something like this is already tough for the women who actually live there, and being an international player makes it that much more difficult. On top of that, there's a lot of pressure to make something happen because everyone has been so supportive through this journey and I want to give people a reason to be proud. 

The entire experience has been amazing, overwhelming, and quite frankly, too short. Just two and a half weeks ago I was buying my plane ticket to Sydney, and now I'm hanging out at work like nothing interesting has happened. I wish I could've stayed longer because I love Australia and I didn't want the experience to end, but alas, babies needed to be saved. A million thoughts have been running through my head since Sunday afternoon: Although I'm not currently ready to play on the elite level, do I have the potential to be? If I never make it to that level, am I going to be a huge disappointment to everyone? Is this dream even a realistic possibility logistically? What the hell am I supposed to do now?

Out of all of the questions I've been asking myself, this is the only one with a concrete answer: Did this weekend light a fire in me to do everything I can to get where I want to be?

Ab-so-freakin-lutely.