By Hayley Wickenheiser /
Now that the hockey season is underway all players have something in common. From minor hockey to professional players, almost everyone will have to go through tryouts. Regardless of how long I have played on the National Team, club hockey or professional hockey, the tryouts never end.
On The Women’s National Team, our spot is never guaranteed. Granted, there are some players that have to worry less than others, but it can still be a stressful situation.
Each fall a camp is held and the top 40-60 players are invited to compete for spots.
There are about 2-3 competitions and camps through the year before the coaching staff picks it’s 20 players to compete at the World Championships in April.
At the World level, there is much parity between players.
Often it’s the intangibles and little details that separate players in the end.
The selection process for a National team can be quite stressful. For the 2006 Torino Olympics, our coaching staff chose to have a one on one meeting with each of the 27 players centralized in Calgary.
After 6 months training, cuts were made. Players were given their time and had to enter Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary through one door, have your meeting, and exit through another.
That way, players could not see who made it or didn’t.
Of course, the way word spreads on a team; within minutes we all knew the roster.
It was an extremely agonizing and stressful time for us all.
I have been on both sides of the fence throughout my career and here are some of the things I have learned about dealing with tryouts.
NERVES ARE OKAY
Usually nervousness is a good sign that a player wants to do well and they care. Use those nerves as positive forms of energy.
BE READY
You are much more likely to have success if you go into training camp prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. I have always had my best camps when I feel totally ready.
STAY FOCUSED
Find positive distractions: Our mind is our best AND worst enemy at times like this. Thinking about your lack of ice time, line combinations and what the coach thinks is energy draining and won’t help you. Try to not get too high or too low. I cope with this by keeping myself busy playing with my son, reading books, positive self talk, etc.
DO LITTLE THINGS
When the pressure is on, many times players will get ‘tunnel vision’ and ‘hands of stone’. I have found it helps to focus on the small details of the game like the next pass, or the next shift. This way, the game is simpler and not as overwhelming.
BE UNIQUE
Think about what qualities you can bring that are unique and special to a team that no one else has. Focus on your strengths and showcase those talents.
BE A TEAM PLAYER
We all know players who had enough talent on ice to make a team, but their off ice attitude was poor.
There are players on our National Team that are not as talented as other players but were chosen ahead of them because they are good team players, role players and leaders.
PLAY YOUR BEST
There are many things that are out of your control: coaches ie: coaches decisions, teammates, winning. Focus on what you can control and then let go of what happens.
This is perhaps the hardest part of the game for me, and I am still learning. |
