Artair McCloud – Veteran Presence

[Hoopydog 195]

Introduction

 

It’s kinda weird being considered a veteran in the league when I’m still on my rookie deal with Riga, albeit I’m on the last year of said deal but I feel like I carry myself in the manor in which a vet should. I try to pick my teammates up when they are having a tough time and always keep a cool head. A lesson I learned quickly after I got chucked out a game in my last season playing for Vegas for “abusing an official”, I don’t know what those refs were on about to be honest.

 

Expectation

 

Becoming a veteran however, comes with a different set of expectations in terms of on ice performance. See, in your rookie season no matter how much hype or the expectation for how well you do, there isn’t any real pressure to perform and succeed because there is nothing to compare you to, no past season stats just a sheer prediction which doesn’t mean much. Take me for example, I came onto a rookie heavy Riga team and was probably the one with the least amount of hype or expectation on that team. I still don’t have a lot of hype around me right enough but I kept my head down and performed better than most people expected me to.

 

This season is a different story, people have seen what I can do and I have to meet those standards that I set for myself. All that hard work I put in last season, the off season and this season has paid off and I got rewarded with a place on the 1^st line and it’s not my job to deliver and repay the faith that has been bestowed upon me. I’m no longer a rookie and it’s like:

 

“Give the rookie some extra time and let’s see what he can do. If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t matter”

 

The pressure and expectation are more like:

 

“We know what you can do and you have to do that because the team need you to perform”

But I do think that the extra pressure you can help you thrive. After your rookie season, you develop a set of skills which help you deal with the pressure. You have the experience of playing in the big leagues and playing in those high-pressure clutch moments.

 

Advice

 

Some bits of advice I would give to the rookies coming into this league are:

1.      Try to have fun or as much fun as you can. Your rookie year is so exciting and it’s a totally different experience to playing in the minors.

2.      Don’t get to down if your points total and stats aren’t what you hoped. Like I said, the experience of playing in the VHL is totally different in the M and the skill gap between the players is huge.

3.      Try to bond with your teammates as much as you can. Unlike the M, where you are there for anywhere from 1-3 season, you could be playing with the same guys for a while so getting to know your teammates could be helpful if you’re going to be playing with each other for a while  

 

534 Words

[JigglyGumballs 1,056]

10 hours ago, Hoopydog said:

Introduction

 

It’s kinda weird being considered a veteran in the league when I’m still on my rookie deal with Riga, albeit I’m on the last year of said deal but I feel like I carry myself in the manor in which a vet should. I try to pick my teammates up when they are having a tough time and always keep a cool head. A lesson I learned quickly after I got chucked out a game in my last season playing for Vegas for “abusing an official”, I don’t know what those refs were on about to be honest.

 

Expectation

 

Becoming a veteran however, comes with a different set of expectations in terms of on ice performance. See, in your rookie season no matter how much hype or the expectation for how well you do, there isn’t any real pressure to perform and succeed because there is nothing to compare you to, no past season stats just a sheer prediction which doesn’t mean much. Take me for example, I came onto a rookie heavy Riga team and was probably the one with the least amount of hype or expectation on that team. I still don’t have a lot of hype around me right enough but I kept my head down and performed better than most people expected me to.

 

This season is a different story, people have seen what I can do and I have to meet those standards that I set for myself. All that hard work I put in last season, the off season and this season has paid off and I got rewarded with a place on the 1^st line and it’s not my job to deliver and repay the faith that has been bestowed upon me. I’m no longer a rookie and it’s like:

 

“Give the rookie some extra time and let’s see what he can do. If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t matter”

 

The pressure and expectation are more like:

 

“We know what you can do and you have to do that because the team need you to perform”

But I do think that the extra pressure you can help you thrive. After your rookie season, you develop a set of skills which help you deal with the pressure. You have the experience of playing in the big leagues and playing in those high-pressure clutch moments.

 

Advice

 

Some bits of advice I would give to the rookies coming into this league are:

1.      Try to have fun or as much fun as you can. Your rookie year is so exciting and it’s a totally different experience to playing in the minors.

2.      Don’t get to down if your points total and stats aren’t what you hoped. Like I said, the experience of playing in the VHL is totally different in the M and the skill gap between the players is huge.

3.      Try to bond with your teammates as much as you can. Unlike the M, where you are there for anywhere from 1-3 season, you could be playing with the same guys for a while so getting to know your teammates could be helpful if you’re going to be playing with each other for a while  

 

534 Words

Wait you're already doing you're veteran presence?

 

Oh god I feel old in the VHL