I arrived for the NPL Combine without any issues with flights or travel in general. I was concerned about the car rental part because, well, I’ve never rented a car on a solo adventure. But it was fine and I was shocked that people in Oklahoma City drove the speed limit.
That calmed my nerves about getting around and made finding everything much easier. I went to get my snacks for the weekend first but after that was done I was ready to eat my arm I was so hungry. I wanted a bunch of carbs so I found an Italian place. I couldn’t resist a joint that labeled itself “country Italian” and while I’m not sure what made it country, it was good. I also told my server I was a first-timer and he said, oh, first timers get a free appetizer. Well, alright! More carbs, and for free.
I checked into my hotel and hung out for a little bit before heading over to the facility a couple of hours before the Meet and Greet. People had already been playing for a while so it didn’t look promising that I would get a game. I actually ran into some people I knew which was a huge relief and made it easier to feel comfortable.
Eventually we played a couple of games. After that I sat around and watched people for a while and then finally got an all-girls game. The combine turned out to be people like me, who have never played senior pro, and people who have played senior pro for a good amount of time. The all-girls game was with a gal who I know has played at least a year at the senior pro level and she has the best personality. We were having fun with our games and then the Meet and Greet was starting but we decided to play some more. I was ok with that because I knew I’d be sitting in a corner and not meeting or greeting anyone.
Our games were pretty solid and I landed an ATP from the transition zone (not quite the baseline). A new Lara showed up for that because I grunted out a big old “Yeah!” when it connected. I rarely cheer my own shots so it shocked me. I mean, it didn’t matter, it was practice. But it was a cool shot.
We went to the Meet and Greet about an hour late and it was perfect timing. They had just started their announcements, 1 of them being the last 2 teams. I was excited to hear that because I’ve been sweating whether or not they’d get 6 teams for a few weeks. There are 3 co-founders of the league and they gave speeches, encouragement and appreciation to everyone who has committed to the league. It was awesome to be part of the environment; the feeling that this might end up being the start of something new, just for us old people, that will last.
One of the co-founders talked about charisma and how important it is for the owners – who were all there – to see. I immediately started to panic, equating charisma with the ability to mingle (which I don’t have). I knew I wouldn’t be able to magically make charisma off the court appear and I knew I was going to struggle with introducing myself to strangers. I probably should have practiced that as much if not more than I practiced my game.
Nothing I could do about that now, so we went back down and played a few more games. It was clear people were getting tired. We started missing weird shots and forcing things. We decided to wrap it up and head back to our hotels to get ready for an 8 a.m. start.
Fortunately, I wasn’t hungry. By 9 p.m. I hadn’t had dinner and wasn’t about to try to figure that out so late. I ate some snacks and drank a bunch of water. I know I’ll be a good teammate tomorrow and I hope that counts as charisma. A few people I played with today seemed to be surprised how fast my hands were. My drops were still a little high but I feel good. I’m excited to get going. I’m going to try to play slow and defensively until I figure out what I can do and then go from there.
3 Responses
Free appetizer AND an ATP?! Nice!!!!
Congratulations on your rating, Lara, and on entering the combine. Would you please explain the meaning of “ATP” to this novice PB player? Thanks and have fun!
An ATP is when a player hits the ball around the post rather than over the net. 🙂