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| JAN 10/10 |
| 3:00 PM MST |
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| JAN 23/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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| FEB 5/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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| FEB 14/10 |
| 4:30 PM MST |
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| MAR 6/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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| MAR 13/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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| MAR 26/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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| APR 10/10 |
| 7:30 PM MST |
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Thursday, January 15, 2009
Each week, Roughnecks' captain Tracey Kelusky will touch on what's going on with the team, his life and just about anything he wants to talk about!
ENTRY ONE - JANUARY 15, 2008
Wow – what an exhilarating start to the Calgary Roughnecks 2009 season!
It was a great start for us, winning twice over the weekend. The back-to-back games and the travel can definitely kick the snot out of you though. You work during the week, play on the weekends and then struggle to get out of bed to work on Monday morning again.
But the best part is I get to have some fun writing a blog right here at The FAN 960 and the NLL throughout the season. So let's get on with the first installment.
We headed to San Jose for our game against the Stealth last Thursday. About 11 of us flew together from Calgary to San Francisco. The rest of the team and the coaches were coming in from different spots – Vancouver, Toronto – and their flights were not coming in for a couple of hours (this is typical in the NLL).
After landing in San Fran we were hanging around the airport and this dodgy guy said he had a limo service and he could get us to San Jose. After a little bartering and some convincing we decided what the heck. We could have waited for the bus but we wanted to get into town, have a good meal, relax a bit and get a good sleep in for the season opener.
There were seven of us in total that decided to go. We all piled in to a limo that could have made its début in the movie Risky Business. It definitely wasn't what I, or the rest of the guys, had in mind. We ended up piling gear on the roof and probably looked like the Beverly Hillbillies pulling up to the San Jose Hilton. Thankfully we still had all the gear.
After a nice meal we decided to call it a night. As usual Kaleb and I are roomies and couldn't officially call it a night without our pre sleep cribbage ritual. After losing a few bucks we shut ‘er down. Kaleb was sawing logs within minutes and I tossed and turned. Due to my injury last season, I found I was as nervous and anxious for Friday's tilt. After fighting the pillow for a couple of hours, I was able to get to sleep after a long travel day.
In the morning we went to the shoot-around, our little practice time before the game, and then we went for a pre-game meal. I think one of the best places for a pre-game meal is in San Jose at a place called The Sonoma Chicken Coop. It's not fine dining, but you can get anything there – ribs, pasta, chicken. And it's quick, which is important because we try and have a nap in the afternoon on game day.
I usually have the chicken and rice and Kaleb Toth and I usually split a pizza. This time we had the pizza, but I had the chicken primavera.
The food was great but my pre-game nap on the other hand was miserable. Usually it's really easy to sleep in the afternoon before the game but again, I think I was just a little too excited. I got a little sleep but not a lot. It felt like I was about to play my first game.
The game finally came. We fell behind early but made a comeback and eventually tricked the Stealth. After the game it was time to get some food and rest. We had to fly back to Calgary on Saturday and play Edmonton in our home opener. Most of us hit the grocery store near the hotel. What a sight! There were 20 guys in suits and ties around 11:45 p.m. grabbing sports drinks, fruit and munchies. Gotta love shopping in a US grocery store.
We eventually went back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. The wake-up call was for 5:00 a.m. It's hard to sleep after a game too. You are so wound up. You are on a high. I think the last time I looked at the clock it was 3:00 a.m.
When we arrived in Calgary, instead of going home, we had rooms at a hotel in downtown Calgary where we all went and crashed for a few hours and then it was off to the ‘Dome for a win over Edmonton. It was nice to see the cagey vet Mouse (Malawsky) get the OT winner.
One of the special moments over the weekend was being able to take my seven-month-old son onto the floor after the game. It was the first time I had the chance to take my son onto the floor and Kellar's eyes were as wide as saucers. Combined with the fact that it was the first time I had seen him since Thursday it really topped off the weekend. It's funny how you get attached to those little suckers.
Usually the day after a game is a rest day where you unwind and relax. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards for me. We had a lot going on at our house that day, including a showing as we have it up for sale. We were all up at around 8:00 a.m. to take care of the house and the baby. The body is a little sore (sometimes a lot sore) after two games in a weekend. It's a little different now, with a family. You can't rest all day when you have been away and your wife has been looking after the house and the baby. I always had guys on my teams with families at home but never really thought about how they did it. You're definitely a bit naive to the fact until it happens to you.
Monday it was back to work and then, throughout the week we get together for workouts. I usually do a minimum of three in a week. Not a lot of time to recoup because we are off to Toronto to face the Rock on Saturday.
I think I will take the team bus from the airport this time.
A bit long winded I know.
I'll be sure to report back next week.
TK
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