2026-02-19, 02:52 PM - Word count:
(This post was last modified: 2026-02-19, 02:56 PM by rrf_1. Edited 1 time in total.)
19 Feb 2026
The season is moving along very quickly! Victoria Falls is sitting second in the standings through 6 matches, and I’m really enjoying playing with my fellow Eagles. Right now we are in the middle of a long travel day to Sydney for a battle with the Academy’s top team this season, so it’s the perfect time to respond to this week’s question from the social media team:
I am mostly motivated to perform because I don’t want to let my family and friends down. As I’ve described in my responses to previous questions, pursuing a professional football career is quite risky, and I don’t have a perfect history of being fully invested in this sport. Considering this, it would be fair for the people in my life to have some doubts in me and in my ability to succeed, but so far all they have shown me is full support and faith. I’ve promised that I will put my whole self into every meeting, practice, and match from here forward so that I can become a valuable teammate for any club, and now I need to back up those words with my actions. This pressure to prove myself is what motivates me to compete.
My preparation for a match isn’t too regimented. I have a typical pre-match routine, but occasionally I deviate. I just don’t find that consistency is the top priority for me. However, I do usually try to unplug in the last hours leading up to kick-off, so I turn off my phone to clear out all the noise from the outside world. During this time, I like to get some time on the stationary bike to start warming up my muscles, and I like to listen to either a chapter from an audiobook or some music to focus my mind while pedaling. After the bike, I run through a pretty standard stretching and calisthenics routine that I’ve developed over the years to reduce injury risk. Then I usually have about 30 minutes remaining to get in some last-minute fuel, check in with my teammates, and make sure my kit is all squared away. That’s pretty much it. It’s not a complicated routine, but I find that it’s simple enough to lower my stress and lock in my mind, and it’s also thorough enough to get my body ready for the match.
We’re just about to land in Sydney so I will have to cap this check-in there!
The season is moving along very quickly! Victoria Falls is sitting second in the standings through 6 matches, and I’m really enjoying playing with my fellow Eagles. Right now we are in the middle of a long travel day to Sydney for a battle with the Academy’s top team this season, so it’s the perfect time to respond to this week’s question from the social media team:
Quote:What motivates you to compete, and how do you prepare for a match?
I am mostly motivated to perform because I don’t want to let my family and friends down. As I’ve described in my responses to previous questions, pursuing a professional football career is quite risky, and I don’t have a perfect history of being fully invested in this sport. Considering this, it would be fair for the people in my life to have some doubts in me and in my ability to succeed, but so far all they have shown me is full support and faith. I’ve promised that I will put my whole self into every meeting, practice, and match from here forward so that I can become a valuable teammate for any club, and now I need to back up those words with my actions. This pressure to prove myself is what motivates me to compete.
My preparation for a match isn’t too regimented. I have a typical pre-match routine, but occasionally I deviate. I just don’t find that consistency is the top priority for me. However, I do usually try to unplug in the last hours leading up to kick-off, so I turn off my phone to clear out all the noise from the outside world. During this time, I like to get some time on the stationary bike to start warming up my muscles, and I like to listen to either a chapter from an audiobook or some music to focus my mind while pedaling. After the bike, I run through a pretty standard stretching and calisthenics routine that I’ve developed over the years to reduce injury risk. Then I usually have about 30 minutes remaining to get in some last-minute fuel, check in with my teammates, and make sure my kit is all squared away. That’s pretty much it. It’s not a complicated routine, but I find that it’s simple enough to lower my stress and lock in my mind, and it’s also thorough enough to get my body ready for the match.
We’re just about to land in Sydney so I will have to cap this check-in there!
![[Image: ihJvO77.png]](https://imgur.com/ihJvO77.png)
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