Valkyries on the break
would add fire to the gasoline-like nature of the estrogen soup we created .
But something magical happened with The Valkyries . The conflict never happened . Instead , we came together like poetry in motion . This team gelled to create an instant connection , and by the end of the weekend , we had forged a genuine sisterhood . Off the field we were sass and laughter . On the field , our evolution was undeniable .
The tournament started on The Hudson , a field that was completely overhauled for this event by field staff . The field is a dream for a snake player . It runs east to west with a mild downward slope from the east side . The Northern part of the field has the highest elevation , and a barricade of natural wood was constructed there to function as a snake . The southern part of the field is the lowest point with a gulley in which more natural bunkers were built to make a second snake .
Our first game was on this field against Prime Suspects , a running team , and we drew the near side ; the low side , giving them the high ground . Our goal was simple and entirely defensive : play Scorpionstyle . Find a bunker and just stay alive . When we lined up at the start gate , we stood together and pointed out which bunkers we intended to run into and dig in as deep as we could . The referee called “ Ten seconds .” And we turned to each other and said , “ Ten seconds to what ?” Then the whistle blew . Patrina Lester , Allie Balmores , and Jenn Montressor broke out hard , and the rest of us went , “ Oh , it started ,” and stumbled into whatever bunkers we could find . The women up front managed two kills that game before the rest of us were run down and bowled over .
The second game we faced GZ Red . We drew the near side again . This time , we broke out from the gate well and hit our spots quickly . But our communication broke down and we were rolled on once again .
Team Fox was our third match up , and by this time things were starting to come together for us a bit more . Inexperienced players ( me ) were starting to get a bit more comfortable in the format and use our voices . Allie Balmores had an on-field exchange with Team Fox captain Rob Walker that will be long-remembered by those who were there .
In the waning seconds of the match , Team Fox did manage to fight their way up around our back line and grab the flag , but we managed to pull in 12 points .
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