This season, we counted many things:
Goals scored and green cards earned, Kuka balls after every training, the number of intervals left during our runs, votes for Woman of the Match, points needed for the Final 4, Qwixx scores on train rides and earnings at the Kiosk. And in the end, our efforts accumulated to a fifth position in the ranking. A disappointing result that doesn't capture the time and energy spent as a team on and off the pitch.
Throughout the season we've experienced highs and lows, and various moments of pressure. Fortunately for us, Tanja appears to enjoy pressure. While the rest of us get nervous during shoot-outs, her confidence only grows and she stops the balls with extreme precision. Luckily, in our team, these kinds of high performers are celebrated on a regular basis - using a renowned and highly trusted democratic foundation called Woman & Dick of the Day. Every week, the search for these individuals produced fierce competition, passionate campaigning, occasional controversy and absolutely no evidence that the voting system was objective, despite the technology backing it up. Still, it ensured that both brilliance and stupidity received the recognition they deserved.
Off the pitch, the kiosk remained one of the club's greatest success stories. Home-baked cakes, snacks and, in some cases, so-called home-made dough appeared next to the field with impressive quality. The effort invested in the kiosk occasionally raised the question of whether certain players had accidentally joined a baking club that happened to play hockey.
Slightly further off the pitch lies the Limmat, which consistently played an important role in our season. In summer, it became our recovery pool after training. In winter, it became the backdrop for our runs. Somehow, it witnessed both our best athletic intentions and many of our worst conversations. Equipped with headlamps and reflective vests, we looked less like an NLA hockey team and more like a group of volunteers directing aircrafts at Zurich Airport. To this day, it remains unclear whether Marieke and Eline are passionate about team safety or dreaming of a job in ground traffic control.
Another traditional activity for our team is the yearly celebration of Sinterklaas, which demonstrated how much time we really spend together. By the end of the evening, roughly 80% of the team had received exactly the same gift (the Qwixx game). Next season will bring the first official GC Qwixx Championship, complete with a Final 4. Unlike some other competitions, here we can guarantee GC representation.
This was also the final season with Pupo after two great years. If there is one thing he taught us, it is that success is rarely found in a single result. It is built in hundreds of small moments: one more sprint, one more training, one more counted Kuka ball, one more Gummischlange for hitting the top of the goal, one more shoot-out. And those moments cannot be measured. Thank you Pupo!
