Hoffman Blog: Black Wolves Camp Opens with Intensity

Friday:

It was Friday after lunch and I was ready to get out of work for the weekend.  Big plus, I get to play some lacrosse as the New England Black Wolves open training camp.  I made it down to Philly airport for an evening flight.  This time, it wasn’t quite the same. Instead of the normal 8-10 person Philly group, there were three of us. We chatted casually and waited for our flight. Once on board, I finally had some time to myself to think about what was actually going to happen this weekend, and what a great opportunity I have in front of me.   I started to get that nervous excitement.  After we touched down, we had car service to Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino. After checking in to my room, I remember thinking how lucky I was to have a chance to compete and play ball at this level. Everyone is itching to play tomorrow.

Saturday.

We started with early morning assessments consisting of physicals, performance testing and medical history. The basic stuff.  We had a nice break in the middle of the day.  We decided to take a little tour of Mohegan Sun.  This place is unreal. It has a great size arena, shops, clubs, spas, restaurants, bars, gambling, this place has it all. After our little tour, it was time to catch a nap.  The movie “The Internship” was on in the background. Gotta love Vince Vaughn.  Saturday night’s practice felt great.  Getting up and down the floor, stretching out the legs, it was a great first practice.  #plusone.  Dinner with the boys at Michael Jordan’s Sports Bar and then some sleep. Side note: They have a 3lb burger on a 12” Kaiser roll.  I WILL EAT THAT before this is all said and done.

Sunday.

Up early, coffee and a bagel to kick off the day.  Practice was a banger.  Lots of one-on-one, two-on-two and full speed play.  It felt great to get after it again after such a long break. The compete level was high.  After practice, I hit a restaurant for a lobster roll and some mac ‘n’ cheese (lunch of a champion). Back to the airport and back home.  Now it’s time to heal, train, and prep for whatever next weekend has in store. All I could think about was how great January 2nd is going to be.