The real test isn’t where you start, it’s how you respond.
I just heard from a high school goalie who is chasing his dream but feeling crushed right now. He is a junior and after giving his all at tryouts, he didn’t make varsity. He thought he earned it, but the coaches told him he would be starting the season on JV.
Of course he is disappointed. Who wouldn’t be? But here is the truth. You can’t let a setback like that stop your momentum.
Right now this is his proving ground. And if you have played this game long enough, you know exactly what that means.
If you didn’t make the team you wanted, if you are not where you think you should be, then this is your moment to turn disappointment into fuel.
You have two choices.
You can pout, coast, and complain.
Or you can lace them up, go back to work, and become the hardest worker on whatever team you are on.
That is exactly what I had to do.
When I was at Culver Military Academy, I didn’t make the top prep team either. I thought I had done enough, but I got slotted on the Varsity B team and man, that stung. It sounded like a demotion. But instead of sulking, I used it as fuel. I worked. I battled. I made that season my proving ground.
That year I led the team in scoring, won MVP, and earned my shot the next year to move up the ranks.
And it didn’t stop there. I got cut from four or five junior tryouts. I rode the bench my first six games of college hockey at UMass Lowell. I sat in the stands as a healthy scratch. It was humbling and brutal. But every time I got knocked down, I got a little better and a little stronger.
And that adds up.
By senior year I was leading my Division 1 team in scoring and earned an AHL contract. But it all started on the proving ground back when I wasn’t where I wanted to be, but I refused to quit.
So wherever you find yourself this season, whether it is JV, varsity, third line, or even in the stands, own it.
Channel your frustration into focus.
Turn your anger into action.
Show up. Work. Grind. Repeat.
Because the truth is this. Proving ground never ends. Not in hockey and not in life.
So don’t waste your test. Win it.
See you in the trenches,
Bobby Robins
Savage motivator, ex hockey pro, writer for Wraparound
OVERTIME: Every player faces proving ground moments. The difference between those who make it and those who don’t comes down to the extra work you do when nobody’s watching.
If you’re ready to put in those unseen hours and sharpen your game where it really counts, this is your setup. The Perfect Pair Training Pack — the Green Biscuit and Puckaround — gives you everything you need to turn any driveway, basement, or garage into your personal proving ground.
Take your game to the next level, one rep at a time.