We have arrived! IMPT - changed starting time
Fri October 24 2008 @ 10:01 AMTo all:
The important point first - change of reporting time: the doors at Shanahan will open just before 8am tomorrow morning and PLAY WILL BEGIN at 8:15 am. There will be two pools of play - a 5-team pool which will play 2 sets/game against the other teams in their pool & a 4-team pool which will play 3 sets/games against the other teams in their pool. I do not know which one we will be in... waiting to hear from Casey...
FIRE UP!!!
Well, here we are, on the eve of our goal for the year. Like the Phillies, we are in the NL Championships (Region 17 Tourney), looking to advance to the World Series (Archdiocesan playoffs). We have to come through St. Max and St. Joe's... think like Bob the Builder: Yes, we can!!! But we can't overlook the other teams that we will face. Each game will contribute to our mental attitude and confidence.
We had lots of scrimmage this week: vs. St. Kevin's on Tuesday, vs. a mixed team on Wednesday, and vs. ourselves all night on Thursday. I introduced a new mantra: YES! I asked the girls to say it everytime they touched the ball. Until they got silly about it, it worked well! I reminded them that when one player gets down, the team can pick her up. It only takes one girl to fire up the rest of the troops and get us back on track. I asked each of the girls to be that one when needed. There are 25 points (or more!) in a game/set and they have to fight for each one, re-setting their focus if we give any away.
I ask the parents to stay positive in the bleachers and the coaches to stay positive on the benches. In the words of Ursula in Little Mermaid: "body language"!!
I also started giving out rewards for serving in the form of snickers bite sized bits! Desperate times call for desperate measures!! Besides, I am preparing them for the sugar overload of Halloween... so, if I am providing the sugar tomorrow (which I will!), please be sure to send the other food groups: fruit & veggies, protein (trail mix is great - peanuts, raisins, a FEW M&Ms), and carbs (pasta salad with veggies, oatmeal, granola bars, etc.) We will have to check out the Snack Bar when we get there, but all the snack bars at these tournaments seem to have are pizza, possible hot dogs, and candy! I would recommend Wawa hoagies for lunch -- there is a giant Wawa east on Rte 30 at the next light.
We have seen two teams throughout the season. I am counting on you/your player to do the personal preparation for the tournament tomorrow by getting a good night's sleep, eating well today/tonight/tomorrow, etc. so that we see the better team tomorrow.
We have seen them do it... the question is: will they do it??
Last week at the tournament, I asked each player about the dance. Each player looked me in the eye and said that she was NOT going to the dance. Please help your player keep her word. More important than any win/loss we might have in volleyball is the character we are trying to build in these girls: commitment, confidence, being able to win/lose with grace, supporting one another, team spirit, understanding the need for hard, consistent effort, etc.
As you all probably know, Allie Gibbons is out for the season with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) which is a serious injury. Please keep her in your prayers that she can recover completely and continue her athletic career. Allie loves volleyball and is probably having a hard time living without it! Losing Allie is a definite setback, but not an insurmountable obstacle. We took a game from St. Max without her, played an entire tournament without her (and took silver), so I believe we can still get there.
So, come tomorrow, ready to cheer and support the team/your player as you have been doing all year. I and the rest of the coaches (and the girls) are grateful for your support. They probably won't truly understand the immensity of your support until they get a lot older. But I hope they are remembering to say 'thanks' for now.
My goal for tomorrow is to represent ourselves well, show what we have and, of course, to win. However, I reminded the girls that there is no shame in losing if we represent ourselves well and the other team was just better. When we have all burners firing, I think we are competitive with anyone!
FIRE UP!!
GO EXPOS!!!
Best to all, Coaches Joyce
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