Monday’s Pen to Paper: Ten Short Lines and Go
My friend Jenny and I write every Thursday. Most days we write a quick letter to one another to catch up on our week. Last week we wrote ten short lines about our previous week. Mine started…
- Ping Pong Pandemonium
- Not-so-sweet 16
- Gone are many dog days & days & dogs. Peace.
- Title IX article
You get the idea. Just little snippets into what happened. Then we chose one of the lines and wrote for eight minutes. Now it’s your turn to give it at try.
WRITING PROMPT: Jot down 10 things that happened last week. Pick one of them and write some more.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Check Your Tone
“Are you just going to stand there?” The question, not directed to me, came with a harsh tone and a stare at player on the opposing team yesterday morning when I was playing pick up ball. The coach (and mom) in me cringed as I back-peddled on defense. Then the question was followed by several more choice words of advice. I’ve heard it all before, negative coaching and yelling from parents, players and fans over the years and I don’t like it. I watched the young player who had received the question, hunch over a bit. His eyes lowered. I know the yeller meant well, he wants the player to get better, learn to hustle, to be a better teammate, and I’m sure he didn’t see a thing wrong with his question. But is this the best way?
I don’t think so. Unfortunately, it happens a lot. Earlier this week while watching a high school boy’s rec-league game I listened as one of the boys hollered at his teammate and rolled his eyes. “Give me the ball! I’m open!!!” His teammate was surrounded in the key. His post player could have gone up for the shot or kicked the ball out to a waiting guard, so it didn’t hurt to let him know there was an open man to release to, but it was the tone, a “hey stupid why don’t you get me the ball” tone as opposed to a “hey teammate I’m right here to help you” tone. Help bring your team together with positive energy.
When I was playing yesterday morning, against the young kid who’d received the not so subtle brow beating, I was quick to say, “way to hustle,” when he hustled, and, “nice pass,” when he did just […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Food for Thought…
WRITING PROMPT: Take a look at the photo above and then write for 10 minutes! Go.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: How to Get Your Shot Back
When I worry about making my shot during a game, when I start thinking too much, it affects my shot in a bad way. So I have learned a trick that works for me on the basketball court come game time, and that is to simply forget about my shot. If my shot is off at the start of a game, the first thing I do is focus on other parts of my game; defense, rebounding, passing and of course making sure I hustle.
It may seem odd for a coach to say forget about the one thing that you are trying to do better, but it’s worked for me as a player and when I was coaching it was one of my first recommendations for a struggling shooter. I would tell them to forget about their shot and just get out there and play. Practice is when you become a better shooter, the game is where the work pays off if you don’t play all stressed out.
A great thing about basketball, is that you can hustle to relieve stress. This isn’t the case for all sports. For example, no part of golf calls for hustle, so there is no way, at least for me, to distract the mind. On the basketball court my hustle, helps make positive contributions to the team, as well as releases any frustration I might have, which in the end helps keep my mind calm.
Having a good mindset when playing basketball is important, very important, but you can get there differently when playing basketball. On those days when things aren’t going well and you’re shot’s off, hustle on defense, bump the cutters, crash the boards, run the break and help your teammates score by getting them the ball. […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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Monday’s Pen to Paper: Taming the Beast
I miss paper!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving trees. But I miss my printed documents and card stock. My paperback novels. My non-fiction books and lifestyle magazines. And of course my newspaper and the feel of its pages between my fingers when I read my daily dose, not to mention the quanitative measure of it.
When I have the sports section in hand, I have a finite amount to read. I can sit down at my kitchen table, drink my coffee and know that in half an hour (give or take a few minutes) I will get basic local, regional and worldwide sports news. When on to the next section I know I will learn what’s happening in my community, then another section and I travel around the world. All over a nice hot drink, emphasis on hot.
News in the digital era […]
PLB Friday: The Fun/Work-Work/Fun Factor
One thing I say to my kids when they are headed out the door to a game is, “play hard and have fun!” It probably falls on numb ears after so many years of hearing it, but I mean it. I have no great coaching advice at that last-minute that will make a huge difference (they should have been paying attention and working hard in practice) and I’m not going to go ad nauseam about what they should do because that too will bore them and be lost to them, but what I can do is reach out and suggest they do two things that can make a difference in their performance. Make their best effort and find joy in the game.
What could be better for them (and their team)?
But this is not an easy task. Working hard in itself is not super […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Finding Fuel
What fuels you to write? For me it’s open space, quiet and stillness.
Unfortunately, that is not the life I live so it is a constant challenge to keep up with my writing so I go in search of other ways to stay on task, such as meeting my friend, and writing partner, Jenny once a week, another is making dates with myself, writing them down on paper and sticking to them, another is taking long drives. Every time I go for a long drive, I spend some time with the radio off and this is when my mind goes to work, and fires up about thoughts and ideas and writing projects that sometimes loose momentum in my busy life.
I can find inspiration with a good hike or walk. Recently, I started working toward a new way to clear my mind, one that I […]
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