PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Change Is Hard
I made a tough decision this week to step down as the Head Girl’s Basketball Coach at West Seattle High School. I have been in tears off and on since that day.
When I took over the program five years ago I wanted to bring change. The program had struggled over the years and there was no support. In fact, I had 4 uniforms and $4 to start that first season. I spent pre-season hunting down uniforms from graduates and putting together fundraisers to get the team equipped. My assistant coach and I, ended that first season with six players who brought in 3 wins in one of the toughest leagues in the state of Washington. The last five years have been challenging, but the girls and the coaches, have worked hard to help build the program, so that this year we had Varsity, Junior Varsity and JVC squads and seven coaches. The West Seattle Girl’s Basketball program now has three Metro Sound Division Titles, a Metro League Championship and they placed 6th in State, but most of all the players are a group of focused and caring young women who play with a lot of heart. And that’s why it brings me to tears when I think about my decision to leave, because I care about each and every one of them.
Change is hard.
However, just because a decision is difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s not the right decision. I had to look at what my family needed and make my decision based on that. As other coaches know, being a head coach at the high school level is not an easy job, and to be competitive, it’s damn close to a full-time job, and unfortunately a majority of the time […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Let The Sunshine In
It’s not sunny today, but there is no rain and the birds are singing so it feels like spring and I love it. I have the urge to go for a walk, work in the yard, really enjoy the day. What I don’t have, is the urge to do my TAXES. But I’ve been putting it off long enough so it’s time to pull out the receipts and bills and start sorting.
Every year I go through this struggle and every year the process is not nearly as bad as I image. Still it always puts me in a state of ongoing procrastination, until that final day when I can’t stand it anymore. Which I have decided will be today.
And then after I’m done preparing my taxes, I can truly enjoy the music of the birds and if I’m lucky, maybe by then, a little sunshine.
WRITING PROMPT #1: Write about the times that you procrastinate in your life. What are some ways that would help you stop your procrastination?
WRITING PROMPT #2: Sierra dropped a shoebox filled with receipts on her accountants desk and walk out the door without a word…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: The Road to Madness
First, congrats to LouPop13, not only are you the winner of a PeaceLoveBasketball T-shirt and my memoir, your UCLA pick is still in the running. I, on the other hand, was hurt on that game and many others.
Being an Eastern Washington University grad and hoopster, and an optimist, I had the Eagles going to the Final Four. Unfortunately they went down yesterday in a tough game against Georgetown. I love that they didn’t give up, but in the end my bracket took a beating, and not just from that loss.
It really hurt me, because a 45 minute massage from my husband is on the line, and bragging rights. But, there is a lot of Madness left on the road to the championship game. Go Kentucky!
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Talking About Butts and Life
It’s not like me to talk about butts, but here I go, because not only do I need to get my butt up and moving so I can get back into shape, I also need to set it back down in my chair regularly to get some writing done. Both can be difficult to manage.
With basketball season wrapping up, I am ready to get back into shape. Not that I gain weight during the season, I just don’t work out much, which means the butt drops (there’s that word again) and in general I don’t feel as healthy. In the last five days I have taken LONG walks with the dogs, ridden my bike twice, played two basketball games, gone for a run and gone to yoga. (Yoga is something I love to sneak into my life as much as possible. Read more in my article There When It Matters)
I also found time, or shall I say MADE time, to simply put my butt in a chair and write. I reintroduced myself to the characters of my Young Adult novel. I wrote a poem (very unlike me) and I revisited a short piece I had been working on in the fall that is loosely based on my family history in Austria. It was fun to get my fingers moving again and my mind working in a way that it hasn’t for a while. Even if my butt did get a little sore, it was fun to write a bit more. (wow and just like that, another poem!)
WRITING PROMPT: Just Write! Write about your family. Start your novel. Finish your magazine article. Write a short poem. Write about the “buts” that keep you from writing…”but I’m too busy, but I’m […]
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: A Mother’s Love
I’d like to share an excerpt from my memoir, Back on the Court. In this piece, I am 25 years old and have recently been released from the hospital after being in a tragic accident where my fiancé was killed and I was critically injured. I am being moved into my parent’s house just days before I was supposed to be getting married…
A Mother’s Love
One more sip of water and I swear I’ll puke. I’m about to burst and I’m buzzing on a Percocet high that keeps me floating in this unwanted nightmare. More water means another trip to the bathroom, which means another transfer and more pain.
Slumping forward in my wheelchair, I drop my head and close my eyes. My water glass sits untouched. The air behind me thickens, and then dissipates slowly as mom lets out a muffled […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: AAU, Summer Camp or Sun Bath? What To Do This Summer?
Are you (or one of your kids) a high school basketball player or athlete? Then what you choose to do over the summer is a valid question and the answer is not always a simple one. The answer comes from a more important question, what do you want? Do you want to work on your game and become a better basketball player? Then you have some options. First, attending a few individual camps is a good way to get some specific work done. You get college level coaches and players working with you to become better, and nothing is more powerful. I had a blast when I went away to camp when I was young. We played a few games of course, but I got a lot of skill work in and I improved a ton. The drills helped my game and […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Knowledge is Power
My tennis lesson this week was a reminder in coaching. A reminder on how important it is to understand what level you are coaching, and to coach to that level. Don’t assume that all your players know what you are talking about, especially if they are new to your program, or camp, or training. Be sure to ask questions and explain the little things.
Make sure that everyone is on the same page.
When using sport specific vocabulary take extra care. Yes, kids and adults can usually figure out what you’re talking about on their own. I figured out that the service line was not the line that you serve behind this week at tennis and when I was a kid I eventually learned what sideout meant when I joined volleyball in high school (though this one took me a while), […]
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