PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: T. E. A. M
The team I coach is down to five healthy Varsity players. You heard that right FIVE. Granted, you just need five players to play a game, but it leaves no room for foul trouble or getting tired – needing a break. And I haven’t even mentioned what it does to a practice schedule.
As a player, I like the idea of having a team of five. It means starting and playing the whole game. As a coach, it’s scary.
The good news is our players that swing from the Junior Varsity squad are getting the opportunity to have more varsity experience and our usual subs are starting and spending a lot more time on the court.
I am hoping to have our two injured starters back by playoffs, but in the mean time this experience is making the team stronger as the girls learn to trust and believe in each and every one of their teammates, and learn that in order to be successful they need to work together – the true meaning of team.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Just Do It
There is mayhem in our house. We’ve had two weeks of construction. Two weeks with no washing machine. Hours with no water. A wayward water pump and lots and lots of noise. Later this week, the dust and pounding will move to our kitchen.
My husband is complaining. “It’s been a month already, when will they be done?”
“It’s only been two weeks,” I remind him. “Four or five weeks to go.” I give him a wink. He works out of the house. His home office is not easy to work in. I’ll have to admit, the noise doesn’t foster an enviroment for writing either, but when is life ever perfect. Today I’m making myself write. What I come up with may not be award worthy, or worth reading for that matter, but I’ll use the old NIKE adage and JUST DO IT…just write.
Whether its writing or doing something else, there will be days you’ll need to remind yourself to just do it.
WRITING PROMPT: Celina was curled up in her velvety soft sofa by the fire, reading her book, when she heard a loud pounding outside the door…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Game Plan
The basketball team I coach had a big game last Friday. I scouted the opponent and watched last season’s game film. Then my assistants and I put together a game plan that we felt, if implemented well, would give us a win and another step in the direction toward our season goals.
We adjusted our defense, informed our team of the opponents individual strengths and how to stop them, and emphasized offensive priorities. The plan worked to perfection.
We celebrated in the moment and then as coaches, started working on our next game plan, tweaking and adjusting for the road ahead.
Life is like basketball in so many ways. We set goals, find what it takes to reach those goals and then work on our game plan, growing and changing as we go.
Take a minute to go over your game plan. What adjustments do you need to make to reach your goals?
Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Lucky Save
Yesterday there was a little yelling at our house. We are remodeling the basement and had to move some extremely heavy items out of the way, one is a foosball table that hasn’t been pried through the narrow doorway it somehow entered almost 20 years ago. After fighting several large pieces of furniture through the tiny opening, and letting a few choice words slip during our frustration, it was time for the main event, the foosball table. We removed the table legs, but this still left us with a cumbersome and very heavy table top with metal rods sliding and protruding from both sides.
Needless to say, by the time we finished and made it to the dinner table my son and daughter and husband were cranky. I thought food would help. It wasn’t enough. The kids asked to be excused. “No.” My husbands replied. They moped and complained, picked up the dishes and asked again. “Not until we play a game of foosball.” I said. (The foosball table is now in our kitchen).
My son complied but explained he would only give minimal effort. “Great, you can be on my team.” I smiled. “I’m so good, we won’t need a big effort from you to win.”
We all sidled up to the table and started to play. The kids moved more slowly, grumpily (if that is a word). Making it quite obvious that they were not going to have fun. I put in a couple of shots across the full length of the table with my goalie. My daughter put in a hard shot from her front line. My husband slammed a ball into a player with such force it almost pop off the table. “Nice save Lilly,” he said as he reached […]
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: Baby Steps
Do you ever have HUGE dreams of what you are going to do with your life? Times when you imagine yourself accomplishing all kinds of amazing things? And then you wake up and realize that the dreams are never going to happen, or at least that’s how you feel.
That was me this morning. Last night I had all these thoughts going on in my head about basketball and my writing and my life. I couldn’t sleep. And when I woke up, reality hit as I thought about what I would need to do to achieve these dreams.
I wish I could say that I sat down and meditated for ten minutes and found my focus, because that would have been a great thing to do, but I felt pretty good about the fact that I didn’t just crawl back […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Space
There may be days when you feel alone in the world or…
days when you can’t find space to breathe.
WRITING PROMPT: Write about one of these days or use one of the photos above to inspire you…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Together We Are Strong
We had basketball tryouts this week for the high school team that I coach. We pushed the girls hard for three days and I was so impressed with how they responded. Most of the girls, including many that had never played basketball before, and perhaps never been terribly active, didn’t give up even when our conditioning coach put the hammer down. It was awesome to watch these young women push themselves and discover what they are capable of. The mind is a powerful thing and in just three days I hope that some of these girls learned that they are stronger than they ever believed.
A lesson in life, as well as on the court.
What was even better to see than the tenacity on the court, was the girls supporting one another through the tough workouts. There were last […]
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