As I sit here on a Friday night relaxing after a long open gym, I find myself with a mixture of emotions, some good, others not so much. I'll do my best to not be too scattered with my ramblings and see if I can come up with something somewhat enjoyable to read.
First off:This break was EXACTLY what I needed. With my home-home being in Chicago, and Newbury being 1,000 miles away, Christmas break is the only time I come home from September to May. It's a combination of relaxing from the grind of school/work/volleyball and chaos of trying to catch up with everyone in a 3-week span, all while battling the time conflicts of the holiday season.
Regardless, I think this may have been the best Christmas yet, even though it may not have been the most eventful. The sad reality of things is I'm getting older! Some of my gifts include: "The Stick" (Device used to get kinks out of muscles, was a LIFESAVER at Ramapo for NECVAS last year and I'm thankful they had one, glad I have one now as well!), a "prostretch calf device (a blue half-circle that you stretch your calves on, any player with a decent training room should know what this is), a water filtration pitcher for the dorm room, a pair of mizuno socks (SO comfortable - about time I got a pair!), and a yoga mat with cleaning solution, as I've started doing it to increase my flexibility. What happened to all the toys! :)
Meanwhile, I had the joy of watching my 4 year-old brother go to town on his presents. It was the first Christmas he REALLY understood the concept of the holiday (well, maybe not the actual meaning behind it, but the fact that presents were at hand was DEFINITELY loud and clear for him). He got some pretty cool stuff, it's amazing how much toys have changed since my generation, I can't imagine how people 10-20 years older feel! It was fun playing with him all day.
We went to my Aunt's, and it was SO nice to catch up with everyone. I picked my grandma up from her Assisted Living complex, and it was a roller-coaster of emotions regarding that. She had a great day, she had a good time overall, but to give you an idea of where she's at mentally, after spending the entire day with her and driving her back, she randomly said "I'm so glad whats-his-name took care of me all day". I said "you mean Bryan?", "Yes" she replied. After stating how I was Bryan, she gave me a funny look, then proceeded to talk about how nice I was and how she thinks I'm going to succeed in whatever I do... but in the third-person, as if telling it to a stranger. Eyes welled up (although anyone that knows me knows I can't cry, and not by choice. Blasted society hitting me with masculinity undertones I suppose), and that was pretty much that. Sad to think that the next time I see her she probably won't remember me, but that's life. I'm just glad I got one more good day with her.
So that was my Christmas. I went shopping this morning, proceeded to feel depressed about being the oldest non-parent at American Eagle (NOT because of the lack of a child, mind you), but found some nice clothes at pretty cheap prices, so that was nice. Open gym was tonight, and continued a string of nights where I've started to really struggle with something I had hoped I would never have to deal with.
I have not had your typical volleyball journey. After spending 4 years playing at my high school (which honestly? I can't even remember a lot of it. Coach treated me like garbage, I didn't learn the game very well, and didn't feel that I brought much to the table), I had surgery on my foot, and after 18 months out of action, ran into the right people that started jump starting my passion for the sport.
I began what I feel is my REAL volleyball career at 19, at open gyms. I wasn't anything special, but I hustled for every ball, sometimes very carelessly, which has left me with a few hip scars to prove it. I also was very polite to teammates, and although I have a mean streak regarding my competitive drive, I never treated people good/bad based on their athletic ability. I also played in rec leagues in the area outside of playing USAV, and after 2 years of this, finally got my foot in the door thanks to Coach Dave at Newbury.
Although I have continued to improve every year, slowly moving up in levels regarding tournaments I play, I continued to stay in touch with those that helped me along the way when I first started out, and hit the same open gyms now that I did when I first started (The open gym I went to tonight was the first open gym I ever attended, and regulars from that night were still there). I always stay true to my roots, because without the support/guidance of these people, I wouldn't be where I'm at today.
People have always complimented me on being able to turn off the competitive juices and just have fun regardless of who's playing and what the scores are. I've met plenty of high level players that refuse to play open gyms unless its top-notch competition. The thing that concerns me this break is I find myself having issues shutting it down for these open gyms, and although I don't call anyone out personally or point fingers, I do take losses harder than I have in the past, and find myself a bit more flustered at the end of the night than I used to be.
My best friend/teammate Josh and I have discussed the evolution of players in volleyball. Although they improve gradually, we have a "plateau theory", basically involving having a breakout game, where you're able to sustain that increase from there on out. Something about that game STICKS with you, whether its the confidence, the epiphany of a new level you may not have known you can play at, or other factors.
At BU, I had one of those plateau games. On top of that, I felt a definite change in my mental play. Our team's energy was up, and although I kept it on our side of the net, I found myself much louder, energetic, and aggressive on the court. And I liked it. A lot. I've always been a hustle player, but I felt like I really broke out of a shell that tournament, and I didn't want to lose that.
Fast forward to the open gyms. You simply cannot compare it. I had a great team tonight, but we had one guy that was a bit shaky, who you never knew if he was gonna go underneath you for the block/hit, who didn't have too much energy on top of that (which is understandable, it's easy to get intimidated when you're surrounded by a higher level of players. He admitted it, and I made sure to tell him it was no big deal, that he was doing fine. Hope he keeps working at it). I don't want to become one of those people that can't play an open gym because "the level isn't good enough", but it's hard to get amped up and play my game when you've got players like that on the court.
So the paradox is this: I have the realization that a) Open gyms are OPEN, b) players need to start somewhere, I was that guy 4 years ago and people were patient with me, and c) that I know I've had fun before and need to let go of the frustration of losing from time to time. However, on the same note I've found a new fire when I'm on the court, an energy that I feel helps me step up my game, and I find it difficult to maintain it while on teams like this (especially given the fact that I believe at BU I fed off of my teammates, who are some of the most passionate players I've been lucky enough to be next to on the court). Where is the happy medium?
You hear about older players saying that they started to figure stuff like this out just as their physical skills begin to decline. I would love to be an outlier and learn it now. The downsides of being 23... I'll get over it. Only a couple more open gyms, then before you know it I'm back with my teammates at Newbury and it's time for the season to begin!
Hope everyone's holidays are going well! Not sure how many readers I have (I would LOVE if someone knew how to get a counter on here for how many people visit), but if anyone has a question/topic they'd like discussed, I'm very flexible in what I put on here. Let me know!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
First Post From Back Home
I would have posted a blog earlier, but simply have been too tired to write all the thoughts that fly through my mind on a regular basis. However, after an hour and a half at my physical therapist, I feel as good physically as I can remember feeling in a long time. I really wish I could take them with to Boston, they aren't just nice people but phenominal at what they do. I have yet to go in there for something without a prompt diagnosis/treatment to keep me moving forward. I've been going to them for 3 years now, and wouldn't be able to play at the level that I do without their guidance.
Moving on: After a 15 1/2 hour car-ride, Josh and I finally arrived back at home, and it's been the break I desperately needed. I was on the brink of a breakdown at school, and getting a rest from the regular grind couldn't have come at a better time. I ended up doing pretty well, with all A's except for one A-, which I wasn't pleased about, but I suppose I could have worked harder to get the grade I wanted. Lesson learned.
Seeing the little brother has been great, and it never ceases to amaze me how much he grows both physically and mentally each time I return. I've spent the majority of my trip playing with him as I've struggled to lock down a job from any of my previous employers short-term. Rather than rant on that as I could, I'll just say the aftermath of the financial crisis has not made me regret my decision to add one more year to get a second degree and leave it at that.
It's been great catching up with old friends, and I'm sad that I can't stay longer, because although I love it in Boston, it doesn't have the feeling that Chicago has. Chicago is home. Chicago just feels right. I can't put it into words, I just know when I'm here I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. It's been nice finding out how everyone has been since I've been gone, and it seems like the majority have been doing well.
Obviously, I've been playing ball, and it's been a good time so far. I feel very strong physically, and feel that I'll be ready to go come our first practice in January. I've kept in touch with a lot of the guys, and they're just fired up to get on the court. For whatever reason, the team seems to have that killer instinct that we were missing last season. Add that to a couple people making it a point to go out of their way telling us we'll struggle this season, and you've got a hard-working, motivated team with a chip on its shoulder.
On a bit darker note... I've found myself a bit shaken up about a dream I had about Coach Dave the other night... not going to go into details, but I find myself exhausted by the whole process. I realize that it's one of those things you'll never fully recover from, but I wonder if things are getting better or if I'm repressing my emotions. I suppose I have to just keep taking it one day at a time.
Anyways, I realize I never posted my thoughts on my individual performance at the BU tournament, but I'll write something tomorrow a bit deeper than just the tournament. For now, it's off to Betsy Ross to play a little co-ed ball.
Moving on: After a 15 1/2 hour car-ride, Josh and I finally arrived back at home, and it's been the break I desperately needed. I was on the brink of a breakdown at school, and getting a rest from the regular grind couldn't have come at a better time. I ended up doing pretty well, with all A's except for one A-, which I wasn't pleased about, but I suppose I could have worked harder to get the grade I wanted. Lesson learned.
Seeing the little brother has been great, and it never ceases to amaze me how much he grows both physically and mentally each time I return. I've spent the majority of my trip playing with him as I've struggled to lock down a job from any of my previous employers short-term. Rather than rant on that as I could, I'll just say the aftermath of the financial crisis has not made me regret my decision to add one more year to get a second degree and leave it at that.
It's been great catching up with old friends, and I'm sad that I can't stay longer, because although I love it in Boston, it doesn't have the feeling that Chicago has. Chicago is home. Chicago just feels right. I can't put it into words, I just know when I'm here I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. It's been nice finding out how everyone has been since I've been gone, and it seems like the majority have been doing well.
Obviously, I've been playing ball, and it's been a good time so far. I feel very strong physically, and feel that I'll be ready to go come our first practice in January. I've kept in touch with a lot of the guys, and they're just fired up to get on the court. For whatever reason, the team seems to have that killer instinct that we were missing last season. Add that to a couple people making it a point to go out of their way telling us we'll struggle this season, and you've got a hard-working, motivated team with a chip on its shoulder.
On a bit darker note... I've found myself a bit shaken up about a dream I had about Coach Dave the other night... not going to go into details, but I find myself exhausted by the whole process. I realize that it's one of those things you'll never fully recover from, but I wonder if things are getting better or if I'm repressing my emotions. I suppose I have to just keep taking it one day at a time.
Anyways, I realize I never posted my thoughts on my individual performance at the BU tournament, but I'll write something tomorrow a bit deeper than just the tournament. For now, it's off to Betsy Ross to play a little co-ed ball.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tournament Recap Part 2
I figure the recap will be a three-parter: The first one was strictly results. This post will deal with the team aspect of the tournament, and the third will be my personal experience of the tournament as an individual.
As stated in the previous post, we ended up winning the tournament in strong fashion, winning every set we played. I was extremely impressed with the poise we showed, having a couple sets begin in a rough manner, but staying positive, pushing back, and eventually breaking the other team down.
Despite being exhausted from a 2-day tournament, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night to watch the finals at 4 am with my roommate Josh. Watching the film from this tournament was eye-opening on many levels. I'll do my best to keep it organized.
Chemistry: Definitely the strongest of any team I've been on. The starters had all of one day to practice together, but I felt like we clicked better than we had all last season. You look at how we react to both good and bad plays, and there's a genuine enjoyment playing together. We didn't necessarily dislike playing together last year, but the bond between teammates is much stronger this year, and I feel that it shows. On top of that, the offense was MUCH faster than last year. James is running shoots to the outside, our middles are constantly running 31's/1's/slides, and we're utilizing our backrow attack more than ever before. On top of that, I feel like our defense was much more effective, with strong blocks and scrappy defense picking up the rest. Serve receive had a couple sloppy moments, but with a setter like ours, we can still put a decent hit on a pass even if it's not quite perfect.
Diversity: Our offense is extremely balanced this year. On the second day, four of our hitters averaged over 2 kills a game, and we hit over .400 for 4 of the 7 games. Tally (our nickname for our setter) did a great job distributing the ball evenly, with each of the four hitters having at least one 4-kill set. Towards the end last year, one of our strongpoints was having a three-headed monster in Erik Kostantski, Mark Thomas, and myself, with all of us starting to peak at the right time, normally averaging 3-5 kills a game. With the potential of four players able to play at that level, I think the sky's the limit for our offense this season. Add that with a deep bench, and it gives us a lot of stability.
Passion: From the first game to the last, every single guy on our team was fired up, and after watching us on film, I think the only teams I've seen with the same energy happened to be in the National Championship the last two years. It remains to be seen if we can keep it going until April, but I feel that this group has a desire, has the goal, and is willing to work hard for it. I've always been pretty motivated, but I found myself playing with a fire that I'm not sure if I've ever had before, being more vocal, feeding off of others and hopefully giving them a bit of a jumpstart as well.
One thing that gets me from this weekend is two words that have been constantly floating around about us: cocky and arrogance. From fans to opponents to coaches, people seem to always use those two words to describe us, and the amount I've heard it in the last 48 hours is quite surprising.
When I think of those two words, two things come to mind. A) People who think they're better than others due to whatever they do, and B) People that think they're good, but don't have the work ethic necessary to match their perception of themselves. We are a loud group. We are confident. We get on the court with a killer instinct. Personally, I want the other team to walk off the court feeling like they had no right to be on it with us in the first place. However, we don't talk under the net. We work our asses off year-round, hitting the weight room religiously in the fall. Myself and others are constantly going to other teams' games to support them, and feel that each sport brings something to the table for the school.
I used to feel obliged to defend our team when people would say these things, but you know what? It's pointless. If a classmate/teacher feels that way about us, then they simply don't know the real us. And if another team/coach feels that way? Stop whining. Work harder. Play better. There are only 85 NCAA teams in the entire country, from Division I to III. Imagine if there was only 85 football/basketball/baseball teams. Can you imagine how competitive it would be?
It is a privilege to play at one of these institutions. I feel bad for the schools that struggle to recruit, but honestly, we're here to win a championship, and if you're on our schedule, I'm doing everything I can to make sure we win that match. Frankly, it'd be arrogant or cocky to do anything less. I used to get pissed off when talented players would start mailing in a game when they thought the win was secure. Giving anything less than 100% is implying that your opponent isn't worthy of your best effort, and I just don't beleive in that mindset at the collegiate level of athletics.
That being said, I hope the teammates have a good break, and can't wait to hit the ground running at our first official practice on January 5th. Off to bed for now, but Part III will be up tomorrow!
As stated in the previous post, we ended up winning the tournament in strong fashion, winning every set we played. I was extremely impressed with the poise we showed, having a couple sets begin in a rough manner, but staying positive, pushing back, and eventually breaking the other team down.
Despite being exhausted from a 2-day tournament, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night to watch the finals at 4 am with my roommate Josh. Watching the film from this tournament was eye-opening on many levels. I'll do my best to keep it organized.
Chemistry: Definitely the strongest of any team I've been on. The starters had all of one day to practice together, but I felt like we clicked better than we had all last season. You look at how we react to both good and bad plays, and there's a genuine enjoyment playing together. We didn't necessarily dislike playing together last year, but the bond between teammates is much stronger this year, and I feel that it shows. On top of that, the offense was MUCH faster than last year. James is running shoots to the outside, our middles are constantly running 31's/1's/slides, and we're utilizing our backrow attack more than ever before. On top of that, I feel like our defense was much more effective, with strong blocks and scrappy defense picking up the rest. Serve receive had a couple sloppy moments, but with a setter like ours, we can still put a decent hit on a pass even if it's not quite perfect.
Diversity: Our offense is extremely balanced this year. On the second day, four of our hitters averaged over 2 kills a game, and we hit over .400 for 4 of the 7 games. Tally (our nickname for our setter) did a great job distributing the ball evenly, with each of the four hitters having at least one 4-kill set. Towards the end last year, one of our strongpoints was having a three-headed monster in Erik Kostantski, Mark Thomas, and myself, with all of us starting to peak at the right time, normally averaging 3-5 kills a game. With the potential of four players able to play at that level, I think the sky's the limit for our offense this season. Add that with a deep bench, and it gives us a lot of stability.
Passion: From the first game to the last, every single guy on our team was fired up, and after watching us on film, I think the only teams I've seen with the same energy happened to be in the National Championship the last two years. It remains to be seen if we can keep it going until April, but I feel that this group has a desire, has the goal, and is willing to work hard for it. I've always been pretty motivated, but I found myself playing with a fire that I'm not sure if I've ever had before, being more vocal, feeding off of others and hopefully giving them a bit of a jumpstart as well.
One thing that gets me from this weekend is two words that have been constantly floating around about us: cocky and arrogance. From fans to opponents to coaches, people seem to always use those two words to describe us, and the amount I've heard it in the last 48 hours is quite surprising.
When I think of those two words, two things come to mind. A) People who think they're better than others due to whatever they do, and B) People that think they're good, but don't have the work ethic necessary to match their perception of themselves. We are a loud group. We are confident. We get on the court with a killer instinct. Personally, I want the other team to walk off the court feeling like they had no right to be on it with us in the first place. However, we don't talk under the net. We work our asses off year-round, hitting the weight room religiously in the fall. Myself and others are constantly going to other teams' games to support them, and feel that each sport brings something to the table for the school.
I used to feel obliged to defend our team when people would say these things, but you know what? It's pointless. If a classmate/teacher feels that way about us, then they simply don't know the real us. And if another team/coach feels that way? Stop whining. Work harder. Play better. There are only 85 NCAA teams in the entire country, from Division I to III. Imagine if there was only 85 football/basketball/baseball teams. Can you imagine how competitive it would be?
It is a privilege to play at one of these institutions. I feel bad for the schools that struggle to recruit, but honestly, we're here to win a championship, and if you're on our schedule, I'm doing everything I can to make sure we win that match. Frankly, it'd be arrogant or cocky to do anything less. I used to get pissed off when talented players would start mailing in a game when they thought the win was secure. Giving anything less than 100% is implying that your opponent isn't worthy of your best effort, and I just don't beleive in that mindset at the collegiate level of athletics.
That being said, I hope the teammates have a good break, and can't wait to hit the ground running at our first official practice on January 5th. Off to bed for now, but Part III will be up tomorrow!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tournament Recap: Part 1
I wish I could have posted Saturday night, but I was exhausted, and we had a somewhat early start on Sunday, so I proceeded to just crash and get some much-needed rest. (Note: I ended up writing the majority of this yesterday, but ended up having to actually do schoolwork, so I wrapped it up tonight. Sorry for the delay!)
Honestly? I could probably rattle off 10-20 pages about this weekend. However, I won't torture everyone reading and try and break it up piece by piece. Let's start with the results:
There was a lot of excitement going into this tournament. 32 teams, 6 of them being from our conference, one with 3 of our alum, and other random people I knew here and there (A friend from Chicago was actually playing for Cornell - I had no idea he went there! Was crazy to see him). The starters did some reps on Friday, but honestly, that was the only time we had played together during the 4 weeks of preseason.
First match Saturday was against Syracuse. The former setter from Sacred Heart was still there, which I was pleased about because I definitely wanted to settle the score from my freshman year. Syracuse is a big team, but the mechanics are iffy and overall their intensity is lacking. On the opposite end of the spectrum, our team played a pretty complete first game, and despite a couple missed serves beat them 25-15. The second game we were a bit sloppy, trailing 18-13 at one point, but started chipping away and picked up some big defensive stops. We won the game 25-23, with our opposite Josh picking up HUGE roofs on the setter (who now hits outside) both for the first and last points of the match.
The second/third matches were against Georgetown and Bryant (a college from Rhode Island). Although Bryant did manage to steal a game from a sleeping Syracuse, both teams were pretty raw. This allowed us to get everyone some playing time, and everyone really pulled their weight when they were in the game. We won all of these games pretty convincingly, and I even got to set for a couple rotations to let our setter Matt blast away at some attacks! He's got an unreal shoulder, was a blast getting to run the offense a bit.
So we ended the day 6-0, the point differential probably being around +50. After watching film, I had a MUCH lighter load than at Springfield, posting a 9-3-18 hitting line. I had 4-5 aces, matched with about 6-7 errors. DOH! Definitely a streak server, hopefully with repetition I'll knock it off. Matt did a great job distributing the ball evenly, and I feel that it allowed the hitters to keep their arms/legs fresh for day 2.
Day 2: We had a 10 AM match against Central Connecticut to get into the Gold (top 8 teams) tournament, one game, 30 points. They had a decent setter (although we definitely utilized our size mismatch on him on the outside), as well as one or two bangers on the outside. We started this game a bit sloppy, missing quite a few serves, letting balls hit the ground, and being a bit less crisp on serve receive. However, at about the 15 point mark we finally started hitting our stride, putting up a few nice blocks. On top of that, Mark (middle) and Matt (setter) REALLY started gunning their serves, throwing CCSU out of their offense, giving us downballs, and allowing us to make them pay for it. An end result of 30-20, and we're off to the Gold bracket!
Our first match is against Rivier's 2nd team. Unfortunately, Rivier 1 (who still looks very strong) came out flat against Emmanuel in their challenge match, and ended up losing 30-26. A couple thoughts on that: Both teams are in the NECVA with us, and I suspect that Rivier will come out on FIRE when they meet again. Apparently the players didn't know that a loss would send them to the silver bracket. Also, Emmanuel is a VERY big "peaks-and-valleys" team, and although Rivier helped them with about 7 missed serves and probably another 7-10 hitting errors, Emmanuel did what they had to to win the match. Rivier picked up some very strong recruits, and I believe we'll be battling them for the top of our region this season. Looking forward to it, although I was disappointed that a Rivier/Newbury Final was out of the question.
Although Rivier is very deep this year, their second team didn't have the experience we did, and We came out hot from the get-go. Although they made a brief push towards the end of the second game, we pretty much controlled the tempo from the first point to the last, taking a 25-14 25-20 win (first score may be off a few).
This led to a semi-final match against Boston College. I was excited for this one, as they had beaten my squad at the Springfield Tournament. However, with Mark/James/Josh back in the line-up, I knew it would be a completely different story.
We actually came out pretty flat in the first match, I beleive at one point we were down 15-10. However, as usual we kept chipping away, and after some aggressive serving I started hitting my stride hitting both the bic and hut, and with the help of some phenominal defense, setting, and draws from the middle, I put down points 22, 23, and 25 to complete a 25-23 victory. We kept at it in game 2, posting a 25-20 victory that sent us to the finals!
This led to a showdown with Lost Boys, which featured a mixture of Rivier/Newbury Alum. What a match! I watch film to break down/analyze things, but I replayed this one and just enjoyed the rallies. Defense was phenominal, hits were big, strong serving, it was truly what finals should be made of. With some stellar play by everyone, we managed to win the match 25-23 25-21, finishing as the champion, winning all 13 of our sets during the two days.
Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!
Honestly? I could probably rattle off 10-20 pages about this weekend. However, I won't torture everyone reading and try and break it up piece by piece. Let's start with the results:
There was a lot of excitement going into this tournament. 32 teams, 6 of them being from our conference, one with 3 of our alum, and other random people I knew here and there (A friend from Chicago was actually playing for Cornell - I had no idea he went there! Was crazy to see him). The starters did some reps on Friday, but honestly, that was the only time we had played together during the 4 weeks of preseason.
First match Saturday was against Syracuse. The former setter from Sacred Heart was still there, which I was pleased about because I definitely wanted to settle the score from my freshman year. Syracuse is a big team, but the mechanics are iffy and overall their intensity is lacking. On the opposite end of the spectrum, our team played a pretty complete first game, and despite a couple missed serves beat them 25-15. The second game we were a bit sloppy, trailing 18-13 at one point, but started chipping away and picked up some big defensive stops. We won the game 25-23, with our opposite Josh picking up HUGE roofs on the setter (who now hits outside) both for the first and last points of the match.
The second/third matches were against Georgetown and Bryant (a college from Rhode Island). Although Bryant did manage to steal a game from a sleeping Syracuse, both teams were pretty raw. This allowed us to get everyone some playing time, and everyone really pulled their weight when they were in the game. We won all of these games pretty convincingly, and I even got to set for a couple rotations to let our setter Matt blast away at some attacks! He's got an unreal shoulder, was a blast getting to run the offense a bit.
So we ended the day 6-0, the point differential probably being around +50. After watching film, I had a MUCH lighter load than at Springfield, posting a 9-3-18 hitting line. I had 4-5 aces, matched with about 6-7 errors. DOH! Definitely a streak server, hopefully with repetition I'll knock it off. Matt did a great job distributing the ball evenly, and I feel that it allowed the hitters to keep their arms/legs fresh for day 2.
Day 2: We had a 10 AM match against Central Connecticut to get into the Gold (top 8 teams) tournament, one game, 30 points. They had a decent setter (although we definitely utilized our size mismatch on him on the outside), as well as one or two bangers on the outside. We started this game a bit sloppy, missing quite a few serves, letting balls hit the ground, and being a bit less crisp on serve receive. However, at about the 15 point mark we finally started hitting our stride, putting up a few nice blocks. On top of that, Mark (middle) and Matt (setter) REALLY started gunning their serves, throwing CCSU out of their offense, giving us downballs, and allowing us to make them pay for it. An end result of 30-20, and we're off to the Gold bracket!
Our first match is against Rivier's 2nd team. Unfortunately, Rivier 1 (who still looks very strong) came out flat against Emmanuel in their challenge match, and ended up losing 30-26. A couple thoughts on that: Both teams are in the NECVA with us, and I suspect that Rivier will come out on FIRE when they meet again. Apparently the players didn't know that a loss would send them to the silver bracket. Also, Emmanuel is a VERY big "peaks-and-valleys" team, and although Rivier helped them with about 7 missed serves and probably another 7-10 hitting errors, Emmanuel did what they had to to win the match. Rivier picked up some very strong recruits, and I believe we'll be battling them for the top of our region this season. Looking forward to it, although I was disappointed that a Rivier/Newbury Final was out of the question.
Although Rivier is very deep this year, their second team didn't have the experience we did, and We came out hot from the get-go. Although they made a brief push towards the end of the second game, we pretty much controlled the tempo from the first point to the last, taking a 25-14 25-20 win (first score may be off a few).
This led to a semi-final match against Boston College. I was excited for this one, as they had beaten my squad at the Springfield Tournament. However, with Mark/James/Josh back in the line-up, I knew it would be a completely different story.
We actually came out pretty flat in the first match, I beleive at one point we were down 15-10. However, as usual we kept chipping away, and after some aggressive serving I started hitting my stride hitting both the bic and hut, and with the help of some phenominal defense, setting, and draws from the middle, I put down points 22, 23, and 25 to complete a 25-23 victory. We kept at it in game 2, posting a 25-20 victory that sent us to the finals!
This led to a showdown with Lost Boys, which featured a mixture of Rivier/Newbury Alum. What a match! I watch film to break down/analyze things, but I replayed this one and just enjoyed the rallies. Defense was phenominal, hits were big, strong serving, it was truly what finals should be made of. With some stellar play by everyone, we managed to win the match 25-23 25-21, finishing as the champion, winning all 13 of our sets during the two days.
Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Morning of a Tournament
It's about 45 minutes before we leave for the Boston University tournament (As I'm used to having 9 am start times, getting the afternoon session was being spoiled), and I feel about as prepared as I can be. There are 32 teams in the tournament, including fellow NECVA New England (our region) opponents Rivier (2 teams), Emmanuel, Mount Ida, and Wentworth. Our first match is at 2 pm against Syracuse, and I can't wait! Hopefully the former Sacred Heart setter is there, not that I hold a grudge from losing a 5-setter to him 2 years ago or anything.
Woke up in the middle of the night (4:30 AM), and was awake for a good 2 hours before falling back asleep again. This constantly happens the night before a tournament, so I'm used to it. I went to bed somewhat early, and slept a lot the night before (I always make a note to try and sleep extra the day before, knowing I probably won't sleep too much the next night). I just spend this time visualizing the tournament, jump serving, hitting bic's, tooling people from the outside, anticipating on defense and getting the digs, and anything else that can come to mind. When I finally get to the game, I'm ready to go!
We had our last pre-season practice yesterday, overall I think it went well. It was one of my better practices on the outside, and surprisingly I wasn't sore at all after going pretty hard. Looks like my body's finally getting used to the grind! I'm excited to play middle back for the first time in a LONG time, as I was always left back with my USAV team, and right back for Newbury the previous 2 years. However, I feel like I've done well in practice, and am excited to attack from the backrow, as I feel that's been one of my stronger points so far.
Coach named captains yesterday, and it's a relief to have that over with! She had even said that she had been concerned of not having a leader out there, and although many people do so by example, it's nice to have some organization. Tim, a senior for us, is definitely the spark plug for the team. Countless times we've been flat, and he's been able to jumpstart us with his energy, both when he's on and off the court. Mark, the other captain, is simply a monster in the middle, tallying over 500 kills last year, and looking even stronger in practice this year. I'm happy to see it, they both deserve it!
Expectations today are uncertain. The only thing I DO expect is to go 3-0 in pool play. However, I have no idea how the roster will play out, as she hasn't exactly named starters or a specific serve-receive system yet. With a variety of talent levels we'll be facing off against today, I do think it's safe to say that everyone will get a chance to show what they're bringing to the table after completing our preseason. She mentioned that I will probably spend some time back on opposite, but I think it will be minimal, as I'm starting to hit my stride at the left pin and Josh is coming around quite nicely on the right.
Anyways, time to finish getting ready. Recap tonight! Wish us luck!
Woke up in the middle of the night (4:30 AM), and was awake for a good 2 hours before falling back asleep again. This constantly happens the night before a tournament, so I'm used to it. I went to bed somewhat early, and slept a lot the night before (I always make a note to try and sleep extra the day before, knowing I probably won't sleep too much the next night). I just spend this time visualizing the tournament, jump serving, hitting bic's, tooling people from the outside, anticipating on defense and getting the digs, and anything else that can come to mind. When I finally get to the game, I'm ready to go!
We had our last pre-season practice yesterday, overall I think it went well. It was one of my better practices on the outside, and surprisingly I wasn't sore at all after going pretty hard. Looks like my body's finally getting used to the grind! I'm excited to play middle back for the first time in a LONG time, as I was always left back with my USAV team, and right back for Newbury the previous 2 years. However, I feel like I've done well in practice, and am excited to attack from the backrow, as I feel that's been one of my stronger points so far.
Coach named captains yesterday, and it's a relief to have that over with! She had even said that she had been concerned of not having a leader out there, and although many people do so by example, it's nice to have some organization. Tim, a senior for us, is definitely the spark plug for the team. Countless times we've been flat, and he's been able to jumpstart us with his energy, both when he's on and off the court. Mark, the other captain, is simply a monster in the middle, tallying over 500 kills last year, and looking even stronger in practice this year. I'm happy to see it, they both deserve it!
Expectations today are uncertain. The only thing I DO expect is to go 3-0 in pool play. However, I have no idea how the roster will play out, as she hasn't exactly named starters or a specific serve-receive system yet. With a variety of talent levels we'll be facing off against today, I do think it's safe to say that everyone will get a chance to show what they're bringing to the table after completing our preseason. She mentioned that I will probably spend some time back on opposite, but I think it will be minimal, as I'm starting to hit my stride at the left pin and Josh is coming around quite nicely on the right.
Anyways, time to finish getting ready. Recap tonight! Wish us luck!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Practice, Physical Strain, and Politics.
After a nice Thanksgiving Break, we were back to the normal grind this week, having practices both Monday and Tuesday. Both went well overall, although I'm still nursing a sore thumb from a bad block, which is making me a bit more conservative overhand passing on defense. It's getting better faster than I had originally thought it would though, and I don't beleive I'll tape it come Saturday, as I don't like how it affects my contact while hitting.
Overall, the team is doing well. We still have struggled to have all the guys at practice (seems like almost everyone's flight was delayed getting back to Boston), so we haven't had more than 10 people the last 2 weeks. It will be a relief to have a full squad on Friday (hopefully), get the starters some reps together, and prepare for the Boston University tournament, which runs this Saturday and Sunday.
There are 30 teams, so it's going to be wide open for who wins it. Our pool is supposively Georgetown, Syracuse, and Bryant (school from Rhode Island?). I hear that Bryant is a bit of a weaker club, but I haven't seen them play. Syracuse had a heavy hitter last year on the outside, who set for Sacred Heart my first year at Newbury, but other than him they didn't have too much firepower. I remember watching Georgetown, but nothing sticks out in my mind from it, which makes me feel like they were somewhere in the middle. Hopefully we take care of business on our side of the net and make all of that meaningless!
My passing is starting to get back to where I want it to be, and I'm picking up more digs at each practice, which means I'm starting to anticipate better. The pleasant surprise of the preseason has been hitting backrow attacks, which I may be hitting better than in the front row. The downside to that is I feel like my front row attacking isn't where I want it to be. I'm hoping that part of it is that we haven't had our starting setter at practice, but I think a bit part of it is simply not snapping down enough. We shall see. Off of practice today, two more on Thursday/Friday, tournament this weekend, then preseason is over!
My body is starting to get pretty sore, but I think it's just part of the grind. You read blogs from guys like Reid Priddy, who talk about how they sometimes wonder how they're going to play later on that night, only to go out and get it done. I keep reminding myself that despite all the soreness I've felt the last two years, I've only sat out one game due to a rolled ankle, and had it been a crucial match I could have suited up. On top of that, this article from ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?page=tisdale-081203) reminded me of how a person's outlook can overcome any physical obstacle. I know I vented about guys like Marbury in my last post, but athletes like Wayman Tisdale remind me that there are still good guys out there.
"You can never give up because quitting is not an option. No matter how dark it is or how weak you get, until you take that last breath, you must fight."
--Wayman Tisdale
Which brings me to the political portion of the blog. As of yesterday, we were thisclose to losing our Spring Break trip, with a couple guys even already talking about what we should do instead of going to California. After finding out that everyone still wanted to go to California, myself and a couple others began hitting the phones, coming up with a plan, and with about an hour to spare did what needed to be done to keep the trip alive. It's going to take a lot of work, and people need to be accountable, but when you want something and work hard for it, I firmly believe anything is possible.
I feel bad, because I do feel like a couple people were being crucified for simply making decisions that 18-20 year olds tend to make due to lack of life experiences. As I told coach, I know that I made similar mistakes when I was that age, and if we're a team, the older players should help guide the younger ones to help them avoid the same mistakes they made. Although this whole fiasco with fundraising has caused some stress, I firmly believe that working together to get back on track will help our team bond in the long run. Plus, when we're on the beach in March enjoying warm weather and playing doubles, I know it'll be all worth it.
I'm going to end the blog there as I'm exhausted from the day, but I wanted to make a brief update on how things are going. I've been enjoying getting my thoughts in writing, and hope that others get something from reading it. I was talking with someone from NECVA (the conference we play in), and after taking a look at my blog he mentioned the possibility of doing one for their website too! I would be very interested in that. I will keep everyone updated on how things go.
Overall, the team is doing well. We still have struggled to have all the guys at practice (seems like almost everyone's flight was delayed getting back to Boston), so we haven't had more than 10 people the last 2 weeks. It will be a relief to have a full squad on Friday (hopefully), get the starters some reps together, and prepare for the Boston University tournament, which runs this Saturday and Sunday.
There are 30 teams, so it's going to be wide open for who wins it. Our pool is supposively Georgetown, Syracuse, and Bryant (school from Rhode Island?). I hear that Bryant is a bit of a weaker club, but I haven't seen them play. Syracuse had a heavy hitter last year on the outside, who set for Sacred Heart my first year at Newbury, but other than him they didn't have too much firepower. I remember watching Georgetown, but nothing sticks out in my mind from it, which makes me feel like they were somewhere in the middle. Hopefully we take care of business on our side of the net and make all of that meaningless!
My passing is starting to get back to where I want it to be, and I'm picking up more digs at each practice, which means I'm starting to anticipate better. The pleasant surprise of the preseason has been hitting backrow attacks, which I may be hitting better than in the front row. The downside to that is I feel like my front row attacking isn't where I want it to be. I'm hoping that part of it is that we haven't had our starting setter at practice, but I think a bit part of it is simply not snapping down enough. We shall see. Off of practice today, two more on Thursday/Friday, tournament this weekend, then preseason is over!
My body is starting to get pretty sore, but I think it's just part of the grind. You read blogs from guys like Reid Priddy, who talk about how they sometimes wonder how they're going to play later on that night, only to go out and get it done. I keep reminding myself that despite all the soreness I've felt the last two years, I've only sat out one game due to a rolled ankle, and had it been a crucial match I could have suited up. On top of that, this article from ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?page=tisdale-081203) reminded me of how a person's outlook can overcome any physical obstacle. I know I vented about guys like Marbury in my last post, but athletes like Wayman Tisdale remind me that there are still good guys out there.
"You can never give up because quitting is not an option. No matter how dark it is or how weak you get, until you take that last breath, you must fight."
--Wayman Tisdale
Which brings me to the political portion of the blog. As of yesterday, we were thisclose to losing our Spring Break trip, with a couple guys even already talking about what we should do instead of going to California. After finding out that everyone still wanted to go to California, myself and a couple others began hitting the phones, coming up with a plan, and with about an hour to spare did what needed to be done to keep the trip alive. It's going to take a lot of work, and people need to be accountable, but when you want something and work hard for it, I firmly believe anything is possible.
I feel bad, because I do feel like a couple people were being crucified for simply making decisions that 18-20 year olds tend to make due to lack of life experiences. As I told coach, I know that I made similar mistakes when I was that age, and if we're a team, the older players should help guide the younger ones to help them avoid the same mistakes they made. Although this whole fiasco with fundraising has caused some stress, I firmly believe that working together to get back on track will help our team bond in the long run. Plus, when we're on the beach in March enjoying warm weather and playing doubles, I know it'll be all worth it.
I'm going to end the blog there as I'm exhausted from the day, but I wanted to make a brief update on how things are going. I've been enjoying getting my thoughts in writing, and hope that others get something from reading it. I was talking with someone from NECVA (the conference we play in), and after taking a look at my blog he mentioned the possibility of doing one for their website too! I would be very interested in that. I will keep everyone updated on how things go.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Stephon Marbury is a Posterchild of What is Wrong With Sports.
Quick rant while I wait for my friend to get back from work: All I hear about on ESPN today while watching basketball on the little news ticker is how Stephon Marbury and the Knicks are quarreling. Apparently, Marbury (who had been riding the pine all season due to a me-first mentality) was asked to suit up for an upcoming game due to people getting traded and having a thin bench. The Knicks suspended him for disagreeing to do so. Although he hasn't come up with a defense, he simply said that those EXACT words didn't come out of his mouth, and "the marriage is over, it's done" regarding his relationship with the team.
THEY PAY HIM $22,000,000 THIS SEASON.
I don't care if his feelings are hurt. I don't care if the organization has blackballed him up to this point, and are only using him out of necessity. The man is making more money than most people will see in a lifetime, and if the organization that is paying him says jump, he should say how high. Frankly, money aside, I don't think any athlete should be able to refuse to play for the organization THEY SIGNED THE CONTRACT WITH based strictly on principle, let alone when you're simply being a spoiled brat.
More and more, you see athletes today focusing less on championships and more on getting paid. It's uncanny how well players will play in a contract year (meaning this is the last year before they are a free-agent again), after having terrible years previously. On the same note, it's amazing how hard some guys work, then as soon as they get that big contract, they start mailing it in, playing without the passion that got them paid in the first place.
On top of that, agents are no less to blame. Scott Boras is the devil - I realize it's the nature of his job to an extent, but his greed is in a level of its own. The thing that boggles my mind is the length of the contracts. 6-10 years for men that are in their early/mid 30's, where statistics show they are going to begin to fade within the first few years. How does this make sense?
I don't understand why contracts can't be year-to-year (actually, I do, but the answer is so political and far away from the integrity of the game that I just can't bring myself to accept it). It should be that way anyways! If the player is going to be as good as the agent says they are, then it shouldn't be a concern of theirs to be able to go one year at a time on the negotiating table. Injuries happen. Aging happens. Unfortunately, I can't really sympathize for someone for only making $2 million one year instead of $10 million. It's a privelege to play a sport, something kids do for the love of the game, for an amount of money that if managed correctly will set these people up for the rest of their lives, and they should be put in a position not to forget that.
As for this volleyballer, if I can graduate, head overseas, and make enough to pay off my college loans and bank whatever's left over to possibly put a down payment on my house when I move back to America, I'll consider myself to be the luckiest man on the planet.
Screw you Stephon Marbury.
THEY PAY HIM $22,000,000 THIS SEASON.
I don't care if his feelings are hurt. I don't care if the organization has blackballed him up to this point, and are only using him out of necessity. The man is making more money than most people will see in a lifetime, and if the organization that is paying him says jump, he should say how high. Frankly, money aside, I don't think any athlete should be able to refuse to play for the organization THEY SIGNED THE CONTRACT WITH based strictly on principle, let alone when you're simply being a spoiled brat.
More and more, you see athletes today focusing less on championships and more on getting paid. It's uncanny how well players will play in a contract year (meaning this is the last year before they are a free-agent again), after having terrible years previously. On the same note, it's amazing how hard some guys work, then as soon as they get that big contract, they start mailing it in, playing without the passion that got them paid in the first place.
On top of that, agents are no less to blame. Scott Boras is the devil - I realize it's the nature of his job to an extent, but his greed is in a level of its own. The thing that boggles my mind is the length of the contracts. 6-10 years for men that are in their early/mid 30's, where statistics show they are going to begin to fade within the first few years. How does this make sense?
I don't understand why contracts can't be year-to-year (actually, I do, but the answer is so political and far away from the integrity of the game that I just can't bring myself to accept it). It should be that way anyways! If the player is going to be as good as the agent says they are, then it shouldn't be a concern of theirs to be able to go one year at a time on the negotiating table. Injuries happen. Aging happens. Unfortunately, I can't really sympathize for someone for only making $2 million one year instead of $10 million. It's a privelege to play a sport, something kids do for the love of the game, for an amount of money that if managed correctly will set these people up for the rest of their lives, and they should be put in a position not to forget that.
As for this volleyballer, if I can graduate, head overseas, and make enough to pay off my college loans and bank whatever's left over to possibly put a down payment on my house when I move back to America, I'll consider myself to be the luckiest man on the planet.
Screw you Stephon Marbury.
Home Stretch Before Home
Thanksgiving never ceases to please me. I think of all the holidays out there, Thanksgiving is the one I can always depend on to be exactly what I hope for it to be. I have celebrated it in four different locations in each of the last four years, but the atmosphere almost never changes. Good food, couple drinks, a strong family environment, and sports on the TV. The perfect way to get a break from the normal grind. Especially with what is going on overseas with the terrorist attacks, it is a time to truly be thankful that although we do have to keep our eyes open, we are lucky to not have to worry about that from day to day.
I haven't touched a volleyball in three days, which slowly but surely gets my mind moving in a thousand different directions. At the moment, I find myself thinking about a couple things specifically.
The first is relief that I'm finally starting to adjust to the new physique I'm working with. The first couple weeks I struggled keeping the ball in the court, dealing with a bit more of a pop on the ball than I normally have. Lately, things have started to get more consistent, I've adjusted my snap to compensate, and although I'm still getting comfortable with my shots, I'm confident that I'll be good to go for the tournament at Boston University next weekend.
I had thrown 10 pounds on before preseason due to a pretty strenuous workout regimen. Although the power has stuck around, the weight has not, toning back down to 170 in the last two weeks. It never fails, no matter what I do in the off-season, the weight is coming off once I'm on that court daily. Still haven't figured out whether or not I want to adjust my eating habits to try and counter this, as I know less weight equals less strain on the knees, which I want to preserve as long as possible. Perhaps I'll hit up my physical therapist for a diet after the season.
I can't help but wonder what my role will be on the team this year. Although I've been playing on the outside so far, coach isn't against the idea of me hitting opposite. I want to do what's best for the team, and there are so many pros/cons to both moves, it is difficult to tell she'll settle on. So many players can play multiple positions this season, I suppose it's a good problem to be dealing with when versatility gives a team almost too many options.
I can't wait for the starting line-up to get some reps in together this week. We've been split the entire pre-season, but we're going as one full squad to the BU tournament. That being said, I'm sure we'll be finally putting the starters together to get some chemistry going, and I really think it's gonna go well. We didn't play in the tournament last year, and Rivier ended up winning it, but I look forward to the opportunity to bring the title back to Brookline this year!
Individually I feel this will be a strong season for me. I don't like to put goals on quantity of numbers, so as for kills/blocks/digs, I don't worry about it. However, hitting percentage and errors per attempt are two categories I do keep my eyes on, and I hope to continue the increase on my efficiency. Freshman year I hit .232 at opposite, and after a strong off-season re-habbing a weak arm I boosted that to .288 last season. I feel that I worked harder this off-season that I've ever worked before, and hope that the team's results end up showing that.
I talked with someone high up at the school about a scholarship fund in Coach Dave's name a week ago, and preliminary talks about it went well. Still needs a lot of research/work, but I want to do whatever it takes to make this happen. This is the last team Newbury will have with all his recruits, and I know I'll be using it as fuel to keep moving forward no matter what obstacles we hit all season.
I think that's enough rambling for now. Have a good Black Friday, more updates to come in the next few days.
I haven't touched a volleyball in three days, which slowly but surely gets my mind moving in a thousand different directions. At the moment, I find myself thinking about a couple things specifically.
The first is relief that I'm finally starting to adjust to the new physique I'm working with. The first couple weeks I struggled keeping the ball in the court, dealing with a bit more of a pop on the ball than I normally have. Lately, things have started to get more consistent, I've adjusted my snap to compensate, and although I'm still getting comfortable with my shots, I'm confident that I'll be good to go for the tournament at Boston University next weekend.
I had thrown 10 pounds on before preseason due to a pretty strenuous workout regimen. Although the power has stuck around, the weight has not, toning back down to 170 in the last two weeks. It never fails, no matter what I do in the off-season, the weight is coming off once I'm on that court daily. Still haven't figured out whether or not I want to adjust my eating habits to try and counter this, as I know less weight equals less strain on the knees, which I want to preserve as long as possible. Perhaps I'll hit up my physical therapist for a diet after the season.
I can't help but wonder what my role will be on the team this year. Although I've been playing on the outside so far, coach isn't against the idea of me hitting opposite. I want to do what's best for the team, and there are so many pros/cons to both moves, it is difficult to tell she'll settle on. So many players can play multiple positions this season, I suppose it's a good problem to be dealing with when versatility gives a team almost too many options.
I can't wait for the starting line-up to get some reps in together this week. We've been split the entire pre-season, but we're going as one full squad to the BU tournament. That being said, I'm sure we'll be finally putting the starters together to get some chemistry going, and I really think it's gonna go well. We didn't play in the tournament last year, and Rivier ended up winning it, but I look forward to the opportunity to bring the title back to Brookline this year!
Individually I feel this will be a strong season for me. I don't like to put goals on quantity of numbers, so as for kills/blocks/digs, I don't worry about it. However, hitting percentage and errors per attempt are two categories I do keep my eyes on, and I hope to continue the increase on my efficiency. Freshman year I hit .232 at opposite, and after a strong off-season re-habbing a weak arm I boosted that to .288 last season. I feel that I worked harder this off-season that I've ever worked before, and hope that the team's results end up showing that.
I talked with someone high up at the school about a scholarship fund in Coach Dave's name a week ago, and preliminary talks about it went well. Still needs a lot of research/work, but I want to do whatever it takes to make this happen. This is the last team Newbury will have with all his recruits, and I know I'll be using it as fuel to keep moving forward no matter what obstacles we hit all season.
I think that's enough rambling for now. Have a good Black Friday, more updates to come in the next few days.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Being Thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
I am writing from Wilbraham, MA, as I have been welcomed in to my teammate's family for the weekend, and so far it has been the rest I desperately needed. Although I'm homesick and miss family/friends back in Chicago, I have felt at home here. His parents are funny (his dad is an AMAZING cook - it's going to be hard to go back to cafeteria food upon my return), his siblings are polite, and the 4 year-old twins are just adorable - shy the first day, always laughing and playful ever since. It makes me miss my little brother that much more, but I know I'll get to see him in a couple of weeks!
Our last two practices were a bit unorthodox - due to people's tests, as well as out-of-state players traveling home early to beat the rush, we only had 4 players both days! Both coaches hopped in, and we played some backrow triples both days. Funny thing is, I felt the level of intensity was higher these practices than the previous one where we were full force!
A couple thoughts have crossed my mind regarding pre-season so far. I will start with as a team. We are definitely searching for an identity at the moment, and I had a good talk with coach Tuesday that confirmed my initial feelings regarding the first couple weeks of practice. She admitted that she isn't coaching now how she will coach in January, and supposively a couple of guys were not happy with how difficult the first week of practices were. Looking at it from an outside perspective, I believe we need something in the middle.
The first week of practices were high-intensity, hard conditioning, and relentless. I had worked out 5-6 days a week for a good 2 months before pre-season to prepare, and it was taking its toll on me as well. However, I didn't mind any of it. What I think wore people down was the fact that we had 4 days of practice, a day off, then the toughest tournament we've played during my time at Newbury, as well as the fact that we did it with split-squads.
It is easy to get discouraged going a combined 2-10 your first pre-season tournament, especially coming in on your high horse after finishing last season ranked 6th in the nation. I think the frustration for some was that practices were being conducted in a manner that dealt with the big picture, which didn't necessarily prepare us for the upcoming tournament. Since then, practices have not had the conditioning, and when we're in a scrimmage-type drill, if one team starts pulling away, it seems that the other side mails in the remainder of the drill, instead of pushing back as they did the first week of practice.
I hope that the second half of pre-season finds a happy medium. I do feel that more emphasis can be on volleyball than conditioning, but not at the risk of the crispness of the drill, if that makes sense. I'm very optimistic for this, I feel like this semester has been heavy on many of us, and the break will recharge the batteries so we can hit the ground running come Monday.
Yesterday Mark and I hit the YMCA, did some exercises/stretching in the heat pool, hit the sauna, showered and headed back. We talked about the team and this season more than we have previously, and it was a pretty good conversation. He's got a great head on his shoulders, and match that with his physical ability, he has a great shot of getting All-American this year.
Time to shower up, call family back at home, then enjoy the festivities of the day. I hope everyone has a good holiday, and will update in the next couple of days!
I am writing from Wilbraham, MA, as I have been welcomed in to my teammate's family for the weekend, and so far it has been the rest I desperately needed. Although I'm homesick and miss family/friends back in Chicago, I have felt at home here. His parents are funny (his dad is an AMAZING cook - it's going to be hard to go back to cafeteria food upon my return), his siblings are polite, and the 4 year-old twins are just adorable - shy the first day, always laughing and playful ever since. It makes me miss my little brother that much more, but I know I'll get to see him in a couple of weeks!
Our last two practices were a bit unorthodox - due to people's tests, as well as out-of-state players traveling home early to beat the rush, we only had 4 players both days! Both coaches hopped in, and we played some backrow triples both days. Funny thing is, I felt the level of intensity was higher these practices than the previous one where we were full force!
A couple thoughts have crossed my mind regarding pre-season so far. I will start with as a team. We are definitely searching for an identity at the moment, and I had a good talk with coach Tuesday that confirmed my initial feelings regarding the first couple weeks of practice. She admitted that she isn't coaching now how she will coach in January, and supposively a couple of guys were not happy with how difficult the first week of practices were. Looking at it from an outside perspective, I believe we need something in the middle.
The first week of practices were high-intensity, hard conditioning, and relentless. I had worked out 5-6 days a week for a good 2 months before pre-season to prepare, and it was taking its toll on me as well. However, I didn't mind any of it. What I think wore people down was the fact that we had 4 days of practice, a day off, then the toughest tournament we've played during my time at Newbury, as well as the fact that we did it with split-squads.
It is easy to get discouraged going a combined 2-10 your first pre-season tournament, especially coming in on your high horse after finishing last season ranked 6th in the nation. I think the frustration for some was that practices were being conducted in a manner that dealt with the big picture, which didn't necessarily prepare us for the upcoming tournament. Since then, practices have not had the conditioning, and when we're in a scrimmage-type drill, if one team starts pulling away, it seems that the other side mails in the remainder of the drill, instead of pushing back as they did the first week of practice.
I hope that the second half of pre-season finds a happy medium. I do feel that more emphasis can be on volleyball than conditioning, but not at the risk of the crispness of the drill, if that makes sense. I'm very optimistic for this, I feel like this semester has been heavy on many of us, and the break will recharge the batteries so we can hit the ground running come Monday.
Yesterday Mark and I hit the YMCA, did some exercises/stretching in the heat pool, hit the sauna, showered and headed back. We talked about the team and this season more than we have previously, and it was a pretty good conversation. He's got a great head on his shoulders, and match that with his physical ability, he has a great shot of getting All-American this year.
Time to shower up, call family back at home, then enjoy the festivities of the day. I hope everyone has a good holiday, and will update in the next couple of days!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Patience is a Virtue.
Laundry on a Monday morning... time for a blog!
I find myself hesitating to write daily due to the difference it makes waiting a few days to let things clarify themselves. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of events as soon as they happen, but it's amazing how quickly one's perspective can change after letting things calm down for a day or two. That being said...
Thanksgiving break is a day away, and personally, I cannot WAIT. This semester has been the most difficult one I've encountered by far on so many levels, and a week to recharge the batteries sounds pretty good to me! Shout out to my teammate Mark Thomas and his family for taking in this homeless kid for the holidays - plane tickets were absolutely ridiculous to go home, so this is a nice Plan B.
Practices have been... different to say the least. I think I'm coming to grips with the concept of this being a "transition period". When I knew Dave would no longer be coaching us, I continued to tell myself that it was important not to make that the case this season, but I realize how unfair that would be to expect the new coach to pick up right where he left off. That being the case, I've been just observing things in practice, getting used to the new situation just as she has.
Still, I can't help but find myself wishing things were a bit more competitive. The first week, everyone was firing on all cylinders, happy to be back on the court, looking to show coach what they could do. Now? It's more for fun, goofing around, lots of laughing, but also quite a bit of sloppy play. I think that part of the reason is because a couple players are already home for Thanksgiving, but its still well below the level that the remaining players can hang at. We were supposed to go three hours yesterday, and practiced was called before the 2 hour mark, because it was just getting worse and worse.
For now, I guess I'll continue to do my best the next couple days, enjoy a nice break, and see how things go when we all get back.
I find myself hesitating to write daily due to the difference it makes waiting a few days to let things clarify themselves. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of events as soon as they happen, but it's amazing how quickly one's perspective can change after letting things calm down for a day or two. That being said...
Thanksgiving break is a day away, and personally, I cannot WAIT. This semester has been the most difficult one I've encountered by far on so many levels, and a week to recharge the batteries sounds pretty good to me! Shout out to my teammate Mark Thomas and his family for taking in this homeless kid for the holidays - plane tickets were absolutely ridiculous to go home, so this is a nice Plan B.
Practices have been... different to say the least. I think I'm coming to grips with the concept of this being a "transition period". When I knew Dave would no longer be coaching us, I continued to tell myself that it was important not to make that the case this season, but I realize how unfair that would be to expect the new coach to pick up right where he left off. That being the case, I've been just observing things in practice, getting used to the new situation just as she has.
Still, I can't help but find myself wishing things were a bit more competitive. The first week, everyone was firing on all cylinders, happy to be back on the court, looking to show coach what they could do. Now? It's more for fun, goofing around, lots of laughing, but also quite a bit of sloppy play. I think that part of the reason is because a couple players are already home for Thanksgiving, but its still well below the level that the remaining players can hang at. We were supposed to go three hours yesterday, and practiced was called before the 2 hour mark, because it was just getting worse and worse.
For now, I guess I'll continue to do my best the next couple days, enjoy a nice break, and see how things go when we all get back.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Battling the Inner-Demons.
It's been 3 days since my last post, and believe me, there have been plenty of things to write about. However, one of the difficulties of writing a public daily blog is making sure to avoid letting emotional thoughts overcome the logical and reasonable ones. Had I written the last two days, it probably wouldn't have been pretty, and I most likely would have had to edit it as it was all simply the initial reaction of events that occurred.
I will say this: It has been a battle coming off of this weekend. As noted in the previous blog, despite the rough results of the first tournament, I was in high spirits and ready to work out all the kinks in our system. However, when the first two days back in the gym were mostly goofing around and sloppy play, I found myself in a mental funk about it.
I have been on many teams with many types of different coaches. This is the first time I've been on the same team with a coaching switch though, and that being the case, I find myself battling thoughts that I've never had to deal with before. You find yourself comparing drills/methods of instruction to the previous coach, and the worst part is in the end you realize how unfair that is.
So far, coach has done a great job with us, and I realize that it will take her awhile to get used to us, just as it will take us awhile to get used to her. So far I'm a bit impatient, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. She sees things that haven't been addressed before, like our offensive plays mostly shifting to the leftside of the court, instead of mixing it up to keep the defense honest. We've never had someone with the ability to see things like that before, and I'm excited for her to start implementing a system that addresses things like that.
Although I was disappointed with the caliber of the last two practices, she admitted that she had been mostly observing up to this point, but will start being more vocal on things she wants to fix because frankly some things have been pissing her off. She also made a comment referring to how she wanted us to have fun and thats why she had been easy on us up to this point, but things need to change. I think both sides will be fine with that, because most of us have fun anyways with harder practices that are more competitive.
We have today and tomorrow off, and Friday we go back to work. I look forward to getting down to business, working on getting things fine-tuned so that we can show people at the BU tournament that the Springfield results were a fluke. Individually, I've struggled a bit physically as my lower back is bothering me from the strain I put on it this weekend, and the result is a lack of snap to my jumpserve/swing. As the core is where you get most of your power from, I haven't been able to really generate the normal force I get when attacking the ball. More importantly though, I find it affecting my movement when serve receiving, which is what concerns me the most. However, I've been stretching every morning and evening, and icing after practice, so perhaps the two days off are all I need to get back to where I want to be.
Off to dinner, then writing a paper and finishing a take-home midterm. I may not write until Friday, but perhaps something will pop in my head tomorrow and I'll throw it on here.
I will say this: It has been a battle coming off of this weekend. As noted in the previous blog, despite the rough results of the first tournament, I was in high spirits and ready to work out all the kinks in our system. However, when the first two days back in the gym were mostly goofing around and sloppy play, I found myself in a mental funk about it.
I have been on many teams with many types of different coaches. This is the first time I've been on the same team with a coaching switch though, and that being the case, I find myself battling thoughts that I've never had to deal with before. You find yourself comparing drills/methods of instruction to the previous coach, and the worst part is in the end you realize how unfair that is.
So far, coach has done a great job with us, and I realize that it will take her awhile to get used to us, just as it will take us awhile to get used to her. So far I'm a bit impatient, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. She sees things that haven't been addressed before, like our offensive plays mostly shifting to the leftside of the court, instead of mixing it up to keep the defense honest. We've never had someone with the ability to see things like that before, and I'm excited for her to start implementing a system that addresses things like that.
Although I was disappointed with the caliber of the last two practices, she admitted that she had been mostly observing up to this point, but will start being more vocal on things she wants to fix because frankly some things have been pissing her off. She also made a comment referring to how she wanted us to have fun and thats why she had been easy on us up to this point, but things need to change. I think both sides will be fine with that, because most of us have fun anyways with harder practices that are more competitive.
We have today and tomorrow off, and Friday we go back to work. I look forward to getting down to business, working on getting things fine-tuned so that we can show people at the BU tournament that the Springfield results were a fluke. Individually, I've struggled a bit physically as my lower back is bothering me from the strain I put on it this weekend, and the result is a lack of snap to my jumpserve/swing. As the core is where you get most of your power from, I haven't been able to really generate the normal force I get when attacking the ball. More importantly though, I find it affecting my movement when serve receiving, which is what concerns me the most. However, I've been stretching every morning and evening, and icing after practice, so perhaps the two days off are all I need to get back to where I want to be.
Off to dinner, then writing a paper and finishing a take-home midterm. I may not write until Friday, but perhaps something will pop in my head tomorrow and I'll throw it on here.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Losses on Paper, Gains Regarding Intangibles.
I was hoping to put up a post earlier, but frankly I've been too busy to do so. After the tournament yesterday, I uploaded the video and watched it a bit, took hitting stats, and made some assessments that I couldn't really focus on while playing.
Although the other team split with Elms and Springfield B, they finished 3rd in their pool. Still, that was better than our 0-2 losses to Set Me Boston (Strong, tall, great blocking AA USAV team), Springfield A (Filled with most of their starters from last year's national championship team), and Boston College (A decent club team, but had we not ran out of gas we should have won the match).
I feel like as a player I'm growing. I probably haven't gone 0-6 on the day for a good 4 years. Even the last 2 years, I feel like I'd be focused on what everyone else wasn't doing right, or the overall results at the end. However, I find myself focusing on the things we did well, the improvements I can make individually, and the things I learned as a whole for the day. I found myself hanging with teammates last night, goofing around and laughing it up. Last year after losses? Forget about it. Sit by myself, listen to music, reflect on my own. I'm really doing everything I can this season to not do that, and so far, so good!
As a team, we did have some strong points. Our coverage was EXTREMELY strong, which hasn't always been the case during my time at Newbury. Although our defensive coverage was a bit off as we haven't really had time to work on it in practice yet, I felt the block was closing, and although we weren't getting a TON of stuff blocks, we did force the hitters to go where we set the defense up. Although we didn't end up winning any of the games, we kept the majority of them close, and had a few strong 4-5 point runs. I look forward to building on all of these things, as well as fine tune the rest.
Individually, it was a tough one. I'll nit-pick to start: WAY too many hitting errors. However, watching the film, my arm swing is MUCH stronger after an off-season in the weight room. I always have swung deep as it was, and now I'm finding myself hitting out of bounds a lot more. Of all my hitting errors (19 to be exact), only two were in the net, the rest were sailed out of bounds and being blocked. Also, my jump serve was TERRIBLE, I felt myself getting "conservative" by not following through with my arm swing, which resulted on sailing the ball out of bounds about 5-10 feet each time. The few times I went full-tilt, they stayed in bounds. Lesson learned: Go hard or go home. Defensively, I felt like my positioning was a bit shaky as well, but hopefully once we start going over our system again, I'll avoid making those mistakes again.
My hitting line was 34-19-90, which is a .167 percentage. I hit .288 last season, so it's a far cry from where I'd like to be. The good news is, my shoulder feels like I didn't even play, and of those 90 swings, AT MOST 10 of them were off-speed. For 6 games, a 5.67 kill per game ratio is well above what I'll be doing this season, when the starters are together. Frankly, I'm relieved, because I'll take a 3 kill per game average with wins over 5.5 with the loss anyday.
Springfield looked strong, but if that's the national champions, I'm optimistic that we can give them a run with our starters. They beat us 30-18 each game, but both of them we were neck and neck til about the 20 point mark, and with our big guns in the game, I have a feel we could have even swept them. Actions speak louder than words though, perhaps we'll get our chance in the Final Four come April!
Anyways, enough rambling about the weekend. It was rough losing all day, but I feel it was a good learning experience for the team, and I'm excited to get to practice tomorrow!
Although the other team split with Elms and Springfield B, they finished 3rd in their pool. Still, that was better than our 0-2 losses to Set Me Boston (Strong, tall, great blocking AA USAV team), Springfield A (Filled with most of their starters from last year's national championship team), and Boston College (A decent club team, but had we not ran out of gas we should have won the match).
I feel like as a player I'm growing. I probably haven't gone 0-6 on the day for a good 4 years. Even the last 2 years, I feel like I'd be focused on what everyone else wasn't doing right, or the overall results at the end. However, I find myself focusing on the things we did well, the improvements I can make individually, and the things I learned as a whole for the day. I found myself hanging with teammates last night, goofing around and laughing it up. Last year after losses? Forget about it. Sit by myself, listen to music, reflect on my own. I'm really doing everything I can this season to not do that, and so far, so good!
As a team, we did have some strong points. Our coverage was EXTREMELY strong, which hasn't always been the case during my time at Newbury. Although our defensive coverage was a bit off as we haven't really had time to work on it in practice yet, I felt the block was closing, and although we weren't getting a TON of stuff blocks, we did force the hitters to go where we set the defense up. Although we didn't end up winning any of the games, we kept the majority of them close, and had a few strong 4-5 point runs. I look forward to building on all of these things, as well as fine tune the rest.
Individually, it was a tough one. I'll nit-pick to start: WAY too many hitting errors. However, watching the film, my arm swing is MUCH stronger after an off-season in the weight room. I always have swung deep as it was, and now I'm finding myself hitting out of bounds a lot more. Of all my hitting errors (19 to be exact), only two were in the net, the rest were sailed out of bounds and being blocked. Also, my jump serve was TERRIBLE, I felt myself getting "conservative" by not following through with my arm swing, which resulted on sailing the ball out of bounds about 5-10 feet each time. The few times I went full-tilt, they stayed in bounds. Lesson learned: Go hard or go home. Defensively, I felt like my positioning was a bit shaky as well, but hopefully once we start going over our system again, I'll avoid making those mistakes again.
My hitting line was 34-19-90, which is a .167 percentage. I hit .288 last season, so it's a far cry from where I'd like to be. The good news is, my shoulder feels like I didn't even play, and of those 90 swings, AT MOST 10 of them were off-speed. For 6 games, a 5.67 kill per game ratio is well above what I'll be doing this season, when the starters are together. Frankly, I'm relieved, because I'll take a 3 kill per game average with wins over 5.5 with the loss anyday.
Springfield looked strong, but if that's the national champions, I'm optimistic that we can give them a run with our starters. They beat us 30-18 each game, but both of them we were neck and neck til about the 20 point mark, and with our big guns in the game, I have a feel we could have even swept them. Actions speak louder than words though, perhaps we'll get our chance in the Final Four come April!
Anyways, enough rambling about the weekend. It was rough losing all day, but I feel it was a good learning experience for the team, and I'm excited to get to practice tomorrow!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Waiting...
Very brief update, because I need to get to bed. Day went well overall, met the guys at Roggie's for some team bonding, and when we got to the Stadium for the Celtics game one of the guys couldn't find his ticket. I was a bit tired anyways, and so I gave him mine and headed back home. They ended up losing, I watched on TV, I'm sure I'll get other opportunities in the future to see them play.
So once I got back, I did a little film, watching some clips from last season, as well as some footage I had of strong outsides (Gustavo Meyer, Victor Batista), as well as my favorite libero playing left back (Ryan Stuntz). Heated the back/calves, stretched, then took a shower and organized my bag/clothes for the morning.
Looking forward to tomorrow. Mentally I'm where I need to be, and feel like tomorrow will be a good day regardless of the outcome. Just excited to get on the court with the boys and begin playing! Update tomorrow night if I'm not dead with the results. Wish us luck!
So once I got back, I did a little film, watching some clips from last season, as well as some footage I had of strong outsides (Gustavo Meyer, Victor Batista), as well as my favorite libero playing left back (Ryan Stuntz). Heated the back/calves, stretched, then took a shower and organized my bag/clothes for the morning.
Looking forward to tomorrow. Mentally I'm where I need to be, and feel like tomorrow will be a good day regardless of the outcome. Just excited to get on the court with the boys and begin playing! Update tomorrow night if I'm not dead with the results. Wish us luck!
Last Practice Before Springfield, Celtics, Overall Thoughts.
Well, I sit here early Friday morning with no interest in going to bed. After a good day Thursday, and two more coming up, my mind is racing a mile a minute. Let's begin with a recap of our final practice before the big tournament!
I had been a bit sore earlier in the day, and my calves were a bit tighter than normal. I felt like I wasn't getting too good of a jump on Wednesday, so I came in early to heat and have the trainer stretch out my hamstrings and calves. I could tell before I even got out of the trainer's room that it was going to be a big improvement from the day before, and luckily that turned out to be the case.
No conditioning today, which was nice, because I was tired of playing after 100+ pushups! We did a couple "hitter's challenge" drills, then moved on to a straight-up scrimmage between the two squads that are playing in Springfield's tournament.
It's an interesting split. On one team, you've got three of the top hitters. The team I'm on seems to have stronger serve-recieve, as well as the starting setter. We end up playing very evenly, using two completely different styles. However, both sides are extremely competitive. We won the game 32-30, but it could have gone either way. I think it'll be a tough tournament, but both teams should get some great practice out of it.
I enjoy it, because it pits me against arguably the two best blockers on the team, both who touch higher than 11 feet. The first couple days I was getting roofed pretty badly as I struggled to find my timing, and today I did get blocked a fair share of times, but overall I found myself being much more effective. I realize that Springfield are the defending National Champs, but I honestly think my two blockers can't possibly be stronger than what I practice against. I look forward to sparring with them all season!
Serve receive felt MUCH better today. Maybe they cleaned the floor, or perhaps I was just anticipating better, but I felt my movement was much better today. The outside on the other team ripped a couple jump serves I didn't pass all that clean, but overall it went well. Defense felt good too, although it's going to take me awhile to get used to blocking the middle from the outside again. Practicing against a monster doesn't help, but to be the best you have to beat the best. Hitting timing was on for the most part, although on freeballs I found myself getting a bit too aggressive and over-running the set. Still, there's definite progress, and I should be good to go Saturday!
Tomorrow we're going to dinner as a team, then going to the Celtics game! I can't wait for a couple reasons. Not only have I never been to a professional sports event in Boston, but I get to finally see one of my favorite athletes, Kevin Garnett. Although his stats don't always show it, his intensity and ability to boost his teammates is virtually unmatched in sports. I'll probably end up watching him the entire time! He's one of those athletes you hear about where Television doesn't do justice for what they bring to the table. Hopefully I'm not setting the bar too high, I'm optimistic about it.
So a good practice today, Celtics tomorrow, and the tournament Saturday! Time to get some sleep, but I'll have an update Saturday on how things went.
I had been a bit sore earlier in the day, and my calves were a bit tighter than normal. I felt like I wasn't getting too good of a jump on Wednesday, so I came in early to heat and have the trainer stretch out my hamstrings and calves. I could tell before I even got out of the trainer's room that it was going to be a big improvement from the day before, and luckily that turned out to be the case.
No conditioning today, which was nice, because I was tired of playing after 100+ pushups! We did a couple "hitter's challenge" drills, then moved on to a straight-up scrimmage between the two squads that are playing in Springfield's tournament.
It's an interesting split. On one team, you've got three of the top hitters. The team I'm on seems to have stronger serve-recieve, as well as the starting setter. We end up playing very evenly, using two completely different styles. However, both sides are extremely competitive. We won the game 32-30, but it could have gone either way. I think it'll be a tough tournament, but both teams should get some great practice out of it.
I enjoy it, because it pits me against arguably the two best blockers on the team, both who touch higher than 11 feet. The first couple days I was getting roofed pretty badly as I struggled to find my timing, and today I did get blocked a fair share of times, but overall I found myself being much more effective. I realize that Springfield are the defending National Champs, but I honestly think my two blockers can't possibly be stronger than what I practice against. I look forward to sparring with them all season!
Serve receive felt MUCH better today. Maybe they cleaned the floor, or perhaps I was just anticipating better, but I felt my movement was much better today. The outside on the other team ripped a couple jump serves I didn't pass all that clean, but overall it went well. Defense felt good too, although it's going to take me awhile to get used to blocking the middle from the outside again. Practicing against a monster doesn't help, but to be the best you have to beat the best. Hitting timing was on for the most part, although on freeballs I found myself getting a bit too aggressive and over-running the set. Still, there's definite progress, and I should be good to go Saturday!
Tomorrow we're going to dinner as a team, then going to the Celtics game! I can't wait for a couple reasons. Not only have I never been to a professional sports event in Boston, but I get to finally see one of my favorite athletes, Kevin Garnett. Although his stats don't always show it, his intensity and ability to boost his teammates is virtually unmatched in sports. I'll probably end up watching him the entire time! He's one of those athletes you hear about where Television doesn't do justice for what they bring to the table. Hopefully I'm not setting the bar too high, I'm optimistic about it.
So a good practice today, Celtics tomorrow, and the tournament Saturday! Time to get some sleep, but I'll have an update Saturday on how things went.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly - Day 3
The Good - The team's energy/overall play. It's the third day of pre-season, and we haven't shown any letdown on intensity. Today was the first day coach unchained us, with one conditioning drill to start, followed by scrimmaging the rest of practice. The guys are really starting to come along, with blocking being strong, setters starting to mix up hitting more, and VERY strong serves. I think our serving will be a huge asset to our season, as a lot of us have strong jump serves, with some guys mixing in some tough float serves. Hitting is still a BIT shaky, but there are a few guys that have played much better than expected at the net, and I think the people that are struggling a bit will be fine with more repetition.
The Bad - Lower back/Shoes! Although I know it's gonna be fine, I did feel it was a bit tighter than normal today. Add the fact that we've been doing a ton of sit-ups, which kill my spine as it sticks out and grinds against the hardwood floor, and I find myself just a BIT conservative on my swing/jump-serve. After taking IB Profun virtually every day to fight shin splints last season, I'm really working hard not to take anything unless absolutely necessary this year, and so far I can't complain for the most part.
More importantly though, my shoes have virtually NO traction left. We've ordered new shoes, but our tracking # isn't really updating us right now, and I have no idea if we'll get them before the tournament, which worries me because I can't really change direction on defense quickly, let alone take as aggressive of an approach as I'd like. I can't wait for the new shoes so that I can move a bit better on defense.
The Ugly - Timing! At the end of last year, everything was clicking with the setter, no matter where I was taking the approach from - outside, rightside, or backrow. Although I realize that a) It's the third day of practice b) I'm making the move from rightside to outside for the first time in about two years, and c) We're still working on finding the right set, I can't help but be a bit disappointed with how slow I've come out of the gate in regards to hitting. There are a few times where the timing's just right, and I'm ripping the leather out of the ball. Overall, I find myself INCREDIBLY early, jumping straight up as a result, and almost always finding hands with my swings.
It's slowly getting better, but with the tournament coming up Saturday, I find myself struggling to be patient with the process. Although I'd love to bore readers with the technical jargon that flies through my head regarding the mechanics, I'll save that for another blog, and just say that I look forward to shaking off the rust and picking up where I left off last year.
Off to bed, last practice before the Springfield tournament tomorrow, need to get some sleep so I can make it count!
The Bad - Lower back/Shoes! Although I know it's gonna be fine, I did feel it was a bit tighter than normal today. Add the fact that we've been doing a ton of sit-ups, which kill my spine as it sticks out and grinds against the hardwood floor, and I find myself just a BIT conservative on my swing/jump-serve. After taking IB Profun virtually every day to fight shin splints last season, I'm really working hard not to take anything unless absolutely necessary this year, and so far I can't complain for the most part.
More importantly though, my shoes have virtually NO traction left. We've ordered new shoes, but our tracking # isn't really updating us right now, and I have no idea if we'll get them before the tournament, which worries me because I can't really change direction on defense quickly, let alone take as aggressive of an approach as I'd like. I can't wait for the new shoes so that I can move a bit better on defense.
The Ugly - Timing! At the end of last year, everything was clicking with the setter, no matter where I was taking the approach from - outside, rightside, or backrow. Although I realize that a) It's the third day of practice b) I'm making the move from rightside to outside for the first time in about two years, and c) We're still working on finding the right set, I can't help but be a bit disappointed with how slow I've come out of the gate in regards to hitting. There are a few times where the timing's just right, and I'm ripping the leather out of the ball. Overall, I find myself INCREDIBLY early, jumping straight up as a result, and almost always finding hands with my swings.
It's slowly getting better, but with the tournament coming up Saturday, I find myself struggling to be patient with the process. Although I'd love to bore readers with the technical jargon that flies through my head regarding the mechanics, I'll save that for another blog, and just say that I look forward to shaking off the rust and picking up where I left off last year.
Off to bed, last practice before the Springfield tournament tomorrow, need to get some sleep so I can make it count!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Day 2!
Second day of pre-season was today, and although I was a little sore this morning, I didn't feel as bad as I had originally feared I would. I remember last season my shin splints started about the 2nd or 3rd practice, so I made sure to do extra stretching to try to avoid the same fate this year.
Conditioning: Still a lot of push-ups/sit-ups. My abs are burning tonight! Still, everyone talks about how important the core is when playing volleyball, so I don't say that as a complaint. We had a lot of drills tonight that involved chasing down freeballs, but their purpose wasn't COMPLETELY efficient as for whatever reason it seems a lot of our pro-touch volleyballs are missing... That's as much complaining as I'll do about that. It was still nice to do some sliding across the ground, although I skinned my hip already with one sprawl. It is what it is.
Playing: Actually did some passing today, so that was a nice change of pace. Nothing in-game though. I really hope we do serve-receive tomorrow, because we're only 4 days away from the Springfield tournament! Started the scrimmaging hitting outside. Was attempting to work on the shoot, but just wasn't happening, and the block was having a field day with me. The ball was a little inside the antenna, which I was struggling to adapt to, as I take a very sharp approach when running shoots. However, I started to heat up a bit once we went back to a hut-like ball to the pin. I suppose it makes sense to start with a higher ball, then speed it up as the timing comes back. Blocking went alright, although there weren't all that many opportunities to do so. It's gonna be awhile before I get used to that, as I blocked MUCH more frequently when I played opposite.
2 more practices, then an off day, then the big tournament at Springfield! We're splitting into two even teams for it, and it seems like as coach gets to know us, she's starting to figure out how she's going to do that. I'm just excited to get on the court and see what Springfield is bringing to the table this year. Off to bed, I'll have an update tomorrow night.
Conditioning: Still a lot of push-ups/sit-ups. My abs are burning tonight! Still, everyone talks about how important the core is when playing volleyball, so I don't say that as a complaint. We had a lot of drills tonight that involved chasing down freeballs, but their purpose wasn't COMPLETELY efficient as for whatever reason it seems a lot of our pro-touch volleyballs are missing... That's as much complaining as I'll do about that. It was still nice to do some sliding across the ground, although I skinned my hip already with one sprawl. It is what it is.
Playing: Actually did some passing today, so that was a nice change of pace. Nothing in-game though. I really hope we do serve-receive tomorrow, because we're only 4 days away from the Springfield tournament! Started the scrimmaging hitting outside. Was attempting to work on the shoot, but just wasn't happening, and the block was having a field day with me. The ball was a little inside the antenna, which I was struggling to adapt to, as I take a very sharp approach when running shoots. However, I started to heat up a bit once we went back to a hut-like ball to the pin. I suppose it makes sense to start with a higher ball, then speed it up as the timing comes back. Blocking went alright, although there weren't all that many opportunities to do so. It's gonna be awhile before I get used to that, as I blocked MUCH more frequently when I played opposite.
2 more practices, then an off day, then the big tournament at Springfield! We're splitting into two even teams for it, and it seems like as coach gets to know us, she's starting to figure out how she's going to do that. I'm just excited to get on the court and see what Springfield is bringing to the table this year. Off to bed, I'll have an update tomorrow night.
First Practice - Recap
Well, I'll have to keep this one short, as conversations with people back here have already kept me up way longer than originally intended. After what seems like an eternity of waiting, we got together for our first preseason practice of the year!
Conditioning: Although we didn't do too many conditioning drills, the ones we did were pretty strenuous. One of them lasted about 10 minutes and consisted of 120 pushups and 200 sit-ups. Yikes? I could barely hit the ball for the next 10-15 minutes as my arms worked on un-flexing. A couple sprint drills here and there, as well as some jumping drills. I didn't hydrate enough, because towards the end of the 3-hour practice I could feel my left calf begging to cramp up, and about 5-6 others had the same problem.
Playing: We did a couple passing drills, hitting lines, then scrimmage-like scenarios. With this being the first time coach saw everyone, egos were in play and the competition/energy was FIERCE. I felt everyone looked very good, and the chemistry/team bonding seems better on this team than the previous two years.
Personally, I didn't get to do much backrow work. Coach wanted me hitting in every drill, which I didn't mind, but I could tell my approach was getting fatigued towards the end. This year I've transitioned from opposite to outside, and although I played outside most of my career, we run a very fast offense and it's going to take me awhile to get it down. I was VERY early on my shoots today, which led to jumping straight up and having the block get a lot of playable deflections. I'll stay patient though, it's only day 1, and overall I was pleased with how I played.
I'm off to bed for now. We practice for only two hours tomorrow, so hopefully we focus mostly on volleyball, as the tournament at Springfield is Saturday and we need all the repetition we can get. A quick stretch before hopping into bed, then hoping my body isn't broken when I wake up!
Conditioning: Although we didn't do too many conditioning drills, the ones we did were pretty strenuous. One of them lasted about 10 minutes and consisted of 120 pushups and 200 sit-ups. Yikes? I could barely hit the ball for the next 10-15 minutes as my arms worked on un-flexing. A couple sprint drills here and there, as well as some jumping drills. I didn't hydrate enough, because towards the end of the 3-hour practice I could feel my left calf begging to cramp up, and about 5-6 others had the same problem.
Playing: We did a couple passing drills, hitting lines, then scrimmage-like scenarios. With this being the first time coach saw everyone, egos were in play and the competition/energy was FIERCE. I felt everyone looked very good, and the chemistry/team bonding seems better on this team than the previous two years.
Personally, I didn't get to do much backrow work. Coach wanted me hitting in every drill, which I didn't mind, but I could tell my approach was getting fatigued towards the end. This year I've transitioned from opposite to outside, and although I played outside most of my career, we run a very fast offense and it's going to take me awhile to get it down. I was VERY early on my shoots today, which led to jumping straight up and having the block get a lot of playable deflections. I'll stay patient though, it's only day 1, and overall I was pleased with how I played.
I'm off to bed for now. We practice for only two hours tomorrow, so hopefully we focus mostly on volleyball, as the tournament at Springfield is Saturday and we need all the repetition we can get. A quick stretch before hopping into bed, then hoping my body isn't broken when I wake up!
Monday, November 10, 2008
At Last!
Only 6 hours before practice. I doubt I'll be able to focus in class.
Went to an open gym with a couple teammates Friday night. Was really pleased with how everyone played. More importantly, the team just gels better this year than the previous two. Last year, we were ridiculously deep, but we were practically split into two cliques. This served for good purposes when we would scrimmage, as neither team would be willing to take a play off to give the other team an edge. However, it saddened me to realize we went an entire season without one team get-together with everyone... that's just not healthy in my opinion. I think this year's team will be much more close-knit, and that will most likely help in our cause.
Individually, I'm very excited for this season. I feel like I'm in better shape than the previous two seasons, and not by a small margin. The things that normally concern me, my blocking and shoulder stamina, have been really strong. The irony is, my passing feels a bit shaky, and that's normally my bread and butter. I think that the time away from playing to work out had a small effect on it, but I hope that with 6 practices a week, it comes back quickly.
It'll be interesting to see how the body holds up this season. Although I haven't had an injury that's kept me out of any matches in my two years here (knock on wood), I did deal with a weak shoulder all Freshman year, and shin splints last year. I'm hoping that this off-season will keep me from dealing with anything like that, but I'm certainly not getting any younger, and although I'm only 23 I do put quite a bit of mileage on the body.
Anyways, I should start my day. I'm sure I'll have an update tonight on how it went.
Went to an open gym with a couple teammates Friday night. Was really pleased with how everyone played. More importantly, the team just gels better this year than the previous two. Last year, we were ridiculously deep, but we were practically split into two cliques. This served for good purposes when we would scrimmage, as neither team would be willing to take a play off to give the other team an edge. However, it saddened me to realize we went an entire season without one team get-together with everyone... that's just not healthy in my opinion. I think this year's team will be much more close-knit, and that will most likely help in our cause.
Individually, I'm very excited for this season. I feel like I'm in better shape than the previous two seasons, and not by a small margin. The things that normally concern me, my blocking and shoulder stamina, have been really strong. The irony is, my passing feels a bit shaky, and that's normally my bread and butter. I think that the time away from playing to work out had a small effect on it, but I hope that with 6 practices a week, it comes back quickly.
It'll be interesting to see how the body holds up this season. Although I haven't had an injury that's kept me out of any matches in my two years here (knock on wood), I did deal with a weak shoulder all Freshman year, and shin splints last year. I'm hoping that this off-season will keep me from dealing with anything like that, but I'm certainly not getting any younger, and although I'm only 23 I do put quite a bit of mileage on the body.
Anyways, I should start my day. I'm sure I'll have an update tonight on how it went.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Calm Before the Storm.
Well, we're heading into the home stretch before preseason, and I couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately, the season for the women's team I coach came to an end yesterday, which was sad to see. They worked very hard, and it was sad to see the career of the seniors come to a halt. However, with 10 returners, I know they'll be even stronger next year.
It'll be interesting to see where I fit in the equation. Being a 23-year old student, I'm pretty easily replaced from an administrative perspective. I feel that I brought some good things to the table, but ultimately it's not up to me to decide. I suppose time will tell. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with them and am happy I was able to hop on board with them halfway through the season.
That being said, time to start focusing on my own season. I put in a strong fall in the weightroom, bulked up (you'll sense the sarcasm in a second) to about 175, which is 10 pounds above my typical playing weight. Played in a couple open gyms, and it didn't seem to have any negative effect on my game, plus my shoulder felt as good as it's ever felt.
It seems as if all the drama about fundraising is coming to a halt, and the team can finally concentrate on volleyball. I find myself visualizing it more and more, getting on the floor, stretching with the team, working on drills, and building chemistry with the lineups. Coach seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders, I'm interested to see what she has in store for us.
4 more days!
It'll be interesting to see where I fit in the equation. Being a 23-year old student, I'm pretty easily replaced from an administrative perspective. I feel that I brought some good things to the table, but ultimately it's not up to me to decide. I suppose time will tell. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with them and am happy I was able to hop on board with them halfway through the season.
That being said, time to start focusing on my own season. I put in a strong fall in the weightroom, bulked up (you'll sense the sarcasm in a second) to about 175, which is 10 pounds above my typical playing weight. Played in a couple open gyms, and it didn't seem to have any negative effect on my game, plus my shoulder felt as good as it's ever felt.
It seems as if all the drama about fundraising is coming to a halt, and the team can finally concentrate on volleyball. I find myself visualizing it more and more, getting on the floor, stretching with the team, working on drills, and building chemistry with the lineups. Coach seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders, I'm interested to see what she has in store for us.
4 more days!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Missing Coach...
This post is a day late, but frankly I didn't have the energy to write it. Unfortunately there was a scheduling error and although my schedule said the girls' practice was from 6-8, it was from 8-10. Wasn't too pleased about it, but actually had a great talk with the trainer for about an hour and a half. We have pretty similar philosophies for sports in general, and it was nice to talk shop with him until practice.
Yesterday marked the 3-month anniversary of Coach Dave's passing, and I still find myself struggling to come to grips with it. If it wasn't for Dave, I have no idea where I'd even be. After watching a highlight video I put on myspace, Dave messaged me and asked if I was looking to play college ball. Although I was on the fence about it, he flew 1000 miles to watch me play at an open gym, and afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat, and just started to talk about the school. He clearly had a passion for the team, as well as a vision.
He had already taken them from losing 55 straight games to being nationally-ranked, but continued to bring in more talent from all over the nation. Dave may not have a ton of individual success as a player, but I'm convinced he recruited better than anyone in Division III (sorry opposing coaches, just my opinion). His energy made me beleive, and with that, I verbally committed to coming to Newbury.
Since coming to Newbury, I've found myself with more direction/motivation than ever before, and a large part of it was due to Dave. I used to sit in his office for hours talking about whatever was on our mind that day, and although we had VERY different philosophies, I probably have never had a better "agree to disagree" relationship with anyone, and it's probably why I found myself in his office so often.
Although I felt I was handling it alright this summer, I found myself wandering around campus the first few weeks of school like Ron Burgandy walked the streets with a carton of milk, disoriented and unsure where to go in my free time. I'm finally starting to cope with it, although I don't think I'll ever be the same.
Showering, heading to lunch, class, then off to the 4:30 bus for the girls' quarterfinal match of the conference tournament, then homework if I have any energy left.
R.I.P. Dave, you're never forgotten.
Yesterday marked the 3-month anniversary of Coach Dave's passing, and I still find myself struggling to come to grips with it. If it wasn't for Dave, I have no idea where I'd even be. After watching a highlight video I put on myspace, Dave messaged me and asked if I was looking to play college ball. Although I was on the fence about it, he flew 1000 miles to watch me play at an open gym, and afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat, and just started to talk about the school. He clearly had a passion for the team, as well as a vision.
He had already taken them from losing 55 straight games to being nationally-ranked, but continued to bring in more talent from all over the nation. Dave may not have a ton of individual success as a player, but I'm convinced he recruited better than anyone in Division III (sorry opposing coaches, just my opinion). His energy made me beleive, and with that, I verbally committed to coming to Newbury.
Since coming to Newbury, I've found myself with more direction/motivation than ever before, and a large part of it was due to Dave. I used to sit in his office for hours talking about whatever was on our mind that day, and although we had VERY different philosophies, I probably have never had a better "agree to disagree" relationship with anyone, and it's probably why I found myself in his office so often.
Although I felt I was handling it alright this summer, I found myself wandering around campus the first few weeks of school like Ron Burgandy walked the streets with a carton of milk, disoriented and unsure where to go in my free time. I'm finally starting to cope with it, although I don't think I'll ever be the same.
Showering, heading to lunch, class, then off to the 4:30 bus for the girls' quarterfinal match of the conference tournament, then homework if I have any energy left.
R.I.P. Dave, you're never forgotten.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Busy Week: Head Coaching Debut, Raffle Tickets, and the Upcoming Preseason.
It's already midnight here, and I feel like the minutes moved like seconds today. Sundays are usually my day of rest, which is probably why I wish they were longer. We had Open House today, so the campus was a bit more lively than usual. A recruit from Northlake, IL was in town for it and gave us a verbal commitment, so that's exciting. I look forward to hitting a couple open gyms with him this Christmas break. Pretty crazy to think that next year we'll potentially have 5 people from Illinois on the team!
Tomorrow I'll be missing the compliance meeting with our Athletic Director, and this concerns me, as supposively our trip to California is in jeopardy. Although I'm sure we'll come to an agreement to make it work, he's concerned with the effort of the guys selling raffle tickets to fund the trip. A little under half have stayed on track, while others have strayed from the plan. Part of it is because half of us are from out of state, and it simply takes time for the money to come in the mail. However, I'm sure we could be working harder, and as long as we give him some sort of proof that we're doing our best, we can make it work. I'd love to be there to say that, but I'll have to rely on the teammates to do so. Not too worried about it, they all have good heads on their shoulders, I'm sure they'll make it work.
Had my first official head coaching experience yesterday, on account of a family situation with the regular coach. It was definitely not what I expected. A complete roller-coaster of a day, with just about every situation you could imagine. Losing the first set 25-13, proceeding to win the 2nd and 3rd (the latter being 25-9), then proceeding to go up 17-10 in the fourth set only to have the other team rattle off a 15-2 run to send us to a fifth game, which they pulled off 15-12. We ended up getting swept the next match, but proceeded to play better each game.
It's a tough situation, especially when you're simply filling in. Also, there's just so many things you can take for granted as an assistant. Do I take a timeout when the other team is up 5-1 to stop the bleeding, or do I risk burning them too quickly so that I need to resort to subs late in the game? How are girls going to react to substitutions? How are the girls going to react in general to certain tones? When you don't have a second coach for them to turn to in the event that they don't agree with you, there's a risk that they'll shut down on you.
All that said, the girls worked hard and I'm pleased with the effort they showed. They made the conference tournament, and with the head coach returning for it, I have high hopes for it.
One week from preseason! I'm excited to get started... I'm still a bit concerned about my lower-back, but as long as I continue to stretch a couple times a day I think it'll keep me out of trouble. I hit an open gym Friday (I know, quite the wild Halloween for me) and everything felt great, although the serve receive was a bit rusty. The guys have been buzzing about this year, and it'll be nice to get back to work. It should be a pretty competitive season, as most of the guys I've talked to from other teams have been boasting about strong recruiting classes. Although some people would look at this as a bad thing, I think the more talented the teams we play, the better prepared we'll be for the tournament at the end of the season, so hopefully they live up to the hype!
I need to wrap up some homework, more updates later this week.
Tomorrow I'll be missing the compliance meeting with our Athletic Director, and this concerns me, as supposively our trip to California is in jeopardy. Although I'm sure we'll come to an agreement to make it work, he's concerned with the effort of the guys selling raffle tickets to fund the trip. A little under half have stayed on track, while others have strayed from the plan. Part of it is because half of us are from out of state, and it simply takes time for the money to come in the mail. However, I'm sure we could be working harder, and as long as we give him some sort of proof that we're doing our best, we can make it work. I'd love to be there to say that, but I'll have to rely on the teammates to do so. Not too worried about it, they all have good heads on their shoulders, I'm sure they'll make it work.
Had my first official head coaching experience yesterday, on account of a family situation with the regular coach. It was definitely not what I expected. A complete roller-coaster of a day, with just about every situation you could imagine. Losing the first set 25-13, proceeding to win the 2nd and 3rd (the latter being 25-9), then proceeding to go up 17-10 in the fourth set only to have the other team rattle off a 15-2 run to send us to a fifth game, which they pulled off 15-12. We ended up getting swept the next match, but proceeded to play better each game.
It's a tough situation, especially when you're simply filling in. Also, there's just so many things you can take for granted as an assistant. Do I take a timeout when the other team is up 5-1 to stop the bleeding, or do I risk burning them too quickly so that I need to resort to subs late in the game? How are girls going to react to substitutions? How are the girls going to react in general to certain tones? When you don't have a second coach for them to turn to in the event that they don't agree with you, there's a risk that they'll shut down on you.
All that said, the girls worked hard and I'm pleased with the effort they showed. They made the conference tournament, and with the head coach returning for it, I have high hopes for it.
One week from preseason! I'm excited to get started... I'm still a bit concerned about my lower-back, but as long as I continue to stretch a couple times a day I think it'll keep me out of trouble. I hit an open gym Friday (I know, quite the wild Halloween for me) and everything felt great, although the serve receive was a bit rusty. The guys have been buzzing about this year, and it'll be nice to get back to work. It should be a pretty competitive season, as most of the guys I've talked to from other teams have been boasting about strong recruiting classes. Although some people would look at this as a bad thing, I think the more talented the teams we play, the better prepared we'll be for the tournament at the end of the season, so hopefully they live up to the hype!
I need to wrap up some homework, more updates later this week.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Coaching Inspirations.
It's been a few days since I last posted, and with good reason, as I've gone to bed as soon as I've gotten home most nights. I find myself wide awake tonight, visualizing tomorrow's match that Lasell has vs. Babson. The girls will be facing a tough opponent, but they have a never-say-die mentality, and I believe that if they give their all the whole match and stay away from getting down on themselves, they could easily pull off the "upset".
This has been my first coaching job that wasn't on a volunteer basis, and it has been a dream job so far. The girls work hard, they all get along, and there are no egos to battle. I've never seen any team like it! Although only 23, I have my coaching philosophy in place already. I've been reading autobiographies on coaches since I was 17, starting with John Wooden, and more recently finishing Tony Dungy's. Each book has given me more insight on what is important to me and what is not, and I hope that although I'm young, I'm able to make a positive contribution to the team.
So what do I believe in? Effort. Poise. Hard work. Selflessness. Wins and Losses come into play, but the means of how we achieve both is what concerns me. Of all the things I learned from John Wooden, it is that we can only strive to be the best we can be, and if we do that, we can consider ourselves successful, no matter what the scoreboard says. The funny thing is, the team that puts forth the most effort ends up winning most of the time anyways, which probably explains why John Wooden won 10 National Championships in 12 years with UCLA.
I feel it is not only important to put forth your best physical effort, but also be as mentally tough as possible. If you don't believe, you can't achieve, and the beautiful thing about sports is anyone can win on any given day, regardless of what the odds may be. Look at all the cinderella stories sports have. I read Lou Holtz's book "Wins, Losses, and Lessons", and feel he had such a good grip on that concept. He continuously took losing programs and turned them into powerhouses, and he did so by changing the mentality of the teams. "What the mind perceives, the body achieves" was his saying, and that stays true with me today.
John Chaney ended up tarnishing his reputation when he sent in a bench player in a basketball game to foul a player hard, which resulted in the fouled player breaking his arm. The sad thing is, although there was terrible judgment on his part when sending that player in, overall he was a very good coach, as well as a hell of a speaker. Although my father taught me the importance of setting goals at a young age, Chaney nailed the point home. I remember his retirement press conference, when he boomed "Don't give up on young people, because they don't fail you. I've never had a young person to fail. They don't even know how much they can give, I don't care how much you ask them, how much you beg them, how much you plead with them to give more, they don't know what they can give until it's done, until it's over. You keep asking for more, you keep raising that ceiling, keep raising the floor, so that they have a chance to make it."
This statement never left me, and I find myself continually raising that bar for my players, never settling for where they're at. As soon as I settle for where someone's at, I've failed them as a coach, because I don't think it's realistic to say "well, so-and-so can't possibly get better", and it's my job to make sure they make the most of their time under me.
I hope that the lessons I teach players on the court will stay with them off the court. As a player who was a nobody in high school, who didn't think he could go anywhere, who had one coach completely change he looked at himself and how he approached sports, I feel that it's my obligation to see the potential in everyone, as my coach saw in me. And so far, the results have been great.
11 days until pre-season begins. I love coaching, but can't wait to play. I'll publish an update from my thoughts as a player in the next couple days.
This has been my first coaching job that wasn't on a volunteer basis, and it has been a dream job so far. The girls work hard, they all get along, and there are no egos to battle. I've never seen any team like it! Although only 23, I have my coaching philosophy in place already. I've been reading autobiographies on coaches since I was 17, starting with John Wooden, and more recently finishing Tony Dungy's. Each book has given me more insight on what is important to me and what is not, and I hope that although I'm young, I'm able to make a positive contribution to the team.
So what do I believe in? Effort. Poise. Hard work. Selflessness. Wins and Losses come into play, but the means of how we achieve both is what concerns me. Of all the things I learned from John Wooden, it is that we can only strive to be the best we can be, and if we do that, we can consider ourselves successful, no matter what the scoreboard says. The funny thing is, the team that puts forth the most effort ends up winning most of the time anyways, which probably explains why John Wooden won 10 National Championships in 12 years with UCLA.
I feel it is not only important to put forth your best physical effort, but also be as mentally tough as possible. If you don't believe, you can't achieve, and the beautiful thing about sports is anyone can win on any given day, regardless of what the odds may be. Look at all the cinderella stories sports have. I read Lou Holtz's book "Wins, Losses, and Lessons", and feel he had such a good grip on that concept. He continuously took losing programs and turned them into powerhouses, and he did so by changing the mentality of the teams. "What the mind perceives, the body achieves" was his saying, and that stays true with me today.
John Chaney ended up tarnishing his reputation when he sent in a bench player in a basketball game to foul a player hard, which resulted in the fouled player breaking his arm. The sad thing is, although there was terrible judgment on his part when sending that player in, overall he was a very good coach, as well as a hell of a speaker. Although my father taught me the importance of setting goals at a young age, Chaney nailed the point home. I remember his retirement press conference, when he boomed "Don't give up on young people, because they don't fail you. I've never had a young person to fail. They don't even know how much they can give, I don't care how much you ask them, how much you beg them, how much you plead with them to give more, they don't know what they can give until it's done, until it's over. You keep asking for more, you keep raising that ceiling, keep raising the floor, so that they have a chance to make it."
This statement never left me, and I find myself continually raising that bar for my players, never settling for where they're at. As soon as I settle for where someone's at, I've failed them as a coach, because I don't think it's realistic to say "well, so-and-so can't possibly get better", and it's my job to make sure they make the most of their time under me.
I hope that the lessons I teach players on the court will stay with them off the court. As a player who was a nobody in high school, who didn't think he could go anywhere, who had one coach completely change he looked at himself and how he approached sports, I feel that it's my obligation to see the potential in everyone, as my coach saw in me. And so far, the results have been great.
11 days until pre-season begins. I love coaching, but can't wait to play. I'll publish an update from my thoughts as a player in the next couple days.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Introductory Post
As I sit in my dorm room enjoying a relaxing Sunday before going back to the normal grind of school, work, and other Monday-Friday obligations, I can't help but daydream about the upcoming season. I keep telling myself not to count the days, but the closer we get, the more difficult I find that to be. There's so much potential...
As this is my first post, I should probably give a brief background to anyone that decides to read. First off, who is this blog geared towards? To be honest, a large reason I'm doing it is for myself. With all the things I have going on with my life right now, I find it somewhat therapeutic to be able to get my thoughts out of my head and written down (or typed in this instance). On top of that, I've always found myself looking at other people's experiences and beliefs as coaches, players, or spectators, in order to further develop my own. That being the case, I figured that this blog could be used by high school athletes looking to play in college, aspiring coaches, or just volleyball fanatics in general.
So who am I? My name is Bryan McDermand, and I'm currently a Junior at Newbury College. I play on the Men's Volleyball team here, as well as coach the women's program over at Lasell College. I'm a 23 year old originally from Palatine, IL, and I'm currently double-majoring in Finance and Sports Management. I plan on graduating in the Spring of 2010, at which point there are many different directions I could end up heading in. In a perfect world, I'll be somewhere in Europe making a living playing volleyball. Time will tell.
What do I plan on writing? It will probably be a day-to-day process. Ideally, I'll be updating the blog each day, but realistically I'm sure there will be times I just want to crash and write later. The topics will be pretty much all geared towards the volleyball portion of my life, both as a coach and player. Sometimes I may throw a little blurb about something else, but most likely in a manner that discusses how it affects my season. If I end up getting any sort of on-line following, I'd be up for using posts to answer questions/messages I have, whether it be a response to a previous blog, or just picking my brain about something.
For now, I have quite a few things on my mind. As for the Lasell team, although I'm excited for my own season, I am bummed that theirs is coming to an end shortly. I've only been on board for about three weeks, and it's been a wonderful experience. They have 12 players on the team, and every single one of them get along with each other, no cliques or anything. I've never seen anything like it. Also, the head coach has been very warm in her welcome to me, and has helped me learn a lot during the short time I've been there. Their record isn't the greatest, but numbers don't show the hard work they put in, and they recently had a strong 4-game win streak, and have a good shot of making the GNAC Conference Tournament, at which point anything is possible. We shall see! For now, this was a one-year contract for coaching, but I really hope that they invite me back. I've worked hard, and feel that I've made positive contributions, but keep in mind that as a 23-year old, it isn't hard to replace me with someone more experienced. I'm just being realistic about the possibilities, and continue to give my all so that no matter what happens, I can say that I gave the team my best effort.
As for my own season, It's going to be difficult not to write too much each time, because I can honestly go on and on about it. For now, the big focus for me is last-minute preparations for the pre-season. I've put almost 15 pounds of muscle on since coming back this fall, which was nice as it's been too long since I took an off-season to just hit the weights. I'm a bit concerned about my lower-back as I crunch hard when I jump serve and attack the ball, but hopefully taking up yoga will help.
The team in general is ready. This is my third year playing here, and by far we've all worked harder than we ever did in previous off-seasons. It would have been really easy to become content with finishing 6th nationally for Division III last year, but it seems like that only inspired everyone that much more to do everything we could to try and win it all this year. I feel that everyone gels much better than previous years as well, and feel that if we continue to do what we're doing, the sky's the limit.
We're heading to California for Spring Break, and although the fundraising for it can be stressful (I'm blessed by being surrounded by a large group of supportive friends, but I HATE asking people to buy raffle tickets, which is what we have to do), we're all very excited for the trip, knowing that the best competition is out there. I've never been to California, and look forward to the overall experience. For now though, I need to raise the money to make it happen. Ah, the joys of being a Division III athlete.
15 days until preseason. We'll have 4 days of practice, a day off, then head off to Springfield for a tournament, which I'm excited for, as Springfield won the National Championship last year, and it'll be a great gauge on where we're at and what we need to work on. For now, I'm heading out to play some Grass ball, enjoying the warm weather while we have it!
As this is my first post, I should probably give a brief background to anyone that decides to read. First off, who is this blog geared towards? To be honest, a large reason I'm doing it is for myself. With all the things I have going on with my life right now, I find it somewhat therapeutic to be able to get my thoughts out of my head and written down (or typed in this instance). On top of that, I've always found myself looking at other people's experiences and beliefs as coaches, players, or spectators, in order to further develop my own. That being the case, I figured that this blog could be used by high school athletes looking to play in college, aspiring coaches, or just volleyball fanatics in general.
So who am I? My name is Bryan McDermand, and I'm currently a Junior at Newbury College. I play on the Men's Volleyball team here, as well as coach the women's program over at Lasell College. I'm a 23 year old originally from Palatine, IL, and I'm currently double-majoring in Finance and Sports Management. I plan on graduating in the Spring of 2010, at which point there are many different directions I could end up heading in. In a perfect world, I'll be somewhere in Europe making a living playing volleyball. Time will tell.
What do I plan on writing? It will probably be a day-to-day process. Ideally, I'll be updating the blog each day, but realistically I'm sure there will be times I just want to crash and write later. The topics will be pretty much all geared towards the volleyball portion of my life, both as a coach and player. Sometimes I may throw a little blurb about something else, but most likely in a manner that discusses how it affects my season. If I end up getting any sort of on-line following, I'd be up for using posts to answer questions/messages I have, whether it be a response to a previous blog, or just picking my brain about something.
For now, I have quite a few things on my mind. As for the Lasell team, although I'm excited for my own season, I am bummed that theirs is coming to an end shortly. I've only been on board for about three weeks, and it's been a wonderful experience. They have 12 players on the team, and every single one of them get along with each other, no cliques or anything. I've never seen anything like it. Also, the head coach has been very warm in her welcome to me, and has helped me learn a lot during the short time I've been there. Their record isn't the greatest, but numbers don't show the hard work they put in, and they recently had a strong 4-game win streak, and have a good shot of making the GNAC Conference Tournament, at which point anything is possible. We shall see! For now, this was a one-year contract for coaching, but I really hope that they invite me back. I've worked hard, and feel that I've made positive contributions, but keep in mind that as a 23-year old, it isn't hard to replace me with someone more experienced. I'm just being realistic about the possibilities, and continue to give my all so that no matter what happens, I can say that I gave the team my best effort.
As for my own season, It's going to be difficult not to write too much each time, because I can honestly go on and on about it. For now, the big focus for me is last-minute preparations for the pre-season. I've put almost 15 pounds of muscle on since coming back this fall, which was nice as it's been too long since I took an off-season to just hit the weights. I'm a bit concerned about my lower-back as I crunch hard when I jump serve and attack the ball, but hopefully taking up yoga will help.
The team in general is ready. This is my third year playing here, and by far we've all worked harder than we ever did in previous off-seasons. It would have been really easy to become content with finishing 6th nationally for Division III last year, but it seems like that only inspired everyone that much more to do everything we could to try and win it all this year. I feel that everyone gels much better than previous years as well, and feel that if we continue to do what we're doing, the sky's the limit.
We're heading to California for Spring Break, and although the fundraising for it can be stressful (I'm blessed by being surrounded by a large group of supportive friends, but I HATE asking people to buy raffle tickets, which is what we have to do), we're all very excited for the trip, knowing that the best competition is out there. I've never been to California, and look forward to the overall experience. For now though, I need to raise the money to make it happen. Ah, the joys of being a Division III athlete.
15 days until preseason. We'll have 4 days of practice, a day off, then head off to Springfield for a tournament, which I'm excited for, as Springfield won the National Championship last year, and it'll be a great gauge on where we're at and what we need to work on. For now, I'm heading out to play some Grass ball, enjoying the warm weather while we have it!
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