Preseason 2010 is here and it's hotter than ever.
This week was jam packed with two practices a day, team dinners and activities, community service and LOTS of memories. The first day of pre season we started with a 3-a-day even though the gym was hard to work with. I swear Mother Nature waits until volleyball starts to make Green Bay, WI the hottest city in the world. With the dew point hitting a record high of 10,000, the moisture in the air turned the gym into a giant slip and slide. But we were able to work as a team to overcome the floor issue. It just took a lot of patience and some quality towel wipers. We have been working really hard in the gym; practicing in the morning from 8 to 10:30 mainly on ball control and positional work and in the afternoon from 2 to 4:30 with more positional specific drills and then putting all of our skills together in games and 6 on 6 drills. In just a week, we have really come together as a team because when we were not in the gym we were... TEAM BONDING!!
We went to a team leadership center on Thursday on our first day out of the gym. Tim, the director taught us some valuable lessons while teaching us how to work together better as a team. The first activity was to use a rope to swing across an acid river to safety on a 3 foot by 3 foot "island". After 5 failed attempts we finally fit ten 6 footers and six munchkins onto the tiny platform successfully. We learned that we should come up with a plan before we just rush into a challenge similar to using a scouting report before a big match.
We also had to over come some fears by climbing an outdoor "giants' ladder"! We paired off - 1 newcomer and 1 returnee in each pair - then got harnessed to some ropes and had to use our partners to help us reach the top of the three story swinging ladder. The team did a great job cheering each other on and helping all of the groups to the top with only mild bruising. There were no serious injuries reported but as the week went on more of my skin was purple than tan but we had fun and learned a lot and that's what counts. Bugs? When did that happen? I look for the biggest block on the court and test it. Because once I'm in your head I own you. Thank you Tim. We could only be with you for a few hours but your inspiring words will be with us forever.
On Wednesday this week we had the opportunity to run a volleyball clinic at Oneida. There were a ton of enthusiastic girls at the clinic ready to hang out with the team and play some volleyball. We try to reach out to the community as often as possible. We love being able to influence young girls and get them as excited about volleyball as we are. My favorite part about doing clinics like this is seeing some of the campers in the stands at our home matches and in the autograph lines after the matches. It really makes me feel like I taught them something and made an impact on their lives. These are the highlights of preseason 2010 so far. Check back next week - same time, same station.
