On Sunday evenings, the Golden Eagles have decided to get together to share time outside of basketball. I personally love the concept of having the team play board games or share other activities beyond the court and classroom,. It is a way to enjoy companionship without the intense competition. In order to become a great team, we need to learn to laugh with and love one another.
This past Sunday the team joined me at my house for a picnic and a round of championship croquet. I only gave them two rules before arriving at my home: (1) This was mandatory fun so come with a happy face; and (2) To remember that Coach Winn always wins so be prepared to lose.
The team leaders arrived an hour early to assist in the preparation of the food. Jihan Williams and Katy Arick cut up vegetables for a veggie plate and also prepared the salads. Veronica "Kika" Carman sliced the watermelon while Jen DeMeyer prepared the tables and chairs for the outdoor picnic. Both Veronica and Jen assisted with cooking the chicken and burgers.
It is our belief that if players want to be leaders they must first learn how to serve. A leader must be willing to do all the little things which make a team great. Instead of sitting at the top ordering their teammates around, they should be the ones rolling up their sleeves doing the "dirty" work. The leaders should always be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
As I watched the team sitting together at the picnic tables, laughing and kidding one another, I felt as if we truly were a family. I believe this was a good start to the Golden Eagles becoming more than a basketball team.
With our stomachs full and the food put away, it was time to crown the croquet champion. As we gave them instructions on how to play, I once again had to remind them of rule #2: Coach Winn always wins.
Once we began play, it was immediately obvious that rule #2 was not going to be broken. While the Golden Eagles can play basketball, I'm not certain many of them have branched out to other sports. I did not know there were so many ways to swing a mallet.
We played buddy croquet which meant that buddies took turns hitting the ball. As the winners were crowned, it was Coach Fitzgerald and me who stood on the podium to accept our gold medals. Granted, Coach Fitzgerald and I had constructed the course which looked more like minature putt-putt/croquet with obstacles rather than wickets. Naturally, we had to practice each obstacle during construction to make certain that the ball would go through or over our homemade wickets. So we might have received a little bit of an advantage over the rest of the players, but quite frankly after watching their skills with a club and a ball, I knew there were reasons why they were not on the golf, softball, or tennis teams. However, I am thankful that the skills they own are the right ones for the Golden Eagle basketball team.
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