Fear or Faith

Every year brings with it new challenges and opportunities. The unknown can be disastrous if it is feared or it can be joyous if it is looked upon as an adventure. What is important at this stage of the year is the attitude of the players involved. It is their belief system which will determine whether this year is one to be remembered and cherished or one to be forgotten and stashed deep within themselves.

In searching for the answer to this question, I look at the upper class players to see how they have grown internally. I am always more concerned with the strength of their minds versus the strength of their bodies.

I can see the strength of Katy Arick who finally after three years of failing the 12 minute run succeeded. She has always known this battle for her was not one of her lungs or legs but one of her mind. It was the little child within her telling her she couldn't that would not allow her to make the run. Finally she has learned to quieten that little child and allow the bigger woman to step forth--the one who believes in opportunity and success, in achieving the seemingly impossible.

I see the determination of Tarenna Dixon who has had to learn some very difficult lessons but who with a tenacity she has never shown in the classroom achieved a "B" in a difficult course over the summer. When she speaks to me now, she looks me in the eyes as if she knows she deserves the praise I will give her.

I see the willingness of Lindsey Kentner to take the next step--the one which could make her a failure or a star. Her obstacle has been the need to be
perfect--to make every shot she shoots. Now, with the understanding that she can miss without being less than who she is, she is free to be the incredible player she has always been.

I see Ali Tobias whose favorite past time was believing she wasn't fast enough to compete against athletic players now offering up the knowledge that intelligence can surpass athleticism. She is more comfortable in her abilities to be deceptive.

I see Moneka Slaughter taking on the constructive criticism I give her with the understanding she is capable of pushing through my demands. She is growing into the awareness she is strong, fast and a good low block player.

I see Julianne Smith gaining confidence in her shooting skills, the same skills she worked on endlessly last year but never used. It was never that she couldn't physically shoot the ball; it was that she thought she couldn't.

I see Tiana Beatty as a player who will not be denied. Even with pain, she has continued to find ways to train over the summer. She did not let what she could not do effect what she could do.

There is a difference between fears they owned and fears they have dissolved. There is a quiet confidence, an inner calmness which they now carry. This is their torch . . .their team . . . and their destiny.

A Coaching Change

With the start of a new school year comes the beginning of a new season. This one is especially different for me as it will be the first time in 18 years I will be operating without my assistant coach, Lynne Fitzgerald. After 20 years of coaching, she made the determination that she was prepared to search a different direction for what life had to offer. Instead of spending days on end in the gymnasium, she has opted for blue skies, glacier lakes, and the wide expanse of the outdoors. Her focus in on the wilderness and outdoor leadership opportunites.

She has been a phoenomenal recruiter, getting us some of the top players in the WVIAC. Her strength as a recruiter was her ability to talk to anybody and make them feel special. She was also a tremendous teacher on the court. She knew how to break down a skill and develop it piece by piece to enable all players to be successful. One of the most important aspects of her job was to keep me level-headed, positive and coaching the game rather than reacting to the officials. She did this with humor and great insight.

She will be missed as part of the Golden Eagle coaching staff.

I welcome with enthusiasm the new member of my coaching staff, Rachel Pike. Rachel was a Golden Eagle from 2003-2007 and part of a team that acquired 106 wins versus only 24 losses. During her tenure, the team won back-to-back East Regional Championships and advanced to the Elite Eight in both 2005 and 2006.

During the past two years, Rachel was graduate assistant at Tiffin University where she received her Masters in Business Administration with a focus on leadership. While she is young, I have complete confidence in her ability to lead, to teach, to organize and to recruit.

When Rachel was a player, I often told her that she had the wisdom of an eighty year old mind in a twenty year old body. She was mature then in her decision-making and how she responded to conflicts which is exactly why she is a member of the coaching staff.

I often tell my players that you can't stay in the past. You have to perform in the moment. My challenge is to allow the wonderful 18 years spent working beside Coach Fitzgerald to remain part of the past and to be thankful for all she gave to me and the program and to allow Coach Pike to be part of the present.