Chased by Children

I can't Help Myself

So, CoCo is on this "traveling" volleyball team.  It's so far from our house that we "travel" every time we go to practice...then on the weekends we get up in the wee hours to "travel" to where-ever-the-heck the tournament is on that particular weekend.

In that last paragraph it would be safe to substitute the word "pilgrimage" in every spot I wrote travel.....because the word travel is such an understatement.

Anyway, I attended the practice tonight.  There are two every week and my neighbor Joss, who's daughter is also on the team, and I take turns making the pilgrimage to the far, far, sports center.

Tonight they worked on serving.  A. Topic. About. Which. I. Am. Passionate.  Only because it's the whole key to the game at this age.  That's all.

Anyway, they worked.  and worked.  And everyone on the team eventually was consistently getting their serves over.  Except a little girl I'll call Maddy.  Maddy's toss was off....which makes it impossible to strike the ball with the deadly force necessary to get it over the net and harm someone on the other side (which is, of course, the goal in secular volleyball). 

The coaches (there are two) didn't seem to notice that Maddy was struggling.  The coaches are 18-year-olds who've played in this "system" since they were CoCo's age (11). 

I waited.

I stared.

I bit my tongue.

They still didn't notice.

Eventually they played a game where everyone had to get three serves over the net or they had to run.

Maddy had to run three laps every turn.

Finally, when one of the coaches sat down next to me on a break I said, " Maddy's toss is off..."

She said, "Yeah, we're working on it."

Uh huh.

I said, "can I serve a few?" 

She kind of smirked at me and said, "sure"  and under her breath, I thought I heard "grandma."

I ran over to Maddy.  I showed her my toss.   I flattened her hand and made her smack mine really hard so she knew how hard to hit the ball.  I told her to stop taking a step until she could get it over.  And then I fed her balls until she started smacking it over the net.

When the water break was over the coaches were slightly irritated.  CoCo was absolutely mortified.  And Maddy was serving over the net consistently.

I know I shouldn't have butted in.

I should have just read my book until practice was over.

I just can't help myself.

Sue me.

A Pragmatic Approach

I was sitting at the scorers table (you know, where the scorers sit). I was working on various line up options and watching the good servers on the teams that were playing. I happen to notice two of my players in the stand across the gym. One of the girls was holding a stick deoderant.

My eyes narrowed as I thought back to the talk I'd given the girls and their parents about hygene. No spray just stick anti-persperent and deoderant combined in a preferrably non-pine scent. These girls are sweet but boy can they get stinky I told them.

The tall girl was reading something off the lable of the pink and blue packaging. I was surprisingly satisfied that it wasn't pine.

The shorter girl lifted her arm and the tall girl sniffed her arm pit.

I started laughing even before the tall girl wrinkled her nose but then she slathered the shorter girls pit with white deoderant. It was a near death experience...

A Pragmatic Approach

I was sitting at the scorers table (you know, where the scorers sit). I was working on various line up options and watching the good servers on the teams that were playing. I happen to notice two of my players in the stand across the gym. One of the girls was holding a stick deoderant.

My eyes narrowed as I thought back to the talk I'd given the girls and their parents about hygene. No spray just stick anti-persperent and deoderant combined in a preferrably non-pine scent. These girls are sweet but boy can they get stinky I told them.

The tall girl was reading something off the lable of the pink and blue packaging. I was surprisingly satisfied that it wasn't pine.

The shorter girl lifted her arm and the tall girl sniffed her arm pit.

I started laughing even before the tall girl wrinkled her nose but then she slathered the shorter girls pit with white deoderant. It was a near death experience...

A Pragmatic Approach

I was sitting at the scorers table (you know, where the scorers sit). I was working on various line up options and watching the good servers on the teams that were playing. I happen to notice two of my players in the stand across the gym. One of the girls was holding a stick deoderant.

My eyes narrowed as I thought back to the talk I'd given the girls and their parents about hygene. No spray just stick anti-persperent and deoderant combined in a preferrably non-pine scent. These girls are sweet but boy can they get stinky I told them.

The tall girl was reading something off the lable of the pink and blue packaging. I was surprisingly satisfied that it wasn't pine.

The shorter girl lifted her arm and the tall girl sniffed her arm pit.

I started laughing even before the tall girl wrinkled her nose but then she slathered the shorter girls pit with white deoderant. It was a near death experience...

A Pragmatic Approach

I was sitting at the scorers table (you know, where the scorers sit). I was working on various line up options and watching the good servers on the teams that were playing. I happen to notice two of my players in the stand across the gym. One of the girls was holding a stick deoderant.

My eyes narrowed as I thought back to the talk I'd given the girls and their parents about hygiene. No spray just stick anti-persperant combined in a preferrably non-pine scent. These girls are sweet but boy can they get stinky I told them.

The tall girl was reading something off the lable of the pink and blue packaging. I was surprisingly satisfied that it wasn't pine.

The shorter girl lifted her arm and the tall girl sniffed her arm pit.

I started laughing even before the tall girl wrinkled her nose but then she slathered the shorter girls pit with white deoderant. It was a near death experience...

Volleyball Season Begins

FINALLY.  After years of coaching other people's children at Saint Whotheheck I am finally coaching one of my own little princesses.  Princess CoCo is going into fifth grade which means it's time for the big time.

  I have to admit that for the last three years I've relished the role of being the "not-the-mom" coach.  I always had the luxury of having no real emotional ties to anyone on the team which made the whole thing so much....easier. 

But this year is going to be fabulous. I have three assistant coaches who are funny, strong and athletic.  It's like a dream team of positive energy and volleyball enthusiasm.  What could go wrong? What?  Shut up.

I'll keep you posted.

I think I'm finally growing up

I'm a competitive person.  As an athlete I always wanted to win.  One of the reasons I like to coach is that I get to help little girls learn skills that can help them win too. 

This year the wins our volleyball team experienced were not the kind you get to put in the win column on your record.  I think I'm finally growing up.  Yes, yes, I know I have a long way to go, but progress is progress.

It was a very successful year.  It all clicked for them this year.  They went from "girls who went out for volleyball" to volleyball players.  Does that make sense?

I was never more proud of any group.  By the end of the season they were bumping and setting and spiking (Lord help me but I love the spiking)on most plays. 

Unfortunately we played teams who were happy to just bump the ball back over the net every time which meant that while our play was stellar we didn't always win the point.   

It made me sad for the girls on the other teams.  They were being rewarded for lazy play and learning skills that will hinder them down the road.  While their record this year will be better than ours their knowledge of the sport and actual skills are far less than the girls on our team.

This post is getting away from me... umm....does this all sound like sour grapes? 

Anyway, we had success this year.  Consistent serving from girls who couldn't get it over the net at the beginning of the year.  Concepts like sportsmanship and support of teammates were practiced in the sweetest of ways.  The ability to pass the ball where you want it to go....all good stuff.  And as I mentioned before the "click" of playing volleyball instead of just hoping the ball doesn't come to you.  It was an amazing year.

And ladies and gentlemen, as for our record, there is always next year.

The Eighth Graders won

I have hesitated to post this because I was so full of confidence when I last spoke of the annual game between the coaches/teachers and the eighth grade girls volleyball team at Saint Whotheheck.

They are an excellent team.  Many of our best players couldn't play and those of us who showed were not at our best.  Although, several of the teachers have made amazing progress since last year -- we always managed to lack skills at the moment we needed them.

It was still a ball.  There's always next year.