2008-09 Basketball Blog - Week 1

by Joanna McDonough - November 19, 2008

Ten girls stepped onto the court on October 15 to kick off the 2008-09 basketball season. Motivated by our team motto, “All Out, All the Time,” our season was off to a great start. Though our official practices, lifting and team building began a little over a month ago, we have been playing pick-up, working out, getting to know the new members and connecting as a team since September. With five first year players on our roster, the team’s main focus from the beginning was to come together on and off the court. Over the first few weeks, our practices were hard. They were filled with 3-2-3’s and Navy drills (our favorite sprints), as we focused on getting in shape for our season opener against Western New England College on November 15th.

The team always looks forward to a break in our daily routine - Halloween practice. We all dress up, play games and eat yummy treats. This year, our costumes ranged from Tinkerbell and Captain Hook, to a group of polygamists from the tv show "Big Love."  We started the afternoon with a pumpkin carving contest, followed by a shooting competition for prizes and candy. The day ended with a tough dodgeball game against the squash team. We beat them three games to one. This new rivalry will just have to wait until next Halloween!

The week preceding Halloween was full of more hard practices, where we learned new plays and new defenses. At the end of that week, the team was looking forward to our first trip to Springfield College’s East Campus for an afternoon of project adventure team building activities. It gave us an opportunity to connect off the court. We started the afternoon playing “get to know you” games. After learning a little about each other, we proceded to our first team task. Called the “Whale Watch," the task was to use every member of the team to balance a wooden plank. We were allowed four touches of the plank to the ground. After four, we would have to start over. After coming up with a strategy, we tried, unsuccessfully, many times to balance the plank. Following these attempts, we took a step back, slowed down and communicated as a team. We figured it out and were able to balance the plank! After this accomplishment we moved inside to more team challenges. One that gave us a little trouble was an activity where we had to move a bucket full of “gems” (balls) from one area of the room to another. We had a bungee cord and ropes to complete the task. At first, we tried the ropes, but it was unsuccessfull, as we spilled the “gems” into the “acid.” We took a step back and looked at all of our available props, and we found the bungee cord! Then, we were successfully able to move the bucket across the room. We ended the evening with a few more activities before heading to a local restaurant for dinner as a team.

The de-briefing questions and subsequent answers from this team building activity remain the framework and basis for the Mount Holyoke basketball team as we begin game play. We must work together for a common goal. Only when we are all focused and determined can we be successful. We must also challenge ourselves and others. We cannot be afraid to take risks and ask questions. We have come together in this short time and are family. Now its time for competition!

LET'S GO ‘YOKE! ALL OUT, ALL THE TIME!