Basketball!

After a long, exhausting, and exciting week, I am very glad the weekend is here! Basketball practice started this week, with conditioning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 5:00am. Holly and I met the girls at the dorm, and we began by running a lap around the school in 2 lines. Holly is teaching the girls how to pace themselves, so that they can build up their endurance. We are hoping to increase the length of the run every few weeks. After we run, the girls run the stairs at the school building about 5 times. Holly is leading the morning conditioning practices, to help the girls learn proper ways to exercise. After the stairs, they do several sets of sit-ups and push-ups. We are trying to teach them the proper form, so that they can do them correctly. When we finish with strength training, we run a longer lap around campus, back to the dorm. This conditioning time is becoming very beneficial to the girls, and is also giving Holly and I the chance to exercise some. Aside from morning practice, we are practicing every afternoon at 2:00pm (if it doesn't rain) on the outdoor court. I lead the afternoon practices, that consist of skill training, drills, and scrimmages. My hope is that we will be able to teach them the rules, and the proper technique. They are already very aggressive, and have a drive to win! I really want to instill the importance of teamwork and discipline, things they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

We are trying to get ready for the Super Cup Tournament in 3 weeks, where we will compete against 3 other schools. This tournament is like an extension of last season. So, only the girls that were on the team last year are allowed to play in the tournament. The new girls will still come to the games for support, but cannot officially play on the team until this season starts. The four teams in the tournament are the teams that made it to the finals. The Super Cup establishes a winner for the 2008-2009 basketball season. Although it sounds more like a pre-season tournament, it is not. The 2009-2010 basketball season will start after the tournament.

Tonight we are having a movie night for the team! We are going to watch Love and Basketball in the auditorium at 6:45pm. The girls are SO excited about this! When we told them at practice, they started jumping up and down and running around the court. It was so fun for Holly and I to see their faces. The boarding students usually have a movie night on Saturday, but it costs money. The fact that we are doing this for free, and bringing snacks and soda, is a HUGE deal! It will also be a really good bonding opportunity for all of us.