Whole Week Off!

Our last game was Tuesday, December 6. Everyone had a chance to play several minutes and we got back on track with some of our work. We don't play again until we go to Puerto Rico for our team trip during the semester break. We have two great opponents to play in the Puerto Rico Classic, Alvernia College and Franklin and Marshall College. Both teams are from Pennsylvania. This week we have just been maintaining. Classes have last minute work that needs to be done as well as you know most kids--they wait until the last minute to finish everything. Today was the last day of classes. Next week will be exams. It will be difficult to get much done next week as our players stress over their exams, probably stay up too late studying, and just worry about getting everything studied for each class. We'll try to get them some study breaks so we can keep a little fresh and be ready to play on Dec. 18. The only good thing is that most schools will be in exams as well--so the playing field may be a little more level. The team is very excited about going to Puerto Rico. It will be a wonderful place--about 83 degrees this time of the year--that sure sounds good to us all. We have some adventures planned and are looking forward to having a break from school.

Home Games

We are already 4-games into the season and not off to the best start. What's going on? Everyone asks. The solution or solutions appear to be easy for the outsider looking in. Sometimes, something so simple as our game becomes complicated when we let it. As coaches, that is the fun part and the challenge each day to make the solution even more simple for all of us. We are on our way. When you have people who care, it is a whole lot better to work on anything that needs improvement. Fortunately, I am surrounded by people who care, people who do not want to be mediocre, people who remind themselves there are standards of excellence to be followed, and people that are not afraid to work to get a desired result. How blessed I am to be in the midst of them as they develop.

Ready or Not...

We have one more practice before we open our 2011-12 season. This team has worked hard to be conditioned and ready to compete. Our scrimmages were good tests for us, but now comes the real test for this team who has been pre-seasoned picked to be #1 in the Conference. It is a long, tough competitive season and for our 4-seniors, they will set the stage for the rest of us. They know how to lead and they know what it takes each day to be successful on and off the court. I am excited for them and for their teammates. This week will give us a taste of what is to come in our own Conference. Teams that can play. Teams that know how to win. Teams that can compete. It will be challenging. It will be rewarding. It will be all that we want it to be. It will be truly why we do this day in and day out. So let the games begin.

GOTTA HAVE ONE!

We have a great new item for sale. Check it out. You will want to be the first in line to get the limited edition t-shirt noting our 7-ODAC Championships. The shirt is a vintage, soft feel cotton/polyester/rayon in grey heather. The design is distressed and the shirt feels like you have had it since we won our first ODAC Championship in 1996. We have several sizes on hand and can even order to please, if you're not a t-shirt person. You can email us, call us, come by and see us and you can purchase as many as you want. clahaye@rmc.edu or ckcalhoun@rmc.edu or 804-752-7365, 804-752-4714. Don't get left out.

Practice

Well we have completed almost 2-weeks of practice and we are already tired of playing against each other. Fortunately we have our first scrimmage on Sunday. We coaches are excited about all of the returning players who have worked hard to improve their games. We are just as excited about the three new players that have stepped in and moved us along. We have not had to take any strides backwards--they are super quick learners. We and their teammates surely do welcome them. They are a quiet bunch though. Our scrimmage will be a good test for where we are and how far we need to go. We are not there yet, but we are quite pleased with the work ethic, energy, and motivation of this team. It won't be long until we are totally engrossed in our game schedule. We hope you get a chance to come see us play.

Homecoming

Homecoming was this past weekend and what a beautiful weekend we had with the weather, the Gala, the former players or students, and, of course, the parents. The Weekend started with recruits visiting on Friday. Then Friday night the Brock Center was alive with the annual Gala, which is a celebration of Randolph-Macon College and all we have accomplished through the past year. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the givers, the enthusiastic support of people who love Randolph-Macon College, the alumni who come back after being gone for years, the time of remembrances and just the joy and electricity in the building. Following that is the actual Homecoming Day on Saturday when a celebration of the various classes takes place during tailgating. The one tailgate that I enjoyed the most this year was the Riesbeck basketball one. To my delight, I had the chance to see and chat with former players' parents. What a time to reminisce! It was about friendships and relationships developed over the course of 4-years while their daughters played and they are still getting together to be a part of Randolph-Macon College women's basketball--a coach could not ask for more and they brought it back! It usually is understood that players will carry their college days past graduation, but to see all of these parents was pretty meaningful and easy to understand what their actual experience was with the basketball program. Powerful for me...thanks for sharing.

Wet Golf with Lots of Fun!

This past Saturday we had our annual RMC Golf Open fund-raiser and season kick-off event at the Hollows Golf course. We had 63 golfers and 20 additional people for lunch. The course was extremely wet, but the rains held off while we golfed and came as most of us were coming off the course. We had a great day to mix and mingle prior to teeing off. We appreciate the support of all the hole sponsors and gift givers. This has become one of the special events our team enjoys doing each year. Thanks to all who helped make it a success for us.

Involvement with Fund-Raising and ReeseStrong

The team is often asked to participate in fund-raising activities for our team as well as other organizations. This past weekend we had a few of our players, Lindsey, Kellie, Caroline, Paige, Sarah, and Jill participate in the ReeseStrong 5k run. As some may recall from reading through my blogs that Reese Klauer, our little girl assigned to us by the Friends of Jaclyn, has her own ReeseStrong organization, which helps other pediatric cancer patients. Congratulations to those players for running on Saturday and raising more dollars for them. Then we have our own fund-raising activities--our golf tourney on September 24 at the Hollows. We are also selling caramel corn and peanut brittle and it is some tasty stuff! You can purchase any of those items from a player, but thanks to Madison, we are on our way to becoming great sales people. You can always help us out in some way-play golf, buy something, or make the donation.

Storms and Rain

We were very fortunate that there was limited damage and no power lost during Irene's quest of the east coast. Lots of cleanup around campus and throughout the area, but all in all very minor compared to some folks we know. Our Friends of Jaclyn girl, Reese, and her family had a huge tree destroy their house. A picture of their home was an Assoc. Press photo so it was seen in many newspapers around the country. They will be misplaced for about 8-weeks. That is never a good situation when school started this week and they are without familiar surroundings. They also have to drive a ways to get Rhett and Reese to school. Meanwhile our students arrived safely to begin their school year. So we are off and running this week. Now Lee and Katia are causing some serious rains and many thunderstorms. It doesn't help our Fall sports schedules when everything is soaking. Right now we are all safe and sound, afterall we do need the rain since the summer was so hot and dry. Besides the rain is good for all those Fall lawn reparation duties.

It's a Great Day to be a Yellow Jacket!

I am embarrassed that I have not blogged as I should have this summer. I feel like I have travelled the countryside without access to computers, so maybe that is a good excuse. The opportunity to travel with USA Athletes to Aruba, a family reunion in Alaska, a family get together in Maine, trips to the mountains, hosting my church picnic around the pool and some day trips here or there have made up most of my summer along with a few recruiting events. Now it is time to get back to being a Yellow Jacket. We have had a few prospective students on campus and we are excited about the upcoming year with all of our events:

**R-MC Golf Open and Season Kick-off: September 24 at the Hollows, 11:30---until you finish


**October 16: first day of practice

**October 30: scrimmage vs Shenandoah

**November 15: first home game vs Marymount Univ.

**February 4: 23rd Annual Back to the Hive

There's lots more going on, but those things in particular need to be on your calendar and first up is the Golf event. This day is becoming more and more special, so please get your registration and information in as soon as possible. You can always contact me (clahaye@rmc.edu) or CK (ckcalhoun@rmc.edu) for more information. See you soon.

Missing Alaska

Spending time in Alaska with family and friends is about as good as it gets. I had the opportunity to travel to Delta Junction to spend 20-days with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. She actually hosted the LaHaye and Carroll family reunion. It was a chance for us to enjoy time together in the Land of the Midnight sun, which simply means the sun doesn't set until midnight or after and at this time of the year it is 24-hour daylight. It is hard to think about going to bed when it is light out. We did enjoy some pretty late nights or mornings, I should say. In Alaska, there is 4-wheeling, horseback riding, fishing, skeet shooting, eating, playing washers, and more eating--too much fun. Certainly one of the highlights of the trip was the charter I went on to catch this 42 lb king salmon. I literally caught it on the last cast of the day. There were 4 of us on the boat. Matt, a friend of the family, caught his 30 lb salmon with a tremendous fight within 40 minutes of arriving. Kathryn caught her 38 lb salmon 45 minutes after Matt. They were done and had to sit for the rest of the day as you can only catch one per day. So my sister, Tracy, and I fished for 2-hours beyond that with a couple of hits, but no luck. The guide called 5-minutes about 4:25 pm. I casted, reeled in, and casted again and again as I knew time was ticking away. I was nervous. The last reel in, I said well here goes, if I didn't get one this time, it just wasn't meant to be and guess what? I caught the biggest fish of the day! He fought some, but I did a great job of getting him into shore. Unfortunately my sister was the only one that didn't get a fish that first day of king salmon fishing on the Klutina River in Copper Center, Alaska. When you catch one---you always want more. It seems like the same thing happens on the court...

Traveling with USA Athletes International

I just completed my fourth trip with USA Athletes International. I was fortunate to have been able to coach a team that competed in Aruba. We were scheduled to play 5-games. Three of them were against women and they asked if we would be willing to give some competition to their 16-17 year old boys team that was preparing for the nationals, so we played the boys twice. The skill level was not all that great for either the women or the boys. Our college team, made up of players from various colleges throughout the USA, defeated the women handily and we lost both games to the boys because of their athleticism, speed, and length. It was a good experience for all. Aruba was nice. We had a lot of free time and also had various excursions and cultural opportunities. Aruba is very American, but, thankfully, our Aruban hosts took us off the beaten path for our meals and we ate Aruban food for dinner. I enjoyed the experience, once again and am looking forward to going to Ireland with USAAI next year.

Graduation 2011

When a player arrives in the Fall of her first year of College enthusiasm and boundless energy usually accompany them. So it was that Fall of 2007 when Amanda, Jennifer, and Katie descended on the campus. Now 4-years later--short ones at that-- it is time for their enthusiasm and energy to leave us. They were energy givers for sure. Whenever they were around, good times were to be had by all with each of them leading the way in some manner. Oh, how 4-years passes by so quickly. Thanks to them we are better. We wish all of our seniors the best life has to offer. Your life is ahead of you and it will be what you make of it. Always remember the memories we have shared because we are a part of each of you, too. As we have learned from Reese and the Klauer family--"Celebrate Today"!
Congratulations and well done.

Away from the Gym

This week was an off week for the team, but being the team that they are they wanted to do something together and a little different. So they suggested they come to my house to swim, tye-dye, and eat. Fortunately it was a very warm day, but nobody swam. They were too engrossed in their new project. Some had never done any tye-dying. I spread a couple of canvasses on the patio and they gathered to create. Taylor was clearly in charge. She had purchased the supplies, but everyone else had to bring the article they were going to tye-dye. The dogs, Mattie and Honey, were very interested in what was going on as all these people sat in a circle on their patio. Honey, the yellow lab, still has remnants of dye on her paws. Mattie, the black lab, is too black to see any color. It was quite a creative circle. I am excited to see the end products. I have already seen Taylor's. She used her ODAC Championship shirt and it came out really neat. Next blog may be a team tye-dye photo.

It's Spring!

I do enjoy the spring. I love looking at grass, trees, plants, and flowers that have been dormant through the winter months begin to take on color and explode almost before your eyes. One can truly have an appreciation of God's beauty by paying attention to that new growth. And speaking of growth, Lindsey and Jillian are beginning to grow their hair out now after having almost 10-inches cut from each of them for Locks of Love. They, along with Mrs. Klauer, went this past Sunday to get their long, beautiful hair cut in order for them to give. Reese was present and they all still look great. We are proud of them for this worthwhile contribution. It won't be long before their hair will be grown out again.

Back from Indy

The WBCA convention and Final Four was a little different this year. Indianapolis is a great city to host such an event and you can tell they are used to doing it up big in most areas. The convention center is enormous, probably big enough to hold several conventions at once. It was very cold, rainy, and windy the whole time we were there. Thankfully I was inside learning some new stuff and could use the skywalk to get to the center. The games were exciting and who would have thought anybody but Connecticut, Stanford, or Tennessee would be in it. Good for those teams that surely believed in themselves and fought through lots of adversity. Conseco Fieldhouse was rocking with Notre Dame in the Championship--green everywhere. And, of course, Saturday night the whole city was wild with Butler advancing to the men's championship.

I participated in the 4Kay run/walk on Saturday morning in 30-degree temps. It was at the Indianapolis Speedway. I was elated to get a chance to walk that monster track being the Nascar fan that I am. The 2.5 mile track was impressive.

Coaches Convention

Spring break has come and gone and we are headed into the month of April. One would think the days after the season are over move slowly, but in fact they move faster for me, too fast even. The days are longer and there is yard work to be done, recruits to be found, events to attend, letters to write, on and on, and next thing you know, the school year is over. At least we see the team coming and going as they miss the season now that they have had a break. They are thinking about next year and moving toward what they need to do. These next few days we have a chance to participate in our annual coaches convention, so we are off to Indianapolis and the Final Four. Looking forward to learning more and bringing it back to the team.

Season Over

It's the middle of March already! Hard to believe that our 2010-11 season has ended. Certainly this season was as good as any season the Yellow Jackets have had. Nobody expected us to accomplish what we did after the graduation of our 3-time Player of the Year, Molly Ariail, and Renee Stein. We coaches believed from the beginning that we had the makings of a good team and that if we did certain things, we would accomplish our goals. Well those 11-players did those things and then some! As a result, we won the seventh ODAC Championship for the program and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the ninth time. It goes to show that championships can be won with the right mix of players, work ethic, and attitude. We are very proud of this 2010-11 team.

ODAC CHAMPS

Three games in 4-days isn't as bad as it sounds when you end up victorious. Our championship run was incredible ending with a very dramatic finish. With 6.7 seconds remaining in the regulation game, we were down by 3. The coaching staff can't take total credit for this well-executed play by the team. We did run our press offense to perfection, however. As time was expiring, the screen set by Taylor was well done; and gave Jennifer the time she needed to "heave" (as the newspaper said) a bank shot and score 3-points. Epic is how one person described it. No matter the words used--we were able to gather ourselves after that shot and go on to win our 7th Conference championship. We are off to NCAA play this weekend.

Tournament Time

PINK OUT

I am looking forward to "pinking out" Crenshaw this weekend. This is our WBCA Pink Zone weekend. Tonight we host Roanoke at 7:00 pm and we will wear our pink uniforms and we have asked our fans to "pink out" the gym. We will be raffling off a pink ball and all proceeds will go to the Kay Yow Fund. Tomorrow we host Hollins at 5:00. We will also wear our pink uniforms and again ask our fans to "pink out" the gym. We will be conducting a 50/50 raffle with all proceeds going to the Friends of Jaclyn, which is the foundation that connected our team with a pediatric cancer patient, our beloved Reese Klauer. Sure do hope to see you in your pink outfit...

Back to the Hive

This past weekend we celebrated our 22nd Annual Back to the Hive. We had 32 people return and be recognized at half-time. The whole weekend started out with breakfast on Friday morning to see a former player, Cindy Crabill Szadokierski `81, receive the Distinquished Alumna Award. On Saturday morning we had 20 former players suit up for an Alumnae contest, Odd Years vs Even Years with the Evens prevailing once again. We dedicated the new Wall of Honor and gave thanks to the donors. After a hard fought victory that day, we topped the afternoon off with our post-game social in Alumni Gym. It was a wonderful atmosphere and lots of opportunity to reminisce about previous playing days. Thanks to all who made the day special.

J-Term is in Full Swing

January Term is always an interesting time on the Randolph-Macon College campus. It is a great time to do a travel course--a little more difficult for a basketball player, but our other sports athletes are able to do so. Basketball players usually do their travel courses in the summer, if they have the desire to do such a thing. J-term is also a very good time to do an internship and we have had several players through the years take advantage of this opportunity. Jennifer is currently working with a local firm in their accounting office and is thoroughly enjoying the experience. It is fun to see some of our athletes hustling and bustling to their internships. They have to work a full day of work and then come to their practice or team stuff. It is quite demanding for them, but it sure does prepare them for what's beyond their athletic career. We have only two more weeks of J-term before we start second semester. In talking with some of them, they will be ready to get back to being just a college student.

Cold, Cold, Cold

Not only has our shooting been as cold as it ever has, it has been cold in Ashland. As a matter of fact, it was the 7th coldest December on record according to my oil company. Why even the snow we had before and after Christmas hasn't even melted in some places. That is unusual for Ashland. Hopefully 2011 will be warmer in all aspects. My New Year's wish was for the team/players to have a hot hand as we begin the remainder of our conference schedule. This weekend we'll see how work and wishes go together.