Why R-MC?

Camp Week

We wrapped up a successful week of our Skill Development Day Camp this afternoon. Our campers worked hard all week, improving their ball handling, shooting, and passing while learning some team concepts and having a blast. To learn more about the basketball camps we offer, check out www.justsportscamps.com/RMC


Coach LaHaye imparts some wisdom to our campers


Buzz the Yellow Jacket makes a surprise appearance!

Graduation Snapshots

On May 29th, R-MC's class of 2010 walked across their names on the Janet Harvey Trivette Alumni Walkway for the first time. Each graduate had their name newly added to the walkway which will in time have the name of every graduate since the early 1900s. Below are a few snapshots from the ceremony. A great article is online detailing Commencement 2010. It also includes some great pictures. (way better than mine :) ) Check it out: http://www.rmc.edu/current-students/commencement.aspx
Congratulations to our newest Women's Basketball alums: Renee Stein & Molly Ariail!


Molly Ariail walks across the stage to receive her diploma from President Lindgren.


Renee Stein on her way across the stage.




Molly & Renee's bricks in the Alumni Walkway


The fountain shoots up at the end of the commencement ceremony.

Quote of the Day

I was just going through a folder of articles and ideas and came across a great Vince Lombardi quote:

Success is not a sometimes thing. In other words, you don't do what is right once in a while, but all the time. Success is a habit. Winning is a habit.

Champions Dinner

The R-MC Yellow Jacket Club (YJC) hosted the Champions Dinner this past Saturday evening. All award winners and championship teams were honored. In addition, all senior athletes were recognized. The Class of 2010 is one of the most successful classes in the history of R-MC athletics. Our two seniors, Renee Stein and Molly Ariail, certainly were big contributors to our team and the entire department.

Toward the end of the evening, Molly Ariail was presented The Susan Locke de Nagy Award. The de Nagy Award is presented to a senior female student-athlete in recognition for her outstanding athletic accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership, and sportsmanship. Molly is certainly a very deserving recipient. It was a great night celebrating our R-MC student-athletes and their many accomplishments.


Renee Stein and Molly Ariail

Research Day

This past Friday was Research Day on R-MC's campus. Many students presented their research with a variety of presentations. Several women's basketball players completed some interesting research this year. Madison Dulaney '13, displayed her research from her FYEC class, The Minding Class. Her First Year Experience class completed work related to Overcoming Disabilities. Jordan Cantrell '13 also had research displayed from her First Year Experience Class, Measuring Athletic Performance: Biological and Statistical Views. Jordan and her research partner focused on Michael Phelps. And finally, Renee Stein, '10 was very busy with two research projects on diplay. Her first, "Money and Politics," was the culmination of her political science research methods course. And her political science senior capstone project was entitled: " Judicial Appointment and the Administration of Justice in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, and Chile." All of the research projects were very well done; I enjoyed learning some new information as I walked around the library to check out each project.

The afternoon was capped off with our Honors Convocation. During the program, Stephanie Grune '11 was presented with a German Department award for her academic excellence. Congratulations Stephanie!

End of Year Cookout

Last night our team got together at Coach LaHaye's house for an end of the year cookout. It was perfect weather, a great evening to jump in the pool. During the year we split our team into three groups, each was responsible for cooking a team meal throughout the year. The final group got it's turn last night and did not disappoint. We feasted on burgers and hot dogs, cooked up on the grill by Renee Stein '10. Renee made some great burgers marinated in A1 sauce and her own secret combination of herbs and spices. They were delicious. Molly Brown '12, Katie Williams '11, and Jordan Cantrell '13 prepared the side dishes, some mac and cheese as well as a green bean casserole.

We had a wonderful time together, with good food and lots of laughs.

Big Smiles

If someone would have asked me last week, what would put a huge smile on the face of your players at 7:30am on a dreary, rainy, Saturday morning, I don’t think I would have had a good answer. But after our team’s participation in the ASK 5K this past weekend, I know that the answer is Reese! We adopted Reese through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation which matches children with pediatric brain tumors with sports teams. Reese’s family has started a foundation of their own, ReeseStrong, which has already made a big difference in the local community. This all brings us to the ASK 5K. ASK is a local Richmond charity with the mission to Make Life Better for Kids with Cancer. ReeseStrong put together a huge team to participate in the 5K, and our team was excited to be a part of it. There were lots of smiles when our players saw Reese, who eagerly gave them all a hug. It was an inspiring morning, with many ASK Kids participating in the run/walk with their families and groups of supporters. Following the race, there was a victory lap for all the ASK Kids, both current patients and survivors. It was very touching to see all of them get a very deserved ovation for all they have been through.

For more information:
Friends of Jaclyn: www.friendsofjaclyn.org
ReeseStrong: www.reesestrong.org
ASK: askweb.org

Final Four in San Antonio

Coach LaHaye and I just returned from San Antonio where we were attending our national women's basketball coaches convention. While we were there, we attended the DI Final Four. It was fun to watch Baylor and Stanford give UConn a little run for their money, but the end result was never really in doubt. Next year, it will be fun to watch UConn at the start of the season to see if they can surpass John Wooden's UCLA teams record of 88 consecutive wins. Below are some pictures from San Antonio, enjoy!


The Obligatory Shot of the Alamo


Not bad seats!


Outside the Alamodome


National Anthem before the Championship Game


Back of Vice President Joe Biden's head (I really tried to get a better shot, but it seemed the whole place was trying to take a picture!)


UCONN Wins!


78 Straight Wins -- Incredible!

DIII News National Player of the Year!

CONGRATULATIONS to Molly Ariail for being named the DIII News National Player of the Year. Molly had a tremendous career at R-MC, including two ODAC Championships and two trips to the NCAA tournament. Read the full press release on the R-MC site: http://athletics.rmc.edu/sports/wbkb/2009-10/releases/WBKB-10-Ariail_D3_POTY

Final Four Bound!

The R-MC Men's Basketball team is heading to the Final Four in Salem, VA this weekend. They will take on UW-Stevens Point in the second semi-final game on Friday evening. The first semi-final game has Guilford taking on Williams. Both should be great games and we hope that many Yellow Jacket fans will be in the Salem Civic Center to cheer them on. Best of luck to the men's team this weekend!

13 Leadership Goals for All Team Members

On Sunday night, Keith Kenyon from the American Athletic Institute presented the organization's research on athletic performance to a group of R-MC student-athletes. It was fascinating and he provided a number of statistics about the effects of drugs and alcohol on athletic performance including: drinking to intoxication can negate as much as 14 days of training effect and players who drink are twice as likely to become injured. Both drive home the notion that drinking alcohol decreases an athletes performance.

Mr. Kenyon also talked about the leadership that is needed on teams to be successful and how all team members contribute to team leadership, not just the coaches and/or captains. He provided a handout with the 13 Leadership Goals for All Team Members. I think it captures what it means to be a good teammate.

1. Always follow team rules.
2. Try to be the hardest worker on the team.
3. Try to be the most enthusiastic player on the team.
4. Try to be the best conditioned player on the team.
5. Observe and reflect on the leadership traits of the team captain(s) and coaches.
6. Master the plays and team strategy.
7. Care about your teammates; this includes being supportive and never backstabbing.
8. Maintain your sense of composure and balance when adversity strikes.
9. Always put team goals ahead of personal goals.
10. Inspire confidence by demonstrating self-control.
11. Try to be the most coachable player on the team.
12. Reach out to those team members with whom you have little in common.
13. Try to energize your teammates by your positive attitude.

Congratulations to our Seniors!

Our 2009-2010 season ended sooner than we had expected and had hoped, but that does not take anything away from the careers of our seniors Molly Ariail and Renee Stein. Both made lasting contributions to our program. They are always quick with a smile and enjoy having a good time with their teammates. Their fun loving personalities will take them far. We will miss them both.

WBCA Pink Zone

Our WBCA Pink Zone game on Friday was a big success. Our team donned pink uniforms and there was a sea of pink in the stands. We raised money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund by selling pink R-MC basketball t-shirts (they were a hit, we sold out) and raffling off two autographed pink & white basketballs. Thanks to everyone who helped us make the evening a success.