March Madness Inspiration...and J's Birthday!

I have loved watching the Butler men's basketball team shine during the month of March for the past two years. I love it not only because I am a Hoosier at heart (born and raised in the great state of Indiana) but because I really respect the way coach Brad Stevens handles himself and his team. The more I have read about this man, the more I appreciate about his approach to life and basketball. He leads by example and simultaneously displays confidence and humility. His faith in Christ is the most important aspect of his life and he strives to be a better follower of Jesus everyday. That's the kind of focus that I would like to emulate myself and inspire in my team!

Brad sums up the goals of his team in The Butler Way. "The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement every day while putting the team above self." (http://www.butlersports.com/) I think this articulates well the ingredients to building a cohesive and competitive team. We'll be talking about this at practice tonight. :)

We'll also be celebrating the birthday of Jeren Lanoue, who we all know as J. J, a 2008 Gordon alum, has been my assistant coach for the past two seasons at Gordon. He's dedicated, organized, always pushing himself to learn more, and willing to do whatever I ask of him. Happy Birthday, J, and thanks for being such a big part of Gordon volleyball!

Me and J at Homecoming 2010

Spring Season!

Last week was spring break at Gordon, which means two things - the expectation of warmer weather and the start of our spring practices! In addition, our spring sports teams are back from their trips over break and three of them have games on campus today - baseball and both lacrosse teams. All of these things bring an air of excitement and anticipation to campus!

One thing I love about working in sports and in higher education is the opportunity to section life into seasons. It provides manageable chunks of time to work with and every few months, a fresh start on a new aspect of the larger project of building our team. I often think about how redemption is woven into every aspect of our lives. The seasons of our team - competing in the fall, training and improving in the spring, gearing up again in the summer - illustrate this beautifully. Each year the seasons stay the same yet they are profoundly different because they present a new opportunity.

This spring, with two graduating seniors and three other team members studying abroad, we will have lots of opportunity for individual and small group work. I'm excited for the improvements we can make as we work hard in our upcoming practices. Here is our roster for spring season:

Claudia Amado - Junior OH from Glastonbury, CT
Cherisa Fee - Junior DS from Wakefield, MA
Alex Nawoichick - Sophomore MB from Hamilton, MA
Chelsie Clemens - Freshman MB/RS from Santa Barbara, CA
Lauren Kranyak - Freshman OH from Locust Grove, VA
Chloe Cunio - Freshman DS/OH from Indialantic, FL

These young women have been working out with a trainer for the six weeks before spring break so physically they are all ready to go. And from talking to several of them, I know they are ready to get their hands on a volleyball again. :) Bring on the spring!

Meet Me Under the Eiffel Tower

One of the enjoyable factors of coaching a team of multi-talented young women with varied interests is that I get to hear about their experiences and live vicariously through them. Three of our Gordon volleyball players are spending the current semester overseas. Andrea Amado and Keri Hustus are studying in Barcelona and Jessica Taber is traveling all over Europe, with Holland as her home base.

While we miss having them on campus, they have been keeping us updated on their adventures through their blogs, where they allow their humor and unique perspectives to shine through. Recently, Jess and Keri made plans to meet up with each other in Paris for Jess' birthday weekend, a once in a lifetime experience.

Jess writes, "So, pretty much I love Paris. I have started writing about it like ten different times but it just boils down to this - Paris was amazing. Not only was the the city absolutely beautiful but I got to experience it with my best friend Keri (from Gordon)! It was even better than what I've seen in movies and pictures! From the shutters on the windows to the pastel colored apartment building with flowers in the window sills and cute little cafes and flower shops at every corner and the sparkling Eiffel Tower...I could just on forever!"

The two of them met under the Eiffel Tower and spent the weekend walking around the city and visiting some of France's most famous tourist destinations - Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the catacombs, among others. And of course, they sampled some fabulous French food along the way - baguettes, cheese, hot chocolate, crepes and nutella!

Keri sums it up on her blog, "It was so awesome to be able to be in Paris for a few days with one of my best friends. Not a lot of people get to say that and I definitely feel blessed to have these opportunities while I'm here for the semester!"

Costa Rica Trip Update

Our team was recently featured on the Gordon College blog, Notes Along the Way. The article reported on our partnership with Push the Rock and Philadelphia Biblical University on a mission trip to Costa Rica. The trip was the highlight of Christmas break for me, Alex and Keri (two sophomores on the team). I've included the text of the article below, as well as a picture of the three of us in serve receive against the club team from Alajuela!

Coach
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Over the Christmas holiday, head women's volleyball coach, Ruth Rosentrater, together with team members Keri Hustus and Alex Nawoichik, and several members of Philadelphia Biblical University's volleyball team, traveled to Costa Rica with Push The Rock to compete in exhibition matches and partner with local service ministries.

Push The Rock, based out of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, is an organization dedicated to Christian ministry through the avenue of sport, offering numerous camp and missions programs to both domestic and international communities.

Beginning in the San Jose area, the team partnered with the Centro de Ensenanza y Discipulado (CED) church to hold volleyball clinics for local juvenile detention and foster home youth. "While many of these children and young adults have been disregarded by the world," said Rosentrater, "it was refreshing to communicate to them that they are a valuable part of God's creation.

From there the team traveled to the Los Chiles region of Costa Rica (located just south of the Nicaraguan border) to join forces with La Resplandecer Foundation, which seeks to provide education, employment and financial assistance opportunities to the immediate community. In addition to the usual clinics, the team also lent their efforts to help build a pasture area and community garden for the Foundation's farm outreach.

"It was such a blessing to see the [Foundation's] ministry at work and help them tidy up the farm to prepare for later projects," says Nawoichik. "I look forward to seeing how much their ministry grows as a result of our tiny contribution."