Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

Mar. 23, 2015

THE END

If I were being honest, I waited a while to write this final post for a couple of different reasons. One reason being that I wanted to make sure that my words were adequate in describing what this journey has been and what it means to me as well as my teammates and coaches.

It’s hard to sufficiently describe all that occurred this season. We had a 27-4 record. When you think about that - just that alone - it’s pretty incredible. We set goals and achieved them.

Goal #1: Win 20 games - Crushed it.
Goal #2: Win G-MAC regular season - Done.
Goal #3: Win G-MAC tournament - Accomplished.

But it didn’t stop there. For the first time in school history, and G-MAC history, we received an at-large bid to the NCAA II Regional tournament. Being that it was an at-large bid we drew the #1-seed Michigan Tech. What a crazy few days hearing we were selected (Sunday), flying on a private charter (which was the bomb by the way!) on Wednesday, and playing on Friday in an exciting atmosphere. They average around 1,000 fans and they had a legit pep band. And by legit I mean multiply Central State’s pep band by 10 (but cut the number of people in half) and that’s what Michigan Tech had. Seriously an awesome atmosphere.

The end had to come at some point. Unfortunately it was that Friday night, March 13th (nothing like some bad luck, huh?J). They were a solid team and played really well. However, we weren’t the typical #1-seed vs. the #8-seed match-up. We won in true Cedarville fashion: with hard work, intensity, commitment, and a refuse to lose mentality. We competed. We belonged in that position. The loss was very bittersweet.

The bitter = losing and ending one of the best seasons at Cedarville.

The sweet = all of the compliments from the Michigan Tech fans (as well as others). They made remarks like "will you join the GLIAC?" or "we did not expect you to be that good" and "that’s some of the best defense we’ve seen."

Those compliments were echoing in our minds on the plane ride back. I can’t even downplay how sad it was to lose but I will never forget the impression that Cedarville, a little rinky-dink, no-name college (in their minds) left in that gym. Not to mention the experience we had up in the UP. We drove to the shore of Lake Superior and saw something beautiful: God’s handiwork. Frozen waves and an unbelievable horizon.

As I reflect and reminisce, I can’t help but acknowledge God’s hand in the season that made HIStory. I can’t help but smile (and laugh a little) about the small-town girl from western NY who was stressed about making her college decision and then to see it all come to completion. My four years here have drawn me closer to the Lord and taught me more than I could ever articulate. I pray that these things will be true of each of my teammates when they are wrapping up this chapter of their life. I can’t help but think that all of us have the opportunity to tell our eight-year-old – basketball loving daughters – about this season and how we made it to the National Tournament.

I am pathetically getting a little choked up as I type and for the moment I pin the cause to my motherly-ness role as "Mama Rae" this season. For those of you who play or have played college athletics you know that freshman year is just hard. I realize it has been said time and time again that we had seven freshmen this year but honestly they didn’t even get the chance to be freshmen (at least on the floor :) ….they definitely were off the floor haha). To our freshmen: As special as this year was, it better not be the only year in your careers that you make it to the dance. Thank you for loving the game and for working hard through the difficulty of freshman year. Thank you for stepping up to the challenge. You have earned everything this season. To the parents of the seven freshmen: Thanks for the blessing of your daughters this year. They’re all so special. Just wait and see the transformation from freshman to sophomore year. It’s one that I wish I could witness.

Part of me is at a loss for words in thanking the rest of the upperclassmen. It has been quite a journey with you; one that I wouldn’t go back and rewrite and one that I will never forget. I can’t thank you enough for being my "sisters" and for demonstrating leadership in a Christ-like way (and also for putting up with me... definitely not that easy). To their parents: I also thank you for the blessing of your daughters. They’ve pushed me towards Christ more times than I can count. The mark they’ve left in my heart will forever stay.

Lastly, to all of the parents thank you for all of your support. I’ve experienced so many blessings the past four years and the Cedarville family has been one of the greatest I’ve known. The announcers at Michigan Tech even mentioned that we had such a large group of support for a game 12 hours away. That speaks volumes for the uniqueness and blessing your support has been to all of us.

I know I need to wrap this up, but part of me just doesn’t want to. It’s too good to not keep going. His story for this chapter of my life, Gordie’s life, Ki’s life, and Kerri’s life has been exactly what he intended it to be: good. No to be super deep but when we were all standing on the frozen waves of Lake Superior I was thinking about all the good Jehovah Jirah has provided and looking out to the horizon was overwhelming because there’s still so much good to be had and so much more of His story to write in our lives.

"Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told." – Habbakuk 1:5

I think I can speak for the rest of the seniors and say that at the end of this chapter we are utterly amazed.

One of my favorites, T.S. Eliot said,
"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from."

Ugh. Here it goes…..

To my non-graduating sisters, next year is brand new. Make it your own. Make it memorable. Make HIS story count and don’t let it slip by because it will be here and gone before you realize it. I am so proud of you.

To my fellow graduating seniors, be expectant for this new chapter, for God is going to do some really great things in you and your life. I am so proud of you and so excited for what’s next.

To my coaches, a "thank you" for this chapter will never be enough.

To all of the other readers, I hope you know how much your support and encouragement has meant to all of us. We are rich girls; rich in the blessing of your support.

I leave you all with this prayer:

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant , equip you with everything good thing that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." – Hebrews 13:20-21

Forever a Lady Jacket,

Raegan

The Beginning…………….


Mar. 10, 2015

GRACE

I’ll just cut right to the chase…...Shew! What a crazy week!

We played two hard fought games against Central State followed by Kentucky Wesleyan and it led to our first G-MAC Championship. I think we would all agree that cutting the net down on our home floor was a really really great feeling.

I give major kudos to my teammates because it was a total team effort. These games were just "grinders"; games that we just had to work our tails off and everyone who stepped on the floor did just that. We accomplished goal #3.

As sweet as the G-MAC Championship is, there is a succeeding chapter. So, I will use the phrase coined by OSU Football: "Won. Not done."

Much to our surprise we were selected to receive an at-large bid in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament! Oh my word! Wow. The shock and celebration was so much fun. We drove to Coach Martin’s house at 11:30 p.m. and shouted his famous "JACKETS" cheer and may or may not have woken up his neighbors….oops. :)

As excited as we are, we have "won" but we are definitely not wanting to be "done." We have a chance to make history at the regional tournament. We celebrated but now it’s time to put in the work and get down to business. We could have a Cinderella story on our hands and we are thrilled for that chance! This is a really great opportunity and platform to make Him famous. So if you think of it, please be praying for that, too!

God has granted us grace upon grace. And as my senior season winds down I can’t help but reminisce on the little girl who loved basketball so much she would sleep with a ball in her bed at times. I think about dreaming of cutting down a net as I played in my side yard. And to experience it first hand is completely by the grace of God. It reminds me of a verse I often go back to to motivate me to continue working hard for that little girl and for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

We will fly up to Houghton, MI on Wednesday morning to work hard and to represent Christ and the University through our efforts, words, and actions the best way we know how.

We’ve been given grace and it’s our responsibility to do something with it!

Gah! This is a dream come true… can’t wait to fill you in with the inside scoop next week.

Until then,

R² out

PS - Can’t wait to finally hear the Yooper accent!


Mar. 3, 2015

DESIRE

There are some things that just stick with you throughout your life. I can remember a school-wide assembly from the 5th grade where we learned a super, super corny tune that kept repeating and repeating this phrase: "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Every day, every way, I will believe in it."

As elementary as these lyrics (if that’s what you really want to call them) may be, there is a more complex application in our lives as well as our season. We start putting in the hours starting as soon as we arrive on campus in August and we’ve reaped benefit from it thus far. Although we have achieved two of our three goals this season our third may be the biggest yet; win the conference tournament.

Many teams have goals set in place but few are willing to do what it takes to get there. And honestly, a lot of it comes down to desire (amongst many other things). How badly do you actually want it? Another quote that has stuck with me from a basketball camp I attended in high school is this: "Are your actions matching your aspirations?"

This week is arguably the biggest week of our season. The conference tournament is why you play each game during your season. A championship is what every team wants in March. We want to finish this season strong. We want our actions in practice this week to match our aspirations of being a conference champion.

Many believers have the personal goal to hear the words: "well done, good and faithful servant." The questions I have been convicted of are: Is your heart drawing nearer to the Lord? And are your actions matching your aspirations?

We are focused and determined. We’ve put in the time. We have the desire. It’s time to get down to business and believe we can achieve goal #3.

Hope to see you all there!

R², out.

If you think of it, pray for good health on our team. Last week, we were all hit with something and many of us are feeling a little under the weather. Thank you so much in advance!


Feb. 23, 2015

FRUIT

No, not the kind that you eat. The kind you see in someone’s life. The kind that is a product of walking in step with the Spirit.We can produce a variety of different fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law."

Being consistent in bearing these fruits is an incredibly challenging task. And as sinners, we fall short. Time and time again. Though we fail and though we will struggle and wrestle to stay in step with the Spirit - we are to bear one another’s burdens (6:2).

I think I can speak on behalf of myself as well as my teammates and say that we are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with a team, a family, and a sisterhood that has "burden bearing" built in. This week, Coach Martin challenged us to live out the sisterhood in this way. He challenged us at a relational/spiritual level as well as the competitive level.

It’s at this point of the season where teams continue to build and get better or the improvement stays at a stalemate. So his challenge was to continue to work hard and not get caught up in the mundane. And it starts with sharing our fruit with one another off the court and serving one another in love.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have an opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Though this verse refers to doing good to others, the concept of not giving up and serving one another is what will give us the edge and stamina to finish this season the way we set out to complete it.

Produce fruit - Let God in to the core of your being.

Serve one another - Let God out for others to see.

Never. Give. Up.

This week: Rescheduled game at Ohio Valley on Monday (2/23) and home against Ursuline on Thursday (2/26) for Senior Night.

I’m gonna need a box of Kleenex...for my mother of course. :)

Joyfully His,

R²


Feb. 17, 2015

RESPONSE

Let’s face it. Athletics have a lot of ups and downs, wins and losses, and successes and setbacks.

The best part about all of these facets of athletics is how we respond. Our response speaks to our mental toughness, our character, and our testimony.

This past week we found out we had received enough votes to be named the #23 NCAA II team in the nation. This was definitely something to celebrate. But Flunker (Coach Hoffman) challenged us to take it in stride and act like we’ve been there. She told us that with being ranked we could face a lot of outside noise, or pressure. Being ranked will also put a bigger target on our backs as the team to beat.

As we traveled to Trevecca, a G-MAC rival, we saw their promotions for the game and it drove us to want to win even more. Unfortunately, we succumbed to the noise and pressure and didn’t play our best and it resulted in just our third loss this season.

When you lose, you have a couple of options on how to respond. You can be defeated, you can take it and continue to do things the same way, or you can take it and let it motivate you to get back on track.

I couldn’t be any more proud of my teammates for responding to Thursday’s loss the way they did. We knew the ramifications for the loss but we didn’t let it hinder us in our match up against Kentucky Wesleyan. It fueled us to play even harder and more focused. We played very well on Saturday and it was a solid team win for us. We got back on track.
With only three regular season games left, we will need to stay on track. It is crazy to think it is the middle of February already!

Speaking of which -- February means Valentine’s Day! I found myself reading Psalm 86 several times this week, about the steadfast love of the Lord -- and this was honestly completely by accident. The verses that resonated with me were 12 and 13. "I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol."

In the ups and the downs of life, of athletics, of any dimension of our life we are to respond to the Lord with thanks with our whole heart and glorify His name.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

Two more against Salem and Ohio Valley this week! A great opportunity to respond :)

Joyfully His,

R²


Feb. 10, 2015

GROWTH

As I have been student teaching this semester, I’ve recently learned just how much a teacher is (at least in the state of Ohio) assessed based on their students’ growth throughout the year. This got me thinking a bit about growth and learning in a more general sense. Wouldn’t you expect a student to know more at the end of the year than they did at the middle of the year? Well, yes. But, sometimes the quantity of student knowledge isn’t as advantageous as the quality of student knowledge. As I teach, I tend to ask myself "how can I get this to stick with them long term?"

There are many parallels to be drawn from "growth" in student teaching but there also is in athletics. Our team has shown so much growth throughout this season and there is still growth to be had. One instance where we can tangibly see our growth is in our rebounding statistics. We went from being behind many of our opponents in the rebounding margin to turning it into the positives! (That’s a big deal to us :) ) We’ve also seen growth (and we hope to see more) in our national ranking, just to name a few.

Most importantly I’ve seen growth in our mental toughness. I think back to our non-conference games and how we had moments of mental toughness. And then I think about our games this past week against Alderson Broaddus where we had segments of mental toughness followed by Davis & Elkins where we had stretches of mental toughness in order to pull out two more league wins.

I couldn’t be any more proud of my teammates and how we have shown to be mentally tough in spite of the circumstances that have come our way. We continue through conference play with a target on our backs as the "one to knock off." This makes mental toughness all the more important; an area to continue growing in, to stick with us long term.

This week is exam week. Two big exams. Trevecca (Thursday) and Kentucky Wesleyan (Saturday). An opportunity to assess our growth in mental toughness thus far. Just like any other exam, you start with preparation or studying. Our mental preparation for these two tests started the minute the buzzer sounded this past Saturday.

We’re still on a mission.

As we travel to TN and KY we ask for prayers for safe travels!

Thank you to all the Lady Jacket supporters! You are seriously the best!

Scripture Study Guide: "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2: 6-7

A. Be rooted in Him
B. Built up in Him
C. Walk in Him
D. Abound in thanksgiving
E. All of the above to grow in Him

Joyfully His,
R²


Feb. 3, 2015

TRADITION

This past weekend was Alumni Weekend as many of you know. We had a great turnout and it is always fun to see former teammates reconnect and share what’s going on in their lives as well as recalling their young….er, I mean…. college days. :) It’s neat to hear all of the stories and laughter, and see all of the smiles that make up the history of Lady Jacket basketball.

One other very notable occurrence this past weekend was the induction of former Lady Jacket Julie (Nourse) Hudson into the Cedarville Athletic Hall of Fame. She, among many others, have left their mark on this program and have set the precedent for current players and future players.

The concepts of worship, sisterhood, commitment, ministry, and character are just some of the precedents that have been set in place long before our current roster. To see all of the alumni come back and demonstrate that to us was really special. They personified the traits that we hold ourselves to now and it proved to us that the relationships you have here will last a lifetime.Last week Flunker (Coach Hoffman) challenged us to make much of time while being here at Cedarville whether that’s relationally, academically, athletically, or spiritually.

That challenge motivated us to bring home two big wins against Wilberforce and Central State. Our game against Central State started the second round of our conference games and it turned out to be a solid team win! (Much more satisfying than the last meeting!)

On the agenda for this week: Alderson Broaddus (Thursday) and Davis & Elkins (Saturday). Two more opportunities to protect our home court and earn a pair conference wins!
Speaking of history and tradition….let’s get Callan back to how it "used to be!" (here’s my plug for the SID Dept. -- #BackTheJackets #CUThere )

The old phrase says, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present." History teaches us a lesson. Precedents hold us accountable. And time is a gift, so make the most of it.

P.S. - Making the most of your time would include, but is not limited to, loving every minute of Yellow Jacket basketball!!!! #BacktheJackets #CUThere :)

Have a great week!

R²


Jan. 27, 2015

DISCIPLINE

Championship teams must possess discipline.

The past few weeks have been very rewarding as we have seen some of our hard work and discipline come to fruition by receiving national votes. This is an incredible honor for us; a huge victory. However, we aren’t done here. We still have work that needs to be accomplished. Once you’ve tasted a feat like that you have one of two choices: let it satisfy you or get hungry for more.

Yep, you guessed it. The Lady Jackets are hungry for more. We’ve worked too hard to "call it a night" at this point. We still have our eyes on our mission. We still want to prove ourselves in the national poll as well as be successful in our conference.

Our games against Ohio Valley and Salem International brought in two more conference wins by large margins. Though we are pleased, we still need to work on our discipline to do the little things regardless of our opponent….because that’s what championship caliber teams do.

A couple verses come to mind as I write this:

Psalm 34: 8 - "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

Psalm 145:3 "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable."

Taste the Lord’s goodness, praise Him for it, and keep searching the mysteries of the Lord.

Lady Jacket translation: Soak in the victories, rejoice together, and continue to be disciplined and stay on the mission.

Two games against our Rt. 42 Rivals: Wilberforce and Central State -- Not to mention Alumni Weekend. We’re excited to have our alumni back on campus this weekend!
Be there or be square!

R² out.


Jan. 20, 2015

JOY

Ok, real talk. Sometimes joy is hard.

I wanted to start off with a quote and I’m not sure who said it but here it is:


"Joy is not a feeling; it is a choice. It is not
based upon circumstances; it is based upon attitude. It is free,
but not cheap. It is a promise; not a deal. It is available to us when
we make ourselves available to Him. It is something that we can
receive by invitation and by choice. It requires commitment, courage and endurance."


I love quotes and this is definitely one of my favorites. It speaks into who we should be as Christ followers but even as competitors for Christ.

You might be asking why I am writing about joy when we are 15-2 and 6-0 in the conference right now and you have good reason to be curious. Because it seems like we should have joy out the wa-zoo! And you’re right. We should.

It is really easy to get bogged down with all of the noise of life and find yourself in "job mode" not "joy" mode. For our season, the month of January is tough. We had two huge games this past week. We were definitely excited but sheesh, more work.

Sometimes you have to work through the job to reach the joy. We worked hard to beat KWC and we still weren’t entirely joyful.We want to play with joy and we want that joy to be seen by others.

On Friday, Coach Martin sat us down in the locker room and had a "real talk" with us. He wanted to instill confidence in us and to let us know how much he wants us to play with joy, enthusiasm, and passion. (Coach Hoffman) Flunker put together a powerpoint of our portfolio this season and how much we have accomplished so far and how that should give us great confidence and joy. -- Side note: This is rare that a coaching staff goes out of their way for their players, so huge thank you to them!

The following day was our game against Trevecca. It’s always rewarding to beat Trevecca and we definitely wanted to remain #1 in the conference. We played with joy and emotion and it was definitely a fulfilling win!

So now we sit at the top of the conference, 15-2, and receiving national votes. Wow. Sometimes you have to work through the job to reach the joy after all. As the quote said, "It requires commitment, courage and endurance."

We are on a mission and we are playing with joy. God is so good. All of the time.

Up next: home vs Ohio Valley (Thurs.) and at Salem International (Sat.).

Until then, R² out.


Jan. 13, 2015

ROAD TRIP!

This past week was a busy one for us! Spring semester started and just two days in we left for our conference games in West Virginia. Perfect timing to escape the syllabus shock!!

Our first stop on our way to West Virginia was at THE Golden Corral. Due to the weather they had scheduled to close at 7:00 p.m. so what time did the Cedarville Men’s and Women’s Basketball Team stroll in -- 6:59 p.m. (not too sure they were thrilled about 50+ people showing up one minute before closing...oops :) ). Stacie (Coach Travis) even let us have a little bit of dessert that night! Whoop!

The following day was our match up against Davis & Elkins. Typical game day: wake up, shoot around, game film, pregame meal, game time! This was one of those games that was tough to get the ball rolling but once we did, there was no looking back. It was an enjoyable game because every member of our team scored AND had at least one rebound!! (Side note: Gordie reinjured her foot during this game and is still experiencing some pain -- she could use your prayers!)

Friday, we travelled through the mountains of WV and arrived at Alderson Broaddus for a short practice and game film. Later that night the men’s team and us (Not sure if that’s how you phrase that?) were blessed to have a quality dinner at an Italian restaurant. We had a great time talking and laughing over dinner that night.

Saturday, GAME DAY! We set out for another conference win and accomplished that goal - a second solid TEAM win.

Road trips like these are always enjoyable because we get to travel with and support our mens team. It isn’t common that the men’s and women’s teams get this kind of quality time on the road AND get along so well. We are truly blessed.

Word to the wise: when the bus driver says "take caution when standing in the aisle while the bus is in motion" -- you better take his advice. On the way home, we had a little bit of a "freshman moment." This freshman (who will remain unnamed) stood up to gather her belongings before arriving back on campus, only to experience a good ole slam on the breaks and this sudden change of momentum launched her forward. Luckily, Gordie saved this freshman from falling down approximately six feet three inches onto the bus floor.

Up next, KWC (Thursday) & Trevecca (Saturday)! Best opponents in the G-MAC. We need you there!

Still on a mission...

- R²


Jan. 6, 2015

FAMILY

Hey there!

Even though I haven’t posted in the last two weeks there is a lot you may have missed.

First off, we spent a week at school without classes spending time preparing for the tournament at Notre Dame (OH). Our first match-up was with West Liberty - who recently had been nationally-ranked. We knew what we were up against going into the game and we were determined to earn a win. It was an exciting game and we accomplished what we set out to do! Our next game was against a quality Notre Dame (OH) program. It was a tough game that ended up in a loss for us.

This is a loss that yes, we are disappointed in but it is a loss that has several take aways. In my opinion, we needed to feel the sting of a loss so we know how to combat that going forward. No one likes to lose or wants to lose but if we were to lose it is better now than during conference play.

After these two games we headed home for our Christmas break with our families. It was a much needed break -- and for any of you who have siblings (especially sisters), time away for a short while is necessary. :) We love each other in our sisterhood but we are thankful for the time at home.

We came back and had a great week of practice - ready to get after it. On Saturday we played at Central State. Although, it was a win it wasn’t our best. This week we have our work cut out for us to get back to playing our best against conference opponents Davis & Elkins as well as Alderson Broaddus

One really neat dimension of athletics and being a part of a team is the concept of family. Our coaches have titled our team as "the sisterhood." Not many people have the privilege of being a part of a family like this. Our family starts with the sisterhood and extends to our parents and siblings and we sure are blessed with the support our team has from each family. The list is too long to thank all of them for their support and encouragement through various means but nonetheless, thank you. It’s hard to accurately describe the sense of family built into our team other than the fact that it is a blessing! We suit up for battle together; we win together; we lose together; and without "together" you’re missing the heartbeat of the team. That’s why one of our mantra’s that our coaches hold us accountable to is "Hard. Smart. Together."

New year. Start of conference play. Same mission. For Him.

Time to get better...

- R²


Dec. 17, 2014

SEMESTER BREAK!

Finals week is always a pinnacle of stress for the semester and by God’s grace we have survived! Thank you for your prayers!

And now…are on semester break! One of the perks to remaining at school while on semester break is having the dorm to ourselves. Since we are the only people here, we tend to make our own fun. Some of us get on Pinterest and get crafty and get ready for Christmas while others like to put on a show and perform a free concert for the rest of us. The sounds of the voices heard throughout the hallways of McKinney were amplified through the use of hairbrushes….and running and screaming down the hallways. The music selections ranged from arrangements of "Defying Gravity" -- from the Broadway musical Wicked (which if you haven’t seen it -- you need to! one of my personal favorites!) to pop music. Very entertaining to say the least.

Another perk to being on campus while we are on semester break is the blessing of eating outside of Chuck’s. We are fortunate enough to have our meals taken care of while we are here on break and one of those meals was generously provided by Dr. and Mrs. White. Mrs. White cooked enough to feed an army and we left their house will both stomach and hearts full. While at their house, stories were shared from Mrs. White’s high school basketball days and different card games were played. Shout out to Whitney and KJ for beating the White’s in euchre -- rematch, TBA.

There will be other opportunities for us while we are here during semester break and I can’t wait to share those with you later!

As far as the basketball piece of things goes -- ICYMI (in case you missed it) we, together, beat Urbana in an overtime nail-biter on Saturday. It’s always a friendly rivalry with Urbana being that they are right up the road. It wasn’t necessarily our best game but it certainly was an exciting one. However, it was a game where we all had to do our part, together, to come out with the win.

This coming weekend we have a great opportunity to go head to head to with a nationally-ranked team West Liberty (#24) as well as Notre Dame (OH). Two quality programs from the Mountain East Conference. These are our last games before we are off for Christmas break and they are also statement games for our region.

We are on a mission...stay tuned!

Lastly, I just wanted to wish all of the Lady Jacket fans a Merry Christmas! Christmas is one of my favorites times of the year -- a time where we remember the birth of our Savior and reflect on the hope we have through Him.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

R squared - out!


Dec. 10, 2014

FINALS WEEK

Wow…This semester has flown by and it’s crazy to think its finals week already. Some of us wish for finals week to be a figment of our imagination but unfortunately it isn’t. The end of semester stress is a real thing, especially when seven of us are experiencing it for the first time. Stress also can do some funny things and cause us to act a little out of the ordinary. Here’s just a little inside scoop on some of the effects of the end of semester stress on our team:
 
1) In the locker room before one of our recent games and we all put our hands in to say a cheer. So I say, "Hold the rope on 3…." ---- before I can even start the count, a freshman (who will remain unnamed) shouts "hold the rope!"….fail. :)

2) In the locker room getting pumped up and going through pregame "rap" ritual. One of us forgets who we are and begins to rap someone else’s personalized rap that starts with "My name is…" (this freshman will remain unnamed).

3) In the locker room and a freshman (who will remain unnamed) says to me, "Hey Rae! Want to do something with me? We both look ethnic, we should learn Chinese! I’ll seriously buy the Rosetta Stone!" And I stand there in complete awe.

As you can "see" (pun intended), not only does stress affect our capacity to think clearly but also see clearly as well. Maybe it’s just the locker room – eh, I’m gonna say it was stress getting the best of us.

All of that to say, we covet your prayers during finals week and the stresses of finishing a semester well!

As we laughed over many of these instances --- honestly, too many to even mention --- we were also able to pull out another HUGE comeback win against Indianapolis. What a fun game that was! Thankfully, we put our stresses aside and played a great game. After losing to them the three previous meetings (since I’ve been here) we were due and this one felt really good. It was a tough, gritty win against a quality program. Shout out to the pep band for being awesome for us during that game, too!

Lastly, a special shout out – Happy Birthday to KJ – her birthday is this week!

A couple more days and we are on semester break! Time flies when you’re having fun….

Until next time, be here or be square :)


Dec. 1, 2014

THANKFULNESS (cliché but true :))

We’re often taught and reminded of the concept that it’s not how you start but it’s how you finish. Our Ferris State game both started well and finished well resulting in the desired outcome; a win! Coach Martin and Co. prepared us for this game and we were all on the same page in regards to how big another GLIAC win would be for post season.

It is difficult to be completely focused during games like this because of Thanksgiving break to follow. I think the win in overtime speaks to the level of focus we had. Shout out to KJ for focusing with only one eye! Impressive to say the least - took a shot to the face and her eye swelled up pretty quick! We are thankful to approach the Thanksgiving break with the 5-1 record. We are thankful that our hard work and focus is paying off and to be rewarded with some time at home with our families. However, we do not want to take it for granted or be content. Part of thankfulness involves stewardship of what we are thankful for. We have many games ahead of us and to be content with our five wins wouldn’t be good stewardship of the opportunities we have. Being hungry and continuing to work hard is being thankful for where we have been as well as what there is to come. We continue to be expectant and to approach each game with passion not passivity.

A heart of thankfulness should turn into some sort of demonstration of thankfulness. One way is to take time to simply thank the Lord for His blessings. Another way is to give back what you have been given. As a team we try, although at times we will fail, to give our thanks for our abilities and opportunities through the way we play; through worship on the court.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving we should focus on the many blessings that God has graciously given to us. He has extended grace upon grace upon grace. When we focus on our thankfulness it’s hard to not be joyful even if circumstances aren’t exactly how we would like them to be. For us, the goal is to play with this same joy. There are many reasons for this but our hope is that the Joy of the Lord is seen through our play.

A little preachy... my apologies :) To put it in layman’s terms as the Sunday School song goes:

"In everything give thanks, in everything give thanks for it is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!"

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones!

Until next time…R squared, out.


Nov. 24, 2014

EFFORT

This past week could’ve been viewed as the gauntlet. We had three games in five days with the first two being on the road. We knew that it would be a challenge but we also knew that it would require intentional effort.

We look forward to our contests with Bellarmine because they are a quality team and picking up another win from a recognized program in our region would definitely be to our advantage come post season. It’s hard to know exactly what to say in regards to this game. We had a game plan, we really wanted to win, we knew how huge this opportunity was for us and we as players didn’t follow through. Unfortunately we came up short. Yes, we are disappointed in the loss but the way I see it - we have so much to learn from this game. We learn what intentional effort really looks like whether it’s sprinting to close out or encouraging our teammate as positively as we can from the bench. I also see a great deal of upside. If we approach each practice with a focus of getting better I really think our potential is limitless. We have so much talent and we will get better.

We moved forward and traveled to Tiffin and that game was just hard work. We were definitely beginning to feel a bit fatigued but were able to pull off the win down the stretch. We entered the locker room after the game and just had feelings of contentment because we won but we also were experiencing thoughts of "how did we pull that one off?" I think the easiest answer would be that we were in "it," effort-wise, for a full 40 minutes.

FINALLY we had our home opener on Saturday. We are thankful that the MVNU team made it safely due to an accident that they were behind as they traveled here. This game again was just hard work. We didn’t play our best first half but came out and were more eager and energized in the second half to get the job done!

I’m not sure how many people know what we do as a team for our opponents for our home games and I don’t say this to say "hey - look at what we do!" at all because it’s not about that. It’s about using this opportunity as a platform for the Lord and His purposes. This year our team decided to buy "I am Second" bracelets to give to each of our opponents. We also have a card that we write, explaining the reason we are "second" in addition to personalized messages to individuals. Our intention is to provide encouragement and share the Gospel in various ways. Typically we offer some way to contact us if they wish or have questions, etc. On top of the chance to pray with our opponent after each game, one of the most rewarding things is being contacted by the person you wrote your note to. This past week one of the players from MVNU contacted one of our players and just thanked her for the note and said how much it meant to her.

Sometimes, we don’t need to do what seem like the "bigger" things to further His Kingdom. Sometimes it’s rolling out a leather ball, tossing it through a net, and playing with passion. Sometimes it’s writing a small note of encouragement.

Luke 12:48 says "… everyone to whom much was given, of much will be required…."

We have been given much, individually, and as a team. Sometimes all it takes is a little extra and intentional effort.


Nov. 17, 2014

EXECUTION

A new year means a brand new start; a clean slate; 0-0.

Just like last season our opening contest was against Ashland University. This game was huge for us being that it is a nationally recognized team as well as a top notch GLIAC team. (For those of you who may not know, in order to be considered for the post season NCAA regional tournament we need to beat these types of teams!) We spent quality time preparing for this match up. We watched film. We went over the scouting report. We were focused. So many different emotions were felt as we got closer and closer to tip off. The freshmen were all excited about their first overnight trip and opening their careers with this tournament. And the upperclassmen were ready to seek "redemption."

From the tip we really made a conscious effort to execute the game plan and it paid off. A win against Ashland Friday night and another hard-fought game Saturday night against Ohio Dominican University brought us two wins to open up our season. ODU may not have been the "prettiest" of wins but we stuck together until the final buzzer to pull it off.

Yes, we are ecstatic about bringing home two wins against GLIAC opponents but even more so we came away knowing what this team is capable of when we are focused and have a refuse to lose mentality and that is exciting. Coach Martin has said that we are going to be even better when January rolls around because we will continue to build. Not too shabby for a starting point!

One of the highlights of the trip was the post-game-hotel ice baths. I walk into the hotel as the elevator door opens and I see Squirt (more formally known as Coach StacieTravis) has the valet luggage carts with buckets filled with ice and the grin on her face was from ear to ear. It’s a good thing that the hotel didn’t have quiet hours like the dorm because the screams that came out of us as we took the polar plunge in the tub were not so subtle. Oh, one other highlight was the joy of listening to Christmas music for pregame to pump us up - compliments of Coach Martin (Ok, I confess I did sing a line or two in the van….but it’s not even Thanksgiving!!!)

Anyway, I am so proud of our effort and how we played hard, smart, and together!

Now onto the road for two games and then we finally have our home opener on Saturday.

One game at a time….

Next week, be here or be square!


Nov. 13, 2014

FOCUS

It’s hard to believe that the ever-so-anticipated day of October 15th has come and gone and that another pre-season is in the books - not to mention my last one!

As many of you know the start of this year was quite a bit different than the last. Last year we didn’t have any newcomers but this year we were fortunate enough to welcome seven freshmen to our program. Seven may seem like a lot…well, that’s because it is! But like I said we are fortunate. We are fortunate because we couldn’t ask for a better seven. They came ready for the challenge, eager to learn, and added a little freshman fire to this ol’ veteran team!

One of the highlights of this pre-season was the team retreat to King’s Domain. Our retreat was the start of what we anticipate being a great year. We participated in many team building activities like a team walk, walking on not-so-sturdy planks from island to island without falling into hot lava (ok, not really hot lava), getting all of our feet on top of a small box long enough to sing "Row, row, row your boat", paintball, and a mud run. We also had great conversations around the campfire and discussed the theme for this year: Focus. We have the opportunity as a Cedarville University student-athlete to proclaim the Gospel via basketball and we should approach this blessing with an eternal mindset. It says in Colossians 3:2 "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." As we approach this season we seek to have an eternal mindset as we prepare for a season that will have its ups and downs and setbacks and successes. When our focus is on the Lord and on serving Him to the utmost, we will serve one another better, our sisterhood will become stronger, our worship on the court will be a testimony to others, and our hearts and minds are set on the proper Purpose.

With seven freshmen comes many freshman moments and we had plenty of opportunity the past few months to have "freshman moments" – which I hope to share with you as the season progresses. One of the most notable was the friendly fire that occurred during paintball on the team retreat. KJ (Kayla Linkous) was bravely charging at the other team while freshman (and paintball teammate), Abby Wolford stayed back on the defense. Abby hit her target alright. What was her target you may ask? KJ. Right in the back of the leg. Nailed her. If only you could’ve seen KJ slowly turn around to find that Abby had hit her. (For those of you who know KJ, you can probably imagine her face!) I would also like to add that KJ left with the largest welt and bruise from this solid hit.

So many other notable things happened on our team retreat like freshmen Reggie and Haley enduring a night in the wilderness and sleeping with spiders and the upperclassmen winning (by a large margin :) the mud run!

We were also lucky enough to travel to NCAA DI Miami University of Ohio for an exhibition game. I could not be any more proud of our team for the showing we had there. We may have come up short but we showed so much growth since our first practice. We can’t wait for our season to get underway and for our opening games against Ashland and Ohio Dominican. We have a tough 10 days ahead of us but I wouldn’t want to suit up for "battle" with any other girls.

I am honored to be this year’s blogger and I am excited to give you the inside scoop! I look forward to sharing the times that the Lord challenges us with where our hearts are at and where our focus lies. Lastly, I can’t wait to bring you more freshman moments and share the joy that we are "lucky" enough to experience through this sisterhood.

Next week, be here or be square.

(Raegan Ryan--RR… R squared.. get it? Sorry, I know… Bad joke… Give a girl a break..I’m going to be a middle school math teacher :)


Raegan Ryan is a 5-foot-5 senior guard from Canisteo, N.Y. She is in her final season with the Lady Jackets and is a Dean's List student majoring in middle childhood education.