March 9, 2016To be honest, I'm not really sure how to write this blog as I'm kind of at a loss for words (although I'm sure it won't seem like it when I'm done:) ). This week was really bittersweet for me, as I'm sure it was for a lot of people involved with our team.
The week started off with a few days of focused practices. Since we didn't know exactly who we'd be playing for either of the games, our coaches brought us back to the basics. We spent four days talking about what Cedarville Women's Basketball does, not what other teams do. We play defense, we rebound, we play hard, smart, and together. So that's what we worked on.
Early Wednesday morning, we took off for Cleveland for our conference tournament, knowing that whatever team won would get a bid to the NCAA II Tournament and whatever team lost would be done for the year. As Coach Martin kept telling us, "you guys had a good season already, no one can look back on 20 wins and call this a bad season, everything that's left is just gravy, just gravy."
After about a three-hour drive, we pulled up to what would be the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at during my time on the basketball team. Soon it was off to practice, and later on that day we went back to the gym to watch the first round of the tournament, as we had a bye. After a very close game, we found out we would face Kentucky Wesleyan the next day. Then it was back to the hotel to rest up and get a good night's sleep.
Friday, we walked on to the court for our allotted 55 minutes - no more, no less due to the conference's strict rules - to go over our game plan for Kentucky Wesleyan. But like I said earlier, this week's game plan was about us and doing what we do best. Later on that night, we played in one of the most physical games of my career, with five people total fouling out. It wasn't pretty. But, boy did it feel good to beat KWC, especially with how hard we had to play. It was also a blast because any game that Big Girl Bre is fired up is a fun game! She played extremely well, and a lot of other players made lots of contributions, allowing us to put another win in our record. After stretching, foam rolling, chugging chocolate milk, and ice bathing, it was lights out and off to bed.
It was a struggle to wake up to our 8:00 a.m. alarms Saturday morning, but we got up and went to the gym to do a walk-through (thankfully "walk" in this situation actually meant walk, which was still a challenge for most of us after the battle the night before). Then we went back to the hotel for breakfast, game plan, a devotional from Haley Tyler, and what us seniors called "mandatory rest time."
Finally it was game time, the adrenaline was running and we were ready to go. I can't even begin to explain how fun that game was to play. I think anyone watching would agree that it was just a good game of basketball, both teams playing their hearts out till the final buzzer. I hate losing, but if there was any game I could go out on, I would have definitely chosen this one. We fought hard, we played well, and we gave everything we had to give, and so did Ursuline. Another one of those games where it is a shame that someone had to lose. Ursuline just got a few more shots to fall than we did, and that final buzzer signaled the end of my, KJ's, Whit's, Doc's, and Coach Martin's career at Cedarville University.
I can't really remember what happened for the next half hour after that, other than the fact that a lot of tears were shed. But I do remember the ride back to Cedarville when I got to sit in a van with the other three seniors and reminisce, make fun of Steve ;), dance, sing, and come close to tears just a few more times together. As anyone would do, we were trying to avoid feeling completely depressed, so we decided to think about all the good things that would come out of not being a basketball player anymore: no one telling us to do burpees or lunges anymore, no more 12 minute pre-game every day before a game, no more starts, stops, and turns, no more 6:30 a.m. lifts, no more sprint workout, no more coach's passing drill. But I think all of us were a little depressed about the fact that we would no longer be a part of a tight-knit team, or what we like to call, a sisterhood.
Basketball has taught me a lot the last few years, but I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that my identity is NOT in how I perform on the basketball court. My identity is not in my grades, it is not in how many friends I have, it's not in how I dress. My identity is in Christ and the fact that I am a child of God. He loves me because He chose to, not because He saw that I was lovable, not because He saw I could dribble or shoot a ball, not because I did anything impressive at all. He loved me because He chose to, and I'm glad I was a part of a basketball program that taught me that before my career as an athlete ended. Cedarville is such a wonderful place with such an important mission, and the Cedarville Women's Basketball program has represented our school and our Savior well. I am so thankful that four years ago some random coaches from a random school in the middle of the corn fields of Ohio gave me the chance to be a part of something so special and life-changing.
There are so many people I want to thank and recognize, too many to even count: my teammates, Flunk, Squirt, Steve, Darren, Chris, everyone who works with them, supporters of our team, professors, fans, all the families, the few people who actually read this blog :) etc. But I think I'll save that for another time.
There is one person who I want to publicly thank: Coach Martin. Coach, you have put countless hours over the last fifteen years into building a legacy. I have been so thankful to be a small part of that. Over the four years, you have constantly encouraged growth in my life, and have been patient to let that growth happen. I can't begin to thank you enough for everything you have taught me over the years. You have been integral in my walk with Christ and have been a faithful and godly example to all of your players. I think I can speak for my teammates and all of the alumni when I say you have built a program that we can all be proud to have been a part of.
For the last time, in the words of Kid President:
"No matter who you are, someone is learning from you."-TDawg
Feb. 29, 2016As we just got back from another long trip to West Virginia (the worst state in Ohio, according to KJ, if you remember), and are preparing for another trip at the end of this week, I am typing this in between piles of homework and laundry. The life of a student-athlete is hard and busy, but completely worth it. So although I'm typing with the stress of make-up exams and homework looming over my head, I am also typing with great joy simply because I have the opportunity to be a part of something so wonderful.
Monday, the practice right after a loss that was a little bit disappointing, our coaches decided to try to remind us of the fact that sports are supposed to be enjoyed. WE GOT TO PLAY WHIFFLE BALL! Unfortunately, I was on the losing team, but I think everyone can agree that it was a nice break from a stressful conference schedule to be reminded to enjoy being an athlete. To make the day even better, it was Coach Martin's 62nd Birthday! And at the end of practice, after being all-time pitcher (there were a few "we want a pitcher, not a belly-itcher" chants recited!!) he stepped up to the plate to show his stuff. The first swing, he made pretty good contact with the ball, and we were all a bit impressed... but THEN, he said "I can do that left-handed too!" and proceeded to step around to the other side of the plate, take a swing at a ball, and hit a home run!! Practice ended with Coach Martin running around the bases and jumping on home plate where we all were waiting and cheering for him. It was awesome!!
Then it was back to business Tuesday, and on the road Wednesday to Alderson Broaddus. We arrived at the gym early in the afternoon and discovered that the power was out. Not only was it a bit dark in the gym, it was also pretty hot! So the doors were open and leaves were blowing in and on to the court the whole time, but we got what we needed to accomplished and went on our way. Later that night, we headed to Primanti Bros for a dinner with the men’s team. Once back at the hotel, it was time for homework and of course some games of Euchre!
Thursday morning after breakfast, it was Squirt's turn to share a devotional with the team, and boy did she deliver! She talked to us about prayer and how to approach talking with God. We went through a few verses, and answered some of her questions, then followed up with a time of silent prayer that went like this:
* Tell God how you're feeling
* Read Psalm 25 as a prayer
* Praise God for who He is and what you're thankful for
* Pray for someone in your life who you want to experience Christ more
* Pray through Colossians 1:9-14
This was an awesome way to center ourselves on Christ the morning before a game.
Then we headed to Panera (as usual) and then went to the gym to play some basketball. Unfortunately, our first half wasn't beautiful, but thanks to an encouragement from Flunk in the third quarter, we were able to "flip the switch" and play like the team we know we can be. We came out with a win and then got to enjoy some AWESOME goodie bags from the Brittenhams as we cheered our men on to an exciting victory!
Friday started out with a short practice followed by a meal at Wendy's. After the men finished their practice, we all hopped back on the bus to travel to the movie theater in Elkins. We fit our big group of people into a 40-person theater and watched the movie "Race" about the life of Jesse Owens. It was definitely eye-opening and very enjoyable, I highly recommend it! Afterwards, it was back to our hotel to eat some dinner, where we not only ordered cheesecake afterwards, but also each got a cinnamon roll from Coach, what a great day!
After dinner, we all gathered in one hotel room, and it was time for us seniors to take the floor for devotions. We all talked about something we have learned in the past four (or five for Doc) years at Cedarville. I talked about how I've learned that "it's not all about TDawg" and how our lives are just one piece in God's huge redemptive plan for the world. Whitney talked about how the dedication and commitment to hard work we learn from basketball prepares us for "adulting" and that the habits we have now are the habits that will continue on after basketball. Doc challenged us to know where our hearts are at and to center them on Christ rather than our circumstances. And KJ reminded everyone to cherish every moment they have as a part of a team. This sparked some good conversation and a lot of reminiscing, followed by lots of laughter!
Then Saturday, we suited up to take on Davis & Elkins, and came out with a solid win, which secured for us a Regular Season Conference Co-championship!
This week will be spent preparing for our conference tournament which will be held at Ursuline. The first round of games begin on Thursday, but we will be playing Friday night at 7:30 pm!
In the words of Kid President:
"You were made to be awesome. Keep going."-TDawg
Feb. 22, 2016Last week was one of the longest weeks of my life. We had just one game to prepare for, so our practices were very focused on Ursuline and our coaches came up with a great game plan for us. It was then up to us to respond and do what they asked of us by the time Saturday came. That being said, most of the note-worthy stuff happened on Saturday, but before I dive into that big day, I'm going to tell you about our Bible study Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Coe had some sick family members, so she didn't want to lead Bible study and possibly get us sick. Fortunately, Flunk was a very capable fill in, so she gathered us in the locker room Wednesday after practice. Before speaking, she showed us a video that had lyrics to a song about what it means to be a Child of God. The main theme of the song was that because God has chosen us as children, we are free from the slavery of fear. Fear is something that can really be used to attack Christians. Fears about the future, fears about relationships, and I guess even fears about paper cuts (keep your papers away from Bre!). But Flunk encouraged us with some scriptures about how we are given the right through Christ, to be children of God and because of that we should be confident and trusting in God. After all, he made a way for us to be saved and has continued to be faithful throughout all eternity, why would he not be faithful in our futures, our relationships, etc. After that, she had us write down three of our fears. Then we got together with a teammate and shared those fears, talked through them, and were able to pray for each other about them. I know I always say this, but Cedarville is such an awesome place! I'm so glad God brought me and all of my teammates and coaches together here so that together we could grow closer to God and help each other in our Christian walks!
Then it was back to basketball business on Thursday and Friday with even more preparation for Saturday.
Saturday afternoon we had the opportunity to watch a bunch of former players run up and down the court during the Alumni Game. I was definitely impressed, it's hard for me to run up and down the court that much and I'm a current player! I think the best part of the Alumni Game for our current team were the amount of little kids and babies that were around during the day! My teammates didn't have to "call dibs" on holding Finn because there were plenty of babies that needed to be taken care of while their moms showed their stuff out on the court!
My personal favorite part of the day was seeing a lot of past teammates who I don't get to see very often! It's really fun to reminisce about old memories and to learn what people are up to after basketball and after Cedarville!
After the final buzzer, it was off to Panera for our favorite pregame meal, if only there was one in Cedarville! Our team would probably keep it in business by ourselves!
Then came time for us to suit up. This was a pretty important game for us, as the winner would probably host the G-MAC Tournament. We had prepared all week for it and were excited to finally get on the court. Unfortunately, it just wasn't our night. We ended up losing, but I have to give credit to Ursuline, they really played well. This wasn't the way us seniors and Coach Martin wanted our last regular season home game to end, but the reality is that we have a few games left, including the most important ones in the first week of March. We were disappointed with the loss but in no way are we discouraged. We know we have a lot left to give and are ready to take on Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins as we travel to West Virginia this week.
I have to give a few shout outs, because Saturday's atmosphere was the coolest I've EVER played in. I couldn't see any of the blue bleachers. Instead, I saw tons of students and friends of the program standing up and cheering the entire game. Students, thank you so much for coming out to our game, I hope you enjoyed your Chick-fil-A sandwiches as well as our game, because we sure enjoyed having you there! Also, thank you to everyone who was involved in marketing for our game, you obviously did an awesome job! Thank you to the baseball team and a few others for stalking on Social Media every single player on Ursuline's team and for being obnoxious an hour before the game even started!
Also, I think I can speak for all alumni and current players, thank you to Coach Martin for all of the years you've given to Cedarville University, and for all the lives you have invested in on and off the court. I know you have helped me grow in so many ways throughout these four years!
We couldn't help but smile at all the support we had on Saturday (whether it was for Coach Martin, for us seniors, or just for the free food) that is how sports should always feel!
I've heard this a lot lately, "the end of an era." While I understand the statement, I just wanted to remind you all that Saturday's game was not yet the end. Coach Martin will definitely leave a legacy, but he still has multiple games to coach, and our team has multiple games left to play. We aren't finished yet. In fact, we are coming upon some of the most important games of our season. We are excited and ready to come back full force on Thursday and Saturday, so don't quit on us just yet!
In the words of Kid President:
"We're really glad you're here. We don't say that enough to each other. Because, well, life gets busy. You're gonna be important. And you're gonna do a lot, and you're gonna smell great. But don't get too busy."-TDawg
Feb. 15, 2016The week after a long road trip is always jam-packed with homework and exams to make up. So for the first couple days of the week, you could find a majority of your Lady Jackets in the classroom or at some sort of desk somewhere just trying to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully, we have a lot of really understanding professors who care more about whether we win or lose than the fact that we missed their class! Even though we didn't have practice on Monday, it was still a busy week for a lot of us!
Tuesday and Wednesday we were back at it, working hard for our two conference games coming up! The coaches, as usual, worked us hard and prepared us well all week, so by the time Thursday came around, we were ready to go! And by we, I mean everyone on the team other than me! For those of you who noticed that I was missing, it was because I had to travel back to Wisconsin for a Medical School Interview. For those of you who didn't notice I was missing, I totally understand, I mean my teammates really took care of business and won handily against Salem International!
Friday was the actual interview day for me, so again I missed out on practice and everything my teammates were up to that day. Sorry I don't have any fun updates on Friday, but it sounded like it was a day full of preparation for Saturday and fine-tuning a few things.
Just want to send a thank you to all of you who were praying for me and a HUGE thank you to my coaches and teammates who care enough about me and my future that they let me miss a game!
Then came Saturday, our annual Pink Game (KJ's favorite game of the year). We got to pull out our beautiful pink jerseys, but unfortunately we all don't get to wear our usual numbers. While we were shooting before the game, to make sure that he got the book right and to avoid a technical, Coach went around and was asking all of us what our numbers were in our pink jerseys. So he asked Buckley, she said 20. He asked Kaitlyn, she said 22. He asked KJ, she said 23, and so on... Then he got to Abby, our point guard, the one person on the team who Coach claims should know what he means more than anyone else. So he asked her for her number, and she rattled of her phone number, and was serious! Everyone in the gym stopped what they were doing and died laughing, it was hysterical!
On a more serious note, because it was our Pink Game, Abby chose her honorary coach to be her sister Sarah, who is a breast cancer survivor. Through Abby's stories of her sister's fight with cancer, Sarah has been a testimony to our team on how to handle adversity. She continually trusted God's goodness and sovereignty and has shown Abby, as well as our whole team, what it looks like to have unshakeable faith. Sarah is now 1-0 against cancer and 1-0 as an honorary coach! We did get the W against Ohio Valley, and now have a full week to prepare for Ursuline.
This Saturday, February 20th, is Alumni Weekend, Senior Night, and a Celebration for Coach Martin as this is his last regular season home game as well! We are looking forward to such a special night, and at the same time realize the weight of the game before us. Ursuline is a great team with a lot of offensive weapons, and it is really important for us to get a win. We need the gym to be packed.
I'm kind of biased, but I think there's a great group of seniors being recognized, and we'd really appreciate to play our last regular season home game in front of the biggest crowd we've seen in our four years. The game starts at 5:30 p.m.! I hear the first 520 students to the game get a FREE Chick-fil-A sandwich after our game, so use
#520by520 to spread the word on social media, and tell all your friends!
In the words of Kid President:
"Together we're louder."-TDawg
Feb. 8, 2016Hey y'all! Wait... y'all? Sorry, I think I've been in the south too long! This week started with two focused practices on Monday and Tuesday, we knew we had a big week ahead. Then Wednesday, after a long bus ride down to our hotel in Kentucky, we got right back on the bus to go to practice to prepare for Thursday's game. Thankfully, the coaches knew it had been a long day and that we'd be hungry, so after practice they took us to the Moonlite BBQ Inn, a great restaurant with a glorious buffet.
After we had eaten our fill, and then some, we went back to the hotel for worship lead by Justice and a devotional time lead by the men's chaplain, Dr. Scott Dixon. This lesson included stories of Dr. Dixon's basketball career, his attempts to impress girls, and how both of those things went wrong. But on a more serious note, he taught us how we are born desiring attention, and that God's attention is enough for us. It was a good message for us to hear with a game coming up that would be streamed on national television. We are fortunate at Cedarville to be able to come together as two teams to worship and learn about God, but also to use the sport we love to glorify Him.
After devotionals we had a block of time to just hang out or do some homework. Homework on the road is sometimes a struggle, especially after a long, tiring day--just ask Jamie about her experience. She provided some hilarious entertainment for a few of us seniors who are a little more used to having to do homework during road trips.
Then came Thursday... After tying the record for three-pointers made in a game just a few days before, we came out shooting 2-for-30 from beyond the arc. You just can't win a basketball game shooting that poorly. Unfortunately Kentucky Wesleyan handed us our first G-MAC loss, but I think it focused us a little more for the games we have left in conference.
Despite how we felt the night before, the sun came up Friday morning, so we woke up and got back on the bus to head for Nashville, TN. We went straight to the gym for practice, where the coaches gave us a few challenges to get better and play like we know we can. After practice, we had another walk-through in a room downstairs which was adjoined to a classroom where some Trevecca students were taking a test. After Coach Martin was told to quiet down by one of the students, we headed upstairs to watch some film and wait for the men to finish practicing.
Later that night, we were able to spend a little time in downtown Nashville. We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner, which was absolutely delicious, and then walked around for a few hours. As a senior, it's pretty cool to think about all the places that a little orange ball has allowed me to travel. If it weren't for basketball, I would have never been to Nashville, or Anchorage, or Panama, or a lot of other sweet places throughout my four years of college.
Saturday was a big day for us. A game on national TV right after a big loss just two days before, everyone was wondering how we would respond. After 20 minutes of just trying to get comfortable in a hostile environment, the coaches challenged us at halftime to get focused and get the job done. Fortunately, we responded. We slowly chipped away at Trevecca's lead and then built a lead of our own, and after four huge free throws by KJ, we came out with the win. I learned a lot about my teammates that game and their desire to win. It sure is fun to go to battle with those girls. I also learned how big of an impact students can have on a game. The Trevecca student section had learned every one of our names, they cheered and heckled constantly, and made that gym a really fun place to play. And honestly, it looked like they were having quite a bit of fun themselves.
Students, I hear it all the time, "there's nothing fun to do in Cedarville." If you are looking for something really fun, come to our next three home games (February 11th, 13th, and 20th) and cheer on your Lady Jackets. If a bunch of students in a city like Nashville can take time to fill a gym at 1:00 on a Saturday afternoon, a bunch of students in Cedarville can too! Let's try to fill up Callan like the student body used to!
Before I sign out, I have to give a shout out to our cheerleaders who came all the way to Nashville to support us! That was awesome! Not only were they there, but they definitely out-did Trevecca's cheerleaders and the two guys in the student section who were trying their hand at some stunts! Thanks so much for supporting us! You guys are the best!
As always, a quote from Kid President:
"What will you create to make the world awesome? Nothing if you keep sitting there. That's why I'm talking to you today. This is your time, this is my time. It's our time, if we can make everyday better for each other, if we're all on the same team let's start acting like it."-TDawg
Feb. 2, 2016Man, this week flew by!! We started off the week with three very focused practice days and worked on all sorts of stuff. The biggest focus was our defense and how we were going to stop two very gifted offensive teams. Our coaching staff put together a great scouting report for us and we focused hard all week to get it into our heads!
Wednesday night was a great night for us as we were able to get back out to Mrs. Coe's house for the first time in awhile for Bible study again. She always prepares such a wonderful lesson for us and this week was no exception. We learned about Simon (Peter) in Luke 5 and how Jesus told him to put down his net, and even though Simon probably thought "really Jesus? We didn't catch anything all night and you're telling me to put my net down again?" he still did what Jesus said. His reasoning? "At your word, I will..." Mrs. Coe encouraged us to trust and obey Jesus even when we don't feel like it or we don't understand because He has our best in mind. I think I can speak for a lot of the girls when I say that this message came at the perfect time!
Thursday night was just an awesome night, we played an all-around beautiful team game. We were a well-oiled machine, and we just flat out got the job done. The game plan was perfect and we followed it to a T! Shout out to Kaitlyn and all of the team for the defensive effort they showed! I don't know about you guys, but watching Kaitlyn go out there and give it her all fires me up and makes me want to play harder right along with her! Davis & Elkins is a great team, but we came out strong and got a big W!
Saturday night was awesome for a different reason, our offense just clicked! We tied the school record for number of 3's made and Doc had seven of them herself! Abby had 11 assists, and KJ became the career scoring leader in the G-MAC! Do I have some studly teammates or what?! Every single one of them is so talented and I think we're starting to realize just how good we can be! Even though our defense wasn't as tough as it was on Thursday, we made up for it in our ability to score points that night, it was incredible!
Only one thing was missing those two nights....students filling the stands! We may be biased but we think we're pretty fun to watch :) We play down in Kentucky and Tennessee this week, but we're back home on February 11th and 13th and we're hoping to see more people in Callan!!
It's a big week for us as we begin the second round of conference play, and we have a long road trip ahead of us, so you can continue to pray for perseverance and safety for us! Thanks!
To close, as always, a message from the beloved Kid President:
"Being a person is hard sometimes. You should give people high fives just for getting out of bed."-TDawg
Jan. 26, 2016Well this was a pretty uneventful week for your Lady Yellow Jackets. We had one game on Thursday so Monday through Wednesday were spent preparing for that and just trying to make ourselves better at lots of different things.
Our game against Bluefield State was not the prettiest game we've played, but we did win pretty handily. I say it wasn't pretty because sometimes you just don't play very well against the teams you think you're supposed to beat. We have been working through that concept a lot this year as a team, because the truth is that in women's basketball, any team can beat anyone on any given night (Gotta give some credit to Coach Martin on that quote). Thankfully, we still came out with a victory, probably because Mac almost out-rebounded the other team by herself! Shout out to her on an awesome game, it was especially fun to play with her and from what I've heard from our fans it was fun to watch as well!
Then we got to Friday, and practice was just 12 players and Coach Martin. Steve got a chance to go watch Coach Ryan (THE Raegan Ryan) and her team, and both Squirt and Flunk were gone too. So in Coach Martin's exact words, "Sorry, T, you're stuck with just me!" As the confident seniors that we are, Whitney and I made fun of him a little bit (as usual) but it really was a good practice and we got a lot accomplished.
You'll never guess what's coming next....WE GOT A SATURDAY OFF! Whaaaaaaat? It was incredible, I found myself wondering, "What do normal college kids do on Saturday?" Usually we have a game, so we have shoot around and then team meal, then the game and family time afterwards. But no, we had a whole Saturday to ourselves. It was beautiful!
But, we are back and focused and ready to go for this Thursday and Saturday as we take on Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus. Like I said, anything can happen on any given night, especially during conference season, so we will be spending the week preparing for these two teams! Hope to see you at our games! (Seriously, we REALLY want to see you at our games, we play a lot better when we see the support we have from our fans rather than the great expanse of empty, blue bleachers.)
Well, in honor of MLK Day this past week, here's a quote from Kid President:
"Dream with me. I have a dream that I can, that WE can make the world better. But not by doing bad stuff and not by being famous. We just need to be cool. I have a dream that everybody can be nice."-TDawg
Jan. 19, 2016Hey Everyone!
It's been kind of a long week here as we started classes up again after a long winter break! Our syllabus shock is wearing off a little bit and we're starting to get back into our roles as student-athletes. Sometimes after winter break it's hard to remember that we're not solely here to play basketball, but to get degrees as well! From what I've been hearing, there are a lot of girls with very difficult and packed schedules, so you can be praying for perseverance and motivation throughout this semester.
After a week of kind of ugly basketball, we had a choice to make about the team that we wanted to be. Our week in practice was spent focusing on getting back to playing like us and doing the little things right. Thursday we took on Wilberforce for the second time this season, and although it wasn't a beautiful game, we did come out with a pretty solid win. Then Friday's practice was all about Ursuline - one of the most important games we would play so far this season. For those of you who don't know, Ursuline was 13-2 coming into the game Saturday and had been getting quite a bit of attention. They are an offensively gifted team, but thankfully, we're a defensively gifted team. We took the floor Saturday focused and excited to be able to play such an important game. I have to brag a bit about my teammates, because they played so hard, and in the words of Coach Martin, "pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and got it done." Saturday was a huuuuuge win for us!
Although the win was awesome, I think the best part of Saturday for the team was the fact that HALEY TYLER CAME BACK TO SURPRISE US! She walked in the gym while we were pre-game shooting, but we all dropped what we were doing and swarmed her. It felt like our team was finally complete again! If you want to see the video of the surprise, check out the Cedarville Women's Basketball Twitter page!
We have one game this week Thursday at 7:00 pm at home. We play Bluefield State and hope to see you all there!
In the words of Kid President:
"A poem: two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the road less traveled...And it hurt man! Really bad! Rocks! Thorns! And glass! NOT COOL ROBERT FROST! But what if there really were two paths? I want the one that leads to awesome."-TDawg
Jan. 11, 2016This past week started off pretty strong as we took on Kentucky Wesleyan. They are a hard-nosed, energetic basketball team who brings 110% every single night. Our coaches had us very prepared for this game, both basketball-wise and mentally, which is important because they just do not give up! It was a hard-fought game, and we all came away with way too many bruises, but we were able to put another mark in the win column on Monday night.
We were still on Winter Break, so we had the opportunity to get off campus with the men's team on Wednesday to go bowling. So after practice, we headed out to Springfield, laced up our beautiful shoes, and hit the lanes. Personally, I'm not very good at bowling, especially without bumpers, so there isn't anything exciting to report here. But Whitney, on the other hand, tied J.C. from the men's team with the highest score of the day with a 148! Unfortunately, Coach Martin didn't bring his blue suede bowling shoes, so we didn't get to see those, but it was still a great time!
Then it was back to business as we took on Ohio Valley on Thursday and Salem on Saturday - both games in West Virginia. We did come out with wins both days, but neither of the games were any sort of pretty, so I'm not going to comment much on them. We're hoping to take some more steps forward as we take on Wilberforce at home on Thursday and head up to Ursuline on Saturday!
This week also marks the start of spring semester, and we're getting into the busiest part of the season which means missing quite a bit of class, so you could continue to pray for us as we go through syllabus shock and get back into the swing of things! One other thing, Reggie started physical therapy this past week and is making great strides on the road to recovery! Praise God!
In the words of Kid President:
"You? You're awesome, you were made that way! You were made from love, to be loved, to spread love. Love is always loud."-TDawg
Jan. 4, 2016Well hello again! I feel like I haven't talked to you all since last year! Sorry for being that person, but it's true! A lot has happened since your Lady Yellow Jackets took on the Last Frontier (AKA Seward's Folly...that one's for you Coach Martin). We were given a week off to go home and hang out with family and friends, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it was a great, restful break! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
This past Monday it was back to work though, we had two practices for the coaches to assess whether we had stayed in shape or not over break. It seemed like for the most part we had! Monday and Tuesday were spent preparing for our game against Wayne State on Wednesday. For those of you who weren't there, we played a pretty good first half and held the lead for a lot of the game, but we had some sort of disconnect in the second half and ended up coming up short. Since this was our last game before conference, we had to take it as a lesson and use what we learned in order to not let that happen again.
If you're wondering what goes on during break when we aren't in the gym preparing for games, I'll sum it up for you in two words: Netflix and Sleep. Except when it's New Year's Eve. After practice on Thursday we all took off for New Madison, Ohio, to spend the night at KJ's house. Shout out to the Sarvers for hosting us and for cooking us some pretty awesome food! When we weren't eating, we were watching football, playing corn hole, ping pong, and KJ even took some of us out to her uncle's barn which holds a basketball court and some batting cages! Overall it was a great way to ring in the New Year!
After midnight, it was time to get some sleep...or not. When you have a team of girls all sleeping on couches and air mattresses in the same room, there is just no way you're going to be able to fall asleep right away. So we started off 2016 with a lovely shadow puppet show from Abby, Bre, and Reggie. It consisted of geese, a buffalo, and even Sid the Sloth. It was entertaining to say the least.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early to drive to Springfield to help out the ladies at Safe Harbor House. If you're not familiar with this ministry, here is a snippet from their website that explains what they're all about:
"Safe Harbor House is dedicated to creating an environment that empowers at-risk women toward healing and wholeness and equips them for productive and quality living."Our job was to empty out a few offices in a church so that the ministry would have office space and a place to hold meetings. The woman who was in charge of us thought maybe six people would show up and it would take 3-4 hours to get everything done. But we brought a total of 16 people and got the cleaning done in about 45 minutes. We ended up being able to do a little extra cleaning and then taped off the walls for the painting that would need to be done and got out of there in about two hours, they couldn't think of anything else they needed us to do! We're just efficient I guess! It's so great to be a part of a team that has a mission to serve God however we can, whether that's on the basketball court or in a random church in Springfield.
Saturday was all business as we took on Trevecca. It was our first G-MAC game and we wanted to come out strong. And that's exactly what we did. I believe we came out on a 15-0 run in the first few minutes of the first quarter, and they just couldn't catch back up to us. It was a great win and we hope it got people talking. We played like the team we have been wanting to be all year.
We're hoping to do the same tonight (Monday) against Kentucky Wesleyan, and then again on Thursday and Saturday as we travel to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia!
Now I'd like to close with some wisdom from Kid President:
"If you can't think of anything nice to say, you're not thinking hard enough."-TDawg
Dec. 23, 2015This past week has seemed like a month and seemed like a day all at the same time. We started off the week with a game against Urbana on Monday. It feels like so long ago, so I don't remember many details other than the fact that we scored 113 points (only 3 points away from the record for most points scored in a game, which was set against Urbana awhile ago).
We woke up the next morning with nothing but Alaska and last-minute packing on our minds. We were all set to get to Alaska late that night as long as everything went according to plan. Well of course, it didn't. We had a delay in Dayton that caused us to miss our connecting flight out of Chicago. Long story short, we spent a short night in a hotel in Seattle, Washington and got to Anchorage the next morning. This, my friends, is what we call "Martin Magic." Flunk did a wonderful job managing all the chaos and we were all happy to finally set our feet on the Alaskan ground, which was covered with snow by the way. (If you have forgotten, snow is that fluffy white stuff that usually covers the ground during this time of year.)
First on our to-do list was Dog Sledding. We were all a bit worried because we didn't have any of our luggage, so we scrambled around for the warmest clothes we could find. Our destination was a dog kennel in Willow, Alaska, home of the three-time Iditarod Champion, Dallas Seavey. If you've never heard of the Iditarod before, it is a 1,000 mile dog-sled race throughout Alaska, and it takes anywhere from 8 to 22 days. Dallas Seavey actually holds the record at 8 days and 13 hours. As we pulled in, we were greeted by over 100 dogs all excited to pull us on a five-mile trail across a frozen marsh. When I say they were excited, I'm not joking. These dogs are built to run and the second the mushers brought out the harnesses, each dog went crazy hoping that they'd be the one to be able to pull the sled. The employees were so great about answering all of our questions, you could just tell that everyone there loved what they did, including the dogs. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we had a blast! Dallas has also gained 21 new fans who will be cheering him on during the Iditarod in March!
We finished up Wednesday night with practice at the beautiful, 110 million dollar Alaska Airlines Center. Despite our jet lag and exhaustion from a long day of travel the day before, we had an alright practice. We returned to the house afterwards to a home-cooked spaghetti meal thanks to our awesome student manager, Kenz.
Thursday morning started off with a two-hour practice and a pancake breakfast afterwards. Next on our to-do list was to climb a mountain. Flunk knew of a recent Cedarville grad who lives in Anchorage and knew all the most beautiful hiking paths, so we met her at the foot of Little O'Malley. Apparently Alaskans use the term "little" pretty loosely, because that was a long, long, long hike. But boy, was it beautiful, we even saw three wild moose on the way! The higher up the mountain we climbed, the more beautiful the scenery got. It took us awhile to make it to the top, so we rested for quite awhile once we got up there. Thankfully, the way down was much quicker and easier. We didn't return to the bottom the way you probably think we did though, there was enough snow in something our guide, Holly, called a "gully" so that we were able to slide down! Talk about the most intense sledding experience I've ever had, and there wasn't even a sled! We all made it down in one piece but probably with a bunch of bumps and bruises. I wish I could explain to you how awesome of an experience this was, but words and pictures just don't do it justice. Throughout the whole trip, there were many conversations going on about how beautiful God's creation is. We came to the conclusion that there is just no way to deny the fact that creation was intentional and that God exists. When you're looking at the beautiful views we were, you can't help but stop and worship God and be in awe of his creation.
In Psalm 33 it says:
"He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the Heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm."Then we ended up a wonderful day at one of the best pizza places in the United States, or so we were told, called Moose's Tooth. It sure lived up to what all the natives said about it! That was some of the best pizza I've ever had, with even better company! When we got back to our house, Steve and Coach beat me and Squirt in some Euchre, and some girls had a wild game of Uno going on. Our bedtime movie was none other than The Proposal, how can you be in Alaska and not watch that movie?!
Friday we made the beautiful drive towards a Wildlife Conservation Center. The drive was probably the best part of the day. We were driving around the time of the sunrise (at 10:30ish a.m.) along a body of water surrounded by huge mountains. The scenery was so beautiful that we couldn't help but pull over and take a bunch of pictures. When we arrived to the conservation center, we saw moose, caribou, some ox, elk, a fox, a wolf, and a bunch of other animals. It was overall just a very cool day! We made it back in time for our pre-game practice and then headed to a semi-pro hockey game afterwards. Most of us had never been to one before, but I think a lot of us really got into it and may start watching more hockey! The arena wasn't too crowded, so we ended up moving down to the front row right beside the penalty box. We were so close that Squirt made friends with the mascot and Flunk snagged a hockey puck!
Saturday and Sunday were business days, what we really came to Alaska for. We put up a really good fight against Alaska Anchorage in the first half of our game on Saturday, but just fell apart in the second half. In an effort to redeem ourselves, we came out strong on Sunday and ended up with a big win against Alaska Fairbanks. We were hoping for 2-0 but leaving for Christmas break with one more win under our belts was satisfying.
As I sit on my warm, cozy couch at home typing this, I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time with your family and friends and don't forget to take time to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for coming into this world, taking on flesh, only to be mocked, shamed, tortured, and crucified in our place. We worship a powerful, loving, and merciful God, may we remember Him as we celebrate this Christmas Season!
In the words of Kid President:
"Life needs you to stop being boring. Being boring is easy. Everybody can be boring, but you're gooder than that."-TDawg
Dec. 14, 2015Well, we made it. We survived finals week and we are done with first semester. It's hard to describe the type of freedom that brings! Now our focus has shifted to catching up on sleep!
Since we didn't have a game until Saturday, we had a pretty quiet week basketball-wise. The coaches were very kind and gave us one day off this week to focus on our studies and try get a little extra sleep, so we had four days of practice to prepare for Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Unfortunately, we didn't come out as strong as we would have liked on Saturday. I honestly believe that we were trying to work hard and do better, but we just couldn't seem to get out of the funk that we were in. We still ended up with the win, we just wish it would've been a little prettier.
In other news, we had to say goodbye to a integral part of our team this week. Haley finished out the semester strong but is taking a little time off this next semester. Thankfully, she has plans to visit us and come to a few more games so we are looking forward to seeing her again! If you didn't get the chance to know Haley Tyler, you really missed out on an awesome human being. Haley brought an energy like no other to our team, and she had the biggest servant's heart. We definitely miss her already but are excited to see her again soon!
We have three games coming up this week, the first being at home against Urbana University on Monday. Urbana is always a tough team and is a fun rivalry for us, so we are looking forward to redeeming ourselves from our performance on Saturday and hope to show you guys a great game right here in Cedarville at 7:00 pm!
Tuesday we start our trek to Alaska! We have been looking forward to this trip since the beginning of the season last year when Coach Martin told us there was a possibility it would happen. There will only be about 5.5 hours of daylight while we're there, but our coaches have still got some awesome stuff planned for us to do! Saturday we take on Alaska Anchorage and Sunday we take on Alaska Fairbanks. These are two very good basketball teams but we are ready for the challenge!
One last thing, Reggie has her ACL surgery on Tuesday, so we would appreciate your prayers for a successful surgery! She has kept a great attitude this whole time, and we are excited for her to get on the road to recovery!
Now, in light of the week we just had, here's some encouragement from Kid President:
"What if Michael Jordan would have quit? Well, he did quit.. wait no he retired. But before that, in high school, what if he would have quit when he didn't make the team? He would have never made Space Jam... and I LOVE Space Jam."-TDawg
Dec. 8, 2015It's amazing the impact winning can have on our confidence as a team, especially when we win the way we did this week. Not only did we come out of two games with the most points, but we also played hard and played well, and that's what we're shooting for every night we step out on the court. Coach Martin often tells us, "I truly believe God doesn't care about wins and losses, but He does reward hard work." And we sure worked hard this week, and it was fun.
Tuesday night, something more special than winning happened. Our very own Kayla Linkous became the 23rd (coincidence?) Cedarville women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. I don't know about you, but I think that is AWESOME! KJ has a knack for scoring if you couldn't already tell, and it was so cool to see her sink a three-pointer to put her over the 1,000 point mark! If you missed the shot and want to see it, the link is below!
Kayla Linkous scores 1,000th career pointBesides our success during games, we also had some really good practices this week. We're starting to get back to full health and full strength and we're morphing into the team that we always knew we could be.
Sometimes during practice, we split up into posts and guards so we can work on our respective skills. This week, Flunk and Squirt were running the guard section and they got out the big pads that we call "big blue" so that they could help us practice finishing layups with contact. At one point, Squirt was working so hard that she swallowed her gum and almost choked! And Flunk was having waaaay too much fun down by the hoop hitting us as hard as she could. I think both of them were sweating more than we were. We're thankful for our coaches who are committed to instilling toughness in us and so willing to get a little sweaty to help us get better!
Saturday morning, since our game was so late in the afternoon, we had the opportunity to help out with the Little Town of Lights breakfast at the United Presbyterian Church in town. The people there were so kind and funny and we had a blast setting tables and cooking breakfast. We also met one of our biggest fans at the breakfast, and unfortunately we didn't catch her name! But she was asking all of us who we were, so we would tell her our name and our number and she knew all of us, even details about our games and how we play! We love meeting committed fans like her, and are thankful for the support we get from the community of Cedarville! I think I say this every week, but I'm not ashamed and I'll say it again: this is such a special place. We were also really impressed with all of the people who signed up for the 5K and ran in the freezing cold that morning! Good for all of you!! But I think we'll stick to running inside a gym. :)
We have a pretty good relationship with the Wilberforce University women's team, so it's always a good time when we get together. If you guys aren't aware, we write notes to all the teams we play to try share the Gospel in word form, not only by the way we play. Wilberforce has always been the most grateful and sweet team when they get their notes, and we usually end up being able to chat with them after the game no matter win or lose. The Gospel breaks barriers, even barriers between people who are opponents on the basketball court, and we love being able to bring that Gospel everywhere we go.
We're coming upon finals week now, so we don't play until Saturday. Normally, this is a week of mental exhaustion and sleep deprivation, so we'd appreciate prayers for motivation to study and a little extra brain power!
I know it's been a sad few weeks in the world, there's so many devastating things happening. So here's a little encouragement from the beloved Kid President:
"Next time you feel overwhelmed or completely helpless, remember this: things don't have to be the way they are. The world is changed by ordinary people. Little people living out big love!"-TDawg
Nov. 30, 2015This past week was a pretty short one basketball-wise. On Monday, we traveled up to Big Rapids, Michigan to practice at Ferris State before playing them on Tuesday. This was our first road trip with the men, so the bus was a little bit crowded. After 6+ hours of driving we were all ready to lace up our shoes and get to practicing because we were all going a little stir-crazy! We had a very good pre-game practice and looked forward to playing the next night.
The next morning after film and game-planning, Dr. Scott Dixon (the men's chaplain) led us in a time of worship and thankfulness. Justice from the men's team played his guitar and led us through a few worship songs like "I've Found a Love," and "How Great is Our God." It was cool to be able to worship with so many people in the hotel lobby, definitely something that you don't get to do anywhere else! Like I said last week, Cedarville is a special place! After the songs, we did a type of popcorn prayer where you have to start the sentence with, "Lord, I'm thankful that/for..." and then fill in the last part. It was great to center our hearts on gratefulness, especially when it's so easy to focus on all the frustrations around us. We have a God who loves us and blesses us in ways we don't even understand, both through the good times and through the trials and we need to be thankful!
Later, during our pre-game meal at Panera, we were all enjoying our food and conversation when we noticed something strange going on outside of the window. A young man and woman were standing outside a car talking and they both looked pretty upset. All of us were sure a break-up was happening right before our eyes...well everyone except Coach Martin, he didn't believe us. Then we watched an awkward hug and both of them walked to their separate cars, and we decided that the girl had just broken up with the guy. Mac must've had a little bit of a crush on this broken-hearted man because she piped up and said "Mac can make it all better!"
As for the actual game, we finally were able to put both ends of the floor together and we got a big win over Ferris State! It's always great to get a win right before a break so that we can go home and enjoy our families and friends without distractions!
That is exactly what we did - everyone was able to head home for Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our break but we are back on campus now preparing for our two games this week! It's back to business as our season is in full swing and we're a few days out from finals week!
Oh, we're also starting to get some of our injuries under control now but there are some girls who are a bit under the weather, so keep us in your prayers! We're so thankful for all of you who constantly lift us up!
In the words of Kid President,
"Throw kindness around like confetti, kindness is less messy."-TDawg
Nov. 23, 2015This week was a tough one for us for reasons on and off the basketball court. We still have quite a few lingering injuries and some sickness, so we would appreciate your continued prayers. We also found out that Reggie's ACL was torn in our game against ODU, so she is starting the process of doctor appointments and surgery, and everything that goes along with an injury like that. As a sisterhood, we all hurt when one of us hurts, but Reggie has maintained a positive attitude and is choosing to trust God and his goodness through it all.
So apparently it's been 24 years since Cedarville women's basketball has won a game in which they scored less than 50 points. We just wanted to make sure that Coach Martin also had that achievement in his career before he left, sorry for everyone who was watching and almost had a heart attack! I can assure you, we had it under control the whole time ;). Also, I just wanted to give a shout out to Coach Emily Williams who accidentally called the play that opened Doc up for the 3 that put us ahead of UIndy. And a shout out to Doc who put the team on her back! It sure feels good to win.
Our home opener on Saturday against Tiffin did not have quite the same outcome. We came out very slow and just couldn't seem to catch up the whole rest of the game. We know it is still early and that we still have a lot to work on. We have not yet arrived at where we want to be, but we are hoping to use games like this as lessons that will equip us for games later in our season and on into conference play.
The Thanksgiving season is upon us, so I want to take a moment to tell you a few things our team is thankful for. This is by no means an exhaustive list!
We are thankful for:-14 crazy teammates who have turned into friends and sisters, who we can walk with through the ups and downs of life.
-the opportunity to share prayer requests with teammates and the knowledge that they are actually praying about them.
-our dedicated fans who love us and pray for us whether we're winning or losing. (A special shout out to Melinda Howard who, despite everything she's been through, has committed to being our prayer warrior and has told us specifically how she is praying for us.) We know there are so many of you out there who continually lift us up, and we appreciate it!
-a coaching staff that cares about our maturity and our walks with Christ as well as how good we are at basketball.
-all of the awesome staff members who keep our facilities, game day productions, and practices running smoothly. Where would we be without you guys?!
-our families, who have sacrificed so much for us to be able to play college basketball and who continue to be our biggest fans.
-Most of all, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was sinless but became sin and endured the cross on our behalf, so that we could be reconciled to the Father.
There are so many things we are thankful for here at Cedarville. It is a special place and we are aware of how very fortunate we are to be here. Thank you to everyone who has made our time here so wonderful!
This week we travel to Ferris State to take on the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Prayers for safe travel there, back, and then home would be appreciated!
In the words of Kid President,
"You wanna make the world more awesome? Be awesome! The secret is treating people awesome. What does that mean? Treat everyone like it's their birthday, and I mean everybody."-TDawg
Nov. 17, 2015Choose joy - this phrase has been the theme of our week. The grind of everyday practice and twice-a-week lifting, plus finding time for homework assignments and exams can get you down sometimes. But during a family meeting at Bible study, we reminded ourselves of when we were younger and how we used to dream of being college basketball players. For a lot of us, this opportunity is a dream come true, and how can you not have joy when you're living your dreams? Sometimes, joy is a choice that goes completely against your nature, and sometimes it comes more naturally. But the Bible tells us to "Rejoice Always," so we are choosing to do so as we use the gifts God has given us to play college basketball.
Thursday morning, we traveled the four hours to Philippi, WV, to play two tough opponents, and as KJ said, "West Virginia is the worst state in Ohio." (Yes, you read that right.) We spent those four hours singing along to what we consider "oldies-but-goodies" even though Coach Martin told us he had never heard the songs. That is, until we stumbled upon Justin Bieber and the High School Musical soundtrack - then he sang right along with us. I think I even heard Steve tapping his fingers to the beat.
Thursday we were able to practice at Alderson Broaddus, but Friday morning for our walk-through, we decided to stay a little closer to the hotel. We were forbidden to post pictures of the Rec Center on social media, but let me explain it to you. Red tile-ish floors, double rims, and a court that spanned about half the length of a normal college basketball floor. But with grateful hearts we were able to get some shots up and run through the game plan for Ashland later that night.
Friday and Saturday we went up against two very tough opponents, and unfortunately did not come out on top. But, as Flunk says, "Losses often teach us more than wins." So we are taking these games as learning opportunities, being encouraged by the effort we showed, and focusing on getting better and better. Saturday was an especially difficult game, as we took Ohio Dominican University into double overtime. We were missing Abby, KJ, and Reggie due to injuries, but we had lots of players step up and we didn't skip a beat. I am proud of the toughness my teammates showed during these games and am looking forward to going to battle with them again Tuesday at Indianapolis and then Saturday right here in Cedarville vs. Tiffin!
We would appreciate your prayers for our three injured players (Reggie, KJ, and Abby) that they would heal fully and quickly so that they can get back out on the court with us and stay there!
Here's some more encouragement from Kid President,
"It's like that dude Journey said, 'Don't stop believing, unless your dream is stupid, then you should get a better dream.' I think that's how it goes. Get a better dream then keep goin', keep goin', keep goin', and keep goin'!"
-TDawg
Nov. 12, 2015Well, it’s that time of year again! Another preseason has come and gone and we are only a few days away from our first game of the year! The past few months have flown by, and the Lady Jackets are working hard to prepare for a big season. We have some big shoes to fill after an exciting season last year, but we are up to the challenge and ready to get back at it!
We have added three new players to our roster this year. One of our freshmen is Ellie Juengel (pronounced "Jungle" for all of you who are as confused as I was), Jamie Dodane (my lovely roommate), and Christina McQueen (We all call her Mac, you can too!) We are so happy to welcome them all to our family!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Taylor Vander Plas (AKA "TDawg") and I am a senior (whaaaaat?!) biology/pre-med major. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and am so thankful that God faithfully brought me eight hours away to play basketball at a wonderful school like Cedarville.
The highlight of our year so far has definitely been our team retreat. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to watch Coach Martin stumble around during paint ball this year, but we definitely came away with less bruises and just as many laughs! We are so thankful to Reggie and her family for allowing us to take over her cabin for a few days up in beautiful Amish Country.
We started off the retreat with a costume contest; our themes were Santa and his Elves, A Chicken and her Eggs, and Hey Diddle, Diddle. If you want to witness the costumes, check out our retreat video on YouTube! You won’t be sorry! We spent the rest of that day on a scavenger hunt through the woods that Flunk and Squirt put together for us. Lets just say we probably sprinted 2-3 miles, but we had a blast doing it and are so thankful for our creative coaches! We had a few more team activities the next day that included relay races, egg tossing, volleyball, bobbing for apples and some impromptu swimming in the Hochstetler’s pond. Seriously, check out the video - it was hilarious and so much fun!
Click here to watch Lady Jacket retreat videoAnother important part of our season is our Team Bible Study. This year Kristi Coe is our chaplain and she’s doing a wonderful job leading us through the book of Luke. So far, we’ve been talking quite a bit about the difference between our goals and God’s purposes. We’re so thankful that Mrs. Coe has devoted her Wednesday nights to helping us grow closer to Jesus!
This past Friday was Moonlight Madness, and it was a blast! Wanted to say a big thank you to all the students who made it out to the gym and made it such a fun atmosphere to play in! This was the last time Whitney, KJ, Doc, and I would be able to participate in this event, so we got the opportunity to shoot in the three-point contest against the men…AND WE WON! Girls rule :) Shout out to our awesome rebounders, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Lastly, as a lot of you may have heard, we have added a fifth senior to our roster this year - Coach Martin will be graduating from the program with Whitney, KJ, Doc, and me this year. Thankfully he let our team know about his retirement early so that we would have a little time to adjust to the news well before our games started. As is somewhat common for our team, we were all a bit confused - we wondered why he was retiring and concluded that either he was mad, sick, dying, or something really serious was going on with him or his family that we didn’t know about. We wondered and worried all night and on into the next morning until we received an email from Coach titled, "GOOBERS!" He eased our worries and let us know that he was not, in fact, mad, sick, or dying, and he capped the email off with a typical Martin "LOL." We are very happy to know that anger and sickness are not the reasons and we are also very excited for Coach Hoffman (are we allowed to call her "Flunk" anymore?) to take over next year.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ve got some business to attend to and our team is very focused on making this an awesome year! Coach Martin and the rest of the staff have been working hard to prepare us for the season, and my teammates and I have been putting in all of our effort as well!
We travel to Alderson Broaddus this weekend to take on 15th-ranked Ashland as well as Ohio Dominican University! We appreciate your prayers for safe travels and the boldness to proclaim the Gospel everywhere we go!
In the words of my role model, Kid President,
"You're awake, you're awesome, live like it."-TDawg
Taylor Vander Plas is a 5-foot-9 senior guard from Ripon, Wisc. She is in her final season with the Lady Jackets and is a Dean's List student majoring in biology/pre-med.
