Preseason - Day Four

contributed by Frannie Hogan '11

TGIF! Day 4 of preseason is over, and the team is getting more in sync every day. While the freshmen attended a mandatory "Meet Your Advisor" session, the rest of the team enjoyed a short and sweet morning practice. Jammin' tunes were provided by Kristina Vaci, (the most popular of which was probably the infamous "Discovery Channel") much to the chagrin of sleepy Village Apartment residents who preferred their sleep without a soundtrack. Yet I can't manage to find sympathy for those who stayed in their air-conditioned rooms while we got our sweat on in the heat.
First came small (5 vs 2) and large (12 vs 7) possession games, then skill ladders with Coach Taylor. After dividing the team between the sophomores and the upperclassmen, girls partnered up and tried to complete as many back-and-forth skill sets as possible to earn points. Trapping, heading and juggling skills were the main focus. While the sophomores made a valiant effort, the upperclassmen were victorious in all the challenges. But any sadness over the loss quickly dissolved when Coach Tiff informed us she would provide dinner from Chipotle. We all know meals that contain over 1,000 calories of goodness are the best.

The afternoon practice began with a heated game of handball. Although Coach offered up extra points for unique or humorous goal celebrations, cool and exciting ones were noticeably absent. She took mercy on our weary legs by working on near-post, far-post and slot runs to the goal with crosses from the outside. Getting the timing down took some work, but the team worked well putting the drill into practice when we transitioned into 5 v 5 games. Still working on possession and transition, the small-sided games helped create an environment where taking shots and scoring goals was the focus.

Our final evening session was a "Team Effectiveness Workshop" led by Tiff's former college roommate and teammate. With Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" as a guideline, the team learned more about potential roadblocks to success - Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability and Inattention to Results. A "Vision Web" exercise had the team split in two, with some players coaching others to complete a task that only the coachers could see. Communication was vital, and some of the problems the team encountered gave insight into how it can improve. While the issues and their solutions aren't of rocket science material, it was helpful for us to learn about being open with each other to create a foundation of trust, write down solid, realistic goals, remember to put the good of the team before ourselves individually and to keep in mind that, ultimately, we need to hold each other accountable if the team wants to improve and grow. The 2 hour session was insightful, as we learned that future dentist/orthodontist Ana Arruda grew up with part of her front tooth missing; that we have several former high school Quizbowl members; that Cecilia loves Giraffes; and that Coach Tiff used to be a unibrow kid.