What a week
Feb. 1st, 2004 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wildravenSo many mixed emotions.
Monday morning, found out one of the "swing" players, girls who practice with varsity but play with my team here and there, brought alcohol to the school dance and got badly drunk. She's gone for at least 2 weeks by school policy, but I believe we will probably kick her off for the season. She got badly drunk (alcohol poisoning). This is no longer about punishment, it's about trying to do what it will take to make sure her life does not go down a certain path. I wish I knew what the best thing to do is. I want to sit her down and talk, but I'm sure she's probably sick of lectures at this point. I'll have to see.
Monday afternoon, found out I lost another former student. Such a nice kid who just never got over a horrible incident/accident from when he was 12. (accidently shot friend's 2-year-old brother while they were playing with friend's father's gun) He had seemed to have been doing so well. I had just seen him a few months ago. Drug overdose at age 21. Unsure if it was accidental or intentional.
Made for a sucky Tuesday. Took off during the school day to go to wake/funeral.
Wished there was something I could have done. Wished I could have seen it coming. damn. really nice kid too...
Ran from finding out this news at 3:30 Monday to coaching a girls game at 5 Monday. Another club team, so we lost 3-1, but we played really well. Did a good job stopping their 2 star players after the 1st period. Can't remember much else about the game.
Tuesday sucked.
Had a good and necessary practice Tuesday night. Got my mind off of #$&%.
Wednesday, my girls were missing 3 of our players, including our best (called up to Varsity to replace girl kicked off for alcohol). 10 skaters became 9 when one of my other first-liners got a concussion in the first.
Before the game, I had found out there were some minor issues about one or two of the girls being perceived as being selfish with the puck and only caring about themselves and whether they score. I pulled the team in before the game and we discussed. We talked about how we win as a team or lose as a team, how a game of one-on-five would be silly and impossible. We talked about looking to make the right passes, not just passing to the person who we think will score. The girls seemed to listen. Before the game, the older girls pulled the whole team into a circle with their sticks up in the air in front of our goal. They all dedicated to work as a team, play hard but clean, and win or lose together.
Losing with 6 minutes left, minus two of my best three players, the girls skating more than they'd ever skated all year, we scored 3 goals in 5 minutes to win 3-2. I can't tell you how amazing it was to watch them step it up two notches. They fought for loose pucks, won battles in the corner... When an already physical game got more physical, my 6th-10th graders out-battled a team of 9th-10th graders to come-from-behind and do it. They moved the puck to each other well and supported each other as a team. My goalie even made a game-saving left-pad save with 45 seconds left to seal it.
wow...
The girls had really pulled together as a team and I told them how proud I was of them.
Funny side note: It was the nicest bus-ride home ever. They were so exhausted by all that skating, battling, and the emotions... they crashed. At one point, all but one player had her eyes closed as they rode home.
Nice win... big win...
Our record vs. fellow-JV teams is now 7-1.
Friday eve was a fun eve. Played Cities and Knights. Rachel won.
Off to Superbowl party tonight. Go Pats!
Monday morning, found out one of the "swing" players, girls who practice with varsity but play with my team here and there, brought alcohol to the school dance and got badly drunk. She's gone for at least 2 weeks by school policy, but I believe we will probably kick her off for the season. She got badly drunk (alcohol poisoning). This is no longer about punishment, it's about trying to do what it will take to make sure her life does not go down a certain path. I wish I knew what the best thing to do is. I want to sit her down and talk, but I'm sure she's probably sick of lectures at this point. I'll have to see.
Monday afternoon, found out I lost another former student. Such a nice kid who just never got over a horrible incident/accident from when he was 12. (accidently shot friend's 2-year-old brother while they were playing with friend's father's gun) He had seemed to have been doing so well. I had just seen him a few months ago. Drug overdose at age 21. Unsure if it was accidental or intentional.
Made for a sucky Tuesday. Took off during the school day to go to wake/funeral.
Wished there was something I could have done. Wished I could have seen it coming. damn. really nice kid too...
Ran from finding out this news at 3:30 Monday to coaching a girls game at 5 Monday. Another club team, so we lost 3-1, but we played really well. Did a good job stopping their 2 star players after the 1st period. Can't remember much else about the game.
Tuesday sucked.
Had a good and necessary practice Tuesday night. Got my mind off of #$&%.
Wednesday, my girls were missing 3 of our players, including our best (called up to Varsity to replace girl kicked off for alcohol). 10 skaters became 9 when one of my other first-liners got a concussion in the first.
Before the game, I had found out there were some minor issues about one or two of the girls being perceived as being selfish with the puck and only caring about themselves and whether they score. I pulled the team in before the game and we discussed. We talked about how we win as a team or lose as a team, how a game of one-on-five would be silly and impossible. We talked about looking to make the right passes, not just passing to the person who we think will score. The girls seemed to listen. Before the game, the older girls pulled the whole team into a circle with their sticks up in the air in front of our goal. They all dedicated to work as a team, play hard but clean, and win or lose together.
Losing with 6 minutes left, minus two of my best three players, the girls skating more than they'd ever skated all year, we scored 3 goals in 5 minutes to win 3-2. I can't tell you how amazing it was to watch them step it up two notches. They fought for loose pucks, won battles in the corner... When an already physical game got more physical, my 6th-10th graders out-battled a team of 9th-10th graders to come-from-behind and do it. They moved the puck to each other well and supported each other as a team. My goalie even made a game-saving left-pad save with 45 seconds left to seal it.
wow...
The girls had really pulled together as a team and I told them how proud I was of them.
Funny side note: It was the nicest bus-ride home ever. They were so exhausted by all that skating, battling, and the emotions... they crashed. At one point, all but one player had her eyes closed as they rode home.
Nice win... big win...
Our record vs. fellow-JV teams is now 7-1.
Friday eve was a fun eve. Played Cities and Knights. Rachel won.
Off to Superbowl party tonight. Go Pats!
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Date: 2004-02-02 04:39 pm (UTC)