Tournament Time

So it appears I need 2 days of updating going on here J

 Wednesday I must admit I made myself sore and I’m afraid to disclose it to my little basketball team.  I definitely felt like I was my father on Wednesday with my little basketball kids.  We were working on a special defense trap to pull out for Saturday’s game and I realized I never actually showed them how to “properly” slide on defense. They were doing so well at being a terrorizer regarding “in their face” I forgot to show them otherwise.  So I couldn’t get them to grasp the concept of the diagonal stance of defense to push them into a trap.  Then it hit me…the dreaded defensive slide drills……and I was my father in the split of a second.  “LINE UP”. 

Realizing this was the first time they had done this I was going to have to lead by example showing them how (and that pretty much meant showing EACH ONE OF THEM SEPERATLY how).  That’s all fun and games until the next day when I realize just how sore I am because I haven’t used “basketball muscles” in quite some time.  I feel bad that I found it funny when they were “hating” the burn in their legs and voicing it through the drill….”COOOOOACCCHHHH”  There was a little bit of massive confusion with what to do, but I think they did very well (it was certainly the quietest I have ever heard them at practice).  It also helped me discover something to pressure them with when they have their “Wild Wednesday” spells of craziness.  I’ll be sure to update how the defense goes after Saturday’s game.  So upon the mini workout for myself at practice, I did do a shorter run that day of only 20 minutes due to daylight slipping away on me while promising myself a longer run for the next day.

                Thursday (yesterday) I laced up my shoes heading back on the road, and was out to tackle 50-60 minute run.  It’s not that I was avoiding the trails due to getting lost, but this rain isn’t a trail’s best friend.  My first vent for the blog however will be….  Is it really all that hard when driving on a wide country road (no lines) without another vehicle coming from the other direction to slightly slow down and move over?  I get so aggravated sometimes over a little bit of common courtesy.  I realize I’m running “on a road” but I also move off the road when I hear your auto approaching my direction, but it’s still a nice gesture to acknowledge me.  Ok….I’m done with that, I suppose instead of road rage that is a slight case of runners rage. 

With March Madness at a high, basketball is still on my mind.  I can’t help but laugh at just how much dad put up with being completely surrounded by girls.  Dad and Davey always wore “wind pants”, I think some refer to them as plastic pants J  Apparently, it was their good luck charm even if the other coaches waere in dress suites. We would tease them about the swishing sound they made.   If you’ve picked up on my sense of humor and sarcastic self, realize there were several of us in my senior class likewise.  Between dad (oh wait sorry Coach…you’ll begin to understand it’s a very confusing situation) and Davey (Dad’s assistant coach) putting up with us, as well as giving it back as we rightfully deserved it always got us through even some of the more difficult days of practice and road trips.  Between pranks and seriousness there always was the perfect balance at getting the most out of the players and that is a trait hard to determine between a head coach as well as an assistance coach to make work.  I think it took even several years for dad and me to find our “happy balance”. 

Speaking of being sarcastic (here I go being random again), we were having dinner at our house one evening.  Dad was giving me a talk about learning when he’s my “coach” and when he’s my “dad”….however he kept discussing specifics of games and things to work on etc.  I slightly looked at mom and said, “Well mom, you should have warned me this evening that you invited Coach to dinner”.  That might give you a general idea of some of the tight spots mom got placed in over the years of playing the middle person J 

There were times I wanted to quit (I’d even folded up my uniform once and placed it on his bed to prove a point) because it almost seemed too aggravating to be worth it.  Dad once said listen, “I have to pick on you and call you out sometimes so people don’t think I favor you, you are my daughter”.  I quickly would respond with TRUST ME DAD….NOBODY WANTS TO BE ME in practice.  Through the years we did develop an understanding and even if I thought he was my biggest critic I would later learn he was also my biggest fan, he just didn’t want me to know it at the time and make it easy. 

In the below picture that I label LKC Championship, I remember we all pulled out a great game with a little rough start.  I ended up making some 3’s that tallied a total of points to 40….I’m saying that because as we were walking off the court and I was between dad and Davey (sorry I don’t think I ever referred to him by his last name McCullough or coach) Dad put his arm around me and said “You know….if you had made that lay up….you would have had 42”   That my friends is dad in a nutshell J  His voice tone wasn’t being mean, he merely was stating a fact of there always being something that you could have done better.  That is when Davey knew he had to play the nice guy and joke back so I didn’t get mad and they had such a great balance, even if it was balancing me and dad J  At the time that may sound a little bit hard, and I probably rolled my eyes like every teenager does, but I look back at so many instances and realize even if something was “great” it can always be better, so never stop working at anything, even a simple layup. 

2001 LKC (Little Kanawha Conference) Champions

2001 Regional Champions

2 roads diverged in a woods & I took the wrong one

I think I definitely jinxed myself on Monday about getting lost running on the new farm trail invite I had.  I merely was trying to have a sense of humor and found myself about a mile down a gravel road when I finally discovered that wasn’t the way I’d come.

            I decided I’d make a change of surroundings yesterday and try out these log trails my neighbor told me about.   Don’t worry I took my little 4 legged friend with me to try to wear him out a little bit.  I had intentions of running around 30-35 minutes while discovering a new route and getting the puppy back home.  Apparently I was enjoying the scenery a little too much and not paying close attention to which divides I took on the trail.  We got back past a little cabin they have on the property and I just kept running on a lightly graveled road taking it all in.  I then came upon another cabin that I positively knew I didn’t pass along my route.  The puppy didn’t seem to notice as he was to busy being entertained by chasing squirrels that darted out in front of him or enjoying every appealing mud puddle to roll and splash in. 

So, we turned around and ran back up the hill to try to discover where I took the wrong turn at. We were probably around a mile off course, I won’t complain though, it was the perfect day to get a little extra running in J  I feel bad though, my neighbors are probably going to have to drag me off their trails after discovering them to avoid running along the road.

 I have to admit, most of you that know me know I have a random sense of humor.  Brock left the Animal Planet TV Channel on this past weekend and either it being I was too lazy to turn the channel or I couldn’t seem to pry myself away from watching it, but “Finding Bigfoot” was on.  They were searching different woods from reports of Big Foot sightings within the “sasquatchy” areas.   When Brock asked how the run was I simply responded with “it’s a very sasquatchy area” (in my weird thought process it did cross my mind when running) J.  I do have to confess, I don’t think these trail runs are the right terrain for the streets of NYC training, but I also tried to describe it as “Rocky” (movie) style of training for when he was in the secluded woods of Russia training for the big fight.  Next time I reach the top of the hill I’ll see how I feel about shouting “Adrian” to get my adrenalin pumping to keep going. 

I suppose the best remedy for a “rough” day on Monday would be a humorous day on Tuesday J  Laughter is as they say, the best medicine. 

March Madness Memories

         Yesterday was slightly rainy on my run (about 40 minutes) and I just found myself a little preoccupied while running, a preoccupied train of thought I sometimes try to avoid.  It happens every now and then I suppose when you run the same road over and over where scenery doesn’t consume you as much and the thoughts sneak in.  With Girl’s basketball season wrapping up and the newspapers filled with “memories” I found myself going back to “remember when” days.  I’m not quite sure why I don’t stay as on top of girl’s basketball as much as I once did.  I wish I had a more valid excuse as to why and I know I should but sometimes I think it’s an avoidance of “things”.  I’ve talked to very few people about this and since this blog is an open book as to getting through “this” then I suppose I guess I’ll reveal a little bit of it. 

            My senior year of high school (dating back to long ago days of 2001) J……our high school girls basketball team made it to States…the notorious Charleston Civic Center where March Madness takes over the town.  We always had a really tough region to play out of usually boasting several top 10 teams in the state every year.  This special year we beat the odds and made it through past Bridgeport to invade the Charleston Civic Center with Ritchie County Rebel pride.  That week was full of ups and downs (bruises and soreness)….the down part is of course losing in a battle that we still may be a little bitter over J   I remember just how packed our side of the Civic Center was with fans who had been at every game the whole year, fans who surprised us and made the trips to be there to cheer us on, and fans we hadn’t seen all season, nevertheless the overwhelming support is a memory I’ll never forget. 

            That game was also the last game I played FOR my dad (also known as coach depending on the season or instance) as a Ritchie County Rebel.  Some (many perhaps) may not realize, but I actually was a bit of a different player.  I believed everything that I could do….if dad or someone told me I could.  If they believed enough in me to do something I believed enough in their judgment that I could.  I probably was one of the most nervous players that ever stepped on the court.  I remember the night of our first round state game dad was taping my ankles all while I was scratching fiercely at the hives that had began to consume my arms and legs because of my nerves.  (Don’t fear this happened quit often when I would get worked up, and if anyone remembers the first half of this particular game I’m almost certain it was obvious) I remember he kept telling me “If you’re going to throw up…throw up now”.  As a leader you can’t illustrate uncertainty or others will pick up on it and worry too. Therefore, I always had to have dad walk me through my own doubts and nerves so that I could be the stronger person for others. 

            Dad would tease about his nerves making his hand shake.  He’d joke about us all driving him crazy so much it would make his hand tremble.  In light of dad’s sense of humor, I’m sure it was his way too of dealing with the unknown actual reason as to why his hand was actually shaking.

With me saying that, you can assume if you know signs of Parkinson’s Disease where this may be heading.  Honestly, we didn’t think too much at first as it had been happening throughout that year and nothing thinking it being anything more than possibly just nerves making his hand shake.  Doctors examined the situation, made suggestive diagnoses but Parkinson’s really wasn’t a well known disease at the time for it to be a possibility.  The Parkinson’s diagnoses came right before I was leaving to college to play basketball for Robert Morris University.  I remember being on the phone several times prior to me actually leaving with my new basketball coach as to how I was going to be able to handle this and the thousands of what if’s that can consume a person.  I think once I went to college I went through a slight bitterness stage too inspired by the “why dad” factors. 

I can still hear a lot of dad’s advice even though his voice may not actually speak the words anymore I am happy to suggest what I’m sure dad would say in any situation. Many times being “there is no crying in baseball!”  (Even though dad technically didn’t make that line famous…there definitely shouldn’t be any crying any time) J  I spent a lot of time standing next to the out of bounds line beside the bench with dad giving his oversight on what to do next, and I think of that a lot in my life as to what the next play is going to be. 

Weekend Update

What a weekend of running!  I find myself starting to feel guilty up until I actually run so the addiction to running is quickly coming back.  The legs may not agree, but they will just have to catch up.

On Saturday I started the day off with a little basketball game with the little team I coach (2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th grades co-ed) who have called themselves Blue Thunder (it started out as the Blue Team).  Dad warned me about coaching when I was debating if I should do it or not (I’m actually at times scared of my competitive self).  I think he knows I can be a demanding perfectionist (I argue I don’t know what he’s talking about trying to find excuses to all his examples).

 I didn’t want to turn into a “winning monster” and take away from the kids learning outside of winning.  I actually am extremely happy I decided to do it.  The kids are so funny and it helps me remember actually just how dad and I started out with my own basketball days.  I’ve debated getting them to run laps with me before practice to help myself get a little training in, but also to wear them out a bit. They tend to be “huggers” on defense because their desire to steal the ball and energy levels have a tendency to make them unable to listen at times J   It always makes me feel special when they start out with “Hey Coach”…as if I have all the answers to whatever question they are about to ask (involving basketball or not).  I do think it’s a learning experience for us all though and I find myself looking forward to coaching on Saturday mornings (and winning) J

            Saturday was a day I really just didn’t want to stop running, the weather was perfect and I was starting to feel like a runner again.  I’ve found myself going “one mailbox further” on the days I run on the road next to our house (today’s run was around 40 minutes).  I wanted to keep going but I’ve learned before baby steps to this training or the next day won’t be pretty J  I did find myself today thinking about my “Blue Thunder” team and ways for a few of them to work on things they just can’t seem to grasp yet and how I can help them better understand how.  (One parent has given me DVD’s of the games and we’ve decided it was only “feeding the monster” making notes off game film for grade schoolers) J I can’t express enough how proud I am as to how much each of them has improved and most of all approach some things regarding the game as a team.  It seems dad always has a way to make someone “better” at things and I just want to do the same.  The excitement these kids have when they make a basket is something you sometimes tend to forget over the years get because it became habit.

            On Sunday I didn’t get a run in till a little bit later in the evening due to a little bit of a hectic day but thank goodness for daylight savings and a little extra sunshine to get me through the run before darkness snuck back up.  I ran on the road again and looped back through the woods a little bit on my way back home just to add a little extra distance on a nice day and was around 45 minutes.  I did pass one of my neighbors who offered that I could run on their farm a little further back because they have log roads and some nice trails.  With me saying that you should probably prepare yourself for another story in the future involving me getting lost because it’s obvious it will happen but I’m sure it will be fun J 

            I have to say, I’m at a loss of words sometimes at everyone’s support and enthusiasm through some of this and please know how much me as well as the rest of my family appreciate it.  This blog is something I wasn’t sure how it would go over, or how I would feel about doing it but I am glad I chose to keep up with it.  Thanks for having me along J

Just a Little Saturday Morning at the Gym