2007-08 Ladies Tennis Awards Dinner

The Ladies Tennis Team had their annual team and awards dinner at the Martini's restaurant. Megan Anderson received the Most Valuable Player award. Jen Flint received the Most Improved Player award. Team Captain Jamie Anliker received the Best Sportsmanship award. Also receiving certificates were teammates Katie Anliker and Nicole Hansen.

Posted by McCadamsK [Women's Tennis] ( May 09, 2008 11:43 AM ) Permalink | Comments[1]

2008 Men's Tennis Awards

The Men's Tennis Team had their annual team dinner and awards banquet at the Martini's restaurant. Most Improved Player award went to Tim Coleman. Ron Muhammad received the Best Sportsmanship ward. Team Captain Aaron Wigg received the Most Valuable Player award.  Also receiving certificates were teammates Derrick Young, Ben Stone, Andrew Humphrey & Jeff Nichols.
 

Posted by McCadamsK [Men's Tennis] ( May 09, 2008 11:36 AM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Conference Championships

Well its been a while. Things have been crazy here in track and field. We haven't exactly had the greatest weather but still have had several school records set as well as several events provisionally qualify for the national championships. This weekend is the time we look forward to the most as the year goes on, the IIAC Championships. We always hope to be at our best. So far things have been pointing in that direction as we just keep getting better every week. I think the best part about this team is that they have really grown as a team and now tend to hang out together and really trust each other, especially when it matters most. As a coach I think thats my greatest success. Working together as a team means more than any trophy or award you could recieve; its something that you can use you're entire life. We have a great opportunity to have one of the best years ever on the men's side of things. If everything goes well. One thing I can promise is that each and every person on this team bleeds blue and gold and will not back down. I am very proud of the heart this team has shown this year, and although we may not have the biggest team, we have shown that we can compete with the best. I really hope that anyone who reads this can get out to Waverly and support the Beaver Track and Field Teams. We really want to make our presence known this year! 

Posted by maasn [Track and Field] ( May 08, 2008 02:20 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

IIAC Conference Tennis

The Beaver's finished out their season this past weekend at the IIAC Men's Individual Conference Tournament in Cedar Rapids. The weather did not fully cooperate as most of the tournament was held indoors. In singles senior Derrick Young and sophmore Ben Young recorded wins in their first round match up. In doubles team captain Aaron Wigg and Tim Coleman had a strong finish making it to the quarterfinals. The competition at the conference was very solid and I thought we competed well overall as a team. The Beaver's will lose only one player from this year's squad and the outlook for next year looks promising with some of the new recruits.

Posted by McCadamsK [Men's Tennis] ( April 29, 2008 03:48 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Baseball season down to crunch time

We are down to the last week of the season and as usual, there is a log jam of teams trying to qualify for the Iowa Conference tournament.  The top six teams after the regular season will make the double elimination tournament held in Cedar Rapids beginning on Thursday of next week.  Every team in the league has a chance to get into the top six as we enter the last week.  But we are one of the teams that can control our own destiny.  If we have a good week, we will get in.  We have a big game vs. Simpson at Memorial park on Wednesday at 6:00 pm.  After splitting the two games in Indianola earlier in April, Simpson has moved themselves up towards the top of the league.  They have already clinched a spot in the tournament, but are vying for the important #2 seed, which would give them a first round bye.  This is also the last conference game on their schedule, as they drew the last weekend as their bye weekend.  I would expect both teams to lay it on the line tomorrow night, our focus will be on keeping the guys loose and focus on what we can control.  A big crowd should also help our aggressiveness, it is going to be a fun evening. 

Overall, I have been happy with the way the guys meet challenges.  But I learned something this past weekend at the retirement reception for our softball coaches, Marge Willadsen and the late Rusty Mohler who was a legendary pitching coach in this part of the country.  As many of you know, our softball program owns the only team National Championship in our school's history.  A lot of her players from that team were here last weekend, and it was very apparent that successful people, especially in competition, have that extra edge about them.  To this day, those softball players have that confident personality.  There is no doubt that their personality traits led to success on the field.  I am a believer in how a player should carry himself and how he should react to negativity, whether that be a strikeout, a poor call by an umpire, or making an error.  I hate seeing players mope around or drop their head when something doesn't go their way.  Negativity is contagious, and it can make it nearly impossible to play well.  I guarantee that the National Championship softball team had enough confidence in their ability, that they didn't worry about a bad call or about making a mistake.  This will be important heading into the stretch run of the season. 

Gotta go for now, we are heading to Briar Cliff for a JV double-header today. 

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( April 29, 2008 10:47 AM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Men's Tennis Last Home Dual Match this weekend!

The Beaver's will finish out their regular schedule with the last home match this weekend against Simpson this Saturday at 9am and Dubuque at 3pm. The Beav's are looking to improve their conference standing and overall match play. With all the wet weather the past few weeks a lot of the teams on our schedule are having a tough time rescheduling as it gets close to our conference tournament on April 24. We have had some close match play with Dordt last Tuesday in Orange City with a 5-4 loss. Aaron Wigg has been playing some solid singles in his last couple of matches and should be up for the challenge. Ben Stone had a nice win over Dordt and has been a factor in getting us point in singles and doubles with partner Derrick Young. Ron Muhammad and Andrew Humprey have been solid at the 3rd doubles position as well as Andrew has been playing some tough singles matches. Derrick Young has been improving his match play with a challenging singles victory against Dordt last week. Tim Coleman continues to get the job done and gets us the needed points in close matches. Jeff Nichols has also gave us some key victorys in singles and doubles.

The Beaver's will also be playing a rescheduled match with Morningside College in Sioux City on Monday, April 21.

The IIAC Conference Tournament will begin April 24 with the Team Tournament then the Individual Tournament on April 25 & 26 in Cedar Rapids. 

See you on the courts! 

Posted by McCadamsK [Men's Tennis] ( April 14, 2008 12:42 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Baseball Update

As bad as the weather has been this spring, I refuse to be negative about it (at least in this post).  After all, it could be worse, we could live in Minnesota.  My nephew is a pitcher at Gustavus Adolphus, they have only played once since their spring trip to Arizona, they haven't even been on a field for practice since they returned on March 27th.  St. Scholastica, who we played in the Metrodome, was off to a great start in their season but haven't played since March 24th and as much snow that has fallen in Duluth, they are worried that they may not practice on their field for the rest of the season.  So, yes things could be worse.  After all, we have played 20 games, and although it seems like we have had a ton of games rained out, we are still on schedule to play 36 even if we cannot find any games to add.  Last year, we only played 31 regular season games.

So now for this weekend, we are in a tough spot once again.  We have decided not to play tonight in Carroll vs. Coe.  We are going to try to play a single 9-inning game on Saturday.  We are going to take the tarp off the field in Carroll on Saturday morning, and make a decision on Saturday's game at that point.  If we do play, it will probably be at 4:00 pm in Carroll.  However, Carroll Stadium is not available to us on Sunday due to a Perfect Game Spring League game.  Which is ironic because now that we tarped the field in Carroll, we have increased their chances of playing on Sunday.  Had we not tarped the field, there is no way they would be able to play this weekend.  We are looking into moving the Sunday games to Coe.  We should have a final decision by the end of today, or at the very latest Saturday at noon.  

It is just another day of decisions around here.  Up to this point, I think we have made the right decisions and have taken advantage of the nice days we have had.  I really appreciate the patience of our players, their parents, our administration, and the coaches in the Iowa Conference.   What goes un-noticed is the flexibility of our faculty members that have worked with our players when it comes to missing classes.  I really appreciate their willingness to go the extra mile to allow our student-athletes to make up work. 

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( April 11, 2008 10:02 AM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Always for the Favorites

I am not sure why I am like I am, but I am always for the favorites.  I am for Tiger Woods, as the Master’s starts today.  I always root for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, coached by Pat Summitt.  I am a Laker Fan, and root for the Indianapolis Colts.  My only flaw is rooting for the Chicago Cubs. 

After watching the Lady Volunteers play Tuesday night, and winning the 8^th Championship for Pat Summitt, I think I have the answer.  I want to be one of those people.  I want to win many championships like Phil Jackson, Pat Summit, and Tiger Woods.  After winning our 6^th conference title this year, which is nothing like winning 8 National Titles, I understand how difficult it is to win on a consistent basis.  Everybody can have one good year, and have a good run for a little while, but can you win consistently.  Everybody wants to beat the Beavers, and we get everybody’s best effort.  Teams want to compare themselves to us, and by beating us, you can put yourself in our category.  But we understand how difficult it is to be good everyday and every game.  Our guys have understood that you can’t just be good for most games and let your talent win for you, you have to practice well, you have to prepare well, and these are the key components to trying to be a great team.  Some people ask me who our rivals are, and I honestly don’t have a good answer for them.  I take no pleasure in beating one team over the other.  Loras was really good this year, but we felt that the other games were just as important, if not more so, because you know the Loras game was going to be a good game. 

Everybody is trying to beat Tiger, and trying to beat Phil Jackson, but those two are just trying to do what they do every single day.  Some may say that Tiger enjoys beating Phil Mickelson, but my bet is this.  Phil is just a blip on Tiger’s radar screen.  His target is the leader, or the person right behind him, whoever that may be on that given week.  He doesn’t get into who it is, he just wants to win, and that is why he is successful. 

Switching gears, Barb and I just got back from San Antonio, and the Final Four.  The weather was great, and enjoyed 85 degrees everyday.  We had dinner with my ex-assistants, Trent Becker and his wife Ann, and Rob Klinkefus.  It was great getting together with the guys you went to war with everyday for years.  We also had dinner with Greg Gorton, the coach at Loras, and his wife Chris.  And we enjoyed a night with my great friend from high school Dave Van Horn.  He and his wife, Diana, live in Houston,  and don’t see each other much.  But always great to see them.  I am always for North Carolina, but if they weren’t going to win, then I am good with a Kansas win.  It was good for Barb and I to get away for a few days, and San Antonio is our favorite city.  We always enjoy the Mexican food, the margaritas, and the River Walk.  A place like no other. 

Recruiting is going well, and are still waiting on  4 or 5 guys.  We are happy so far with the class.  As I said earlier, we will get all information on them out to you, after they register for class in June.
 

Go Beavers!!

 

Coach VH

Posted by phelpss [Men's Basketball] ( April 10, 2008 03:57 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

last one

Hulegaard: Jestin Hulegaard became the first 4X All-American in the history of BV wrestling and most likely any sport in BVU’s history. This is truly an accomplishment. His placings were 5th, 3rd, 4th, and 8th. This year was a huge struggle for Hulegaard with injuries, sickness, lack of quality training partners and, at times, even lack of desire. It was also a factor that everyone had seen him so much in the past years that they could prepare strategically for him. There were times I know he just wanted it to be over. He rarely competed like himself the entire year. I was hard on the guy and called him out on occasion. But, damn, this kid is a competitor! He is one of the gutsiest wrestlers I have ever been around. He may have violated basic positions out there, but he never laid down and came through when he had to. The matches he won on Friday night to be an AA for the fourth time were pure guts. We are proud of the kid. Huge accomplishment. Very few in any division ever accomplish this feat. To be an All-American of any kind once is huge. To be a 4X AA is exceptional.

 

Cook: What a tough, hard-nosed warrior! This guy made by far the biggest sacrifice on the team this year. Never complained, missed anything or made excuses and won most matches because he just plain "out-toughed" his opposition. Athletes, you would be wise to look to AC and see how he does it. When Cook makes a few adjustments to his offense this summer, you’re going to see a guy compete for a National Championship. My good friend Brett Sweeney told me about AC when I first got here. He said, “This kid will compete hard all the time.” Brett was right and AC’s best finish is coming.

 

Mancha: I really think this guy has the potential to be a champion as well. The big thing with Julian is in his consistency, preparation, focus and approach. He made a big jump getting to the national tourney but was capable of much more. I honestly believe if he started in a D1 room he could have succeeded in D1 wrestling. He needs to go back to the drawing board, get a solid plan, execute it and never deviate. If he does he has the potential to be a force.

 

Seniors: Hulegaard and Joshua Murray were our lone seniors. I have spoken about Hulegaard and what an accomplishment he achieved. He will be moving on here in May and trying to get into law school. He mentioned he wanted to do this years ago and I thought it was just in passing. But he has stuck with it and it’s my guess he will succeed if he really wants to be a lawyer. It’s not whether he can or can't. It’s going to be if he wants to. Murray: This guy is the real deal. What a class act and respected man he has made of himself. I remember his first semester here. It was rough. He had 2 choices and chose the tougher of the two. And now he will graduate next semester with his college degree. He also came as far as ANY wrestler that I ever seen. The man covered so much ground. He did not get where he wanted, which was on the stand at the NCAA tourney. It is a sore spot with him and all the coaches feel it as well. But he is a class act and has one of the most important credentials there is: the respect of his coaches and peers.

 

Academic All-Americans: Congratulations to Joey Verschoor and Brian Stueve, both Academic all-Americans this past year. In order to meet the criteria they had to have 2 previous semesters of a 3.2 GPA, compete in a minimum of 50% of our competition dates and have won a minimum of 67% of their matches or be an NCAA qualifier. This is a job well done, as these guys take care of business in the class room. Austin Hayes, who was an AA last year, had the academic qualifications, but due to injury he was a single win shy to receive his second academic AA honor. So always remember: everything does count.

 

Thank yous: I want to thank the coaches, Sevond Cole, Jamie Taxted, Dana Vote, Ben Strandberg, and Bob Flaherty, for giving their time and energy to BVU wrestling this year. These guys were at all the practices and competitions and saw the program through to the end. This meant 158 days of commitment to BV wrestling. Coaches in our sport give so much and get so little on a monetary and support scale. But they do get paid big dividends on a satisfaction scale. It’s funny because coaches do so much to feel good for such a short period of time. They continue to chase that fleeting feeling over and over. These guys and guys like these are truly unique and will make a positive influence and a difference wherever they go.

 

141: On the day of our conference “NCAA qualifier” we had been in season for 141 days, which is a long season compared to most sports and especially in a sport as demanding as wrestling. Based on seeds, we had 6 guys in the top 3. In the end, we had only 3 NCAA qualifiers. This was not what we had worked for and were capable of. But it was a day of frustration. We lost many matches that we were leading late or were capable of winning. We just did not sprint through the finish line. (See later in the blog.)

 

As a coach I look at where I went wrong.  I have to take a healthy share of responsibility.  We worked on the right things, were in shape, did what we felt necessary to give these guys the best opportunity to succeed. But obviously I overlooked and took some things for granted that I often do. You would think a guy would learn but I guess not yet.

 

The rest has to go on the athlete. It is the athlete that is out there competing and can make all the choices for himself that the coach cannot. As a coach we can set up pressures and be there to encourage. Sometimes even fear will create temporary action. But no one can take the action for them. You want to get better results? You want a better environment? Then take responsibility and things will likely straighten out. Or you can weaken yourself with excuses and blame others. That’s the easy road. End result = nothing changes.

 

It is my experience that if you’re a coach you need to be somewhat of a psychologist. The battle most of these guys have is not a technical battle nearly to the degree it is a mental or thinking battle. But how much time do we as coaches, or much more important, do the athletes themselves spend on their attitude, mindset, self-talk, visualization? The battle is, was, has always been, and will continue to be above the shoulders.

 

It is up to the athlete to grab a hold and turn his efforts into behavior that produces success. A nodding head does little good. There has to be a knowing heart. Having confidence is huge but having certainty is the ultimate.

 

Unfulfilled results are difficult for anyone not to personalize. People say it’s just wrestling or it’s just this or that. But you give several years to something so demanding and it’s not just an “aw, shucks”, “we’ll get ’em next time”; shrug your shoulders, say “jinkers” and move on. Now I know you have to unhook and move forward. But it is usually a process for all involved. The phrase I often tell athletes is that your opportunity to succeed will be upon you again in a short time. The question and solution is “What will we do between now and then?” We had a lot of potential this year and were a much better team overall and showed signs of it throughout the season. We just did not peak when it was crucial. I am very disappointed in myself and for some of our athletes that we felt were capable of not only getting to the NCAA tourney, but being all Americans. The question of the day is what have you / I done today to ensure different future results?

 

I touch on areas we failed to turn into behavior later on in the blog. I address them in bold headings and detail. The thing here is that they are universal impediments and all programs can relate.

 

We never had our #1 team together this season due to injuries or an athlete deciding they did not want to compete anymore. I am proud of these guys that stuck it out as we only had a few athletes quit this year. We talked a lot about how important it is to finish the season you voluntarily started. I have seen it time and time again how easy it is for an athlete to start a season upbeat, responsive, motivated. Then, a little discomfort and pressure and the athlete splits. In the real world, what type of foundation are you going to be standing on? Track records tend to repeat themselves. The good news is that to change or start over has no expiration date. We can reflect, listen, learn and begin again. As people, coach or athlete, we are far from perfect. I’ve never met a perfect person yet. And if I had, I would remember because they would have been the most boring person on earth. Here is a little story on perfection if one starts to get a bit distorted with his or her perception.

 

Perfection: an old folktale illustrates the futility of perfectionism. A man found a beautiful pearl with one tiny flaw. He thought if he could remove the tiny imperfection the pearl would be the world’s most priceless. So he peeled off the first layer. But the flaw was still there. He took off the next layer, thinking the flaw would surely be removed, but it remained. He continued to take off layer after layer until, finally, the flaw was gone — but so was the pearl.

 

We all struggle but you must keep swinging the bat. To stay safe, never risk, strive or, worse, not even try, has to be the most haunting regrets we would ever have to live with. Loss, defeat, and coming up short still warrants respect. Hell I have great respect for many that have few career wins. They fight, they stay with it, take hard knocks and if they go down, they get back up. True modern day heroes. And those that cast judgment without ever stepping in the ring are pitiful cowards.

 

I really don’t like to use the word failure as it sounds so final. I believe failure does not come into play until one does not even try. But mistakes and losses are part of growth and often necessary to achieve what we call success. Here is a good example: When Henry Ford transported Thomas Edison’s entire laboratory to Dearborn Village, he also brought the trash pile. Why? Because he wanted everyone to see how much Edison had to throw away in order to finally have success. This is a great lesson of “stick-to-it-tiveness”.

 

Where we are all at today is nothing more than a collection of results based on choices we have made. So today’s decisions are tomorrow’s realities. It is wise to plan for the future because you are going to have to live in it. If you get to the real basics, the successful man will do what the unsuccessful man won’t. He understands nothing will happen until he makes the decision and says “I will” and then sees it thru. He makes the decision to do the following:

1) Get started.

2) Never quit.

 

 

Point or pave the way: People will answer this differently. As a current coach I believe you point the way. We already talked about it in that we/ you can only carry whomever so far. And sometimes we carry whomever too much and do a future disservice. Sometimes maybe we don’t carry them enough. Another way of asking it is, do you carry the knowledge to them? Most certainly you do. But do you carry them as well? I would like to think the athlete walks on his own two feet and takes care of what most every other college student his age is taking care of. In our sport, the demand is extreme. If in dispute, try it just one day.

 

Tournament mind: Understand that when it comes to tournament time you have athletes who want to compete and those that want it to be over. Which were you? What happened last year, 4 months or 1 week prior mean nothing? Now, 1 minute from now, 2 hours from now are unwritten, undetermined and a controllable opportunity for you to achieve desired results. And if the “thinking” is in tune you can turn anything around. My point is most guys are going to compete hard, be adjusted and ready at the end-of-the-season tournaments. You have to be ready and prepared to put it all out there, hold nothing back and compete to win. I am not talking about being reckless. We are talking about a being a focused man on a mission who has made a decision. To hold on and protect will end in disappointing results. You have to be alert and contend until the last second ticks off the clock.

 

Another part of this tournament mind is competing with intense emotionalism, and focused energy, and being impassioned. Enthusiasm has power. “You cannot have the placidity of a mule and winning of a racehorse”. Suggestion: run, lift, drill, and compete with fervor. I see such a lack of this “emotion” in so many athletes. I have never seen it stocked on the shelves so you can’t buy it. It has to come from within. God is clever and does not lay it all out in the open; we have to work for and at it. For example, diamonds are deep in the earth, pearls are concealed in oysters, and gold has to be carefully mined. Your talents dwell deep within you and are likely not all discovered yet. But also what dwells deep is potential and will. Something to remember in your training and visualization is that new powers are discovered every time you push yourself further than you have gone before. I know some are shaking their heads at this hokiness but you have to agree there are deeper layers of potential in all of us waiting to be tapped. No person ever fully discovers and develops all the potential within him; nobody ever drills the deepest well. Not yet anyway. Now this is something to strive for.

 

Always finish strong: Regardless of the score as the last seconds tick off the clock, you need to always finish firm and uncompromising. Even if you do not win, leave an impression. I witnessed several matches this season where an athlete got a good lead in the match and then either lost or barely won? They sat on their leads, failed to continue competing, abandoned focus and sometimes effort. It takes months and years to prepare for a match but seconds to lose one”. This also leaves the door open for the future with this particular foe. Ideally, you want this guy to dread wrestling you instead of looking forward to it. How you end the match says volumes. Always finish strong, sprint through the finish line. You may get knocked down during the race. So what? Get back up. Whether you finish 1^st or 17^th, sprint through the finish line. If you fall short it does not mean you’ll never make it. It just means it will take a little longer. Success is never certain and failure is never final. So how do you finish strong? It will be in your preparation. As long as we are talking about preparation, I heard a great quote: “You don’t need self-confidence you need preparation.” Just remember to only wrestle attentive for 5 out of the 7 minutes is not enough. I have seen where athletes were in charge 6:50 seconds and it was not enough. I have even seen where 6:58 was not enough. Those 2 seconds of an open window was enough for the opposition. You will have to be an oak tree and not a corn stalk. So prepare, as there is safety in surplus.

 

 

.Hunter or hunted: There is a style of competing in which one visibly pursues with controlled force. In other terms, the athlete who moves forward, pressures his opponent with patience yet persistence will most always win out. Brent Metcalf is a prime example of the hunter. Now the hunter must also be able to adjust and feel if he is hunting a bit too hard. This is more a mindset than a conditioning issue. Fortunately for Metcalf, he has developed both areas. If you watch great competitors, “regardless of sport”, they are relaxed in the pocket. Not asleep, but in control. They have that center that no one can get to. Calm, focused, and poised. You have to have the eye and the fire. Too many people get ready, aim…. but fail to fire. The winners actually fire. The line between success and failure is very thin but very real. In a conversation with both heroes and cowards (most of the cowards did not show for the interview) to see why each reacted the way they did, both were motivated by the same fear, but the heroes ran forward and the cowards ran backward. A great little combo of adjectives: Fight, flight or freeze. These are your options. One wins; the other 2 don’t. So you know what to do in this world to get results. That is not the dilemma. It’s not knowing what to do as much as it’s knowing how to get yourself to do it? It’s not getting rid of fear, because that’s what it is, as much as it is doing it anyway. Life’s most important battle will be defeating the fear of various failures that reside in all of us. Nothing devastates or holds a person back more than the fear of failure. It’s a mental stronghold. Nothing physical. If the awards were given for what we can do from a physical standpoint you would have a lot of different results. But you have to spend quality time on developing your self talk or automatic thoughts, becoming aware and detecting defeating patterns, and beginning to challenge, redirect, and change them. If you learned them in the first place, which you did, you can learn a new way. You can override the current system. But it takes the effort, diligence and ingredients of a winner.

 

No easy points ever: This is a wrestling commandment. At no time in our sport do you ever render easy points to an opponent, be it in practice or competition. You have to slug this out and make your opponent earn, work, and exhaust themselves to get points on you. If you allow this, you’re setting yourself up for future defeats. NEVER put yourself in a position where all you can do is hold on. You become limited. You always want to be able to improve whatever position you’re in. Demanding your opponent work for points makes him expend energy, does a mental number on him, and makes him question his ability to score. This is what you want. To make opponents work for points, if they score at all, requires an attitude. That attitude is one that asserts with fervor, emotion, and focus. When you render easy points, you become soft, limp, ineffective and you develop hollow spots. So athletes, NEVER NEVER give easy points to anyone under any circumstance. Obviously if you’re rolling around with your kid sister there is no need to square heavy hips and flatten the 9-year-old, 50-pounder when she is in on your leg, but you know what I am saying. You need a standard to live by that never calls in sick or slips out early. It’s not a sometime thing applied only when you’re feeling good. It’s every time you train and compete. You don’t even have to think about it because it is who you are.

 

Choose tough partners: This is how you’re going to improve. It does you little to no good to continuously choose partners in the room that you can dominate or that your skills are superb to. Choose partners that challenge you and push you, that you hate to skirmish, to be imperious. Now there may be days closer to competition or late in the year when it’s more important for you to execute and score points. But for the most part, day to day, choose a partner that will make you struggle and contend for mastery. This is part of developing your mental might as well. Ask yourself the honest question: do you gravitate or shy away from partners that challenge, dominate or make you work hard? If it’s yes, my guess is that you have not reached your potential in this sport. There is always time to change. You can begin this change the very next time you go in the room. It’s not so much about winning the practice, as I have seen some of the best get it put to them in practice, as much as it’s about fighting, battling, never surrendering, fray, melee or never bowing down to any man while in the room. I am not talking about being dirty and cheap. I am talking about zeal and mindset that raises the levels of all involved. I have seen too many training sessions that lack effort, heart, fight, and personal pride. This will haunt you and rear its head during crucial times. That’s a fact. Your foundation has to be able to weather hard storms because there will be hurricanes and monsoons, and if you’re not prepared, they will expose and clear you out in a hurry.

 

Learn how to drill: This is a key aspect in you becoming an effective wrestler. Many do not like to drill, half heart it, resist and/or certainly do not value its worth. This attitude will sabotage your potential. You need to learn how to drill for so many beneficial reasons: To feel positions. (A lot of wrestling is being able to just feel.) Knowing when to hang on and when to let go. Knowing how to react and make your reactions instinct. When you know how to drill it makes learning, warming up, conditioning, preparing, and being able to expand on your effectiveness more appealing. Also, the above are part of the sport on a daily basis. Your main foundation is your stance. This allows you to hold position. Those that can hold position usually know how to drill. Just be relaxed, not limp, mobile and movable but not tight or resisting. Your resistance should balance with what it takes for your partner to get an honest feel and allow him to improve. It should be smooth and a mutual benefit for both. This is a great saying that I think applies to drilling, training, lack of responsibility or whatever you want to fill in the blank: “The ritual goes on while the reality suffers.”

 

Consistency:  isn’t a sometimes thing, neither is leadership, this goes for coach as well, we are either leading or were not. If were consistent were definable. Consistency relates to how we handle issues that arise, effort’s and attitude, adversity, day to day, going to class, being on time, discipline, dealing with losses, leadership, and demand. We are effective regardless of how we feel Consistent behavior gets consistent results / performance. You compete hard whether it’s November, late January, in a championship match or first round wrestleback. Leroy Vega never missed a U of M wrestling date in all 4 years he wrestled, which is not only “consistency” but amazing. If it works stay with it; if not, make a change. Necessary adjustments aren’t indications of inconsistency; they are indications of enlightment

 

 

 

 

 

Getting better because you’re older is a trap: There seems to be a misunderstanding that because an athlete is a junior or senior that he should/will dominate his opponents. Sometimes this is the case but more often, especially in D1, matches actually get tighter. The matches become like chess and many wins are hard 1 – 2 point wins. Many question and wonder what’s wrong? Nothing. It is difficult to major everyone when all your opponents and coaches have studied you and are at the level of skills and talents that often surpass your own. Frequently, you will see freshmen and sophomores more dominant and competitive than many juniors and seniors. Much of this is that they have not been seen enough and the hunger and enthusiasm is untamed. Now this is certainly not the case for all but for many. Also, there is often an advantage to being young and a bit naive. Not to the point where you get taken advantage of, but where you do not dissect everything to the point of constructing self-built prisons of over-analyzation. Chances are if you think too much, you’re giving life to doubt. What you need to succeed in this sport or in this world does not come in a pill, drink, super mix, gel, cream, tonic, shake, bean, leaf, shell, box, container, can, bottle, lotion, sandwich, wrap, taco, pinnate, sauce, capsule, seed, dye, kit, tube, paste, shark tooth, gem, wristband, juice, tank, well, drum, muscle shirt, Speedo, Smartee, Red Hot, Lemonhead, candy corn or Boston Baked Bean. It comes from the last place we often look. Yeah, you guessed it. We spend so much time trying to find what we so crucially need elsewhere. We want others to do it and find it for us, but they can’t. We all need help, assistance, direction, a hand, arm, finger, revolver, throwing star, family and friends. But the most crucial distance we ever have to travel, the most important step we will ever take, will have to come from within. We have to run our leg of the race; no one can run it for us. So we can blame no one, and we are not victims or prisoners, except in our own little world. If we want change, if we want different results, if we want to be on the cover of Time or Playgirl, then it has to come from within. We are our own biggest problems and obstacles. But we also hold the solution. It’s all in one place; no need to look any further. I encourage you to expand, learn, stretch, distend, have mentors, support systems, write things down, ask questions, have an unquenchable thirst for growth, a never-ending quest to advance and further develop. You will need others to do this. But the bridge that you have to cross that will change everything for the better has to be crossed by you. The training wheel and the diapers have to come off. You have the final decision, you have the power, and it is yes or no. But mark these words; you will not get better or more effective just because you’re older. You will have to actively pursue and labor for growth.

 

Nuggets from various places

 

- As an athlete, or human being for that matter, we have to be teachable. We are better served to realize our knowledge is incomplete. We don’t know it all. In fact, we know very little. But the key is do we know enough to get desired results.

- Our real progress comes in recognizing opportunities and being ready for our opportunities. We need open eyes, closed mouth and open ears. If we violate this simple-in-theory but difficult-in-behavior truth, then we just may get to the top of the ladder only to see that it is leaning against the wrong wall.

- The real winner is often not the one who has all the best ideas. He just uses the best ideas regardless of where they came from. A true winner makes friends with his ignorance.

- The measurement of success is simply the ratio of talents used to talents received. 

- Try skipping the steps that lead to true performance and you will quickly discover how tightly woven hearing and understanding are to motivation and achievement.

- Never confuse activity with accomplishment. A person walking in circles is exerting the same amount of energy as someone walking down the street. But one is going somewhere while the other is not. We do not want activity. We want results.

- “We got it bad living on this bayou,” they complained every day until one day when someone came along and said, “Nonsense? Opportunity? You want opportunity? You got opportunity. You live on the bayou. The bayou leads to the river. The river leads to the gulf. The gulf leads to the ocean. You can go anywhere from where you are.”

- A plateau is often stagnation and it’s tempting to linger in level places where the living is easy.

 

A pine tree: “which can grow all by itself?”  This is the individual part of the sport, actions only you can take.

A redwood: “which grows in clusters with all the roots supporting the others”? This is the team concept in that we cannot do it alone. You will need both.

 

 

Iowa conference coaches: My hat goes off to the coaches in this conference. What a group of quality men. And a special tip of the hat to Jim Miller at Wartburg, who continues to dominate at the highest level and Big O at Coe whose team turned in an amazing season and national tournament. Mike Duroe whose team competed tough both at conference and NCAAs and Dave Mitchell who got a lot out of his wrestlers when it counted and seems to be able to do that each year. The assistants need be tipped as much if not more than the heads because behind every head coach that is having success, chances are great the assistants are doing as much and likely more.

 

I don’t care: This is a statement that I have heard way too much the past couple of years. I even find myself saying it on occasion, then catch myself and shake my head. Bottom line is most of the time we say this we really don’t mean it. It is really a short term frustration, lack of a better comeback or just plain we’re busted or guilty and it’s our way of covering hurt feelings. Usually, when we say we don’t care it’s temporary, but those attitudes, even if only alive for a short time, can do great damage.

 

Maintain / pop machine: It never fails that when I go to get a Mountain Dew out of the machine in the field house, the Dew is gone. Now no other soda is ever empty. But the Dew always is. I wonder why they have not figured out to give more space to the Dews and less to the sodas that never are depleted. This to me is bad business. They have to see that cherry chocolate lime soda or the diet jolly good coffee cream flavors just does not need 3 rows. Also it will remain empty for a few weeks until the Dew man comes back. No maintenance. Dew man, get it together. Another thing is why did you get rid of bottles? Any true Dew person knows Dew lost an important battle and friend the day the union thought glass was too heavy and they went to plastic.

.

Ham and Cheese sandwich: What happened to this sandwich? I mean for years it was on most menus, people were talking about the sandwich. Much of my childhood satisfaction was derived from the ham and cheese. It was a worldly and frivolous enjoyment and almost as visible as the hamburger. Then I began to notice I just have not seen this elusive sandwich for years. Did something happen, because it’s a winning combo? It’s a pleasurable dining experience and brought all of America delectation for years. Did ham and cheese have a dispute? So I ask again, what happened?

 

 Christian / car: This is for someone in particular and I wonder if your ego is big enough to actually think it’s you. Guess what? It is. My words to you are spending your time in a church, knowing all the verses of the Bible, wearing a cross around your neck or putting a fish on your bumper no more makes you a Christian than hanging around a garage makes you a car. The real proof in the pudding is if are you living what’s in the book. I bet you can rattle off the verses but do you live them? Or are you carrying around resentments, anger, and pride, ego, judgment and on and on. Think about this: What if you / I wore our value system and thoughts externally so others could see a tangible representation of who we are internally? I would be in trouble and so would you. So maybe there should be less time on memorization and logging the church hours and more time on actually living the Word.

 

Hello: Nothing better than a hello while whoever it is does not even make eye contact. Or how about the waitress who says, “Thanks and come again,” while she is looking the other direction? I love that sincerity. It moves me. It lifts me and surely makes me want to come back again the next night. The other day someone walked by and said, “Hey!” while they were looking at me and then “How are you?” while they were looking away. That’s funny. No need to waste the hello but I love the sincerity. I mean, come on, she communicates as well as she does her job.

 

Death wish: I was rolling through the channels the other week and stumbled upon the award-winning “Death Wish” series. I believe there were at least 4 of these cinema treats. This series may go down as some of the finest viewing pleasure of all time. And it’s cleverly titled with thought and precision, DW 1, DW 2, DW 3 and DW 4. They just don’t make movies like this anymore. Charles Bronson’s facial expression never changes. Now I can appreciate that, but it’s the same look when he scratches a $100,000 winning lottery ticket as it is when he parks the car, runs into the post office as his wife sits in the car, and while he is in there a punk runs up, slips the car in neutral, the car rolls down the hill, crashes, and explodes as Charles walks out of the post office. He looks over the life-altering disaster 20 seconds or so, expressions never changing, and then walks away. But to his credit he does spend the rest of the show making 10% of the city disappear.

 

 

Cranky: You’re the man, good buddy. Maybe you will go make a homemade pizza tonight, ride your bike with the extended fork, or turn on and up some Night Ranger and head east. Or maybe we will go to the loft or emporium and play some video games, maybe even rob kum and go lol.

 

Go BIG Red!

Posted by SchwabM [Wrestling] ( April 04, 2008 10:07 AM ) Permalink | Comments[3]

Central recap

After a rough Friday night game, our guys responded by beating one of the best pitchers in the Iowa Conference in Game 1 of a DH on Saturday.  Brett Mahan, a senior LHP, has given us fits for the last four years and we finally were able to beat him.  The way we played in this game was a testament to just how mature our guys have become.  After a sound beating on Friday night, a game in which we gave our opponent way too many base runnersl, Christian Dekker put up another great performance on the hill for us.  Dekker, only a sophomore, has emerged as a legitimate number 1 pitcher in our conference.  In fact he now has two wins in his career, and both wins are against Central.  Christian should be 4-0 this year, but has suffered some tough no-decisions.  The team is 4-0 in games in which he has pitched more than 1 inning which is the more important statistic.

Back to the game, I thought going into the first game on Saturday that whoever won the first game would win the second game.  It was just a gut-feeling, one that I usually don't get.  It made for a sleepless Friday night, as I knew we were going to face Mahan.  But after Michael Stephenson walked and stole 2nd, we took a chance and let Michael steal 3rd with 2 outs.  He got a great jump and after the catcher threw the ball into left field, we were up 1-0 in the bottom of the first.  A couple pitches later, Brandon Pietrzyk hit a 2-strike curveball over the right field fence to put us up 2-0.  At that point, I knew this team was ready to put Friday's game out of their mind.  We played a sound game defensively, and put up another run in the sixth inning to win the game 3-0. 

In between games, we could tell that the guys were ready for game 2.  As good as Central was, I don't think anyone on our side thought we were going to lose that 2nd game.   In the 3rd inning, we erupted for six runs to take a 7-3 lead.  We finally bunched some hits together and ran the bases aggressively and got into Central's bullpen.  We finished the game strong and won 11-4.  It was one of the first times of the season, where we got a lead and extended it.

In all, it was a great weekend.  This team has a lot of special qualities, and Saturday proved that to me.  We have to make sure that we focus on getting better as a team, rather than worrying about winning.  I think everyone enjoyed the way we played on Saturday, and we didn't worry about what the scoreboard looked like. 

I look forward to our DH with Dubuque on Wednesday.  We will play at Carroll Stadium at 3:30.  It wil be a tough task for us, as UD didn't play conference games over the weekend.  The next week will be a tough one as we play seven conference games, one non-conference game, and 2 JV games in the next six days.  We will learn a lot about ourselves to say the least. 

Go Beavers!

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( March 31, 2008 11:28 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Post Season Sickness

Every year when the season concludes, I get sick.  I got a major league cold right now.  I am looking for home remedies.  It doesn’t help that my family took a weekend trip away last weekend, and that I went on the road recruiting the past couple of nights.  It just runs you down.  But I am going to take the weekend off, and get some rest.  My wife is suffering with a cold also.  I was going to see my buddy, Nick Huber today, but thought I better stay out of his house with my cold.  When he gets a cold, he really suffers with his breathing, so you must be careful around him.

Everyone says, “What are you doing with yourself, now that the season is over?”  Well, I am on the road recruiting, and on the phone recruiting every night.  It is fun to find out who is going to join the program with you.  We have a couple of commits that we are really happy about, but NCAA rules won’t allow me to talk about them until they have registered for class, which will happen in June.  So I will wait till then.  If you really want to know, just call me, I will tell you in person.

What is really exciting, is the fact, that the Cubs get started on Monday.  1:20 is the first pitch.  I will be watching.  The first day of baseball season is always special to me.  It just means that spring is here, and that it is about time to pull out the golf clubs.  It is a start of a whole new way of life for me for about 4 months.  My life is so crazy during the season, and also during April, as we are out recruiting.  But starting in May, my life goes into neutral a little, and now I can focus on the family,  golf, and the Cubs.   We still recruit during the summer, but it is only one or two days at a time, and those are usually fun events and I see my coaching friends during those times. 

Taking off for the Final Four in San Antonio on Thursday with Barb.  We are looking forward to the River Walk, the weather, and the Mexican food.  San Antonio is one of my favorite cities. 

 

Talk next week.
 

Go Beavers!!
 

Coach VH

Posted by phelpss [Men's Basketball] ( March 28, 2008 03:15 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Baseball Moving Games to Pella

The games for the weekend will be played in Pella.  Friday's game will begin at 3:00 pm, the team will stay overnight at the Super 8 in Pella before playing a Saturday DH at 1:00 pm.  I just have to say how accomodating Central's coach, Adam Stevens, and their administration have been to getting this thing switched over.  I know they won't be as gracious when we start playing, we are going to have earn everything we get this weekend.  

We will see two really good pitchers this weekend.  Brett Mahan is finally a senior, I think we have only won once in games that he has started.  He is a long lanky left-hander that just pounds the strikezone with three pitches.  He is a strikeout pitcher, so even when we get guys in scoring position, driving them in becomes more difficult.  Adam Squires is only a sophomore but he is improving quickly.  We put together a good game against him last  year, but this year it will be much more difficult.  Offensively, they have some dangerous hitters so we can't afford to walk as many as we have up to this point of the season.

Again, we will worry about what we can control, our aggressiveness, our positive attitude, and our focus.  When it comes to winning conference games, it's about doing the fundamental things that are important.  We need to focus on playing solid baseball, and not worry about what Central is capable of doing.  I can't wait for tomorrow, the official season is about to begin.

On a side note, I do not believe the games will be on the radio this weekend.  Just another thing that has been disrupted by the weather.  Once things begin to settle down, we will be back on the airways.  Have a great weekend.  Go Beavers!

 

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( March 27, 2008 03:17 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

Mother Nature throws a curveball

Details are being completed, but it looks as if the BV-Central series will be moved to Pella.  We will try to play our 9-inning game on Friday at 3:00 pm, and the DH at 1:00 pm on Saturday.  We are waiting for a few people to put the final stamp of approval on this decision, we should know by noon today.

 

 

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( March 27, 2008 10:45 AM ) Permalink | Comments[0]

If a pig gets a face lift, he is still a pig.

I will post another blog next week, been slow this season on the post. I have to feel it to get a blog together. And Cranky I did not forget.

Posted by SchwabM [Wrestling] ( March 26, 2008 09:50 AM ) Permalink | Comments[1]

Baseball/Weather update

Today is a busy day, trying to figure out where we are going to be able play our conference games this weekend.  According to the official schedule, we are supposed to head to Decorah after our games vs. St. Scholastica tonight in the Metrodome.  It is unrealistic to think that their field is dry enough for that to happen, so we have a couple of alternate sites that we are looking at, each one needs a special approval from the Conference office and there are a lot of logistical factors that need to be taken care of.

By the time we leave today at 1:00 pm, we will try and have a better idea of what our plans will be.  More than likely we will return to Storm Lake on Thursday, and make plans for a weekend series vs. Luther (the conference opener).  While the forecast has gotten better for the weekend, there is still a lot of drying that has to take place at some of these alternate sites.

However, since we lost some games vs. Peru St., I have added Northwest Missouri State for a DH on Monday, March 24th (beginning at 1:00 pm in Maryville).  This gives us a chance to play some varsity games before we play Central next weekend, and acts as an insurance policy in case our games vs. Luther are not played.  

I will try to post another entry before we leave today with more weekend details.  We look forward to playing tonight vs. a very good St. Scholastica team, it should prepare us for what we will see when the conference season begins (whenever that might be).

 

 

Posted by EddieS [Baseball] ( March 19, 2008 09:32 AM ) Permalink | Comments[0]