Well it is that time of year that we give "Thanks" for many things.  In thinking about this time of year there are many things that come to mind to be thankful for:  the obvious being family, friends, health; the not so obvious being opportunities that we can/should take advantage of and/or our commitment.  

As we enjoy time with our families, ladies remember "who you play for" and what gives you that drive to do/be your best.  

I am very thankful for the family I have, and the staff that I get to work with each day!  I am also thankful for is this team that is working to achieve the goals they have set; hopefully they are seeing some of their hard work pay off.  We all have those moments that can get us down, but remember it is the "Climb" that makes life a challenge.  Who doesn't love a good challenge.

 Enjoy your family and friends, and keeping working toward the  "Climb". 

 No Regrets,

 Coach Hupke

Well it is that time of year for the spring sports to get some strength, cardio, and any other gains that are needed for spring practices and season.  The ladies will be working hard so that we can reap the benefits for the upcoming season.  We have fall break starting today after classes, so they can all enjoy home for a couple of extra days and their families.  Nothing ever is quite like home!  Probably a good time for fall break with the number of days we have had rain.  We will all have cabin fever sooner than we are probably wanting this year.  But the strong figure out a way to adjust and move on.  Looking through some quotes today this one caught my eye and it fits us for this off season. 

"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get in."  - Author Unknown 

To be successful in athletics we have to give up lots of things, but in the end it is always worth it!  As players look back on their years at school, they usually tend to remember those times spent with teammates. Most of the memories don't revolve around the wins and losses.  What I am getting at is that we spend a lot of time together "giving things up in order to get in".  That's what's fun to reminisce about. 

Over the next few months we will introduce you to the players on our team, starting with our seniors.  Which by then we will be ready start practicing and playing.  

One item to leave you with:  "Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months, and years they spend preparing for it.  The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character."  - T. Alan Armstrong

Well the 2009 fall practices are officially in the books.  What started as a chilly day Saturday, turned out to a great one.  Both teams played well offensively and defensively.  Had some great hits and catches!  This fall we have really seen our players step up their play! We are  really competing with each other.  Which will lead us to great things this spring.  

We have some things to work on for the spring season, but one can always get better.  We are figuring out how to get through adversity together and enjoy the good times also.  This fall has been great, the ladies make you want to show up each and every day for practice and we are sad to see those practices come to an end.  But has us looking forward to spring season.  They have been positive during the frustrating times and have kept their heads up. 

We continue to work this hard together,  look out spring season the "Beavers" are back!

So this week we let our teammates know "who we play for".  It something that has and will bring us closer together as a team.  We have a better understanding of each other trials and tribulations.  They are a great group that will be able to work through anything, and accomplish their goals.  As a reminder we have all tied yellow ribbon on our cleats.  So when we start to struggle, we will see the ribbon and be reminded of "who we play for".  

 As for the physical practice this week, we are better!  They are getting more confident, comfortable, and challenging each other.  We will reach our goals by working within our roles.  Demanding that we get better and better each time we set foot on the field. 

We will make the "Climb" through thick and thin!  Look forward to seeing all of the hard work pay off for this group.

Beaver Pride!

Coach Hupke

Week two saw some improvements both offensively and defensively.  We are getting more acquainted and working better with each other.  We have seen some good communication amongst the ladies, helping each other with defensive positioning and also tweaking each others swings.  It is usually the little things that make the BIG difference for us!  The ladies continue to work hard each day to get better.  It makes it easy to get prepared for and go to practice when they have the desire and determination to get themselves better at each practice.  

 We finished this weeks practice with asking each player "who they play for".  So they will share "who they play for" next week at practice. They will get a ribbon to tie onto their shoelace. So each time they see that ribbon it will remind them to keep working, it's not that bad. I shared with the team my motivation comes from Bailey.  Bailey is the daughter that we lost 2 years ago, she was 3 months old, and fought hard to stay with us.  She will not have the opportunities that these ladies do each day.  We need to continue to Fight and make our "Climb" for the spring season.  Great things will happen for us, because we will WORK to make them happen!

I look forward to hearing who these ladies "play for".  As we will learn more about each other, and our bond will grow tighter. 

 Beaver Pride!

Coach Hupke

Well, we have one week of practice under our belts as we begin our "Climb".  The "Climb" is our theme this year. We will be using this theme to help keep our focus while preparing for, and  playing our spring season.  We have 13 returners and 14 new bodies. We have seen some good things from all of them so far.  They are getting after it and playing aggressive!  One challenge we had at practice was won by Amy Hasbrouck, a senior, and it was even on her birthday!  We are continuing to do the little things to make us better and look forward to the coming weeks of practice. 

 Beaver Pride!

 Coach Hupke