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Rain or Shine...It's Work Day Time
By Jessica R. Chisley
October 31, 2007
This past week was an exciting week. Coming off of our high from Southwestern and Trinity, we had a long week of training before our game against Austin on Sunday afternoon. Monday, the players enjoyed a much needed day of rest. Though our travel home from Texas had been smooth, we still did not arrive back on campus until after midnight.
Tuesday was an unusual day for the players. As you guessed, it was work day. On this particular work day however, Mother Nature was having an absolute fit. The rain would come in buckets, but in the next moment would taper off into nothingness – okay, maybe not nothingness, but more like a fine mist. With the weather conditions as they were, outdoor sports were being moved inside to practice in the gyms of the athletic complex in order to preserve the outdoor facilities. Midway through the morning, Coach Hoffman bounces into my office and sits down. What are you thoughts for practice today, he asks? Noticing a smirk on his face, I wasn't quite sure whether or not this was a trick question. Before answering too quickly, I thought carefully about my response. Then, in a slow, yet steady voice, I replied with a question in the form of an answer – Lots of technical work in the gym followed by short-sided games?!?!
His eyes lit up and with the excitement of a small child proceeded to tell me his plan. The more I listened the more excited I too became. It began with a simple motto: Rain or Shine…it's Work Day Time! With that in mind, he spoke of training military style. The players would run to Millennium Park [a local public park in Danville about 2 miles from campus] where they would be met by a Drill Sergeant (yours truly) who would then lead them in an intense body circuit. From there, we were both like kids in a candy store as we began planning the details of the day. Jay emailed the players giving them just enough information:
Meet outside at 4:15 for our work-out. Do not wear nice tennis shoes. Also, you do not need your rain jacket. Plan on getting wet. Drill Sergeant Chisley will be holding ranks and making sure that we have one heck of a work day. I can't wait!!!
With all the cards in place, I drove to the park to set things up while Jay stayed behind to get the ladies organized. In two lines, they began their run. Before I knew it, they were coming over the hill and through the gate – Mission: Work Day Rain or Shine was ready to commence. As the players came in Coach Chisley disappeared and Drill Sergeant Chisley stepped in. Welcome to Boot Camp ladies, she barked, you're late! File in! Playing along, the players responded with an enthusiastic, yes Drill Sergeant! Without missing a beat she replied, good! Now drop and give me 20!
The session lasted about 45 minutes. In that time, the players certainly worked hard, but had a good time while doing it. What?!?! Fun??? How can a team have fun during Boot Camp , you ask? Well, it's a bit hard to explain, but should you have the chance to talk with a player, definitely ask them. They jumped, lunged, squatted, did enough push-ups to lift a truck, and worked their abs so hard they can probably do laundry on them now. So, with Mission: Work Day Rain or Shine complete, the players geared up to run back to campus.
Upon arrival at school, we took a picture of the players rain/sweat-soaked and muddy. It was truly a fun day that we believe the players will remember for some time to come. I would like to thank Jay for the opportunity to take on such a huge responsibility and to help bring his vision into reality.
In Other News:
We welcomed our alumni back to campus this weekend for our annual Alumni Weekend. It was certainly good to see so many familiar faces again. Saturday night Coach Hoffman invited the team to his home for our annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving. The players carved pumpkins, roasted Pumpkin seeds, and participated in a neat activity. A few of our parents had collected baby pictures of all the players and numbered them 1-27. The players were given sheets with the numbers 1-27 on them and asked to identify the pictures. For an added degree of difficulty, they also included Jay and his wife, Laura's pictures as well. It was quite funny watching the players trying to identify the pictures. They chuckled and pointed at each other's pictures noting how much or how little each person had changed. Perhaps was even more entertaining was the fact that a few players were unable to identify their own baby picture. The night was truly fun for everyone and we certainly want to thank Jay and Laura for opening their homes to us.
Sunday afternoon was a big day for the program. We welcomed a few recruits on campus, recognized our lone senior, and finished our last home game with a win. At half-time during our game Austin College (Texas), we paused to honor our senior manager Lillian Tuttle. Lillian has given her time and energy to this program for four years. At the half, we honored her with a few words and flowers. On hand for the special event were: her mother, brother Ben, and her dog Sadie. We would go on to win the game 2-0 with goals being scored by junior, Lara Hebbeler and junior Erin Menard. Junior Allison Terry was credited with the lone assist of the day.
This weekend we head to Indiana for our final conference match of the season. Saturday at 5:00 pm we will face the Tigers of DePauw University, a team we have yet to beat since 1998 (when DePauw joined the SCAC). It will be yet another test for us. Much like Trinity a few weeks ago, we will be looking to place another milestone in the history of this program by bringing home a win for Centre College. As always take care and until next time…
THINK CENTRE This week in women's soccer archives:
Tuesday Oct 23, 2007
Tuesday Oct 14, 2007
Tuesday Oct 9, 2007
Tuesday Oct 1, 2007
Tuesday Sept 25, 2007
Tuesday Sept 18, 2007
Tuesday Sept 11, 2007
Tuesday Sept 4, 2007
Tuesday April 24, 2007
Tuesday Jan 16, 2007
Tuesday Oct 31, 2006
Tuesday Oct 24, 2006
Tuesday Oct 17, 2006
Tuesday Oct 11, 2006
Tuesday Oct 3, 2006
Tuesday Sept 26, 2006
Tuesday Sept 19, 2006
Tuesday Sept 12, 2006
Tuesday Sept. 5, 2006
Monday Aug. 28, 2006
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