In my quest to always be learning as a Coach, I came across a website that I greatly value:
Emuss.blogspot.com
*No matter your profession, I would bookmark this blog and check back frequently. There is many motivational thoughts and ideas.
The person who runs it, Eric Musselman is a former NBA Head coach of both the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. I have followed Musselman's career ever since he was an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks and he would come on the Jim Rome radio show for interviews.
I sent Coach Musselman an article I thought he would find interesting. I was more than flattered when I checked the website later that afternoon that he had posted it for the world to see, giving me credit (scroll down the blogpost to see it).
Thanks to Coach Musselman for his humility and flattery. I hope I can accomplish half of what he has.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
KSU update
Watched KSU and Tech...
There are some problems in the 'Hat! KSU has some rebuilding to do.
According to the Big XII rankings in the KC Star (today's edition).
KSU is 11 which isn't good news...but the good news is, they're playing the team ranked #12...
Should be an interesting road tilt for the fighting Princesses'
There are some problems in the 'Hat! KSU has some rebuilding to do.
According to the Big XII rankings in the KC Star (today's edition).
KSU is 11 which isn't good news...but the good news is, they're playing the team ranked #12...
Should be an interesting road tilt for the fighting Princesses'
Friday, October 03, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Wisconsin Basketball
This is a great read!!!
(If you'd rather have the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3616868&type=story)
Student, athlete, husband, father: UW's Marcus Landry, in a nutshell
By Dana O'NeilESPN.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Moriah Landry grabs one throw pillow and then another, stacking the cushions on top of her father's head. Clearly proud of her creation, the 2-year-old scampers up her daddy's shoulders and plops herself on top of the pillows.
The queen of the roost has found her perch.
Not 30 minutes earlier and only 10 miles away, sleepy-eyed Wisconsin basketball players shuffled out of the Kohl Center and returned to their dorm rooms and apartments. Their hour-long weightlifting session was over and the campus, still under a shroud of fog this Monday, was just stretching awake at 8 a.m.
Like his teammates, senior Marcus Landry headed home, too.
He turned the lock on his apartment door to find 3-year-old Marcus (everyone calls him M.J.) brushing his teeth in the bathroom and already itching to play Wii. Moriah was sleeping but woke minutes later to climb her daddy's head; and in the back bedroom 1-month-old Makaylah made her presence known, fussing loudly for her bottle.
"It's a little bit more than the average student-athlete,'' Landry laughed.
Ya think?
The next time a student-athlete whines about the grind of coursework and Division I athletics, someone ought to hold up Landry's picture -- not the head shot in the media guide; the one hanging on his wall. You know, the one with his wife and three kids.
Landry, a senior co-captain and second-team All-Big Ten selection, is carrying 12 credits, a top-25 basketball program and the weight of a young family on his broad shoulders.
"Oh my God, I can't imagine it,'' said teammate Joe Krabbenhoft, godfather to Makaylah. "It's hard enough for me managing my studies and basketball and a little bit of a social life. I can't even imagine. We go home and lay on the bed and he goes and puts kids to bed.''
It's the perfect morning to roll back over and go to sleep. The fog blanketing Madison is so thick that even if the sun were up, you wouldn't know it.
That the sun isn't yet up -- well, that makes the snooze button all the more enticing.
Landry yanks himself out of bed sometime before 6 a.m. -- "too early" -- and heads over to the Kohl Center for his weightlifting session. Outside, the campus is quiet save for the heartiest of hardy joggers. Inside, the only noise in the building is the clang of the barbells as they hit the floor.
This is a big year for Landry. A full-time starter for the first time last season, he rewarded coach Bo Ryan by finishing third on the team in scoring and rebounding. Always strong from 15 feet in, he developed a reliable outside shot that only improved as the season went on, and he was named most outstanding player at the Big Ten Tournament.
He knows that nothing shy of everything in terms of his basketball future rides on this season. Landry could become the second NBA player in the family -- following in the footsteps of his big brother, Carl, who just finished his rookie season with the Houston Rockets -- or at least score a lucrative contract overseas.
Even more importantly, it is the potential financial boost for his family that drags Landry out of bed. He and his wife, Efueko Osagie-Landry, who played at Marquette, are struggling to make ends meet. Their apartment is paid for as part of Landry's scholarship; grants help, as does support from Landry's family and brother, but raising three kids on what is essentially no income forces even the most creative parent to find new ways to stretch a dollar.
Parks, zoos and fishing trips fill up the summer. Coloring books and trips to Daddy's home games do in the winter months.
"We do a lot of praying,'' said Osagie-Landry, who graduated in 2006.
Wisely, Landry isn't putting all of his faith in basketball.
After his weightlifting session ends at 7:30 a.m., he pokes his head into the Fetzer Student-Athlete Academic Center. His advisor, Toni O'Keefe, is already in her office. Blessed with an ear for voices -- she can tell it's Landry down the hall and around the corner, though he barely speaks above a whisper -- and a penchant for detail, O'Keefe goes over Landry's coursework for the week.
He's on top of what's expected of him -- he'll graduate at the end of the summer with a degree in life sciences communication -- but admits that with so much to juggle at home, he has to be ever-mindful.
He fell into the academic abyss once, and isn't interested in dipping his toes in again. Midway through an impressive freshman season, Landry was declared academically ineligible. The missed semester was the final straw in a mental shake-up Landry needed.
Looking at Marcus Landry now -- husband and father of three at the age of 22 -- begs an obvious question: Were you always so mature?
To which Osagie-Landry belly-laughs an answer: "That's funny."
"Let's just say he's come a long way,'' Ryan offers with a smirk.
The bass guitar leaning against the wall is just too tempting. Moriah Landry gently touches the strings once, twice, a third time. She's not supposed to. It's Daddy's guitar and she knows it's off limits, but she's 2 and it's shiny and it's sitting right there.
Finally, one touch too many sends the guitar on a slow-motion dive to the floor. Moriah looks up at her daddy. On cue, he directs her to her room.
Without argument, she toddles off.
"They listen to him definitely better than me,'' Osagie-Landry says. "He's the disciplinarian.''
To anyone who knew Marcus Landry say, three years ago, that's would have been downright laughable. Landry wasn't a bad kid, just a playful one; the kind who loved to wrestle with his brother until the pictures fell off the walls and who was happily, gleefully and blissfully selfish.
He and his siblings grew up breaking hoops on the driveway rim, with Carl, Marcus and little sister Shenita (now a senior forward for Temple) going at it in heated games of one-on-one.
"I'm good at discipline,'' Landry jokes, "because I had a lot of it growing up.''
Between his academic suspension and starting a family, it was as if Landry was handed a how-to book on growing up.
Each pried Landry's eyes open a little wider, but none perhaps more than Osagie-Landry. The two met when she came to Milwaukee (Landry's hometown) as a freshman and joined Landry's grandfather's church. They didn't start dating until two years later, when Landry left for Wisconsin in 2004.
"I'm the type the less you want me, the harder I work,'' Landry said. "She wouldn't give me the time of day.''
As silly and playful as Landry was, Osagie-Landry was that serious. A double-major at Marquette, she was always an old soul who wore responsibility with ease.
"We roomed together freshman year,'' Krabbenhoft said. "When he met Efueko, he told me 'This is gonna be my wife.' I'm like, 'C'mon.'
The couple married April 22, 2006, and a month later, Moriah arrived. More than a handful of people told them they were crazy. They certainly wouldn't have been the first to raise a family without walking down the aisle, but both are faithful churchgoers -- Landry plays the bass at a Madison church and at his grandfather's church in Milwaukee -- and believed getting married was not only the right thing to do; it was what felt right.
After she had Moriah, Osagie-Landry played an entire season, often living off the fumes of two hours of sleep. She rearranged her schedule, taking only night classes so that her teammates and Landry's mother could watch the baby.
And she still helped Marquette to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, and graduated with degrees in communications and sociology.
"I don't like to be pie in the sky, but I do believe it's not coincidental that when [Landry] got married, things changed,'' Ryan said. "He's gotten more mature in every aspect of his life.''
Marcus and Efueko are a content couple, if occasionally shell-shocked at all they have to handle at a young age.
They have a decent division of labor: He does the baths; she does most diapers. An excellent cook who can whip up something out of what seems a cabinet full of mixed-up canned goods, he makes dinner whenever time allows (he dreams of hosting a cooking show on ESPN in which athletes get to show off their famous dishes and compete in cook-offs).
It's not easy, especially on Osagie-Landry, who is a stay-at-home mother and often finds herself home alone with three kids and no car.
But it's generally entertaining.
During a film session last season, as assistant coaches pointed out the players' mistakes, the Badgers could hear M.J. reciting the dialogue to "Happy Feet" as he watched the movie in the back of the room.
"They're telling us what we did wrong,'' Krabbenhoft said, "and you can hear M.J. back there singing and saying all the words. It was hysterical.''
At noon, Landry reluctantly kisses his family goodbye and heads back to campus.
This time as he drives, his own music pumps from the speakers. On the way home in the morning, he didn't realize he was listening to a Dora the Explorer movie until he pulled into the apartment-complex parking lot.
"It happens all the time,'' Landry says. "I don't even notice.''
This being preseason and this being Monday, he and his teammates will "run the hill,'' a conditioning drill that Ryan has turned into something of a Wisconsin hoops rite of passage. Today's segment calls for 16 trips up the hill.
Nursing an injured groin, Landry runs 12 and walks four.
At 4 p.m., the team sits through a quick media seminar in which Landry -- affectionately called "Old Man'' by his teammates -- tries like mad to make the others laugh as they do mock interviews.
The seminar goes longer than expected, forcing Landry to bolt across campus for his one class of the day, rural sociology. Today's discussion is whether or not the term "community" is still viable. As the professor weaves his way through the lecture, he asks the class of about 150 who are some of the most powerful people in Madison. Landry laughs and mutters to himself, "Bo Ryan."
A classmate turns around and laughs.
Finally at 5:30 p.m., nearly 12 hours after he first woke up, Landry's day is over.
It's also just beginning.
The kids and Osagie-Landry are itching for Daddy to get home. They're hitting the mall tonight to buy Mommy a Wii Fit and the kids some dinner. But before they can get out the door, the packing-up-the-kids-waltz begins.
M.J. wants to wear his light-up Spiderman shoes; Landry prefers the mini Air Jordans. Daddy wins the battle, but a grumpy little man convinces him it's not worth the war. Off go the Jordans; out comes Spidey.
In the meantime, Osagie-Landry is chasing Moriah into her clothes and a hairdo. Makaylah sleeps contentedly on the sofa.
Then it's time to pack the diaper bag: Out go the old wipes, in go the new; along with two bottles, an extra blanket, diapers and a bib. If they could squeeze a generator in the bag, you get the feeling they would.
"You know the one thing we need is the one thing we won't pack,'' Osagie-Landry says with a laugh.
Makaylah is stuffed into her car-seat carrier while Landry fetches the new double stroller from the kids' bedroom. M.J. has picked a movie to watch in the car, and Moriah is clinging to a Dora doll. A quick hunt yields a missing pony she wants to bring as well.
Finally, they are out the door. Landry reloads the car seats and the kids climb in, ready for a mini-adventure.
Baths, stories and bedtime still await. Somewhere down the road, the promise of sleep teases the grown-ups like an impossible-to-reach dream.
"Moriah, you need a tissue,'' Osagie-Landry says. "We forgot to pack the tissues.''
Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at espnoneil@live.com.
(If you'd rather have the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3616868&type=story)
Student, athlete, husband, father: UW's Marcus Landry, in a nutshell
By Dana O'NeilESPN.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Moriah Landry grabs one throw pillow and then another, stacking the cushions on top of her father's head. Clearly proud of her creation, the 2-year-old scampers up her daddy's shoulders and plops herself on top of the pillows.
The queen of the roost has found her perch.
Not 30 minutes earlier and only 10 miles away, sleepy-eyed Wisconsin basketball players shuffled out of the Kohl Center and returned to their dorm rooms and apartments. Their hour-long weightlifting session was over and the campus, still under a shroud of fog this Monday, was just stretching awake at 8 a.m.
Like his teammates, senior Marcus Landry headed home, too.
He turned the lock on his apartment door to find 3-year-old Marcus (everyone calls him M.J.) brushing his teeth in the bathroom and already itching to play Wii. Moriah was sleeping but woke minutes later to climb her daddy's head; and in the back bedroom 1-month-old Makaylah made her presence known, fussing loudly for her bottle.
"It's a little bit more than the average student-athlete,'' Landry laughed.
Ya think?
The next time a student-athlete whines about the grind of coursework and Division I athletics, someone ought to hold up Landry's picture -- not the head shot in the media guide; the one hanging on his wall. You know, the one with his wife and three kids.
Landry, a senior co-captain and second-team All-Big Ten selection, is carrying 12 credits, a top-25 basketball program and the weight of a young family on his broad shoulders.
"Oh my God, I can't imagine it,'' said teammate Joe Krabbenhoft, godfather to Makaylah. "It's hard enough for me managing my studies and basketball and a little bit of a social life. I can't even imagine. We go home and lay on the bed and he goes and puts kids to bed.''
It's the perfect morning to roll back over and go to sleep. The fog blanketing Madison is so thick that even if the sun were up, you wouldn't know it.
That the sun isn't yet up -- well, that makes the snooze button all the more enticing.
Landry yanks himself out of bed sometime before 6 a.m. -- "too early" -- and heads over to the Kohl Center for his weightlifting session. Outside, the campus is quiet save for the heartiest of hardy joggers. Inside, the only noise in the building is the clang of the barbells as they hit the floor.
This is a big year for Landry. A full-time starter for the first time last season, he rewarded coach Bo Ryan by finishing third on the team in scoring and rebounding. Always strong from 15 feet in, he developed a reliable outside shot that only improved as the season went on, and he was named most outstanding player at the Big Ten Tournament.
He knows that nothing shy of everything in terms of his basketball future rides on this season. Landry could become the second NBA player in the family -- following in the footsteps of his big brother, Carl, who just finished his rookie season with the Houston Rockets -- or at least score a lucrative contract overseas.
Even more importantly, it is the potential financial boost for his family that drags Landry out of bed. He and his wife, Efueko Osagie-Landry, who played at Marquette, are struggling to make ends meet. Their apartment is paid for as part of Landry's scholarship; grants help, as does support from Landry's family and brother, but raising three kids on what is essentially no income forces even the most creative parent to find new ways to stretch a dollar.
Parks, zoos and fishing trips fill up the summer. Coloring books and trips to Daddy's home games do in the winter months.
"We do a lot of praying,'' said Osagie-Landry, who graduated in 2006.
Wisely, Landry isn't putting all of his faith in basketball.
After his weightlifting session ends at 7:30 a.m., he pokes his head into the Fetzer Student-Athlete Academic Center. His advisor, Toni O'Keefe, is already in her office. Blessed with an ear for voices -- she can tell it's Landry down the hall and around the corner, though he barely speaks above a whisper -- and a penchant for detail, O'Keefe goes over Landry's coursework for the week.
He's on top of what's expected of him -- he'll graduate at the end of the summer with a degree in life sciences communication -- but admits that with so much to juggle at home, he has to be ever-mindful.
He fell into the academic abyss once, and isn't interested in dipping his toes in again. Midway through an impressive freshman season, Landry was declared academically ineligible. The missed semester was the final straw in a mental shake-up Landry needed.
Looking at Marcus Landry now -- husband and father of three at the age of 22 -- begs an obvious question: Were you always so mature?
To which Osagie-Landry belly-laughs an answer: "That's funny."
"Let's just say he's come a long way,'' Ryan offers with a smirk.
The bass guitar leaning against the wall is just too tempting. Moriah Landry gently touches the strings once, twice, a third time. She's not supposed to. It's Daddy's guitar and she knows it's off limits, but she's 2 and it's shiny and it's sitting right there.
Finally, one touch too many sends the guitar on a slow-motion dive to the floor. Moriah looks up at her daddy. On cue, he directs her to her room.
Without argument, she toddles off.
"They listen to him definitely better than me,'' Osagie-Landry says. "He's the disciplinarian.''
To anyone who knew Marcus Landry say, three years ago, that's would have been downright laughable. Landry wasn't a bad kid, just a playful one; the kind who loved to wrestle with his brother until the pictures fell off the walls and who was happily, gleefully and blissfully selfish.
He and his siblings grew up breaking hoops on the driveway rim, with Carl, Marcus and little sister Shenita (now a senior forward for Temple) going at it in heated games of one-on-one.
"I'm good at discipline,'' Landry jokes, "because I had a lot of it growing up.''
Between his academic suspension and starting a family, it was as if Landry was handed a how-to book on growing up.
Each pried Landry's eyes open a little wider, but none perhaps more than Osagie-Landry. The two met when she came to Milwaukee (Landry's hometown) as a freshman and joined Landry's grandfather's church. They didn't start dating until two years later, when Landry left for Wisconsin in 2004.
"I'm the type the less you want me, the harder I work,'' Landry said. "She wouldn't give me the time of day.''
As silly and playful as Landry was, Osagie-Landry was that serious. A double-major at Marquette, she was always an old soul who wore responsibility with ease.
"We roomed together freshman year,'' Krabbenhoft said. "When he met Efueko, he told me 'This is gonna be my wife.' I'm like, 'C'mon.'
The couple married April 22, 2006, and a month later, Moriah arrived. More than a handful of people told them they were crazy. They certainly wouldn't have been the first to raise a family without walking down the aisle, but both are faithful churchgoers -- Landry plays the bass at a Madison church and at his grandfather's church in Milwaukee -- and believed getting married was not only the right thing to do; it was what felt right.
After she had Moriah, Osagie-Landry played an entire season, often living off the fumes of two hours of sleep. She rearranged her schedule, taking only night classes so that her teammates and Landry's mother could watch the baby.
And she still helped Marquette to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, and graduated with degrees in communications and sociology.
"I don't like to be pie in the sky, but I do believe it's not coincidental that when [Landry] got married, things changed,'' Ryan said. "He's gotten more mature in every aspect of his life.''
Marcus and Efueko are a content couple, if occasionally shell-shocked at all they have to handle at a young age.
They have a decent division of labor: He does the baths; she does most diapers. An excellent cook who can whip up something out of what seems a cabinet full of mixed-up canned goods, he makes dinner whenever time allows (he dreams of hosting a cooking show on ESPN in which athletes get to show off their famous dishes and compete in cook-offs).
It's not easy, especially on Osagie-Landry, who is a stay-at-home mother and often finds herself home alone with three kids and no car.
But it's generally entertaining.
During a film session last season, as assistant coaches pointed out the players' mistakes, the Badgers could hear M.J. reciting the dialogue to "Happy Feet" as he watched the movie in the back of the room.
"They're telling us what we did wrong,'' Krabbenhoft said, "and you can hear M.J. back there singing and saying all the words. It was hysterical.''
At noon, Landry reluctantly kisses his family goodbye and heads back to campus.
This time as he drives, his own music pumps from the speakers. On the way home in the morning, he didn't realize he was listening to a Dora the Explorer movie until he pulled into the apartment-complex parking lot.
"It happens all the time,'' Landry says. "I don't even notice.''
This being preseason and this being Monday, he and his teammates will "run the hill,'' a conditioning drill that Ryan has turned into something of a Wisconsin hoops rite of passage. Today's segment calls for 16 trips up the hill.
Nursing an injured groin, Landry runs 12 and walks four.
At 4 p.m., the team sits through a quick media seminar in which Landry -- affectionately called "Old Man'' by his teammates -- tries like mad to make the others laugh as they do mock interviews.
The seminar goes longer than expected, forcing Landry to bolt across campus for his one class of the day, rural sociology. Today's discussion is whether or not the term "community" is still viable. As the professor weaves his way through the lecture, he asks the class of about 150 who are some of the most powerful people in Madison. Landry laughs and mutters to himself, "Bo Ryan."
A classmate turns around and laughs.
Finally at 5:30 p.m., nearly 12 hours after he first woke up, Landry's day is over.
It's also just beginning.
The kids and Osagie-Landry are itching for Daddy to get home. They're hitting the mall tonight to buy Mommy a Wii Fit and the kids some dinner. But before they can get out the door, the packing-up-the-kids-waltz begins.
M.J. wants to wear his light-up Spiderman shoes; Landry prefers the mini Air Jordans. Daddy wins the battle, but a grumpy little man convinces him it's not worth the war. Off go the Jordans; out comes Spidey.
In the meantime, Osagie-Landry is chasing Moriah into her clothes and a hairdo. Makaylah sleeps contentedly on the sofa.
Then it's time to pack the diaper bag: Out go the old wipes, in go the new; along with two bottles, an extra blanket, diapers and a bib. If they could squeeze a generator in the bag, you get the feeling they would.
"You know the one thing we need is the one thing we won't pack,'' Osagie-Landry says with a laugh.
Makaylah is stuffed into her car-seat carrier while Landry fetches the new double stroller from the kids' bedroom. M.J. has picked a movie to watch in the car, and Moriah is clinging to a Dora doll. A quick hunt yields a missing pony she wants to bring as well.
Finally, they are out the door. Landry reloads the car seats and the kids climb in, ready for a mini-adventure.
Baths, stories and bedtime still await. Somewhere down the road, the promise of sleep teases the grown-ups like an impossible-to-reach dream.
"Moriah, you need a tissue,'' Osagie-Landry says. "We forgot to pack the tissues.''
Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at espnoneil@live.com.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
KC Royals
Quick thought about my beloved Royals.
They finished the month of September 18-8, which put them overall at 75-87, a .463 winning percentage.
It looks like they will have the 10th pick in next June's amateur draft (by my calculations).
My thought is this...
Was the month of September just a fluke? Most baseball people say not to pay attention to September because teams are packing it in, playing younger players and resting their veterans.
So now, instead of getting a top 5 pick, the Royals are set for the #10 pick. Is there that big of a difference? Did they hurt themselves by playing better baseball? I don't know...
Maybe there will be less pressure to draft a "can't miss" prospect.
I do know this...I'll take the winning September.
They finished the month of September 18-8, which put them overall at 75-87, a .463 winning percentage.
It looks like they will have the 10th pick in next June's amateur draft (by my calculations).
My thought is this...
Was the month of September just a fluke? Most baseball people say not to pay attention to September because teams are packing it in, playing younger players and resting their veterans.
So now, instead of getting a top 5 pick, the Royals are set for the #10 pick. Is there that big of a difference? Did they hurt themselves by playing better baseball? I don't know...
Maybe there will be less pressure to draft a "can't miss" prospect.
I do know this...I'll take the winning September.
Monday, September 29, 2008
KSU Football
What is worse? That he got arrested or that he’s driving an El Camino?!?
K-State safety Chandler arrested
By JEFFREY MARTIN The Kansas City Star
Kansas State senior safety Gary Chandler was arrested early Sunday morning in Manhattan, Kan., and charged with driving on a revoked license and obstructing the legal process.
According to the Riley County Police Department, Chandler was stopped driving a Chevrolet El Camino with a passenger in the rear bed, which is a violation. Chandler initially gave false identification, but upon giving his real name was found to be driving on a revoked license.
Chandler, the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2007, has played in four games this season, recording 11 tackles. But he didn’t have a tackle in Saturday’s victory against Louisiana-Lafayette. He was listed as Courtney Herndon’s backup for this weekend’s Big 12 opener against Texas Tech
K-State safety Chandler arrested
By JEFFREY MARTIN The Kansas City Star
Kansas State senior safety Gary Chandler was arrested early Sunday morning in Manhattan, Kan., and charged with driving on a revoked license and obstructing the legal process.
According to the Riley County Police Department, Chandler was stopped driving a Chevrolet El Camino with a passenger in the rear bed, which is a violation. Chandler initially gave false identification, but upon giving his real name was found to be driving on a revoked license.
Chandler, the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2007, has played in four games this season, recording 11 tackles. But he didn’t have a tackle in Saturday’s victory against Louisiana-Lafayette. He was listed as Courtney Herndon’s backup for this weekend’s Big 12 opener against Texas Tech
Baseball
Please give Tori Hunter an enormous amount of credit for speaking up when other players would not.
Just this weekend I told Melynda that my next blogpost was going to be about MLB's dip in homeruns.
Seemingly, no one would talk about it.
This is a great article from the AP that says it much better than I could...
Just this weekend I told Melynda that my next blogpost was going to be about MLB's dip in homeruns.
Seemingly, no one would talk about it.
This is a great article from the AP that says it much better than I could...
Angels' Hunter says MLB's homer dip result of steroid testing
Associated PressNEW YORK -- Home runs in the major leagues dropped this year to their lowest level since 1993, and Angels center fielder Torii Hunter thinks he might know why.
"I think the steroid testing has something to do with it," he said. "If there were any guys who were taking it, they're not taking it anymore. I'd say it's a small percentage, but of course it's going to have an impact."
An average of 2.01 home runs per game were hit this year, down from 2.04 in 2007. The average hadn't dropped that low since 15 years ago, when it stood at 1.78, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The homer high of 2.34 was set in 2000, and the average stood at 2.14 in 2003, the last season before drug testing with penalties began.
Miguel Cabrera topped the American League with 37 homers, the fewest for any league champion since Fred McGriff hit 35 for San Diego to win the 1992 NL title. It was the lowest total for an AL champ since McGriff had 36 for Toronto in 1989.
"I think it's the bigger stadiums," Cabrera said.
The average was virtually the same in both leagues, but the power drop wasn't as evident among the NL leaders. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit 48 homers and topped the majors for the second time in three seasons.
"I think there are a lot of smaller fields in the NL and a lot of bigger fields in the AL," Hunter said. "Teams are starting to get away from trying to just swing hard and hit it out of the park. They're more about getting guys over. They're starting to come back to the way baseball has been played in the past."
With 118 runs, Boston's Dustin Pedroia had the lowest total for an AL leader in a non-shortened season since Detroit's Tony Phillips (114) in 1992.
Alex Rodriguez's .573 slugging percentage was the lowest for an AL leader since Ruben Sierra's .543 for Texas in 1989 and Josh Hamilton's 331 total bases were the fewest to top the AL in a non-shortened season since Kirby Puckett's 313 for Minnesota in 1992.
"You're not going to get cheap home runs because it doesn't seem like the ball's jumping off the bat as much," the Angels' Mark Teixeira said. "I can feel the ball being a little softer. I can feel the seams being a little raised and the leather not being as tight."
Associated PressNEW YORK -- Home runs in the major leagues dropped this year to their lowest level since 1993, and Angels center fielder Torii Hunter thinks he might know why.
"I think the steroid testing has something to do with it," he said. "If there were any guys who were taking it, they're not taking it anymore. I'd say it's a small percentage, but of course it's going to have an impact."
An average of 2.01 home runs per game were hit this year, down from 2.04 in 2007. The average hadn't dropped that low since 15 years ago, when it stood at 1.78, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The homer high of 2.34 was set in 2000, and the average stood at 2.14 in 2003, the last season before drug testing with penalties began.
Miguel Cabrera topped the American League with 37 homers, the fewest for any league champion since Fred McGriff hit 35 for San Diego to win the 1992 NL title. It was the lowest total for an AL champ since McGriff had 36 for Toronto in 1989.
"I think it's the bigger stadiums," Cabrera said.
The average was virtually the same in both leagues, but the power drop wasn't as evident among the NL leaders. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit 48 homers and topped the majors for the second time in three seasons.
"I think there are a lot of smaller fields in the NL and a lot of bigger fields in the AL," Hunter said. "Teams are starting to get away from trying to just swing hard and hit it out of the park. They're more about getting guys over. They're starting to come back to the way baseball has been played in the past."
With 118 runs, Boston's Dustin Pedroia had the lowest total for an AL leader in a non-shortened season since Detroit's Tony Phillips (114) in 1992.
Alex Rodriguez's .573 slugging percentage was the lowest for an AL leader since Ruben Sierra's .543 for Texas in 1989 and Josh Hamilton's 331 total bases were the fewest to top the AL in a non-shortened season since Kirby Puckett's 313 for Minnesota in 1992.
"You're not going to get cheap home runs because it doesn't seem like the ball's jumping off the bat as much," the Angels' Mark Teixeira said. "I can feel the ball being a little softer. I can feel the seams being a little raised and the leather not being as tight."
Matt Bryant
Bucs' Bryant comes through four days after death of infant son
Matt Bryant choked back tears.
A day after burying his 3-month-old son in Texas, the Tampa Bay kicker booted three field goals to help the Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers 30-21 on Sunday.
"I don't know what I needed today," Bryant said. "It worked out OK. Could've been better, but given the circumstances it turned out OK."
Bryant's youngest son, Matthew Tryson, was found dead at home in Tampa on Wednesday. It will be several weeks before the kicker and his wife learn the cause of death.
Bryant didn't practice all week, and coach Jon Gruden left it up to him to decide if he would play.
"The biggest thing for me, I wanted to honor Tryson's name," Bryant said. "I mean, I don't think it was very fair for his life to end so short. This is the best way I believe I could get out and honor him. I miss him and wish he was here, but he was here with me. He helped out."
Bryant kicked field goals of 23 and 36 yards in the second quarter. His 24-yarder, with 2:26 to go, finished a six-minute drive and put the Bucs ahead for good, 23-21.
"Today was his day," Bryant said. "It was all about Tryson for me. I talked with him, personally, in my head throughout the game. I just wanted to remind him that he's my baby boy and that he's with me all the time."
The Bucs awarded a game ball to Bryant, who has rebounded from a subpar preseason to play an important role in two of Tampa Bay's three victories. He kicked a winning field goal in overtime last week at Chicago.
"If you really knew Matt, this really puts a human touch on everything that is going on in the football world," Gruden said. "This was an unexpected situation. This family is in total shock, and he flew back after a funeral to make the game-winning kick."
Punter Josh Bidwell is Bryant's best friend on the team.
"He's proving right now, more than ever, that he's one of the best in the business. Regardless of his preseason and the struggles that he went through, this is who he is -- he's a gamer," Bidwell said.
"And he came out here and did his job for us, and I think it was therapeutic because he knew we were going to play hard for him. That was the message given to him, even when we were down, that we were going to get this done for you."
Matt Bryant choked back tears.
A day after burying his 3-month-old son in Texas, the Tampa Bay kicker booted three field goals to help the Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers 30-21 on Sunday.
"I don't know what I needed today," Bryant said. "It worked out OK. Could've been better, but given the circumstances it turned out OK."
Bryant's youngest son, Matthew Tryson, was found dead at home in Tampa on Wednesday. It will be several weeks before the kicker and his wife learn the cause of death.
Bryant didn't practice all week, and coach Jon Gruden left it up to him to decide if he would play.
"The biggest thing for me, I wanted to honor Tryson's name," Bryant said. "I mean, I don't think it was very fair for his life to end so short. This is the best way I believe I could get out and honor him. I miss him and wish he was here, but he was here with me. He helped out."
Bryant kicked field goals of 23 and 36 yards in the second quarter. His 24-yarder, with 2:26 to go, finished a six-minute drive and put the Bucs ahead for good, 23-21.
"Today was his day," Bryant said. "It was all about Tryson for me. I talked with him, personally, in my head throughout the game. I just wanted to remind him that he's my baby boy and that he's with me all the time."
The Bucs awarded a game ball to Bryant, who has rebounded from a subpar preseason to play an important role in two of Tampa Bay's three victories. He kicked a winning field goal in overtime last week at Chicago.
"If you really knew Matt, this really puts a human touch on everything that is going on in the football world," Gruden said. "This was an unexpected situation. This family is in total shock, and he flew back after a funeral to make the game-winning kick."
Punter Josh Bidwell is Bryant's best friend on the team.
"He's proving right now, more than ever, that he's one of the best in the business. Regardless of his preseason and the struggles that he went through, this is who he is -- he's a gamer," Bidwell said.
"And he came out here and did his job for us, and I think it was therapeutic because he knew we were going to play hard for him. That was the message given to him, even when we were down, that we were going to get this done for you."
Wal-Mart
There is a chance most of you have already seen this. My brother forwarded this to me...I enjoyed it.
This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.
After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Wal-mart. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out.
Equally unfortunately, my wife is like most women... she loved to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.
Dear Mrs. Samsel,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Samsel are listed belowand are documented by our video surveillance cameras.
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.
2 . July 2 : Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floorleading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
11. Octob er 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled, 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed. 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
And last, but not least,
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! there's no toilet paper in here.'
Regards,
Tom Richards
Walmart Manager
This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.
After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Wal-mart. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out.
Equally unfortunately, my wife is like most women... she loved to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.
Dear Mrs. Samsel,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Samsel are listed belowand are documented by our video surveillance cameras.
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.
2 . July 2 : Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floorleading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
11. Octob er 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled, 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed. 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
And last, but not least,
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! there's no toilet paper in here.'
Regards,
Tom Richards
Walmart Manager
Friday, September 26, 2008
Engagement pictures
Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them!
http://jnelsonphoto.com/photolife/chris-melyndas-kansas-city-engagement
Chris
http://jnelsonphoto.com/photolife/chris-melyndas-kansas-city-engagement
Chris
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Time with Deane
One of the great things about working for such an established program is the ability to meet and associate with a ton of people. Since one of our players is being heavily recruited, it's been a revolving door of collegiate coaches at Liberty High School.
Most recently Mike Deane, Head Coach at Wagner University, stopped by.
Coach Deane is unlike any other person that I have ever been around. I very much enjoyed our three hours together.
What I realized about Coach Deane is a quality that I wish more people possessed. Humility. Coach has spent 23 years in Division 1 basketball and his Rolodex is probably similar to my "idols" list. Coach Deane and three of us at Liberty went out for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and he shared some awesome stories and amazing laughs. Coach treated us with amazing respect, as if we were friends.
Although I probably won't use his vocabulary, I certainly will use his humility.
Most recently Mike Deane, Head Coach at Wagner University, stopped by.
Coach Deane is unlike any other person that I have ever been around. I very much enjoyed our three hours together.
What I realized about Coach Deane is a quality that I wish more people possessed. Humility. Coach has spent 23 years in Division 1 basketball and his Rolodex is probably similar to my "idols" list. Coach Deane and three of us at Liberty went out for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and he shared some awesome stories and amazing laughs. Coach treated us with amazing respect, as if we were friends.
Although I probably won't use his vocabulary, I certainly will use his humility.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Prince and KSU
I don't feel like it's appropriate to "blast" someone in the form of email/blog. I think it can be dangerous. Having said that...My alma matter has some serious issues within their football program and they start from the top.
In 2006, Ron Prince was hired to replace coaching legend Bill Snyder. In Prince's defense, the only person who could adequately replace Snyder might have been Vince Lombardi.
Former KSU AD Tim Weiser went out of his way to "make a splash" when he hired the former Virginia Offensive Coordinator. There were numerous reports of who were actual candidates. Leavitt, Venables, etc...
After the initial shock of the hire I thought to myself, "KSU is a unique job, maybe this is the right guy". I checked the internet pages and newspapers every single day so that I could see what Prince's first move was. Then came the announcement that Tim McCarty was going to be "Assistant Head Coach". Immediately I went to McCarty's bio. McCarty came from being the head coach at East Central Oklahoma. Ok, well, maybe he has another connection to big time athletics. "McCarty turned Tabor College into a NAIA power". Hmmm, well, if this is your #1 guy, I would think he would have more experience at the highest level. Then I realized that McCarty coached Prince at Dodge City Community College. No, not as the Head Coach, as an assistant.
So let me get this straight. A guy who has NEVER been a Head Coach, Prince, hired a guy, McCarty, who was an assistant in Junior College, a Head Coach in NAIA and a Head Coach in Ada, OK.
Perhaps the reason McCarty was hired was so Prince wouldn't feel threatened by someone who is more competent? How else can you explain the outmatched staff at Kansas State? How else can you explain so much staff turnover? Perhaps he is difficult to work for?
Just for a point of reference, some of Bill Snyder's past assistants, Bob Stoops, Jim Leavitt, Mark Mangino, all coach at BCS conference schools. They said that Snyder was extremely tough to work for. Everyone knows about the hours and detailed preparation stories that follow Snyder. All three of those former KSU assistants are powering Top 25 programs in NCAA D-1. Not Ada, Oklahoma.
Then I noticed the next change of the football program. The "image". A new website, inside.kstatesports.com. A change in the uniforms. A dinner to talk about upcoming recruits. Preference as to what kind of food is served in the stadium. Decals on the back of the helmets. The walk into the stadium.
Then, perhaps the thing that struck the biggest chord with me. Prince fired longtime equipment manager of 28 years, "Shorty" so he could bring in his own guy. You know the worst part about it? Prince responded to booster's criticism with a 5 page email. (I'm trying to figure out how to attach it. If you want it, send me a comment/email, and I'll send it to you) Is he that sensitive to criticism? Shouldn't you be preparing your football team, not writing a thesis to a booster?
In 2006, Ron Prince was hired to replace coaching legend Bill Snyder. In Prince's defense, the only person who could adequately replace Snyder might have been Vince Lombardi.
Former KSU AD Tim Weiser went out of his way to "make a splash" when he hired the former Virginia Offensive Coordinator. There were numerous reports of who were actual candidates. Leavitt, Venables, etc...
After the initial shock of the hire I thought to myself, "KSU is a unique job, maybe this is the right guy". I checked the internet pages and newspapers every single day so that I could see what Prince's first move was. Then came the announcement that Tim McCarty was going to be "Assistant Head Coach". Immediately I went to McCarty's bio. McCarty came from being the head coach at East Central Oklahoma. Ok, well, maybe he has another connection to big time athletics. "McCarty turned Tabor College into a NAIA power". Hmmm, well, if this is your #1 guy, I would think he would have more experience at the highest level. Then I realized that McCarty coached Prince at Dodge City Community College. No, not as the Head Coach, as an assistant.
So let me get this straight. A guy who has NEVER been a Head Coach, Prince, hired a guy, McCarty, who was an assistant in Junior College, a Head Coach in NAIA and a Head Coach in Ada, OK.
Perhaps the reason McCarty was hired was so Prince wouldn't feel threatened by someone who is more competent? How else can you explain the outmatched staff at Kansas State? How else can you explain so much staff turnover? Perhaps he is difficult to work for?
Just for a point of reference, some of Bill Snyder's past assistants, Bob Stoops, Jim Leavitt, Mark Mangino, all coach at BCS conference schools. They said that Snyder was extremely tough to work for. Everyone knows about the hours and detailed preparation stories that follow Snyder. All three of those former KSU assistants are powering Top 25 programs in NCAA D-1. Not Ada, Oklahoma.
Then I noticed the next change of the football program. The "image". A new website, inside.kstatesports.com. A change in the uniforms. A dinner to talk about upcoming recruits. Preference as to what kind of food is served in the stadium. Decals on the back of the helmets. The walk into the stadium.
Then, perhaps the thing that struck the biggest chord with me. Prince fired longtime equipment manager of 28 years, "Shorty" so he could bring in his own guy. You know the worst part about it? Prince responded to booster's criticism with a 5 page email. (I'm trying to figure out how to attach it. If you want it, send me a comment/email, and I'll send it to you) Is he that sensitive to criticism? Shouldn't you be preparing your football team, not writing a thesis to a booster?
I have heard that upon return from the Louisville game, Prince made his team condition from 3am-4:30am. This is the same guy who makes his own Coaches run. If he demands accountability from his players and coaches, what kind of accountability does he demand upon himself?
The bottom line is KSU doesn't have Snyder nor do they have Lombardi. They have a Prince, in name only.
Sporting News
Melynda was so kind to point out a great resource for Sports News. The Sporting News Today, issues a digital newspaper everyday.
They do a terrific job getting wide ranging articles.
Check it out at : sportingnewstoday.com
They do a terrific job getting wide ranging articles.
Check it out at : sportingnewstoday.com
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Is anyone out there...?
I've officially screwed up on "The Press Conference". I havent posted in such a long time that my "website hits" have probably gone from 4 to 0.
I will begin updating soon. I promise!
I will begin updating soon. I promise!
Friday, May 16, 2008
a Daughter...
Could you imagine if your daughter had to follow this?
This "Coach" should be the football coach, not the Pom coach...
Staley Dance Team Constitution
2008-09
I. Purpose
II. Rehearsals
III. Performance
IV. Summer Requirements
V. Dancewear and Uniforms
VI. Finances/Fundraising
VII. Honor Code of Conduct
I. Purpose
A. The Staley Dance Team is an auditioned performance/spirit group. Dancers are selected in the spring and must meet all requirements until graduation of the following year. The purpose of this group is to foster:
* Self Discipline - Self Respect - Self Worth
* Responsibility and dependability within each dancer
* Organizational Skills
* A standard of excellence in performance
* Teamwork
* Each dancer as a positive role model and as an ambassador for Staley High School.
B. The Student Handbook is part of this constitution. Students are expected to know the rules of SHS and are required to follow them.
C. The rules stated in this constitution are not inclusive. All calendars are subject to change.
Dancers are expected to adjust their schedules and keep their parents informed.
II. Rehearsals
A. Dance Team is a full year commitment.
1. Summer Camp
2. All scheduled/mandatory practices and rehearsals
3. Any scheduled competitions
4. Any scheduled parades or special performances
B. Rehearsal Procedures. (These rules are not inclusive)
1. Dressed and ready to stretch by 2:45 pm.
2. Proper attire as instructed by the director. No baggy clothing, dance shoes required, clothing conducive to dancing.
3. All of your hair in pony tail.
4. NO JEWELRY (includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, ankle bracelets, belly button ringsand watches). There is no time available during a school year for piercing of body parts. Dancers who wish to pierce ears etc. must choose a time other than during the traditional school year. Band-Aids are not considered a solution for covering piercings.
5. Appropriate behavior and attitude.
6. Follow directions and respect the rights of others.
7. No tattoos are allowed to show during uniforms, costumes, or practice clothes.
8. Maintain little to no talking in rehearsal
9. Do not bring friends, family members or boyfriends to rehearsal.
10. Attend all rehearsals times and also on time.
11. Parents should notify the director before a student misses a rehearsal. It will be at the
director’s discretion to excuse or not excuse the absence.
12. No food or drinks (other than water) during rehearsal.
13. All dancers must COVER UP before leaving rehearsal. This will help prevent sore muscles and
also helps with staying healthy.
14. Dancers are to follow the instructions of the coach/assistant coach/captains without questions
or comments.
15. ‘Thank you’ is the correct response after each correction from the dancer to the coach, captain
or parent.
C. Examples of Unexcused Rehearsals/Performances
1. Any appointments (dentist, doctor, etc.)
2. Family reunions, outings, vacations etc.
3. Attending another function instead of rehearsal.
4. Missing because of a test the next day.
5. Work
6. Interviews of any kind
7. Benched, then not attending rehearsal/performance
8. Not attending because of injury or illness that does not prevent traveling.
D. Dismissal from practice
1. Inappropriate behavior
2. Failure to follow directions/instructions
3. Actions or manners that undermine the progress of the rehearsal
4. Repeated offenses after being warned
5. Inviting friends or boyfriends to practice
6. Negative attitudes that affect the team
7. Talking back or acting rude towards the coach
Any dancer continuously making the above infractions will be removed from the team.
III. Performance
A. Procedures
1. Dressed in full uniform, which includes shoes, hair, tights, poms etc.
2. All attire in good condition and properly worn.
3. No fingernail polish or jewelry. This includes acrylic nails. Nails that are longer than what is
required by the Missouri State Dance Team Association will need to be cut.
4. Performance make-up will be expected during all school performances and competitions.
5. Dancers are required to attend all performances
6. Follow all instructions given by the coach
7. Maintain a professional attitude while in uniform
8. Permission prior to the performance is required from the coach before leaving a performance
early.
9. Permission forms/medical release forms turned in on time.
10. Dancers are required to travel to and from performances with the team.
11. Dancers may never leave the team to sit with family/friends/boyfriends.
Failure to meet performance procedures will result in a benching.
B. Eligibility Requirements
1. Dancers must attend school the day of a performance or competition
2. Dancers must have the routine memorized to stay in the formation during all performances.
3. Individual/group fund raising will be mandatory to remain in good standing with the team and
also full participation required to perform
C. Benchings: Benchings are given for infractions of the rules and result in a dancer becoming
ineligible to perform in the next performance. The following are examples of infractions that will
result in a benching.
1. Any negative reaction to the coach or captain while giving instructions or comments.
2. Miss a performance - benched for the following performance.
3. Inappropriate behavior during the previous performance.
4. Wearing inappropriate practice clothes or not wearing appropriate dance shoes.
5. Late to anything dance team related
6. Work
7. Missing a practice or game (unexcused)
Disciplinary action from any teacher can result in a benching and the coach will determine the
length of the benching. The coach may choose to place any dancer on a probationary status if
that dancer is showing absenteeism in any classes, for problems that result in administrative
action, and/or for behavioral problems resulting in teachers disciplining the dancers. Dancers will
be removed from the team if they repeatedly demonstrate inability to follow school rules and the
classroom discipline from all teachers.
IV. Summer Requirements
A. Summer Practice
1. Summer practice for the team will begin August 4.
2. Dancers are required to be at all summer practices unless written notification is given. A parent
must sign the notice and give the dates that will be missed.
B. Dance Camp
1. A dancer must attend dance camp in order to remain on the team.
2. Place: Staley High School
3. Dates: August 4-6
4. Cost: $174.00
5. Any dancer failing to comply with the dance team constitution will be sent home. No refunds will be
given.
6. A non-refundable deposit of $50 must be turned in by May 2nd. Remaining balance is due by June 13th.
V. Dancewear and Uniforms
A. Rehearsal Clothes
1. All team members must have the required shoes, tights, performance/practice clothing.
2. Appropriate practice clothing must be worn to all practices.
3. Items that are purchased through the Dance Team must be paid in full before you can receive
them.
4. No physical contact allowed during practices or while wearing any clothing that has the Staley
dance team logo. This includes handholding, kissing, hugging etc.
B. Uniforms and Performance Costumes
1. Uniforms/costumes will be purchased from sponsorship and fund raising money.
2. Dancers are responsible for maintenance and the replacement cost if damaged.
3. Uniforms/warm up suits are to be worn only with the team and only with the director’s approval.
4. Correct accessories must be worn with every uniform.
5. Appropriate behavior is required while in uniform.
6. No physical contact allowed while in uniform.
7. Do not wear your uniforms or warm ups to school without director approval.
Tights and shoes must be in good condition.
(No runs, severe scuff marks, holes).
VI. Finances/Fundraising
1. Fundraising money is used to purchase the majority of items needed by the Dance team.
Participation is mandatory. Every dancer will participate in team assigned fundraisers.
Fundraisers that are not team assigned are optional for the dancer. Some competitions may
require each dancer to pay for transportation, hotel and/or competition entry fees. Some
fundraisers may require each dancer to bring in soda, water, etc.
2. Some fundraisers may require a dancer to recruit help, i.e. parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.
3. Scheduled Fundraisers for this year will be posted as soon as they are scheduled
4. Fundraising money will be used for uniforms, transportation, choreography, etc
VII. Honor Code of Conduct
All dancers agree to follow these rules of conduct:
1. Respect your coach, parents, teachers and school.
2. Never speak disrespectfully about your teammates.
3. Never dishonor your teammates by dishonoring yourself.
4. Follow the rules of SHS student handbook.
5. No smoking, drinking or drugs in or out of uniform.
7. Always tell the truth.
I ______________________________ have read the Staley High School Dance Team Constitution
and understand all that is required of me and I agree to the terms of the constitution. I realize that I
am a becoming a role model for other students and agree to conduct myself in a manner that will
make my parents, teachers, and administrators proud. I am aware that I must demonstrate
knowledge of this constitution before I am allowed to perform.
__________________________________ ______________
Signature Date
I have read the Staley High School Dance Team Constitution and understand all the requirements.
By signing this contract, I am giving my permission for ____________________________ to join
for the 2008-2009 school year. I understand my parental commitment and agree to the terms of the
constitution.
________________________________ _____________
Parent/Guardian Date
This "Coach" should be the football coach, not the Pom coach...
Staley Dance Team Constitution
2008-09
I. Purpose
II. Rehearsals
III. Performance
IV. Summer Requirements
V. Dancewear and Uniforms
VI. Finances/Fundraising
VII. Honor Code of Conduct
I. Purpose
A. The Staley Dance Team is an auditioned performance/spirit group. Dancers are selected in the spring and must meet all requirements until graduation of the following year. The purpose of this group is to foster:
* Self Discipline - Self Respect - Self Worth
* Responsibility and dependability within each dancer
* Organizational Skills
* A standard of excellence in performance
* Teamwork
* Each dancer as a positive role model and as an ambassador for Staley High School.
B. The Student Handbook is part of this constitution. Students are expected to know the rules of SHS and are required to follow them.
C. The rules stated in this constitution are not inclusive. All calendars are subject to change.
Dancers are expected to adjust their schedules and keep their parents informed.
II. Rehearsals
A. Dance Team is a full year commitment.
1. Summer Camp
2. All scheduled/mandatory practices and rehearsals
3. Any scheduled competitions
4. Any scheduled parades or special performances
B. Rehearsal Procedures. (These rules are not inclusive)
1. Dressed and ready to stretch by 2:45 pm.
2. Proper attire as instructed by the director. No baggy clothing, dance shoes required, clothing conducive to dancing.
3. All of your hair in pony tail.
4. NO JEWELRY (includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, ankle bracelets, belly button ringsand watches). There is no time available during a school year for piercing of body parts. Dancers who wish to pierce ears etc. must choose a time other than during the traditional school year. Band-Aids are not considered a solution for covering piercings.
5. Appropriate behavior and attitude.
6. Follow directions and respect the rights of others.
7. No tattoos are allowed to show during uniforms, costumes, or practice clothes.
8. Maintain little to no talking in rehearsal
9. Do not bring friends, family members or boyfriends to rehearsal.
10. Attend all rehearsals times and also on time.
11. Parents should notify the director before a student misses a rehearsal. It will be at the
director’s discretion to excuse or not excuse the absence.
12. No food or drinks (other than water) during rehearsal.
13. All dancers must COVER UP before leaving rehearsal. This will help prevent sore muscles and
also helps with staying healthy.
14. Dancers are to follow the instructions of the coach/assistant coach/captains without questions
or comments.
15. ‘Thank you’ is the correct response after each correction from the dancer to the coach, captain
or parent.
C. Examples of Unexcused Rehearsals/Performances
1. Any appointments (dentist, doctor, etc.)
2. Family reunions, outings, vacations etc.
3. Attending another function instead of rehearsal.
4. Missing because of a test the next day.
5. Work
6. Interviews of any kind
7. Benched, then not attending rehearsal/performance
8. Not attending because of injury or illness that does not prevent traveling.
D. Dismissal from practice
1. Inappropriate behavior
2. Failure to follow directions/instructions
3. Actions or manners that undermine the progress of the rehearsal
4. Repeated offenses after being warned
5. Inviting friends or boyfriends to practice
6. Negative attitudes that affect the team
7. Talking back or acting rude towards the coach
Any dancer continuously making the above infractions will be removed from the team.
III. Performance
A. Procedures
1. Dressed in full uniform, which includes shoes, hair, tights, poms etc.
2. All attire in good condition and properly worn.
3. No fingernail polish or jewelry. This includes acrylic nails. Nails that are longer than what is
required by the Missouri State Dance Team Association will need to be cut.
4. Performance make-up will be expected during all school performances and competitions.
5. Dancers are required to attend all performances
6. Follow all instructions given by the coach
7. Maintain a professional attitude while in uniform
8. Permission prior to the performance is required from the coach before leaving a performance
early.
9. Permission forms/medical release forms turned in on time.
10. Dancers are required to travel to and from performances with the team.
11. Dancers may never leave the team to sit with family/friends/boyfriends.
Failure to meet performance procedures will result in a benching.
B. Eligibility Requirements
1. Dancers must attend school the day of a performance or competition
2. Dancers must have the routine memorized to stay in the formation during all performances.
3. Individual/group fund raising will be mandatory to remain in good standing with the team and
also full participation required to perform
C. Benchings: Benchings are given for infractions of the rules and result in a dancer becoming
ineligible to perform in the next performance. The following are examples of infractions that will
result in a benching.
1. Any negative reaction to the coach or captain while giving instructions or comments.
2. Miss a performance - benched for the following performance.
3. Inappropriate behavior during the previous performance.
4. Wearing inappropriate practice clothes or not wearing appropriate dance shoes.
5. Late to anything dance team related
6. Work
7. Missing a practice or game (unexcused)
Disciplinary action from any teacher can result in a benching and the coach will determine the
length of the benching. The coach may choose to place any dancer on a probationary status if
that dancer is showing absenteeism in any classes, for problems that result in administrative
action, and/or for behavioral problems resulting in teachers disciplining the dancers. Dancers will
be removed from the team if they repeatedly demonstrate inability to follow school rules and the
classroom discipline from all teachers.
IV. Summer Requirements
A. Summer Practice
1. Summer practice for the team will begin August 4.
2. Dancers are required to be at all summer practices unless written notification is given. A parent
must sign the notice and give the dates that will be missed.
B. Dance Camp
1. A dancer must attend dance camp in order to remain on the team.
2. Place: Staley High School
3. Dates: August 4-6
4. Cost: $174.00
5. Any dancer failing to comply with the dance team constitution will be sent home. No refunds will be
given.
6. A non-refundable deposit of $50 must be turned in by May 2nd. Remaining balance is due by June 13th.
V. Dancewear and Uniforms
A. Rehearsal Clothes
1. All team members must have the required shoes, tights, performance/practice clothing.
2. Appropriate practice clothing must be worn to all practices.
3. Items that are purchased through the Dance Team must be paid in full before you can receive
them.
4. No physical contact allowed during practices or while wearing any clothing that has the Staley
dance team logo. This includes handholding, kissing, hugging etc.
B. Uniforms and Performance Costumes
1. Uniforms/costumes will be purchased from sponsorship and fund raising money.
2. Dancers are responsible for maintenance and the replacement cost if damaged.
3. Uniforms/warm up suits are to be worn only with the team and only with the director’s approval.
4. Correct accessories must be worn with every uniform.
5. Appropriate behavior is required while in uniform.
6. No physical contact allowed while in uniform.
7. Do not wear your uniforms or warm ups to school without director approval.
Tights and shoes must be in good condition.
(No runs, severe scuff marks, holes).
VI. Finances/Fundraising
1. Fundraising money is used to purchase the majority of items needed by the Dance team.
Participation is mandatory. Every dancer will participate in team assigned fundraisers.
Fundraisers that are not team assigned are optional for the dancer. Some competitions may
require each dancer to pay for transportation, hotel and/or competition entry fees. Some
fundraisers may require each dancer to bring in soda, water, etc.
2. Some fundraisers may require a dancer to recruit help, i.e. parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.
3. Scheduled Fundraisers for this year will be posted as soon as they are scheduled
4. Fundraising money will be used for uniforms, transportation, choreography, etc
VII. Honor Code of Conduct
All dancers agree to follow these rules of conduct:
1. Respect your coach, parents, teachers and school.
2. Never speak disrespectfully about your teammates.
3. Never dishonor your teammates by dishonoring yourself.
4. Follow the rules of SHS student handbook.
5. No smoking, drinking or drugs in or out of uniform.
7. Always tell the truth.
I ______________________________ have read the Staley High School Dance Team Constitution
and understand all that is required of me and I agree to the terms of the constitution. I realize that I
am a becoming a role model for other students and agree to conduct myself in a manner that will
make my parents, teachers, and administrators proud. I am aware that I must demonstrate
knowledge of this constitution before I am allowed to perform.
__________________________________ ______________
Signature Date
I have read the Staley High School Dance Team Constitution and understand all the requirements.
By signing this contract, I am giving my permission for ____________________________ to join
for the 2008-2009 school year. I understand my parental commitment and agree to the terms of the
constitution.
________________________________ _____________
Parent/Guardian Date
Monday, May 12, 2008
High school at its best...
Today, we're watching a video in class. I gave specific instructions to remain silent during the video.
As a girl, began talking to her friend during the video, I shot her a stare. Once she noticed she responded with, "Oh, dont even tell me to be quiet, b/c I probably wont".
My response: "Well, I won't tell you that then, but I will tell you to get out of my class and go sit in the hall and write a page to your teacher telling her why you weren't allowed to watch the video".
Point made...
As a girl, began talking to her friend during the video, I shot her a stare. Once she noticed she responded with, "Oh, dont even tell me to be quiet, b/c I probably wont".
My response: "Well, I won't tell you that then, but I will tell you to get out of my class and go sit in the hall and write a page to your teacher telling her why you weren't allowed to watch the video".
Point made...
Thursday, May 01, 2008
You might be wondering...
What happened today in High School...
After I have the class working with a partner on their "Poems", I look up and notice that one student has taken the "dry erase solution" from the front of the room and squirted it into his partners face.
**Why didn't I think of this discipline method earlier?**
After I have the class working with a partner on their "Poems", I look up and notice that one student has taken the "dry erase solution" from the front of the room and squirted it into his partners face.
**Why didn't I think of this discipline method earlier?**
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Today in High School, continued...
A girl sitting in front of my desk...(with the room DEAD silent)
"WOW, I like, I like, have mind powers..."
"I answered the who and the what in the first portion of the question, then it asked me about the what in the second portion. Wow, do you see how I beat the book, I knew what it was going to ask, I have mind powers"...
**No way does a High School textbook lead you into possible answers, nor does it try to provoke certain thoughts...**
"WOW, I like, I like, have mind powers..."
"I answered the who and the what in the first portion of the question, then it asked me about the what in the second portion. Wow, do you see how I beat the book, I knew what it was going to ask, I have mind powers"...
**No way does a High School textbook lead you into possible answers, nor does it try to provoke certain thoughts...**
Today in High School...
I was giving simple instructions at the start of the hour to read certain pages in the English textbook. From the back of the room a student yells.
"What, wait? Can you repeat that?"...
Everyone turns and looks at the student...who had her iPod in, music blaring...
**Do you wonder why you couldn't hear me?...**
"What, wait? Can you repeat that?"...
Everyone turns and looks at the student...who had her iPod in, music blaring...
**Do you wonder why you couldn't hear me?...**
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