Summer School

Our SEVEN newcomers are all here trying to get their feet under them this first week of summer school. I think our upperclassmen enjoy seeing the stress in the newbies as they have ALL been there at one time. This is the number one reason we do summer school so when we hit the fall our student athletes only have a 100 things to think about instead of a thousand. The highlights so far: 1) Opening Margreet Barhoum's room to see her mom Lisa standing on the table next to the window. I am still not sure what she was doing up there but at least I talked her down. 2) Lindsay Stockton having a blood shot eye from sneazing. She may be related to the Incredible Hulk. I am just afraid to see what happens if she coughs. 3) My son asking me to play and TEACH him basketball in our park last night. This is the first time in EIGHT years he has asked me to do that. Yes, this is unrelated to summer school but very exciting to me. There will be plenty more to come with this class. Until then.... Coach Bin

Justin's Rough Camping Trip

Our first boating and camping trip of the year left my son wondering whether to ever go camping again. It began on Hauser Lake with a bike wreck that left very little skin on his lip, chin, hands, and chest. Shaking that off, Justin was still a trooper jumping on the tube for a day of boating action. Then we found out he lost his retainer. The night was no easier on my boy when his steamming marshmellow fell on his arm as he sprinted toward the lake to stop the burn. Blisters later, and my husband's First Aid Kit drained Justin was happy tomorrow came when it did. A new day with bright sunshine, the blood scabbed over, and guess what, we found his retainer! Coach Bin

Rachel's 6th Grade Adventures

During the month of May I decided to take a summer class. As an education major we have to spend a certain amount of time in the classroom before we can graduate. So the class that I ended up taking was basically an internship in which I had to spend 90 hours in the classroom. I got placed in a 6th grade classroom in Chief Joseph Middle School that taught science and communication arts. I loved it! I was a little wary of working with middle schoolers because I remember those days vividly and they were not so great for me. I was the definition of awkward! However, the experience with these 6th graders was awesome. The teacher that I worked with allowed me to teach the students quite often and allowed me to practice my teaching skills. I learned alot about what teachers do day in and day out and the struggles and joys that come with that. I was able to teach them about the circulatory system and through having to teach it to the students I learned quite a lot about it myself! It was so great to see the students learn about something you taught them. One student was so proud of his homework that he did on the circulatory system and was so excited that he was able to understand it. Seeing that was definitely a highlight of the experience. 6th graders are an interesting bunch, I will never be able to understand how or why they lose their pencils so often. They continually asked me for new ones even if I had just given one to them five minutes ago. I do not understand where the pencils went, somewhere in Chief Joseph there lies a pile of lost 6th grader's pencils. -Rachel #32

CAMP

How quickly a year goes but we are officially in session. I think it's gone by the fastest to Coach Close who is in charge of camp so if you see her at the end of the week please give her an energy drink or at least a big pat on the back. What a stellar class of camp coaches including our assistant coaches, former players, current Bobcats, players from the men's team and even local coaches in the area. This group is as good as ever to learn from this year and there will definitely be a lot of learning. I am waiting to see how Kalli Durham, Jackie Elliott and Destini (or should I say Macy Gray) do for their first coaching experiences. All I know is there are only about 10 campers shorter than I am so to all the campers this week, BELIEVE as SKY IS THE LIMIT. At least from my perspective anyway, Coach Bin

Road Trip

My family covered over 1600 miles this past week driving to Carbondale, Colorado for my nephew's high school graduation. With a 3 and 8 year old, Todd and I had everything we needed to keep the kids entertained; drawing books, toys, movies, snacks. Then we reached Four Corners (5 miles out of town) and Brooklyn asked, "Are we there yet?" Highlights of the trip: 1) Carbondale: My home town is set at the base of the majestic Mt. Sopris. It's breaktaking and I will never take it for granted. 2) Friends: We stayed with Karen Crownhart's family whom I have known for 30 years. Karen still continues to give me a hard time about my cooking- at one time I didn't know you need to drain the water out of the tuna can before mixing it. On the way back to Bozeman we stayed with friends in Logan, Dave & Sue. Our team will be tasting their home cooking on November 30th, the day before we play at Utah State this year. Note- palyers better not try the radio game against Dave and I. He is pretty darn competitive. 3) Family: My nephew, 18 year old Tyler Hall, graduated from high school. Sitting under the 3 Girl's Basketball State Championship banners, I watched Tyler blow kisses to the family. When he received his diploma he jumped up on the principal and hugged him with arms and legs. We are SO PROUD OF YOU Tyler! It was so good to see my parents, brother, sister, and our extended families. When you get busy in life please take a breath, think about what is important, and call someone you love to tell them how much they mean to you. I am truly blessed and 30 hours in the car gave me a great deal of time to reflect on the many wonderful people in my life. Coach Bin

Bussey to the Netherlands- It's Official!

Well, it's on to the next adventure!! Amsterdam here I come! I am currently the newest member of the Probuild Lions. The team plays 15 minutes North of Amsterdam and are defending National Champions in the Netherlands. I am definitely excited to join the team. Their uptempo style of play suites me well, and I am ready to help them toward another National Championship. The Netherlands is going to be an amazing place to live. I am told most everyone speaks English (thank goodness haha). We will play many preseason tournaments around Europe, and I will be able to travel a fair amount on my own (plus I hear the travel is pretty cheap). There is another American player on the team who is returning for her fifth season for Probuild, which is a good sign. I will also be the assistant coach for the Under 20 National team, which I am also very excited about to get some coaching experience under my belt. I will be in Bozeman for the summer, training with Chris Scheckler (the best strength coach around) and working odd jobs. I will return to Colorado in August before heading to the Netherlands. I have much to look forward to and am so excited to take the next step in my career. "Tot de volgende keer".. Until next time! Katie Bussey