INJURIES

Let me first start with my disappointment for all of our Montana Blog readers. I drew a cowboy and still didn't win the drawing contest? I can't believe that! LOL

Let's shift gears to what is going on with our team. Last week we opened up 2-0 conference play in the Fieldhouse. In Thursday's game we broke the 100 point barrier for the 2nd time this season and it's the worst I have ever felt after a victory. That's because Chelsea Banis went down for a season ending injury. This is our third season ending injury to our team this season.

As coaches, we go through a million emotions. The worst of them, though, is when a player gets injured. I'ts out of your control. You can't fix it, coach it, change it. It just is what it is, and you HAVE to maintain your positive outlook on what you can take away from it.

That leads us to two scenarios to deal with.

   1. My "Great Eight" as Lori Bussey (Katie's mom) came up with. These are the ones adapting to our situation, persevering, stepping up in other's absences. These kids are as mentally tough as any group I have ever coached.
So what are we working through with them you ask? We focus on what is in our control number one. We focus on each day and how to get better. We focus on execution, making up certain pieces now that our pieces are shaped differently. We control our practice times better so we don't overtrain with limited numbers. We bring in some additional practice players to help relieve some reps in practices. We consider having some additional players on our roster so we can rest our eight with hopefully some leads during the year. Most importantly, we maintain our vision and believe we can still accomplish everything we want to this season. We have a lot of talent, but our weapon is only as strong as our fight with it, and we have that!

     2.   Second scenario is making sure our injured athletes are still our glue, don't feel removed because there has been so much discussion on our "great eight" and what they are accomplishing. We are doing this all together. Our three perseverant souls will get through this stronger than ever. Ashley, Chelsea, and Kate each have competitive spirits, and long careers ahead of them. We keep them engaged by utilizing their eyes, their voices, and their experience with their teammates. We continue to rehab them well by being involved in their daily and weekly goals.

As we put these two scenarios together we create the most unified team I have ever coached. I have no idea what tomorrow brings, but I do know I have a Championship Team because of their character, focus, and work ethic. This is why I love team sports.

It's so much more rewarding when you get to share your experiences with others.

Coach Bin