Yes I just fell off the face of the earth. I had a hard time trying to put into words the last couple of days of the Pan Am Cup. We finished sixth place out of eleven teams. This is a respectable finish but everyone is leaving with a sense that we could have been much higher.
We played some very good volleyball through the tournament. There was definitely more good than bad. The way it ended left a bit of a sour taste with most of us. We came out pretty flat against Puerto Rico in the 1/4 final. It wasn't for lack of willow effort, we just couldn't find our game. This group of athletes are extremely proud and take losing hard. After the match we waited for Lupo and Britt to finish their press conference. Then Britt asked if the team could meet on their own. They held a no coaches meeting to talk about preparedness and playing through adversity.
Lupo decided we would watch the match together back at hotels hat night, which meant a late night for everyone involved. Plus an early morning for practice. We did have a day off so there was time for naps.
I likedthey way we watched video. Instead of focussing on errors Lupo contrasted our best match against our worst. We watched the first set against Cuba! Then watched the first set against PR. There was close to the same amount of errors made in both sets, but we could really notice the difference in body language and adrenaline. We seemed to just look more confident during the Cuba match.
With just dropping in for 5 weeks with the team I really feel that I don't have the right to judge or comment and tried really hard to stay out of the conversation. Some of these players have invested 7 to 10 years with the program. I can only go off my own mind. I feel that sometimes as athletes and coaches we forget who we are. We remember who we were. When a pressure situation occurs I sometimes suddenly feel like the hockey guy from Killam who is just starting out. Rather than the guy who has won coaching awards. I second guess decisions and then are late reacting to it. I think the players do the same sometimes. They might think I am the middle hitter who was converted to left side instead of the pro and allstar. Focussing on the wrong things instead of building confidence we break down our own. Affirmations are so important we sometimes forget. If we can find away to maintain our confidence we will be fine.
We ended up watching 5 sets, the 3 Cuban and the first two of PR. The message was definitely retrieved. I think this was way more beneficial than Lupo coming in and breaking things,calling out people and truly venting. The only person that feels a little better is the coach. But using it as a teaching moment is, smarter in the long run.
Another interesting discussion brought out was use of subs and also being a starter. 8 matches in 9 days is tough mentally and physically. Everyone we brought off the bench played well and made a difference immediately.
Overall, this tournament was to give some players experience and to evaluate them in different roles. I think the information Lupo was looking for was confirmed. I leave with a ton of respect to the commitment and passion that these athletes and coaches have for the game. I am an extremely proud Canadian. I hope I was able to help in the development process and to make Lupo's job a little easier. I enjoyed working with Joey, Maren, Byron and Adam. They all are committed and are a lot of fun.
I hope I get an opportunity to do this again. I am extremely energized to get our Bobcats going again and begin our run.
No comments:
Post a Comment