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Post by Wiswell on Jan 16, 2017 12:13:40 GMT -5
^Rainbow might give us some on that in the next post. There's probably a semi-shocking piece of insight coming too. But the first post details the extent of JRob's injury, for one. I'll let Rainbow finish the story since it's been covered so well so far.
I would say that there weren't 500 people since the max invites to the public was 280. So maybe 400, if you included family members.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 15:02:29 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay; I had meetings. Here's part 2.
-- Sheff's speech. This is the whammy.
He got up and said that after the Stanford match, he strongly considered hanging it up and retiring from coaching, and was talking about it with Cathy. The hall was dead silent for a minute after that bomb. He said he'd come in with this amazing group of players, who had drive and passion beyond what he could ever imagine, and they'd pushed him as a coach, and they'd excelled together, but to have it end the way it ended, unable to reach their goal, was extremely painful. To hear him talk, this may be the hardest loss he's ever experienced. Then, he said, a several days after the game, he got a text from one of the younger players. It basically said what he felt: That they've never felt this terrible. Then it went on: This player felt terrible that she wasn't able to give the seniors the championship they were striving for, and that she personally is going to do whatever it takes to never have to feel this way again: Pass 300 balls a week, dig 300 balls a week, however may reps, however much work, she never wants to feel this way again. And that was when Sheff remembered why he coaches. This is why he coaches. The lows feel so low because the highs are so high. And the team is committed.
Sheff spoke about Jordan, calling out that she wasn't able to be in the video because of the timing of her decision to retire. He recalled the first call he got from her, when she said she was interested in transferring to Wisconsin. He first told her he may be stereotyping UCLA and Hollywood, but that we have a blue-collar work ethic at Wisconsin, and was that for sure the kind of program she wanted? Then he asked her what the weather was outside her window. She said 72 degrees. He told her it had been thirteen below the day before in Wisconsin. Then he told her that playing time would be nearly impossible to come by because she'd be transferring in behind a player that he considered to be the best setter in the country. She told him that it sounded like he was trying to talk her OUT of transferring to Wisconsin, and she was surprised because no other coach had responded to her like this. But they talked and talked, and it turned out that Wisconsin is exactly what she was looking for. He spoke of Jordan's focus on the team. She didn't participate in all of practice because of her injuries, and didn't do certain drills. If she overworked it one day, she'd be out for several. He recalled their conversation before the Rutgers match, because he'd told her that he was going to try to get her some significant court time. She told him not to bother, because she knew if she played in a match, she'd be sitting out of practice for a week. She said the team needed her in practice, and that if she was out, it would hurt the whole team, and helping the team in practice was more important to her than getting playing time in a match.
Then he talked about Tori. He said that she's proof you don't need to be a starter or a captain to be a leader and an integral part of the team. He talked about her injuries, and how much they had to keep her back and manage her reps in practice to keep her healthy. He talked about a time in November of this year, during practice, when the B team was hitting balls for the A team to defend. Tori took a few swings, and usually, at that point, they'd have her tap out and one of the practice players to come in to keep her rested. Sheff signaled to her to come out, and she said, "I have a month left in my career. I can rest as much as I want in January. But for now, I'm going to help my team." And she grabbed a ball and kept swinging away.
Then Ro. He talked about her fire and passion. Here's a kid who loves the game of volleyball and wants to play it at a high level so badly that she left home at the age of 14 to go to school and play, and then she traveled to a different continent, to a place she'd never seen, to live and play with people she'd never met, in a completely different language, all so she could get better and reach her goals. And then she played at VCU and had some individual success, so she uprooted herself yet again, to go to a different state with different people so that she could challenge herself more. And she hasn't even been here two months before she gets hit by a car. Two surgeries, nearly having to re-learn to walk, and she never gives up. He said she was in the gym every single day since, standing on a box and hitting, or practicing blocking footwork, doing as much work as she could given her physical limitations at the time. Her willingness to put herself out there and work to achieve her goals is inspiring. Her resiliance is inspring. The night before the Stanford match, she got some really bad news: she'll need a third surgery on her knee. She took that really hard, but was able to pull herself up and have a good showing in the Stanford match, 9 kills in the first two sets. She was inspiring because of her dedication.
Then Haleigh. He compared her to a player he had at Albany who, when he got there, he saw her in the gym and thought, "Am I that bad at spotting talent?" That player (Shelby someone?) went on to set a career kills record that still stands today. He said he had the same response to Haleigh when he came to Wisconsin. He remembered telling his staff that he didn't anticipate her seeing a minute of playing time in her career. He may have told Haleigh the same thing. But Haleigh responded to that. She would come in early or stay late to practice her blocking footwork. He told the story of a game her freshman year, when she and Dom were putting forth pretty poor effort, and he chewed them out for it. After the match, they put their heads together, and instead of making excuses or blaming their teammates or coaches, they came out and took ownership and vowed that they would never have a match like that ever again. That's the kind of kid you want on your team. He talked about her helpfulness. The way she became such a good server is that she would come in every day, 45 minutes before practice, when the primary passers would come in for passing drills, and she would take the place of one of the managers and start serving balls at the passers. In her effort to help her teammates, she got to be the best server on the team. And she is just a fun person to coach. She's always coming by the offices to watch film, share ideas, or just say hi.
Finally LC. What sets LC apart as a great player is that she is okay making changes to her game to get better even if that means that she will get worse in the short-term. Lots of players experiment with this, but they're not willing or able to put the work in to get good at the new thing, so they shy away from it and go back to what they know they're good at, to what's safe, and they never become great. LC works through those things and truly gets better. And there are no wasted reps. He doesn't recall a single rep, a single drill, that didn't have her 100% focus and attention, in her entire time at Wisconsin. Most players can't even get through a practice without a wasted rep. He said he's never seen that ever in his career. And her dreams and her goals and her dedication were a game-changer for this program.
My memory's failing me a bit here. I'm sure he said more, but I can't recall. I was fighting tears, as was LC, as was Haleigh, as was he, as was everyone else.
Then there was the highlight video.
Jon gave what felt like a benediction. He pointed to Hilley, Rettke, and Whalen in the room and said that the future is here.
And that was it. The freshmen got their letter jackets. Photos, hugs.
So, that is what I remember. I'm sure I missed a bunch, but the others who were there can fill in the holes.
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Post by Wiswell on Jan 16, 2017 15:57:36 GMT -5
Rainbow you didnt miss a thing. Not a damn thing. Which is why you are a vt all star.
But the question was never answered:
Who is the best dressed?
I pick Gillis and Williams.
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Post by ndodge on Jan 16, 2017 15:57:58 GMT -5
Did they mention anything about spring tournaments or matches? I'd like to drive down and see one hopefully
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Post by Wiswell on Jan 16, 2017 16:05:44 GMT -5
Did they mention anything about spring tournaments or matches? I'd like to drive down and see one hopefully Practice starts tomorrow. I assume that's stuff in the weight room. I am sad that Ro and Blake were unable to make it. Also, Mr Nelson has a single dimple, not two. It is funny! The Nelsons were in the video. What I think was Ro's brother spoke in Slovak in the video. Since she wasn't there I hope it gets played for her special later.
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Post by Wiswell on Jan 16, 2017 16:19:28 GMT -5
Sorry Rainbow did miss one part. During the blooper reel Bates' card was "have you ever seen a rotary phone?" She pronounced it Ro-terry. Blake or MacDonald or both got the same question and MacDonald said "no but at least I know how to pronounce it."
Funny. I bet I haven't seen one in about 30 years.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 16:41:49 GMT -5
Sorry Rainbow did miss one part. During the blooper reel Bates' card was "have you ever seen a rotary phone?" She pronounced it Ro-terry. Blake or MacDonald or both got the same question and MacDonald said "no but at least I know how to pronounce it." Funny. I bet I haven't seen one in about 30 years. And Blake had seen one, but never used it. That was pretty funny. Also the part where they seemed to uniformly agree that Molly is the worst dressed.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 16:55:52 GMT -5
Did they mention anything about spring tournaments or matches? I'd like to drive down and see one hopefully I chatted with the coaches about this. They're looking at the schedule, finalizing stuff. Probably going to be one home scrimmage and a couple away.
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Post by Wiswell on Jan 16, 2017 18:19:48 GMT -5
I am determined to make it to one of their fly in tournaments this fall. Unless it is an area I am really not interested in.
I assume some time in the next 2 years they will go to the state of Georgia although honestly there wouldn't be a decent local team.
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Post by lucky5 on Jan 16, 2017 19:52:25 GMT -5
Here's what I learned at the banquet: Fans have no clue what's going on with the team and we should just stick to posting scores and lineups on volleytalk. Aside from that, good food, many tears were shed, the loss is still raw to the players, and the underclassmen are prepared to carry the mantle. And Molly is the worst-dressed player. Plus these guys can pull off outfits nobody else can because of their height. Like Carlini wearing over the knee boots like Julia Roberts. One thing I want to highlight: Tony Carlini wrote a fabulous letter to the players, coaches, fans, athletic dept about how proud he was, how everyone took care of his daughter, and how we are ALL required to carry on the mantle of Wisconsin Volleyball. And when wearing the W, act with pride and responsibility!
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 20:00:58 GMT -5
Oh, goodness, I forgot Mr. C's letter. That was something else. I have my copy at home and will transcribe it later.
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Post by lucky5 on Jan 16, 2017 20:01:30 GMT -5
I think it's time to move on....Not every Badger volleyball fan would agree with your sentiments
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 20:07:25 GMT -5
What do you disagree with?
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jan 16, 2017 20:30:25 GMT -5
Or, more precisely:
If you disagree with something, either speak up and start a discussion, or move along. There's a whole 2017 thread. But it is rather passive aggressive to tell others to stop discussing something because "not everyone agrees," particularly when you're not clear about what the disagreement is over.
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Post by BuckysHeat on Jan 16, 2017 20:32:55 GMT -5
Here's what I learned at the banquet: Fans have no clue what's going on with the team and we should just stick to posting scores and lineups on volleytalk. Just gonna leave this hang out there? We already knew this but was this what you took away or was it specifically mentioned?And Molly is the worst-dressed player. Not really agreeing with this statement http://instagram.com/p/BPTEthljIau
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