Teresa George, a veteran of both OCAA and OUA play, is the most experienced returning Humber Hawk player. Now in her second season with Humber, she will be looked upon to add leadership, and a power game offensively. Last year she was one of the most valuable players on the team as she played a number of positions, sometimes within the same match. This season she will concentrate on putting the ball away, and provide the home team with a big lift with every kill.

Follow Teresa and her Hawk teammates as the contend for a national championship in Quebec.

Day 1 - Travel Day

March 10, 2010

Day 1: Departure 2:00

Patiently waiting on our Coach bus, we watch our coach pull up with his family a half hour late. Due to problems at work with an employee Chris Wilkins finally arrives. Coach tells us what happened and gets settled in, although we believe that means 30 sets of lines at practice on Thursday. Our bus driver “Frank the Tank,” introduces himself by telling us “anything your coach is o.k. with, I am o.k. with.” Then and there we knew the next five days are going to be one hell of a ride. We turned on a movie and off to Quebec we were. It wasn’t long until the majority of us were knocked out. Coaches favourite time.

We hit Kingston with pretty good time, just under two hours where we stopped for a washroom break (for Laura) and a bite to eat. While coming out of Mickey D’s, DD comes running towards us yelling LINDZ DO YOU HAVE MY FOOD? Sure enough DD forgot her meal inside the store. At least this time it was just her food and not her volleyball shoes. We all got back on the bus, ate, turned on Knocked Up, and again most of us knocked out.

We arrived at the Hotel Clarion after 8 pm or so. Coach gave us 15 minutes to change and put our bags in our rooms and back on the bus we went. We headed to Moxies back in Ottawa, which according to Kendra wasn’t far from our hotel. Kendra’s hometown friend is a chef there so he hooked us up with free dessert which I might added was delicious and beautifully displayed by John (Kendra’s friend). Dinner was great, so great that most of us had the feeling of having to undo the top button to make room. After dinner we had our meeting on the bus and headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is looking like a great day as we get to sleep in past 8 am for once. We head to our first practice at noon

Quote of the day!
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success!

T

Day 2: Practice/Banquet

We were blessed today with the rare opportunity to sleep in. Although my roomie and I were so rudely interrupted by a maid waking us up by walking in our room at 10 am. Instead of saying something I hid under my sheets like it was a break and enter and Katie piped up and said we were still sleeping. The maid apologized and put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. We continued sleeping and then ventured out of bed.

At 12 pm we head to L’Outaouais (the host school). We arrive with enough time to run the halls and get warm before stepping foot in the gym. We warm up with some serve and pass to get use to the facility. We also play a little one on one game with Vets vs. Rookies for one last time and of course Vets win. Once we were warm we played some 8 on 8, and judging by the bombs some us were dropping, we’re ready to leave it out on the floor. Practice felt good, allowed us to get out nerves, relax and get rid of some kinx before game time tomorrow.

After practice we got lunch a watched some video in a banquet hall where Landis and Wilkins collaborated their brilliance to making a projector screen by using a table cloth. We finished up video and headed to get ready for the banquet. Throughout the hotel you could hear Humber yelling while watching our Men’s team in Alberta play a tight game. Unfortunately our coaches were wrong about departure time for the banquet and dropped the bomb that we only had a half hour to get ready. The banquet is at 6 not 6:30. We had to leave the Men’s game knowing they won the 2nd, but were not sure how the 3rd was going. With all of us on our blackberries we had updates every second on how the game was progressing. By the time it got to the 5th set and tied at 12-12 we made a phone call to have play-by-play. Our coaches had left the tables and went back to the rooms to watch the games, while we sat barely able to eat, with crossed fingers and anxiously waiting for our boys to win. Unfortunately they lost a tough game. The food was great at the banquet with a buffet of selection and desserts. They even had jumbo shrimp for all those sea food lovers. It was also nice to be able to take a look at All-Canadians who we would be facing be presented with their prestigious awards.

After the banquet we have a quick team meeting and find out we get to sleep in tomorrow as well. Two days in row, this must be a dream. We have the night to relax, do homework and bond and then lights out at 12. Tomorrow is game day. I am sure some of us are nervous anticipating what is to come tomorrow. But like Coach says, we need to go BALLS out.......

Our thoughts:

This is my second Nationals. It feels different this year. We are such a young team, but we are hungry to win. During dinner I looked at Landis and said, watching the guy’s game makes me really excited for tomorrow. Landis replied, “I really want to win tomorrow’s game.” In her three years, she has never won her first game here. She isn’t even looking ahead at what happens after our first game. She is just looking at what needs to be done for tomorrow. It is interesting, but for a lot of our team, it’s their first Nationals, but just getting here isn’t enough for us, we want to do some damage. We want to show we came here for a reason. If we leave it out on the floor, then there is no need to do what our Coach says is the coulda, woulda, shoulda....

Quote of the day:
Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.
Muhammad Ali

Goodnight!
T

Day 3: GAME DAY

So luckily today we managed to gain another day to sleep in. If the maid walking in and waking us up early wasn’t bad enough, today we were woken up by the fire alarm. Although I strongly feel that the majority, if not the whole team all stayed in bed to pretend they were sleeping. Eventually the alarm shut off. Everyone did their own thing this morning until 12:30 then we hopped on the bus to watch a game and get out of the hotel. It was a quick game, only 3 sets. We got back just in time to support our Men’s team only to find myself and many others screaming at the computer because the feed was so bad. Eventually the game froze for so long that we fell asleep. I woke up and decided to listen to mental training, only to find myself to fall asleep again.

Today is the day we have been waiting for, but it did not end up turning out how we imagined. Although warm up felt quick, we felt confident. We had our team huddle where we discussed what we had to do and in the end we all knew we needed to go balls out. We needed to leave it on the floor. Vancouver Island is a good team, but beatable. It wasn’t long until the game was beginning. Up to the first 10 points we were right with them. But after that we couldn’t seem to grab a hold of a lead.

I can’t remember a game where we lost the first game and looked at my teammates seeing defeat in our eyes even though we still had 4 more games to go if we wanted. We came out in the second set fighting again, but we allowed VIU to grab a hold us and to go on numerous runs, only by killing our own runs by missed serves. It is disappointing. We did not follow game plan. Not because we didn’t want to, and not because of being unfocused, but perhaps because we are young, or inexperienced. We sat back and let them take control the whole game. We took our foot off the gas.

There is nothing more we can say when we look back on this loss other than this championship is not over, we are just fighting for a different colour; bronze. We are all disappointed, perhaps upset, or as many of my teammates keep saying, embarrassed. But if we look at today in that sense we are only setting ourselves up for failure tomorrow. Of course, we didn’t have the greatest performance today, but we did a lot of great things. We dug some hard balls. Our defence was tight. Now we just need to put the whole game back together. We need to learn from today, build from today, and take the positive things and run with it into our match against the Host team tomorrow.

Many people didn’t even think we were going to make it to Nationals, but we’re here and we need to take advantage of the opportunity in front of us. There are many people that will never have these opportunities and to throw it away because of a disappointing and heart breaking loss will only lead to regret. I believe in this team and I believe in the fight in this team that tomorrow is a new day. We will come together and do what we need to because that is what Humber Hawks is about. We win as a team and we lose as a team. I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it (Lou Holtz).....

Quote of the day:
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
Thanks to all that supported us today in the stands and through the web,

Goodnight,
T

P.s We send good luck to Alberta from Quebec. We will be watching our boys in their game against Camosun. GET ‘EM!!!!!

Day 4: New Day/New Team

Today was definitely a new day. It took a lot for the team to bounce back after a defeat like yesterdays. November (Wilkin’s Birthday as he kindly reminded us) was the last time we had felt a defeat and it is not something we deal with well. But what competitive team is ok with losing? We didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in as we had a morning practice which meant out of the hotel by 8:30. Practice began sluggish in a sense that many I believe were still hanging their heads due to our performance last night. It wasn’t long until the coaching staff observed this and we had a quick pep-talk with Wilks. Things began to turn around and we worked out some kinx by just basic serve receive and working on setter-middle transitions to prepare for our next match.

Game time was 3:00 pm against the Host team (Outaouais). They were a small team, but they were aggressive and never gave up and we knew we had to keep our foot on the gas. We came out strong all three games, having control and a fair lead throughout each game. It felt extremely good to play with the intensity and consistency we did today, especially after yesterday. We could have hung our heads low and said this year is not our year, but we didn’t. We came back fighting. The game was enjoyable. There were smiles on the court and the biggest change was communication. Even at times where we would lose a few points we stuck together and continued communicating which was different than last night’s game.

Tomorrow will be a real test. We will be playing Red Deer, who is a very strong team, but they make errors. Our biggest test will be to play with the consistency we played with today and eliminate our errors. We will need to serve with purpose and make their passers move, as well as pass well on our own side. If we can get the ball to Nina she will be able to distribute the ball across the net. It will not be an easy game by any means, but it is a game that will allow us to redeem ourselves from Friday’s game and play with heart. There is nothing the coaching staff can teach us now. It is up to us as players. We have the choice to go out there and play with heart and leave it on the floor, or sit back and let Red Deer take control. Judging by our team meeting, we’re ready to take on this team again, and fight for one point at a time. We owe it to ourselves, our coaches, and the support from family and friends to leave it out there. We have nothing to lose, and whatever happens after that happens.

Quote of the day:
Yesterday's Failures Are Today's Seeds That Must Be Diligently Planted To Be Able To Abundantly Harvest Tomorrow's Success - We Will Either Find A Way, Or Make One!

Goodnight!
T

Shout out to our Men’s Team. 4th in the nation is nothing to be upset about. Although it is not the outcome you wanted you guys played well this weekend. Safe flight home boys and enjoy your last night there!

Day 5: GAME DAY

Today was a whole new day as well. Although we had to get up early AGAIN, we all knew we would be up for a fight. My morning began with waking up and braided many of my teammate’s hair. Even on the bus ride I was still braiding which was difficult while standing. We had to face Red Deer today which we knew was not going to be an easy match by any means. But with hard work, leadership and working together, we knew we had to leave it on the floor. Whatever happens after that happens. The match started out strong going point for point with them. They had some great kills and so did we. And there were some huge digs from both sides. We ended up giving them quite a lead in the first which made it difficult for us to come back. In our team huddle after the first set we all agreed that we could play with them we just needed to eliminate our errors and not allow them to go on a run.

The second set started much like the first and we ended up taking a lead. With a two point lead and just away from game point we ended up not being able to get a side out and they beat us by two. 25-23. It was disappointing because it felt like we had that game. We were two points away from making this game a 1-1 score.

After being down 2-0 we came back fighting with a 6 point lead in the third, but ended up giving away the lead to Red Deer, but we kept fighting and kept the game close, but came up short in the end. This game was disappointing but not in the sense that we were upset about our performance. It was disappointing because we were so close the whole game. The game could have gone either way at certain points of the game.

After our game we all went out for lunch as a team and a few alumni joined us. We then headed to back to the gym to watch the bronze and gold medal matches and waited for the award ceremonies. Landis Doyle was named an All-Star which was well deserved. She had a great weekend, and there could have been a few others from our team as well. After the award presentations we went back to the hotel where our scrubs came off and the heels came on and went and enjoyed the night life in Quebec. We piled in cabs stopped at one place, but it was not what we were looking for so we headed to a different club where we danced the night away. We had a good time with all of us together along with alumni and experiencing Quebec which also worked out perfectly. We all arrived safely and in one piece although we knew tomorrow morning was going to be rough on the bus.

Quote of the Day!
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it’s successful outcome.” 

GOODNIGHT!
T

Day 6: Final Words

Today we left Quebec around 9:00 am. Of course we did not get to sleep in the one night that were up until 4 am, but we will forgive coach anyway. Today consisted of packing the rest of our stuff and heading to the bus. We all looked fabulous this morning, with sunglasses and really nice hair from the night before. It wasn’t long until the bus was silent and we all were back to sleep. Literally most of us were passing out before the bus even left the hotel.

Now I do not want to bore you with our bus ride home because, well, there is not much to tell, but what I will say is I couldn’t have spent the last five days with any other people. This is my second family and the experiences we had, not only this weekend, but all season is phenomenal and words can’t describe. Although I believe that Nationals in Quebec could have been presented and prepared better, the overall experience was thrilling. I think our young team can take a lot from the competition we had this weekend as well as what we watched in the Gold Medal match, which will better prepare us for next year. I believe we were strong contenders this week, but we have a lot of work to do to get here again. We grew largely as a team this week facing the teams we did. Although we had moments this weekend where things weren’t going as expected, we stuck together as a team which is very important. To tell people we are 5th in the Nation is nothing to hang our heads about. The beginning of the year no one would have believed our coach if he said we were going to go to Nationals again. We are young and very inexperience, but we proved many wrong. It is exciting to see how much our team achieved since September when we began. With hard work, time and the dedication each and every single member of this team puts in, we deserved to be where we were this weekend. These are the days we will look back upon and miss and I believe each and every one of us took at least one thing that will remain for many years in our memory.

I also want to thank firstly Quebec for hosting the teams this weekend. I would like to thank our Athletic Director Doug, although he only got to spend a couple days with us, the amount of support he has for us is unbelievable and is much appreciated. Thank you to our coaching staff, therapist and manager for everything you guys do. You miss time with family and friends as well as work to do everything you do for us. I also want to thank my teammates for always being there and being the people you are. Lastly, thank you to everyone who tuned in to support us Hawks and to all the parents, especially mine who drove hours to come support us in the stands. A lot of our success comes from the support we have on the outside so thank you. And thank you for reading my blogs. I hope you enjoyed reading and following our Hawk Journey and we will hopefully be followed next season as well.

Quote of the day:
Hard Work Beats Talent, When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard!

GOOOOO HAWKS GO!