KISS

Jenny dressed in my hard hat and orange vest that I use at the rail road. (craziest one I got)

Jenny, Cutter, Zoe and Katie Beth

Makaela, Kaiygen, Mercedez, Zoe

Shelby, Sabrina, Emily

"my girls"

I have written about "my girls" before. For those who have been with me a while, you know I am talking about the basketball team I coach. The girls are 6th graders, 11-12 year olds. Yep, that is right, the beginning of things I do not understand, and never will. This blog has nothing to do with that, because I wouldn't know what to say anyway. We just finished another basketball league. This is the first of our 'season'. From here we play tournaments for the rest of the spring and early summer. This is the first time we have ever started a new season with the same team we finished with the last season with. This particular group of girls are such a joy to be around. We started all this when Emily was in second grade. I have 3 of those original girls still playing ball for me. One more I have had since 3rd grade. It is funny how it all evolves, how you get a team together and such. The reason I write about them is this. We were really having a hard time getting going this league. Things were just not clicking like I thought they should. I had introduced new and somewhat complicated things at them. Our first game we got smoked, second game lost to a team we should not have lost to. To make a long story short, I was frustrated and so were the girls. So...we just went to the KISS method. (Keep It Simple Stupid) I just asked the girls what they felt the most comfortable with as far as defense, offense, press breaker goes. I was getting caught up in trying to create a team that really couldn't and/or didn't feel comfortable with what I was trying to get them to do. They told me what they liked playing and we spent all our time for the last 3 weeks practicing the same thing over and over and over. Repetition was the name of the game for us. For the rest of the league, we didn't win all the games we played, but the games we lost were close and very competitive. We ended up getting beat in the semi-finals to the eventual champion of the league. It was really cool seeing the improvement, confidence, and self-esteem of the girls grow. With just a few plays to know, they all played with tremendous confidence. Players who had not been sure of themselves with the plays and their own ability, were making plays, good decisions, and having fun doing it. The girls were getting compliments from many of the opposing teams coaches and parents. They made huge strides. When we get our offense going a little better, we are going to be hard to beat. We are all excited about the next tournament. Thursday night we as a team went to watch the championship game and then went to get snow cones. I have been fortunate to have teams that get along pretty good. This particular group I was not sure about. Chemistry has been a problem in the past. Even up to this league. But for whatever reason, it just started clicking with them half way through the league. There is a genuine feeling of friendship between them. I thought it was there but hadn't really seen it until Thursday night. Believe me...these girls like each other. Well our little team outing was awesome. I had half of the girls come up to me and tell me how much fun they had. How they really wanted to do it again. It was very obvious they were having a good time. I just set back and laughed at them and with them. It was great!!! The pictures you see are of our snow cone stop. It just got me thinking as I was sitting there watching them. We weren't having much fun at the first of this league, were not playing very good, just were not having much success. Once we decided to go to the KISS method, things just got better and better, with everything. What is it about simplicity? Anything we do in life that remains simple goes so much easier. Make it all complicated and things just get crazy and screwed up. I have learned that lesson one to many times. You would think that this is a lesson that would stick. How many of us complicate our lives with extra stuff? The clutter of life? The drama of living? Life is hard enough some times to fill it with things we don't have to. The lesson my girls taught me over this league is awesome. Simplicity works. Just look at our Lord and Savior. He lived a very simple life. He did not give us a bunch of rules and regulations to live by because I believe he wanted us to live simple lives. He has made it very simple for us. "Love one another." ...lets see...I think that about covers it. Thanks to "my girls" for helping me remember simplicity is always the best way. Till next time....