03/24/2024
Little did I know how much I would love coaching. I love sports, but the lessons and personal growth that’s sports sets the stage for, is as good as the sport itself. This season, Freedom Aces grew our little 5th grade team of 9 players who started in 3rd grade, to 2 teams at the 5th grade level. I am so proud that both teams qualified for state!!! One of our team’s didn’t make it to bracket play, but battled hard. Our other team went all the way to the Championship game. Losing by a small margin in the 3rd set. Those girls have grown not only in their volleyball skills and knowledge, but in their personal skills and knowledge of themselves. Yesterday’s battles in 19 matches brought highs and lows. There were many moments where their previous habits could have taken over, they could have let their mistakes control their mental game and thus lost the physical game. But yet, they persevered. We have worked HARD as coaches to help them learn to let go of mistakes in the moment and move forward. NOT to give in to the mental downward spiral path all athletes can be tempted to take, that these girls used to take when faced with multiple mistakes in a row. But they didn’t, and I figured out the difference, the game changer, the secret. They have given us their TRUST. They TRUST our coaching and truly believe what we tell them, so much so that they follow our lead and trust what we say will get them where they need to go. It is the most humbling feeling. To know that they are giving us the steering wheel, they are so coachable. I can only attest this to two things, our coaching staff is true blue and good at coaching them for the right reasons, AND BIGGER THAN THAT, their parents. Their parents are backing us with their trust, not undermining us in their children’s eyes, but supporting these girls getting coached, which in turn helps allow the girls to trust us. When a coach has the trust of their players, together they can do amazing things, and that is what we did at state. We went into the day with the mindset that we truly could win it all, if we didn’t defeat ourselves. And we didn’t defeat ourselves, we battled tooth and nail until the very end. I am so proud of the mental fortitude these girls showed yesterday. Two of our girls succumb to illness late in bracket play, literally puking in the garbage can next to our court, but they stayed, to mentally support the team. Their volleyball skills are
coming along, but their champion mindset skills are more importantly developing, This little sport of volleyball is building some amazing girls within Freedom Aces and I LOVE getting to be a part of it. We wouldn’t be where we are without my amazing coaching staff, Jess Jessica Bunda, Rachel Kruse-Loots, and Sara Horn. AND the parents of these girls. The parents either make or brake it for an athlete, and we CLEARLY have stellar families. Thank you for everything you have done to support the, girls, us coaches and the team as a whole. Our families get it, and allow us to do our job to the best of our abilities, coach these awesome kids. Thank you, thank you, thank you. These girls left it all on the court yesterday, and kept their spirits high. Second place was bitter sweet, but honored to have earned the opportunity to be there and have the shot at the title.
