We’ve had a good week.
Last weekend we got to participate in the Terry Fox Run, which was fun
right from the Zumba warm up until we got to eat bananas at the finish
line. We had a meeting with Barb,
our mental skills coach, where we got a chance to talk about how we’re feeling
and how we’re each going to contribute to team success. We had practices Monday and Tuesday and
then yesterday got to play an intrasquad game. The intrasquad game is basically just a scrimmage with real
refs and score clock. Sitting down to stretch after the game Speedy asked if we’d
had fun. We were messy, and our
offense definitely needs some work, but the obvious answer was
“yeah!” Despite some frustrations it was still so fun to get a good run in with all the girls. Today we
were back to regular practice.
This weekend we’ve got some practices, two team dinners and a
team-bonding event on Sunday night.
Lots to look forward to this weekend and then it’s four more days of
practice before we open the Helen Campbell Tournament at home against UQUAM
next Friday.
I am blessed beyond blessed to get to spend every day with my
team and I want to introduce each one of them to you. This could get a little long but each girl deserves a real
intro.
In rough age/seniority order, here we go:
Laura Fowler, #10 – Moncton, NB, (B.Ba.) Lau is back this
year after her (second) ACL surgery and we could not be happier to have her
back. She is a great player and an
amazing person to be on the floor with.
I want to be a better player when I’m on the floor with her because I
want her to want to play with me.
I have so much respect for her and her work ethic.
Melissa Foster, #14 – Moncton, NB, (B.Sc.) Mel is the consummate teammate. She knows what to say when it needs to
be said and she knows when not to say anything. She is incredibly supportive, understanding, empathetic and
always up for a cup of tea and a chat.
I continue to learn from her every day.
Sam Kaminsky, #5 – Moncton, NB, (B.Sc.) Sam is tough and
definitely not someone to mess with.
Her loyalty is unwavering and I’m always glad she is on my team and not
playing for an opponent. I love
that Sam and I can beat up on each other every day and then walk into the
locker room joking and still being friends.
Claire Colborne, #15 – Calgary, AB, (B.RSS.) I could write whole entries about
Claire’s abilities. She is undisputedly
talented. She is also tough,
competitive, and getting better all the time. As tough as she is on the court she is kind, caring, and
fiercely loyal off the court so while she is busy taking care of business she
is also taking care us.
Tilly Ettinger, #11 – Calgary, AB, (B.Kin.) The thing I value most about Tilly is
how dependable she is. She is
solid and reliable, both on the court and off. You always know what you’re going to get with her. She knows how to distribute the ball
and sees the floor really well.
She also knows how to balance ball with the other important things in
her life and is a great person to talk to when you need someone to put things
into perspective.
Colleen Daly, # - Ancaster, ON, (B.RSS.) Colleen is very
enthusiastic. I’ve never
heard anyone come up with an idea that Coll didn’t want to be a part of. She’s got a beautiful shot with a
ridiculously quick release but also knows how to distribute the ball.
Rachel Cleary, #20 – Brantford, ON (B.A.) Rachel is undersized
for a post player but what she lacks in height she makes up for in intensity
and work ethic. She knows how to
use her body to get position and gain space.
Katelynn “Dutchie” Carver, #21, Bridgewater, NS (B.A.) Dutchie is so fun to be
around. She can find humour in the
most ridiculous things and it helps keep a really good balance. But don’t get me wrong, she can get
feisty too. I know I can call her,
24 hours a day, and she’ll be there ready to help no matter what needs to be
done.
Awo Farah, Ottawa, ON (B.A) Awo is transferring from the
University of Ottawa. We’re all
really glad she’s here. She is
crazy athletic. Her attitude is
incredibly positive and she has really cool insight. I’m already excited to
hear what she has to say during tough half-time chats.
Karlen Majcher #8, Calgary, AB, (B.BA) Karlen is coming to
UNB from a college in Alberta so even though she’s a rookie in our program she
already has an understanding of the game.
She has a good little floater and might be the only player who hasn’t
gotten blocked by Katelyn yet.
Laura Fox #9, Halifax, NS, (B.Sc) Fox is 18 going on 30. She
has confidence and character that is pretty unusual for a first year player and
her TV and music taste make her sound like she was born in the 80s. She is very athletic and knows how to
dig deep in workouts.
Nisja Bass #6 Los Angeles, CA, (B.BA.) Nisja came to Freddy
all the way from California. Nisja
has already been battling an injury but she is keeping a smile on her face
while doing weird rehab exercises during practice. Yesterday she was in boots, sweats, a hoodie, coat,
and toque. It might be a long
winter for her.
Chelsey Collette, #12, Rothesay, NB, (B.Sc) Although I’ve
only known her for a few weeks one of the things that already stands out to me
about Chelsey is how sincere she is.
If she has something nice to say she’ll come right out and say it. Dishing out “warm fuzzies” is going to
build really nicely into the culture of our program. She gets it.
Caroline Healy #7, Bedford, NS (B.RSS) Caroline works really hard. She listens well and is committed to
getting better. I’m really glad
I’ve been given the opportunity to play with her this year. She is keen, committed, and really
funny. I think she is going to
have an amazing five years at UNB.
Katelyn Mangold #22 Peterborough, ON (B.A.) I think Katelyn had eight blocks
in our first scrimmage. Katelyn
isn’t afraid of making mistakes so she often ends up saying something hilarious
when Speedy asks a tough question but she is also an incredibly quick
learner. She is my partner for
individual workouts this semester and I’m really looking forward to having her
beat up on me every day.
There we are, sixteen strong and getting stronger every day. We have incredible coaches and support
staff, but I’ll get to them another time!
Yours,
Allie
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