Sectionals

Is this weekend. Our Section has 11 bids, so unless we lose to HUGE noobs, we'll be making Regionals. I can't see that not happening.

But we aren't anywhere near where I wanted to be at this point in time. I was talking to Sam about this yesterday. The team isn't as motivated, dedicated, or disciplined as we were at NWS. Part of that is having a coach, I'm sure, but it largely was just how badly we wanted it, and how much we loved playing. Everyone always ran the sprints, and to this day we have a tradition of pushing each other and competing to be the best we can. We don't have that at Claremont. Everyone plays for fun, and doesn't like doing things that aren't fun. I guess that's the difference. In Seattle, we play(ed) for fun, but also because it's just what we do. We get better, work hard, and train hard.

What I've realized is that while I think I would be an excellent captain under those circumstances, I have to do things differently next year. Namely, I need to be able to lead by example more. This team isn't focused enough to be too mental, but I think they'd respond to example and competition. I need to be better than everyone to lead them effectively. Clearly that's a bit unrealistic, but I think I can make huge gains this summer if I really grind it out.

We'll see.