Coaching Basketball

Who ever thought I would coach a basketball team?  NOT ME!  I offered to help coach a team and ended up getting roped into coaching it all together.  Emily wanted to give basketball a try this year.  I thought it would be fun to help out her team.  I don't know much about basketball and I know NOTHING about coaching!  So, I begged my friend Holly to come help me.  She did!!  Love her!  She even brought her daughter Emily along with her.  Our team didn't do too well as we were given the less skilled players--on purpose.  We had only two girls who had played before and only two, three at best, who even knew what they were doing--or were even the least bit athletic.  They all had so much spirit and while our team didn't win too many times, Emily really enjoyed it and is planning on trying out for the 7th grade girls basketball team next year.  Now, that should be a better experience.  I know she could do well if she had some guidance.  :)  She was even asked, by two mothers, to join a travel basketball team during the experience.  She must have something there.  :)

Holly coaching the girls for the next play.  L to R - Emily Sponagule (Holly's daughter), Ashley Hammer, Maryahanna Rothgeb, Allie Simmons, Ellie Benson, Emily Washington

I have decided coaching is not for me.  Will stick to volunteering in other ways.  :)  The kids deserve someone who knows what they are doing!

This is not a good picture because it was taken through a frame and I had to reach up to take it.  However, you can see our team.  One girl was missing that night, but she ended up leaving the team anyway.  Irritating.  Front Row-LtoR-______Hensley, Maryahanna Rothgeb  Back Row-L to R-Me, Ellie Benson, Emily Sponagule, Emily Washington, Allie Simmons, Holly Sander.

Hopefully the next basketball pictures I post will be of Emily on her school team next year!!  She played in November and December 2016.

Ryan goes Purple and Gold!

Ryan was part of the Duke Dog reading program that JMU does for the area schools. You are to read a certain amount of books over your winter break. You record what you read and the amount of pages, etc., turn it in and you receive a ticket to a JMU basketball game for the student and two adults to go with the student. This covered Ryan, Mike and myself. Lydia and Emily are young enough not to have to pay anyway. We went to the game yesterday afternoon. Each student that came to the game received a coupon for a free ice cream cone from Brewsters and a raffle ticket to potentially win a door prize. Also, they were giving out pom poms to the kids. Ryan's school, McGaheysville Elementary School, was one of the top three area schools to have the most participation. For coming in 3rd, Ryan's principal, Ms. Roadcap, was presented a plaque on the court at halftime. Ryan was pretty excited to see someone he knew walking out onto the court. The kids kept their eyes peeled for the Duke Dog mascot throughout the entire game. When he actually came up to our section, they did not want to go up to talk to him:). They had a neat halftime show with kids doing various basketball things and then there were two men who came out and had a remote control vehicle race around obstacles on the court. They announced the names of these racers and we looked down on the court to see our next door neighbor, Jerry--funny. Lydia spent a large part of the game cheering with her pom pom and Ryan's pom pom. Then each time the cheerleaders or the Dukettes came onto the floor she was completely focused on the performances. I took a movie of her cheering, but of course she did not do as much while the camera was on. Ryan saw several kids that go to his school. It was really neat and we had a great time! Neatest part of the whole game though was at the beginning--one of the players of the JMU basketball team, in uniform, sang the National Anthem. An amazing singer! Multi-talented!!