FAA

I own all opinions in this blog. It is not an official publication of the City of Melrose, the School Department, Melrose High School, or the Athletic Department. 

In his MasterClass on Investigative Journalism, Bob Woodward shares the acronym FAA, FOCUS ACT AGGRESSIVELY. Amidst adversity, that has special meaning. 

Athletic contests are the sum of the parts, the individual plays, routine or exceptional. The ability to focus on each individual play defines the sum. 

FOCUS. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski preaches, NEXT PLAY. Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival, says BE HERE NOW. Others say, "play in the moment." Mickey Mantle struck out over 1700 times, but when he wasn't striking out, he played at a Hall of Fame level. 

ACT. There's a saying about too much thinking making slow feet. CARE. Concentration, as Coach Ralph Labella preached regularly, leads to anticipation, reaction, and execution. 

AGGRESSIVELY. In most sports and many games, see the aggressor to spot success. The ability to dominate the 'middle of the action' gets expressed as "strength up the middle" in baseball, "control the paint" in basketball, own the "line of scrimmage" in football, and even "superior position" in chess. Establishing control on the court begins with an attacking mindset.

FAA. Focus, act aggressively. 

Many of you who played basketball for me remember this: 

Game 9: Frontier 3 Melrose 0

Melrose (7-2) proved too hospitable to Frontier (10-1), as the visitors captured a 28-26, 25-12, 25-17 win.

Melrose didn't experience a hangover from Thursday's loss, as they came out defending well, with improved blocking after lineup changes from Coach Scott Celli. Sophomore Sam Dewey saw time at opposite and had immediate impact as the Lady Raiders blocked and defended better early with good action in the back from Mary Kate Mahoney and Nichol Abbott. 

Melrose controlled most of the first set, leading 23-20, but couldn't close out the Red Hawks. Frontier had superior consistency and defense and Melrose couldn't overcome service and unforced errors. 

The second set saw Frontier race ahead to a 17-5 advantage as Melrose couldn't get in rhythm and appeared dispirited after their first set struggles. Coach Celli inserted freshman Autumn Whelan into the lineup, but nothing could stop them from seeing Deerfield in the headlights. 

Frontier got the early edge in set three and Melrose tried but couldn't sustain the momentum despite some good moments from Junior Middle Emma Randolph.

Lady Raider Notes: Melrose is working hard to regain consistency, coverage, and  communication. Absent senior leadership, energy and direction must emerge from this young group to regain their mojo. "Confidence comes from proven success" and they can reverse the recent step into quicksand with a good set or two. 

Melrose - Burlington Volleyball Snaps

Steve Karampalas shares images from a recent volleyball match. Click the image to enlarge. 

Bill Heafey also shares a plethora of varsity and JV photos at these sites:

JV:

Freshmen:

Varsity:

Act II. Home Stand Continues Versus Frontier Today

Every team writes its narrative. As author Judy Blume explains, "Your job is to tell the story as well as you can...and end it as well as you can." 

A season can resemble The Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell's analysis of the 'monomyth' stories. This applies from Ulysses through Star Wars and The Hunger Games. Authors have also explained religious icons through these prisms. 

During the second act of the journey, the hero faces adversity and often stumbles, winding up facing overwhelming odds. 

For the triumphant heroine, there is recognition and reversal, with an ending that is both unexpected yet obvious. 

For the 2018 campaign, the season migrates into the second act, with formidable obstacles requiring a commensurate response. 

Every story has different characters with their own back stories and authenticity. Some leaders are vocal; others exude quiet leadership. But every worthy story has authentic, compelling characters. 

Write a great story. The next chance is today against Frontier. 

Be Here Now

Process. Process. Process. Every day administers lessons. Are we open to learning them? Sports and life reward consistency of attitude, choice, and effort. 

Approaching each day with a 'beginner's mind' allows us to grow. Be here now. Empty your cup. 

Game 8: Bedeviled; Burlington 3 Melrose 2

Melrose hosted Burlington (7-3) and the Red Devils earned a hard-fought 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 15-5 victory over the Lady Raiders (7-1).

Burlington parlayed aggressiveness, hard hitting, hard service, and better blocking into victory. 

Coach John Wooden had a saying, "don't whine, don't complain, and don't make excuses." Melrose has the opportunity to translate lessons into upcoming matches...next up, Frontier on Saturday. 

The Lady Raiders struggled with consistency throughout the first half of the match. They turned that around in set three and four with better overall play. Middles Emma Randolph and Emily Hudson picked it up, and Mary Kate Mahoney moved up to the front for a trio of kills. Nicole Abbott, Erin Torpey, and Mary Kate fended off a slew of smashes from the Burlington attackers and Leah Heafey had success on the service line. 

Grace Davis and Sofia Centrella held their own on the outside and Mary Maher contributed solid defense in the back row. 

Lady Raider Notes: In many sports, with relatively equal talent levels, aggressiveness informs the outcome. Young teams can struggle to maintain aggression under pressure. That is a process. 

Trust the process. 

Melrose - Wakefield Volleyball Sampler

Courtesy of Bill Heafey (The Eye in the Sky). Click images to enlarge. 

Steph Curry Wisdom

Steph Curry shows worldly wisdom at MasterClass...

"Compare yourself to yourself." (Am I improving?)

"You don't leave the gym until you get better..."

Game 7: Melrose 3 Wakefield 0

Melrose remained unbeaten with a 3-0 win at Wakefield. The stage is set for a tough match against Burlington on Thursday. 

Emma Randolph and Emily Hudson led with 10 and 7 kills respectively. 

Big digs for Mary Kate Mahoney and Nicole Abbott. 

Kiki Kiernan had 21 assists. 

Nicole was the serve receive leader. 

Around the league: (from Boston Globe High School Scoreboard)

Reading knocked Belmont from its undefeated perch in the Middlesex League.