"Best Version of the Truth"

"Everyone has their own version of the truth." - Bob Woodward

Life, school, and the world throw a firehose of information at us. Our job is to learn how to filter, assess, and make sense of it. The same goes for coaching.

As we progress, we become our own coaches, learning how to organize, invest time, to think and to communicate clearly. 

Woodward wrote a book, "The Brethren," about the Supreme Court. A Supreme Court clerk told him that the book misquoted him. Woodward invited him to his home, went to his files, and produced a document with the quote in the clerk's handwriting, signed. The clerk said, "I would have sworn on my family's lives that I never said that." Woodward goes to great lengths to unearth and publish 'the best version of the truth'. 

Key elements of Melrose volleyball truth include:

- Continuity matters. The father of continuity is Coach Celli. 

- One voice. Everyone is on the same page. The ball doesn't hit the floor.

- "This is not a union job." Experience helps, but the players who play the best together, to impact winning, play. If a freshman is the best player on the team (it has happened), she plays. 

- Set the bar high. The goal is never just to show up. Setting low expectations generally achieves low expectations. 

- "We make our habits and our habits make us." Because it's your intention to compete for league, sectional, and state championships, develop championship habits. Skill, strategy, physical development, and psychological strength (resilience) are your tools. 

Nobody regrets giving her best.