Boston Herald All-Scholastics (Published)

Elena Soukos complete the "Triple Crown" of All-State and Globe and Herald All-Scholastics. Congratulations and highly deserved...

Boston Herald All-Scholastics

Boston Globe All-Scholastics

 Elena Soukos is the latest

Lack of Resilience Is Never an Option

Train to be resilient. 

Cross-posted

All-Time Statistical Leaders

Statistics aren't everything, but they provide context to decision-making and history. 

Here are Melrose all-tme leaders

As more players start younger and come to high school more skilled, statistics are improving. But a few "old timers" are still on the list. 

Scoring also changed from time to time: 

2000-2001 - regular season 2 sets out of 3, 15 points,  tourney 3 of 5, 15 points 

2002-2004 - regular season 2 sets of 3, 30 points,  tourney 3 of 5, 30 points

2005 on - current system, 3 of 5, 25 points (except for fifth set, 15 points)

Success Comes in Many Forms

Most players in the volleyball program experience a lot of team success and winning. Since 2003, teams have won nine sectional championships and many top players have experienced that.

One of the fiercest, toughest, most skilled did not, but is one of the most successful, having been All-State and continuing to succeed in graduate school. 

Ask ourselves whether we are doing the right things to succeed. Success is about more than winning. 

 

Great Players Pay Attention to Detail

 I'm no expert on volleyball. But she is. 

Melrose Weekly Summary of Awards Night

 Melrose Weekly News summary of Awards Evening

"Never Read a Person by Their Book"

Coach Celli has the team read and study a book together. There's a principle called cognitive dissonance. That embodies being conflicted about a topic. 

Urban Meyer expresses that. He accomplished a lot in coaching, but has proven to have major shortcomings. 

But his book, "Above the Line" is exceptional. Here's a link to a pdf summary. 

Examples:

E + R = O   (Event + Response = Outcome)

10-80-10  (How players fall on a continuum)

"Escape velocity"

"Crossing the red line" 

Are You Mentally Prepared? Tips from an F1 Racing Champion

 

Better Defense Separates Elite Teams. Need Inspiration?

Keeping the ball up can win a few more points.  

Advice That Works Over Decades

"The magic is in the work." Durable coaching advice. 

Know Your Competition...Sometimes It's You

Steal shamelessly from every source. MasterClass gives me a world of ideas. 

Steve Martin: 

• "Love your rivals." We will always have them.
• "Feed off them." If we don't, they'll eat our lunch. 

Steph Curry: 

• "Competing with myself, not being complacent." 
• "My opponent will look small...compared with my expectations."

Serena Williams:

• Know your opponent...play their weakness.
• "Don't overhit to a weakness. Mix it up."
  
• "Hit the ball to where your opponent is not." 
• "Know your strengths." 

Garry Kasparov:

• "Playing chess was not just about winning and losing."
• "Make a difference...it's about coming up with new ideas, challenging your own excellence."
  
• "Making mistakes was like physical pain...I no longer had that appetite for new ideas." 

Thomas Keller: 

• It's the critical feedback that we learn from the most. 

Steve Martin:

• "There's always work to be done." 

 

More Banquet Snaps

Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click to enlarge.

Seniors Autumn Whelan, Ava Burns, Abby Hudson, and Elena Soukos move on.

Captains old and new... Sadie Jaggers, Gia Vlajkovic, Autumn Whelan, Abby Hudson, Elena Soukos, and Chloe Gentile 

 

Leadership Is a Shared Responsibility

Coach Scott Celli has a thorough and transparent process to select "official" team leadership. But everyone has leadership responsibility.

Jen Sinkler shares one of my favorite articles on coaching, about legendary Cal Rugby coach Jack Clark.

Here's an excerpt:

"5. EXPECT EVERYONE TO LEAD.

Jack Clark: We say that the definition of leadership is the ability to make those around you better and more productive. It’s a skill to us. Leadership isn’t a rank — it’s not only for the coach, it’s not only for the captain, it’s not only for the seniors. It’s a skill. Some guys develop big toolboxes with a lot of leadership skills very early on in their careers. Other guys, even when they’ve been here a while, might not have really comprehensive leadership skills. We’re all trying to get there. In our minds, just like there’s a glossary around the technical side of the game, there’s a glossary around the cultural side of the game. This builds commonalities of values that we all believe.

On this team, the leadership model is open to everybody. For instance, even if you’re a freshman, you have the ability to make those around you better and more productive: Don’t be a distraction, be on time, know your stuff, play hard and well when you’re called on.

I think when we really get it right — and we don’t every year — but when we really get it right, we have a lot of people on this team contributing to the leadership of the team. That gets pretty powerful. That’s magical, almost, to see a bunch of people trying to make each other better and more productive."

All the leadership in the world, by itself, won't produce excellence. Leadership complements athleticism, skill, effort, and resilience. In his book, "Above the Line," Urban Meyer proposes the 10-80-10 model, 10% of the team is at the top, most are in the middle, and 10% is at the bottom. He requires the top 10% to bring a partner to work out... to drag some of the "middle class" to the top. 

As an outsider, I see players who benefit from not only more experience but the formal strength and conditioning program available through the Athletic Department. Take advantage of the services to become your best version. 

Bear Hill Golf Club was a great venue for the annual breakup gathering. (Photo courtesy of Jen Gentile)

Growing as Coaches and Players

Here's a cross-post from my basketball blog. It applies whether we're players, coaches, or professionals in any field, especially the inspiring Gawande video. 

Excellence exacts a price...investing time, money, and thought about  how to improve. 

More Images from the Breakup Dinner

Images courtesy of Jen Gentile and Amanda Jaggers. Click to enlarge. 

Melrose Volleyball 2021 End of Season Banquet

That's a wrap of the 2021 volleyball season with a celebration of the journey. The Booster Club shared the beautiful Bear Hill Golf Club. Delicious dinner featured chicken fingers, Caesar salad, chicken broccoli ziti, and pasta with red sauce. 

2021 was a special season as the club won the Middlesex League and finished the season 21-3 with another Final Four appearance. 

The ML title was Melrose's fifteenth consecutive and the team reached the Final Four for the ninth time since 2003. 

Coaches Lydia Mays, Ryan Schmitt, and Scott Celli hosted the program and awarded certificates, letters, and special awards. 

Coach Celli announced that Elena Soukos was named a Boston Herald All-Scholastic today, earning her the coveted "Triple Crown" (All-State, Globe, and Herald All-Scholastic). She is in the conversation for inclusion among the top players in Melrose Volleyball history. 

Melrose Varsity Volleyball Awards

Top server - Abby Hudson (won points on about 68% of serves)

Top offensive - Gia Vlajkovic

Top defender - Chloe Gentile

Most improved - Ava Burns

Unsung hero - Sadie Jaggers

MVP - Elena Soukos (also  ML Freedom Division MVP)

Coach's Award - Autumn Whelan

Jen Gentile produced a Melrose Volleyball closing video. 

Players and coaches left touching remarks and roasting for Assistant Ryan Schmitt who is stepping down to be able to spend more time with family. Coach Scott Celli praised Schmitt as the best assistant he's had in thirty years of coaching. 

Finally, Coach Celli described the Captaincy selection process, from Application, to exit interview, team votes, and discussion with school administrators (Principal/AD). 

Incoming captains join Coach Celli with outgoing captains. Team captains for 2022 include future seniors Chloe Gentile and Gia Vlajkovic and rising junior Sadie Jaggers. 

As always, Coach Celli reminded players of future opportunity. All positions are open for competition. 

Many thanks to the boosters for including me in the celebration. 

End of Season Gathering Tonight

Melrose celebrates another inspiring season tonight with their team banquet. 

Coaches recap the season, hand out certificates and other awards, recognize special achievements, and announce the leadership for the coming season. 

"Tradition never graduates." 

Quantitative and Qualitative Modeling

 

Legendary basketball coach Don Meyer described three phases of coaching - blind enthusiasm, sophisticated complexity, and mature simplicity. Obviously, these aren't always mutually exclusive. 

Blind enthusiasm - "outhustle them, outwork them"

Sophisticated complexity - break the game down into an almost infinite amount of detail, teach it, and analyze what is working and isn't

Mature simplicity - Do what we do a lot well, better than our opponents. 

In Game Changer, sport scientist Fergus Connolly favors breaking the game into macro moments - offense, defense, and the transitions between, and micro moments, the "details of execution." 

As you face better competition, "absolute superiority" becomes less realistic. You can schedule it (so-called CUPCAKES) but that will hurt you in the postseason. So, smart teams focus on creating "relative superiority" and capitalizing on those moments. 

That includes overall player development with advantages in serving or blocking pairs. In other sports, like basketball, we might get advantage through pressure defense, transition, or mismatches via creating switches. 

For the individual, it often boils down to "what is your unique skill" that will get you on the court and keep you on the court? And some of that (e.g. serve percentage, aces, attack efficiency) is measurable. 

"The Magic Is in the Work"

Japanese libero training is famous. 

Kobata is among the best in the world.