Some of you know the saying, "I'm from Missouri. Show me."
As a former basketball coach, words I didn't want to hear were, "I'll try" and "I can't." "Try" is a word of failure.
"Try to be on time" or "try to meet me for lunch." What is that? "Be on time." "Meet me for lunch."
While 'try' lies on the road to belief, it's not a destination. You can only be as good as you believe you can be.
It's hard to win a league title or a sectional title. It's even harder to repeat. Sam Cummings said, "The higher you climb on the mountain, the harder the wind blows."
The capacity to fight through adversity and stay on track when things go against you says a lot about character and team spirit.
The State Champion 2012 team was loaded. Boston Herald Team of the Decade players Brooke Bell and Sarah McGowan headlined, but Jill MacInnes and Allie Nolan were future All-State players. Jen Cain was an outstanding college player. The "Great Wall" of Rachel Johnson and Kayla Wyland were superb blockers. Amanda Comitto was an ML All-Star defender. And Cassidy Barbaro packed serving punch. They had no weaknesses and punched first.
Manon Marchais had lightning in her right arm.
And here she brings thunder to a middle block.
Staying fully engaged makes all the difference with a series of great defense. "Great defense is multiple efforts."
More Marchais magic at the net. Ryan Celli likes that.
When teams play exceptionally well, they're tied as if on a string.
Not lost in the shuffle of last night's win were a couple of Melrose milestones. There are opinions and there are statistics.
Leah Fowke notched her 600th assist of the season and moved into the top ten single season assists for a Melrose setter. That's no small achievement with a pair of D2 PoYs ahead of her in Brooke Bell and Lily Fitzgerald.
Sadie Jaggers with 294 season kills and 589 career kills moves into the top ten in single season and top five in career kill records in Melrose. What makes this even more noteworthy is that she moved outside from the middle last season.
This list doesn't include more recent statistics including Gia Vlajkovic's number two (338) record for 2022 (career 514 kills) or Chloe Gentile's 523 career kills.
Here are a few of the many highlights from the first set between Billerica (green) and Melrose.
Tied at twelve, Melrose scores a pair points combining tough defense and aggressive offense.
Sadie Jaggers got 25 kills with the hard stuff and the change of pace attacks.
Billerica won the first set with their blocking. But here Sadie "tools" the block.
Young players, note how Sadie starts her approach well behind the ten foot line allowing her momentum for attack. Leah Fowke delivers the set far enough behind the net to allow a full swing.
Sophomore Emme Boyer isn't a household name, yet. Here she delivers a "rainbow kill" perfectly to the corner.
Senior Manon Marchais deliver ten kills including this one.
"Great offense is multiple actions." Senior libero Grace Gentile with a couple of great digs leading to a persistent point from sophomore Sabine Wenzel who authored 16 kills from the middle.
Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Feeding ego deceives us. You can believe in yourself and your team and stay balanced. Humility and confidence balance extremes of arrogance and doubt.
Sometimes reflection adds more context. Here are a few ambitious tries...
Junior Leah Fowke, steady all season, had huge assist numbers adding 45 today and breaching the 600 threshold for the season...rarified air.
Grace Gentile had 33 serve receptions a key for Melrose's success tonight. Maggie Turner added 14 and Gigi Albuja 8. Serve receive has been a key benchmark for success all season. I thought Grace had her best match of the season.
Sadie Jaggers (25), Sabine Wenzel (16), and Manon Marchais (10) all reached double digit kills. Manon had a memorable stuff block for one.
Sabine had 231 times more kills this season than last. Every season, we ask where will the kills all come from and she and Sadie (294) answered that with a resounding, "I told you so."
Coming into tonight's action, sophomore Emme Boyer had one career kill. When it mattered most tonight, she chipped in four. Perhaps this will be a career inflection point for the tall, athletic youngster.
Service was rough in the first set but the team recovered to fall barely short of 90 percent. Grace, Leah, and Maggie all scored service points at over 55 percent of serves. Manon Marchais also delivered some bombs and was a factor at the line. For the match, Melrose recorded 55 service points on 98 serves.
When reviewing the season, one should recognize the achievements of both the players and coaches in view of six seniors graduating from last year's sectional champion.
"Life is like a box of chocolates..." You never know what you're going to get.
Melrose and Billerica squared off for the third consecutive season with the same result, a hard-fought Melrose win at the MVMMS Gym - 24-26, 25-17, 25-12, 26-24.
The win came amidst most unexpected circumstances. Sofia Papatsoris out for the season and Sadie Jaggers playing out of a sickbed. The back row of Grace Gentile, Maggie Turner, and Gigi Albuja were exceptional and Emme Boyer raised her game amidst late elevation into a major role.
More than anything, it was a total team effort and a game of momentum.
In the first set, neither team established control while Melrose handed points over on errant serves. In the end, the visitors prevailed.
The next two plus sets, Melrose played its best volleyball of the season, dominating at the net with Sadie, Sabine Wenzel, and Manon Marchais with Leah Fowke dealing out a boatload of assists. They dominated with aggression and consistency over the spectacular play.
In the fourth set, Melrose got off slowly, trailing 6-10 before going on a 17-1 run, to put the game away...almost...at 23-11. But Billerica refused to die and Melrose couldn't put them away. Despite a timeout, Billerica continued on their own 13-1 run to knot the score at 24.
Sadie delivers a monster kill to get the edge and the match finished on a Billerica error.
Game analysis. Winning is hard and valued even when messy. For me this will be the always be the "Jordan Game" with Sadie Jaggers a lead architect of victory despite playing with acute illness.
But it will be more than that, because so many contributed. Manon Marchais came up big in the middle and Emme Boyer made good decisions and solid execution outside.
Caroline Higonenq continues to round into form after missing the entire regular campaign. The back row can't get enough credit for their steadiness.
So it's on to Canton versus the three seed in the Elite Eight. Local fans with a sense of history know that 'anything is possible'.
Carpe diem is Latin for 'seize the day'. You get a limited number of opportunities in sports so make the most of the them. Focus on today.
The brief Warren Buffett video clarifies a few points. First, traffic in your 'circle of competence'. You don't break out a jump serve in the postseason. Excel by doing well what you do a lot. Second, be selective. Successful athletes leverage vision, decision, and execution. Poor choices seldom translate to good execution. You have the tools. Make great choices.
Yogi Berra allegedly said, "It's like deja vu all over again." Until it isn't.
Melrose faces Billerica for the third consecutive postseason. And in the 'fresh faces' department, Burlington survived and advanced to the quarterfinals as another ML12 club sent the Duxbury Dragons home.
Ten teams remain in Division 2, three from the ML12. And another ML12 upper tier team, Wakefield, punched its ticked to the quarters in D3. Congratulations to Kayla Wyland and her club.
What are challenge coins? Challenge coins are symbols that can represent service, membership, distinction, or appreciation. They are shared especially in the military. Flag officers (admirals, generals) often have their own coin, such as the one above from ADM Claypool.
Supposedly, a challenge coin can usually be traded for your favorite beverage in military watering holes.
Some coins represent missions whose purpose and location cannot be revealed.
Perform service. You don't need a coin to reflect your effort. A 'metaphorical' coin is enough.
What you accomplish over decades is the sum of your daily inputs. Break it into smaller parts.
1. Take care of yourself. Get at least seven hours of sleep every day.
2. "Always do your best." Our best won't always be "the best" but it leaves no space for regret.
3. THINK. This is harder. When speaking, leave more metaphorical room between hearing and responding. THINK =
True - is it true?
Helpful - make it helpful?
Inspiring - elevate others
Necessary - say what must be said
Kind - "it is better to be kind than smart"
4. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read nonfiction. Read fiction. Read quality prose, quality content as part of the process of better thinking. Study great thinkers like Penn's Adam Grant.
Investing even a half-hour in extra reading a day adds up. One of the greatest books I've ever read was The Boys in the Boat, which weaves a tapestry among the Depression, the 1936 US Olympic crew team, and the rise of fascism during the early 1930s.
Melrose volleyball graduates have achieved immense success after high school. They earned that by following the 'simple' principles above.
Lagniappe. Different organizations with the same function operate radically differently. In the Navy Medical Corps, we were told not to run at lunch because the patients could be upset seeing doctors not doing core work, seeing patients. On loan to the Army at the old Walter Reed, I was told, "Doc, you run at lunch. Everyone commits to PT." Commit to being in great condition.
In the postseason, if a team has a less robust offense, expect it to have a tough defense. Expect to play longer points. If a team has a dominant offense, they may have a vulnerable defense. Every point has offense, defense, and conversion (exchange of possession). Serving is the only part of volleyball a team fully controls.
If part of practice doesn't matter, your coaches wouldn't have you do it. Attack every part of practice with urgency. Everything impacts success.
We used to finish practice with "Specials" about fifteen minutes of three-possession scrimmage that began with a free throw, baseline or sideline out of bounds play, or ATO (after time out). Games are often decided by crunch time execution.
The players loved it and worked to do well. We played a game against Billerica (!) and ran "Lion". It's a 'decoy' play where the opponents expect Cecilia Kay (future Boston Herald Dream Teamer) to get the ball...instead it's Sadie on the slipped screen.
In a three point win, we scored 3 for 3 on After Time Out plays. And Sadie was getting it done years ago and today.
Coaches face unpalatable choices. Play the senior or the freshman phenom? Move a player to another position which displaces the incumbent? Cut the politician's child? It's not a question of whether but how often?
Coach Wooden said, "no progress occurs without change, but not all change is progress." Change is inevitable.
Coffee, a new bean-based beverage from Ethiopia had stormy origins. Some argued about its health effects, others defended existing beverages (wine and ale), and governments shut down coffeehouses, not because of the coffee but the conversations held there. Change is uncomfortable.
We rob Pietra to pay Paola. Giving more minutes to a star subtracts from another deserving player.
When a coach makes changes, objections, especially from parents seeing their child displaced, are inevitable. My wife sat in the stands once, surprised to hear a parent say, "I'm glad Ron isn't playing her in crunch time, we have a better chance with her on the bench."
Performance is unpredictable. When things go south, the coach's neck is on the line. At the end of the day, I work to see change via "coaches' eyes" not "parents eyes."
Remember the wisdom of Bill Parcells. "Coaches are the most selfish people in the world. They put players on the field who are going to make us look good."
Lagniappe. The 2023 postseason playoffs haven't been kind to the ML12. Still alive are Melrose, Burlington, Reading, and Wakefield. Liberty Division champion Belmont got bounced in the round of 32 by Lincoln-Sudbury.
O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man’s life is cheap as beast’s. Thou art a lady: If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear’st Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need- You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, As full of grief as age; wretched in both. If it be you that stirs these daughters’ hearts Against their father, fool me not so much To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger, And let not women’s weapons, water drops, Stain my man’s cheeks! No, you unnatural hags! I will have such revenges on you both That all the world shall- I will do such things- What they are yet, I know not; but they shall be The terrors of the earth! You think I’ll weep. No, I’ll not weep. I have full cause of weeping, but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws Or ere I’ll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!
Coaching and parenting share similarities. Both instruct, refine, and hope. It goes well; it goes awry.
Basketball coach Don Meyer preaches that the height of coaching is mature simplicity. Understand and execute the simple both offensively and defensively and the results take care of themselves.
Mature simplicity is "dig, set, spike."
Education changes behavior. Why study Shakespeare whose classic lesson may befuddle us or pass us by? The monologue by King Lear expounds upon power and loyalty. In many ways the coach's or parent's power depends on the fierce loyalty of players/children.
Invest the few minutes to hear Lear and the breakdown.
A brief summary... be coachable, execute the plan not the man.
Irony... the least 'noteworthy' plays, routine receives, solid serves, banal blocks are the ones that cement success.
That said, here are a few highlights.
Melrose doesn't get the point but plays spectacular defense.
Teamwork sets up Sadie Jaggers for one of thirteen kills.
An H-Bomb from Caroline Higonenq...
Scituate fights off some attacks but Sabine Wenzel finishes the play.
Before you watch the attack below, study where Sadie is as she prepares the runup. She's far behind the ten-foot line that allow momentum for a big swing when the set from Leah Fowke is perfect.
1. Survive and advance. Destiny called as Melrose and Billerica will clash for the third consecutive year as Melrose hosts the Merrimack Valley club next Wednesday.
2. Student support. A large contingent of students arrived many wearing white sweatshirts. Back in the day, a product called "White Out" helped us write papers as we erased mistakes. Call it a "white out" night.
3. Serve Pros. Melrose served at a higher efficiency rate than during the regular season, over 90 percent. Both Grace Gentile and Gigi Albuja serves resulted in points in over 80 percent. Extraordinary.
4. Received. The back row (Grace, Gigi, Maggie Turner, and Sadie Jaggers) had an efficient night, getting or keeping balls up.
Grace was good from the jump, showing solid platform skills at the first play of the match.
5. Senior leadership. Sadie, Grace, and Manon Marchais all showed their playoff chops. Yes, Melrose had deep playoff runs with few seniors, but not often.
6. Return engagement. Caroline Higonenq's return makes a difference both offensively and defensively. She takes a 'big swing' that impacts opposing defenses in the same mold as former player Laura Irwin.
7. Fast start. Slow starts have plagued Melrose through the years but not last night. After losing the opening point, Melrose went on a 13-1 run to put the first set away early.
8. Middling not Fair?
Sabine Wenzel took care of business in the middle with high attack efficiency.
9. Short game. "Drive for show and putt for dough." Melrose, specifically Sadie, used the whole court with their short game. Scituate brought a defender across to attempt to handle this but to no avail.
10. Talk it up. "Vaccinated with a phonograph needle" was an old expression. Melrose talked from warmups. I heard Abby Dennison calling "mine" during early warmups. And of course, Maggie Turner energizes teammates before the play even starts.
"Silent teams lose." Talk intimidates. Talk elevates teammates.
Lagniappe. A big crowd helps leverage the home court advantage.
A large, enthusiastic showing next Wednesday against Billerica would make a difference, too.
At the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame meeting last week, a new member remarked, "that guy Celli has done an amazing job." By the numbers - he has amassed almost 500 wins at Melrose alone, 17 consecutive league titles, helped coach 17 MVCA All-State players, earned 10 sectional titles, 4 Finals appearances, 2 Boston Herald Team of the Decade members, and a State Championship in 2012.
Last night he exploited underappreciated tactics, critical timeouts to refocus the team. Proven experience makes a difference.
"Muditā (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) is a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being."
It's an important concept; I didn't know there was a word for it. Your classmate gets accepted to their school choice or a neighbor gets a big promotion. "Fantastic. Way to go, Susie!"
It's the antonym of the German word schadenfreude, to delight in another person's misery. "Well, the Yankees didn't make the playoffs, either."
There's another expression about envy, "drinking poison and expecting another person to die."
When can we find mudita in volleyball?
A colleague or teammate has unexpected success
A team overachieves
A hard-working player gets a chance and succeeds
An authority bestows an honor or award to someone we know
An underdog triumphs
Lagniappe (something extra). A lot of solid books on this list (I've read seven of them).
1: WOODEN: A Lifetime of Observations On and Off the Court
By John Wooden
If you buy ANY book, get this one.
This is my 2nd Bible!
I buy it for my senior players each year at graduation.
Grace Gentile and Maggie Turner with 13 digs apiece.
Melrose eclipsed the 90 percent mark for serving percentage and Grace had a high percentage (over 80) of serves result in Melrose points, as did Gigi Albuja.
Sadie Jaggers led the team in kills with 13 and Sabine Wenzel also appeared in double digits.
Melrose used a blend of experience, youth, and lineup flexibility to beat Scituate 25-14, 25-18, and 25-20 in the opening round of the MIAA volleyball playoffs at the MVMMS.
MVB welcomed back Caroline Higonenq who missed the regular season with injury.
Here she delivers an "H-Bomb" in the first set to erase a Scituate rally.
Melrose had opened the set with a 13-2 run behind strength of serve of Grace Gentile. But Scituate produced an 8-2 run to force a Scott Celli timeout.
Overall, Sadie Jaggers was strong outside and sophomore Sabine Wenzel erased Scituate rallies. Grace Gentile got off to a fast start in the back row and Gigi Albuja had one of her best games both defensively and serving.
Attackers rely on Leah Fowke who piled up a good number of assists.
The final two points of the match - a Gigi serve and a Sabine erasure of a Scituate attack.
“Pressure is a five dollar Nassau with two dollars in your pocket.” - Lee Trevino
The only way to experience "pressure" is to play under pressure. Pressure degrades performance. It degrades it less in some than in others.
"Pressure is a privilege." The teams at the bottom of every league don't get the privilege of postseason play.
One feature of irony is that "poor players" seldom 'choke'. When you're at the end of the bench there's precious little opportunity to get into games with big moments.
Think back to when you had your first 'big game' experience. In 1971, in my first "big" varsity soccer game, against undefeated Concord, I tried to cross a ball right to left. Somehow it wound up in the net. Brilliant! Accidental offense that wound up on the scoreboard.
How do you prepare for the big game?
Run through your mental 'highlight reel'.
Slow your breathing with 'square breathing' - four second in, hold, four seconds out, hold.
Use music to amp up or calm down
Focus on breaking events into pieces. Celebrate small wins.
Most important, be excited more than anxious. Relish this opportunity to compete.
Lagniappe. Making low contact? Watch this and practice getting on top of the ball at a higher contact point.
Each team writes its own narrative. What happened in 2003, 2022, or October 2023 doesn't define the future. Players and coaches navigate the future not the past.
It's easy to have a "Chicken Little" approach, the sky is falling after a loss.
Seniors Sadie Jaggers (All-Conference), Grace Gentile (All-Star), and Manon Marchais have been here multiple times.
Melrose has rising stars in Leah Fowke (junior, All-Conference) and Sabine Wenzel (sophomore, All-Star) and a solid junior class with All-star potential headlined by Sofia Papatsoris, Maggie Turner, and Gigi Albuja. Junior Caroline Higonenq is back in action.
There's still optimism surrounding sophomore Emme Boyer who is tall and athletic and you never know what players will emerge. The JVs made strides and rumor has it that the middle school has a strong class.
Of course, paraphrasing Yogi Berra, "it's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future."
Navy SEAL team leader Jocko Willink told a story about a teams guy who said, "I can remember just three things. What are they?"
Maybe you hated science because they didn't teach applications. Boomerang physics utilize the Bernoulli principle (also used to allow airplanes to fly, pitchers to throw curveballs, and volleyballers to use topspin).
I've shown previously the devastating serve of Alyssa DiRaffaele which literally caused a team to refuse to play Melrose ever again.
Study this video to learn a bit about volleyball and physics.
