Sheep Happens

San Angelo is famous for its painted sheep all over town. If you go to our visitor center you can pick up a brochure that lists the sheep, the artists, and the addresses where they can be found. I did this earlier in the summer with my kids and we only found 14 of the around 30 sheep that are "roaming" our great town.

I thought this would be fun for the 'Belles to do, so they could get to know each other and get to learn more about San Angelo. Of course, we rarely do anything that doesn't involve competition. So, I put them into four teams and they had an hour and a half to find and take pictures of has many sheep as they could. They had a great time and we had limited injuries - Morgan fell in a hole and Ashley James got her foot run over by a car, and no speeding tickets! Two teams found 29 sheep (pretty impressive), so the winner had to be determined by how many pictures they had taken with all four people in the picture. The winners were Jezzal, Camille, Krysta, and Mel. This announcement did not come without controversy and even some formal protests (which I appreciated, because they are competitors and they don't like to lose), but I remained strong in my choice of the winning team and they received tank tops that say "sheep happens".

We start our on court skill work and conditioning next week and I can't wait. Stay tuned for more updates. It is a great year to be a 'Belle!

Summer Fun

After being off campus for a couple of summers, we were back on campus for our Heart of Texas Basketball Camp. We had a great week. The 'Belles did a great job and I have received many comments and emails about what great girls they are and that the camp "was the best money (they) have ever spent." These days, that is quite a compliment and I know how they feel, since my kids are now at the age where they go to summer camps, and it is not cheap!



The 'Belles are back on campus now and ready to get to work, but before we hit the ground running, I thought I would let you know what they were up to all summer. I texted the 'Belles and asked them to text me back about what they did this summer. Here are their responses:

Camille Perkins - "worked out"



Ashley James - "I just worked (Chili's), worked out, and bonded with teammates that stayed in San Angelo"



Morgan Youngblood - "Lift 3 days a week, play at least 3 days a week, lifeguard and swim lessons (YMCA) and hanging out with the team."



Lindsey Youngblood - "Just worked at the YMCA and worked out."



Leah LeMaire - "Skating, fishing, going to the beach and went to a family reunion in Colorado. Went to summer school, worked out and had a blast hanging out with my teammates. Drove to Minnesota with my family to our Grandparents' lakehouse. And, did some surfing in June, but the surf wasn't that great."



Lauren Holt - "I worked out and rehabbed all summer."



Paige Weishuhn - "Running, weights, about 10 weddings, Lake Amistad, Hords Creek, the Frio, and the rest of the time I was in College Station visiting my best friend."



Lindsey Mahone - "The first half of summer was workouts and school, then a Colorado vacation. Then I decided to transfer. Checked out a few schools and decided to go to Angelo State (couldn't be any happier). Came back to Texas and enjoyed being home."



Karli (Mel) Mellegard - "I have been working on getting my leg stronger, doing physical therapy and personal training. I play basketball every chance I get. As far as recreational, I have gone to South Dakota for a family reunion, and I have spent a lot of time at the lake."



Giselle Aguirre - "All star game, work outs, and trips to New York and Los Angeles."



Krysta Martinez - "Played basketball and worked out."



Laci Effenberger - For some reason I can't find Laci's text and she had a very interesting summer. I know she worked on a fishing boat in Alaska. Hopefully we can get some video or pictures of her.



As you can see, the 'Belles had a great summer, and they worked really hard. I have had many people comment on how hard they worked this summer in the weight room and on the court. I am really looking forward to this season!

Belles, Girlscouts, and Canoes

Last Saturday (Aug. 14) some members of the women's track team, soccer team, and basketball team, along with a few coaches, participated in the Girl Scouts' annual canoe race on the river. Karli Kellermeier (Basketball), Karli Makey (Soccer), Emeline Crutcher (Track and Field), Crystal Ruiz (Track and Field), and Belle Basketball coaches Stacy Duffell and Katie Rudolph all volunteered to spend their (hot) saturday morning rowing canoes with the Girl Scouts.

Our President, Joseph Rallo, also participated. Unfortunately for Dr. Rallo, his partner was not very good at rowing a canoe. I am not going to name any names, but she is one of our very studly track athletes that just happens to be an All-American (several times) and a National Champion! I'm sure Dr. Rallo will forgive her for losing the race, since she did help bring home ASU's first National Championship in Track and Field!

In the first race, Karli Kellermeier and her Girl Scout partner took home the blue ribbon. In the second race, the two Karlis had a good lead, but Stacy and Emeline pulled out a great comeback victory! My daughter Bailey is a Girl Scout and it is a great organization. I really appreciate all these young women for showing up and being such great role-models for these girls. Personally, I think that is what being a student-athlete is all about at Angelo State and this community has alot to be proud of.

Out With The Old In With The New

Alix Flores and Christy Rasmussen graduated last week. Ann Parks will graduate in August, Lindsey Leatherman-Schaertl will graduate in December, and Casie Adams will graduate next May. We are very proud of these young ladies and know they are ready to go out into the world and make a difference. That is what it is all about. Getting an education, growing up, making life long friends.

Now we move on to the next season and the new players we will add to our roster. In the Fall, we signed Karli Kellermeier from Wall. Karli is a great defender and an extremely hard worker. I think she can really have an impact on both ends of the floor for the Belles. We have also signed another post player and three more guards. Karli Mellegard is a 6'3" post from Saginaw. Laci Effenberger is from Alaska and played her senior year in Oklahoma. She is a shooting point guard with great leadership ability. Giselle Aguirre is from El Paso Soccoro high school. She is also a shooting point guard. Krystal Martinez is a forward from Victoria. Both Giselle and Krystal are going to bring some much needed depth to the 'Belles. All our signees are very excited about the upcoming season and they are working hard, so they can try to make an immediate impact.

During the spring we had four of our freshman make the STUD club. The STUD club stands for Shoot Til U Drop (the players changed that to Die). To join the STUD club, you had six weeks to make 5,000 free throws and 5,000 three-pointers on your own time. Lauren Holt, Ashley James, Morgan Youngblood and Lindsey Youngblood are now STUDS. And even more impressive is that they accomplished this in about four weeks. You can do the math. That is alot of made shots in a short period of time! I am so proud of these young ladies and it just reinforces what I already knew about them. They are a special group and together we are going to accomplish our ultimate goal of winning a D-II National Championship!

I hope everyone had a great summer!

Senior Night

I am always amazed when another Senior Night rolls around. I just can't believe that time can pass so quickly. This year we had three seniors.

Christie Rasmussen was a member of the 'Belle basketball team for five years. Out of high school she signed to play for the University of Texas at Arlington. She tore her ACL in the fall of her freshman year at UTA. She transferred to Angelo State to play basketball for the 'Belles. C-Raz continued to battle injuries her entire career, but she never gave up. She was able to play her entire senior year even though her knee did limit what she was capable of doing on the court. All a coach can ask for is that someone give you everything they are capable of giving and C-Raz did that for the 'Belle basketball team. C-Raz's parents missed very few games and they were always supportive of her, the coaching staff and the team. I will really miss Christie and her parents.

Lindsey Leatherman-Schaertl played for the 'Belles for four years. She was selected as one of the captains of our team her senior year. Lindsey also battled injuries her last two years. Her junior year, she missed the first few games with a hand injury and toward the end of the season she hurt her knee, but she worked hard and was able to come back and contribute to the team at the end of the season. This year she suffered a major knee injury six games before our season ended. There is no way to describe your emotions when this happens to a player. You just feel helpless, because there really is nothing you can do or say to make things better. I do know that Lindsey can take comfort in the fact that she gave it all she had for the last four years and she can look at her career and know that she did her best on and off the court. I will always appreciate and respect the way Lindsey responded after her injury. She made every effort to stay connected to the team during practices and games. She was very upset when her surgery date was changed and she had to miss our last road trip. She really put the team first when it has to be very painful to sit on the sidelines knowing you have played your last game. I have always appreciated Lindsey and her parent's loyalty and support and they will be missed.

Casie Adams transferred to Angelo State from Panola Junior College. Casie is a very versatile player and was capable of scoring from anywhere on the court. Casie was a vocal leader and accepted whatever role she was asked to play for the team. Casie's mom attended a lot of Casie's games during her career at Angelo State and was always very supportive of her daughter. Casie's knowledge of the game and her enthusiasm will be missed.

The Pink Zone

The 'Belles participated in the Pink Zone last night. The Pink Zone is an initiative of the WBCA to help raise money for breast cancer research. We wore pink and white uniforms and we are auctioning them off all this week to raise money. We beat ENMU and kept our play off hopes alive. Our last home game is next saturday versus Tarleton State. If we win Wednesday, we will be playing for a berth in the LSC Conference Tournament. It is also mascot night and the Mavs Man will be at the game. Come out and support the Belles!

Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten

The 'Belles had a week off this past week and we used it have a mini training camp. I know the players were never so happy to see the weekend! We had a very good week of practice and we had a team get together at my house Wednesday. At the get together, I showed the 'Belles the video that was put together by the Children's Miracle Network when Bailey and Kannon served as Miracle Children. We do a lot of volunteering for CMN and I realized that most of my new players didn't even understand our connection. In case you missed it, Bailey was born 11 weeks early and only weighed 2 lbs, 9 oz and Kannon made it until 33 weeks and weighed 3 lbs, 12 oz. After the girls watched the video, Leah Lemaire claimed "this is like watching TLC". She is so funny and refreshing.


Also at the party we had a pop a shot tournament. Kannon received a double pop a shot (a basketball game like you would find at Mr. Gatti's) for Christmas. It was a double elimination tournament and Jasmine Fuller was the champion. Her penchant for using the backboard came in handy in this shooting game. Also, I made a vow to the players that from now on if I couldn't say something positive I wouldn't say anything at all during practice (thus the title of the blog). Two things could happen the next day, we would have a great practice or a very quite practice! I am happy to report that we had an awesome and excellent practice!

We have a big week ahead of us. We play Kingsville at home on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and in Abilene on Saturday at 2 p.m.. We are one game behind both of these teams in the LSC standings. Also on Wednesday we will start the auction to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. We will be auctioning off the white and pink uniforms that the girls will wear during our game against Eastern New Mexico on Feb 2oth, a couple of signed pink and white basketballs and a one-of-a-kind quilt. We will also be selling pink t-shirts. Please help us support the effort to eradicate this terrible disease!

I hope to see you Wednesday. Oh by the way, the Ram baseball team split their doubleheader yesterday. They played great in both games except for 1/2 inning. Very irritating, but there is no doubt that the Rams are going to have a great season. The Rams play another doubleheader today at Foster Field starting at 1 p.m. Come on out.

Part of the game

What makes up a winning team/season? Is it great players? Great coaching? Hard work? Team chemistry? Fans in the stands? Luck?

If you answered all of the above you would be correct. To be a championship team you have to have some talent, some coaching, the team has to be all working for the same goal, support and some luck along the way. Players have to stay healthy and unfortunately we just lost another one to a major knee injury. We lost our stud freshman Lauren Holt after our first scrimmage and during our game Wednesday, Lindsey Leatherman-Schaertl, went down with a torn ACL and a fracture of her knee cap. Very painful to watch, both physically and mentally.

Lindsey is a four-year senior for the 'Belles and a team captain. She has been a starter, but was also hampered by injury last year. She is a great student and a very good person. Her parents have always been some of our biggest supporters. In fact I am having a hard time remembering the last game Dee Leatherman missed. In fact, she even went to Hawaii with the 'Belles. Okay, that doesn't seem like much of a "sacrifice", but she has never missed a game in Kingsville!! Now that is support! It just makes me physically sick that Lindsey's career is going to end like this. She will be having surgery next week. But, even though that fracture is causing her a great deal of pain, Lindsey is coming to our game today in Portales, N.M. That proves to me that we do have great team chemistry and we are all working towards the same goal. Don't give up on the 'Belles, we aren't giving up on each other.

RoadTIP

The 'Belles had a very succesful roadtrip to Oklahoma. We beat East Central 80-60 on Thursday night and I was so proud of the 'Belles. I was very anxious before this game, because I didn't know what I was going to say to the team if we lost. The 'Belles have worked so hard since we returned from Christmas break and I really felt like some lights had come on about our offense and defense. The first half of the ECU game we still couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but we played so hard and smart. We were winning the game by six at half time even though we were only shooting 21%. We ended the half with a great play by Alix and Camille, which really gave us a lift going into the locker room. The second half we kept playing hard and shot the ball better, so we won by 20! One of our freshman, Leah Lemaire, had a double-double in her second start of the season.

On Saturday, we played Southeastern Oklahoma who was 10-2 and ranked 25th in the nation. Again, we played great defense and we won the game 62-60. The game was tied with less than a minute left on the clock and Leah Lemaire took a charge in the low post to get us the ball back. We ran our offense and Paige shot a 3-pointer as the shot clock ran out. Alix Flores crashed the offensive boards and TIPPED the ball in with 1.2 seconds left on the clock! It was awesome!!! It was a huge win for us as we head into South Division play on Wednesday. We play Midwestern State at home on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and in Stephenville on Saturday at 5 p.m. Come out and see the 'Belles play. You won't be disappointed! 2010 is the year of the 'Belles!

Family and loss

The 'Belles are back from the Christmas break. Hopefully we are well rested and motivated to make 2010 our year. Unfortunately, our family suffered a loss on Christmas Eve. Kori Hall's dad passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer on Christmas Eve. Mr. Hall was only 48 years old and he left behind a devoted wife and two daughters. Yesterday, the 'Belles drove to Houston for the funeral. I am not really sure how to put this, but it was the best funeral service I have ever been to. First, it was standing room only. People were lined up along the walls and standing outside in the entryway. Mr. Hall was not rich and famous. He was just a hardworking, kindhearted man that put God and family first. The service was a two-hour celebration of his life and even though Kori and her family will never be the same without her dad, they had to take some comfort yesterday from how many people were positively affected by their dad during his short time on earth.

When Kori got up to speak yesterday her message was that if we were fortunate enough to still have our mom and dad living, we need to tell them we love them. I wanted to share that message with everyone today. Don't take for granted the people in our lives. Make sure we take the time to let the people that we care about know how we feel. Don't assume they know and don't assume they will always be here. I also wanted to thank Kori for that message and for allowing us to be a part of such a special day.