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Versus Shannon Forest
The girls knew from the start of the season that today's match would be the biggest challenge. They faced Shannon Forest in the regular season and in the championship last year, and while they won both matches, they went to three sets, and each match was a real battle.
Today, when I arrived, I glanced at the scoreboard and saw our girls were down 15-10. Other than a few moments at the beginning of this or that set, it's about the only time they've been behind, and certainly the only time they'd been that far behind that far into the game. They would pull back within two points or so and then lose another two points.
I didn't think their undefeated streak would win -- I thought they'd win the final two sets if they lost the first one. They just weren't playing 100%. And to their credit, their opponents were making phenomenal saves. They didn't have as many heavy hitters as we do, but they took most of the serves and many of the hits and converted them. Still, I thought the girls' perfect season (and by that, I mean not a single set lost) might end this afternoon. In the end, though, they came back to win it 25-22.
The second set started off with our girls jumping into an early, big lead of 7-1. With a lead like that, which they maintained for most of the game (at one point it was 20-12), I thought it was a done deal. The girls of Shannon Forest had other plans, though. One thing everyone has to give those SF girls is that they never give up. Down eight points, with our girls lacking only 5 points to victory while they had to double their score and then some, they still fought for every ball. And they started clawing back. And soon it was 21-17. And I thought, "They might do to our girls what our girls just did to them." But it seemed impossible: our girls are good. They can take the hits, pop them up to the setter, who sets up one of three frontline hitters, who can then almost always hit well and often hit with incredible power and speed.
With every point, the home team scored, the home crowd erupted. The SF girls danced and screamed with each point as they pulled it back to 23-22. I could understand their joy: the Langston girls were the big dogs, so to speak. They'd rolled through the season last year and took the championship. They were doing the same this year. To take them down, to take one set -- I've been in that position. Not in sports but in academic bowl competitions. In the final match of the year, our team took down an until-then undefeated team.
Just one point down.
But it was not to be. They made a couple of errors, and we had a good hit or two, and it was all over. Our perfect season is still perfect, with one more match tomorrow night.
In the championship tournament, though, Shannon Forest will likely meet our girls again. And they will remember how they began that first set. And they will be out for revenge.
Learning
"Hey, there's a grass volleyball tournament in town this weekend. Want to go play?" L asked.
"Sure," her best friend N replied.
That's how it started. So two good friends who both have a couple years' experience playing volleyball but no experience playing two-girl volleyball -- no experience at all, not just no experience playing together in pairs volleyball -- set out this morning to see how they'd do.
It was a learning experience, to say the least.
Not only did they not win a single set, their total points scored for six sets (54) didn't even average out to 10 points per game. To say they got their butts kicked is really quite an understatement.
It's not something she's used to in volleyball. Last year, her school's team won every single match and only dropped three or four sets the entire season. This year, with only two matches remaining, they haven't lost a single set. They are used to delivering the smackdown, not receiving it.
But it wasn't always like that either for the Girl. When she first started playing volleyball, she tried out for the school team in sixth grade and didn't make the cut. We put her in YMCA volleyball and her team didn't do well at all.
As a parent watching my daughter play volleyball, I always have some mixed emotions. During the last season, her team struggled mightily: they didn’t win a single match, if memory serves, and they only won a handful of sets. It was rough. Lots of frustration in the car after games.
“We won’t ever win.”
Several matches, they were swept, three sets to nothing. There was nothing immediately redeemable about that. I said what any parent would say: “You’re getting stronger.” “This is building character.” “This shows how tough you are, that you keep at it despite the challenges.” (Source)
Still, even then they weren't getting beaten brutally.
Today, they were. Completely outclassed. Completely and mercilessly beaten by girls who had much more experience than they do.
Point after point, set after set, game after game, they kept playing. They lost by scores like 21-7 and kept playing. They made silly mistakes and went for several points without actually earning a point but gaining points only from unforced errors and still, they kept playing.
I'm not sure when I was prouder of L.
As the morning progressed, they improved. They figured out some of the little strategic differences that pairs volleyball demands. They worked together more. Their game became a little more analytic. They grew.
What's more, when we asked the girls if they'd enjoyed it, they insisted they'd had fun. And I believe them. So a successful lesson on many levels.
A Circus of a Different Type
Down at the Trampoline
1978
Socratic Seminar
We had our first Socratic seminar today. The other halves of the classes will have it tomorrow, but I’m not looking forward to as much as I would have thought I would. It’s just so much different in such small classes. In sixth period, there were only eight students, which means four pairs. Four people talking doesn’t allow for animated discussion amongst eighth graders, you would think, but they actually did the best among all the students. It helps to have naturally talkative students, I guess. Still, with eight to twelve pairs of students working, the seminars seem to produce more ideas and livelier discussions.
It doesn’t work as well when there’s only half the class in attendance, but that’s just one of the sacrifices we make in 2020. We’re there. We’re able to do it at all. That’s what counts.
Thirty Years Ago
The Boy Writes
"Daddy, can we make a web site?" the Boy asked today. Granted, I think he was just looking for an excuse to spend more time on the computer, but there was only one way to find out.
"Sure. We already have one," I reminded him.
"Oh yeah, the family web site." He knows it from looking at pictures from the past. "Hey, E, come look at this picture!" "Hey, L, come watch this old video." But I don't think he realized it was something he could contribute to.
"You want to learn how post things there?" I asked.
"Yes!"
And so I created an account for him, showed him the basics of adding media and text, and turned him loose.
We'll see how long it lasts.
science work#boring
science work is so boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a school and all kids know that all school is boring. well but Ravi loves it from bunkt. Ravi is from bunkt.Bunkt is a comedy and if you don't know what bunkt you need to watch it unless you are like 5 it can get scary.