Team chemistry

A reprint of my Aug. 20 SlapShots column

Many factors go into forging a championship team.

Talent, fundamentals, a good system that maximizes the strength of the players, coaching and a myriad of other tangible building blocks go together to build a team can that compete with the best. But it’s often intangible characteristics that separate a great team from the good ones.

Pundits call it chemistry. Anybody involved in sports has seen that team. The one that just seems to click. The one that may not match up in the overall talent department, but comes together on the field and slays giants. The one with players that seem to enjoy being around each other as much as they enjoy playing the game.

The Woodford County High School girls' soccer team exemplifies that kind of team chemistry and it appears another Yellow Jacket squad may have ripped a page or two from the soccer team’s handbook.

The Woodford volleyball team under new head coach Meredith DellaGuistina dropped its first two matches of the year, winning only one game in the process, but the young squad exudes a confidence and a sense of purpose lacking last season.

Much of last year’s struggle stemmed from the team’s youth, and while the squad enters this season with a year of experience under its belt, the team still isn’t exactly gray around the temples. After losing only two players to graduation last spring, the Jacket varsity roster still includes only two seniors.

But if nothing else, this team seems to believe in each other. During last week’s varsity match against West Jessamine, the Hive reverberated with the sound of cheering, both from the freshmen and JV squads, and the players on the bench. The Jackets played with emotion and intensity, and despite the loss they seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.

“That’s as much enthusiasm as I’ve seen in a ballgame in a long time around here,” local photographer Steve Blake said, adding that the team’s spunk made watching the game a lot of fun.

I have to agree. There was an energy in the gym that I have never seen at a high school volleyball match. Even during the lowest moments of the game, a constant stream of encouragement, cheering and laughter echoed around the Hive.

Credit DellaGuistina. The new Jacket skipper said that she’s emphasized creating team chemistry.

“We’ve been working on that – trying to build the team as a family and as a sisterhood and friendship.”

I have a feeling that the new coach’s efforts will soon begin to pay off in the W-L column. This team may not have the talent or experience to challenge the top squads in the state, but as the chemistry continues to percolate and the squad gains a little seasoning under its new coach, I have a feeling the Yellow Jackets will creep up and surprise some teams.

I encourage everybody to make it out to watch this team. I can’t promise you a victory, but from the looks of things, I feel pretty safe in guaranteeing you a fun time.

Quick Shots

Woodford County High School volleyball coach Meredith DellaGuistina got some good news on Aug. 14. The International Olympic Committee voted to include women’s boxing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. That opens the door for DellaGuistina, a world class boxer, to make a run for the U.S. team.

The volleyball match against West Jessamine also provided a comedic moment. Some of the freshman players held up signs with the letters W-O-O-D-F-O-R-D painted on them during the game. But they had a little problem with the order, creating a unique and creative spelling of their school’s name. The good news is that they have four years to figure it out.

I was sad to learn that the Arena Football League will cease operations. The AFL issued a short statement on Aug. 4 announcing the shutdown. The league cancelled the 2009 season earlier in the year. Arena Football League 2, with teams in small and medium size markets will continue to operate. The Kentucky Horsemen play in AL2. I was never a huge fan of indoor football, but I followed the Tampa Bay Storm at a distance. The team came to Tampa in 1991 and won five ArenaBowl Championships. In the years before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lightning rose to respectability, the Storm provided the lonely bright spot in the Tampa Bay sports landscape. There’s just something disconcerting about an entire league fading into the past.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans got a rare treat. The 88 actually led a few laps in the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Earnhard took fuel during a late caution, relinquishing his lead. But with fresh tires and no worries about running out of gas, the fan favorite drove back through the pack to finished third. Jimmie Johnson led the most laps, but ran out of fuel in the end. Earnhardt is arguably the most popular driver in NASCAR, but his recent performance doesn’t seem to warrant the hype. He last won 43 races ago.

Quote of the Week

“Here is the lesson and reality. All the legal language in the world about moral turpitude will not cause Coach Ricky to lose his job. Why you ask? Because Pitino wins basketball games and that is ultimately much more important than teaching students and players about morals, honesty and trust.”
- Chicago Now columnist Corri Fetman

Puck to the Head

I should fly a puck at Rick Pitino’s head, but that’s just too easy, so this week’s puck flies at the head of San Francisco 49ers draft pick Michael Crabtree. The wide receiver from Texas Tech was drafted 10th overall. But he was projected higher than Darrius Heyward-Bey, who Oakland picked in the seventh spot. So based on pre-draft hype and his projected selection ahead of Heyward-Bey, Crabtree wants a contract higher than the $23.5 million the Raider draft pick signed. Basically, Crabtree wants his contract to reflect that he was the higher selection – except that he wasn’t. He called anything less than the $23.5 million Heyward-Bey will receive, “unacceptable.” Are you kidding me? Crabtree has yet to catch pass one in the NFL and he thinks $23.5 million is unacceptable? I think it’s this clown’s ego that is unacceptable.