Our first exhibition game on Nov. 6, was against the Academy of Art and went very well. Our team came out in a whirlwind of tenacious defense and steals, showing the athleticism we are working with this year. The starters came out strong and scored an unanswered thirteen points before three minutes had even ticked off the game clock. Every Redhawk on the team scored in the first half and we finished with an 84-57 win. We accomplished all the goals the team and coaches had set before the game.
Last weekend we faced a much greater challenge in Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton. Both of the established Division I teams of the Big West Conference, gave us a better idea of the kind of competition we would be facing the rest of the season. Although neither game ended in our favor, we improved drastically from Friday to Sunday.
Friday night, Salena Dickerson had a breakout night with a quiet double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds). It was good to see her play in a game again after having to sit out last year because of NCAA transferring rules. Sunday, one of our freshmen, Kacie Sowell, had a heck of a night, tallying her own double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. We currently have three players averaging double digits in scoring (Salena Dickerson, Tatiana Heck and Amani Butler).
After a tough weekend, all we could do was come together as a team. We had a hard practice Monday and finished it off with a meeting with Cathy Crosslin. Cathy is the CEO of Instar Performance, which works to educate people on mental strength and self-motivation. Often in sports, athletes get so concentrated on conditioning their bodies and working on their skills that they forget about the mental side of the game, and that's what Cathy specializes in doing. Our team worked with her last year and it really made a difference. Until you hear Cathy speak, you would never realize how much of your performance on the court is directly affected by what is going on in your head. What I appreciate the most about this training is that it will help us in our lives, not just on the court.
Although games and practices take up the bulk of my day, I still try to find time to do other things. This year I am the vice president of events for the Seattle U Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is a group that has representatives from each team in order to "give voice" to each team equally. My position mainly works on our events, such as the Make-A-Wish - Student versus Staff Basketball Game and the end of the year banquet for all the Seattle U athletes. I have really enjoyed working with the other members.
Besides that, I have been interning for the Athletics Communication Office, which has allowed me to work with different angles in sports information and our team. I am aiding in writing releases, putting together the women's basketball team guide and updating player bios. One of the larger projects I do is updating the game notes prior to each game, which are posted on GoSeattleU.com, are given to our coaching staff and the opposing coaching staff, and are sent to all media outlets in the area. I really appreciate getting to work with Diana Chamorro the assistant Athletic Communications Director for Seattle U and getting to put the skills I've learned in my journalism classes to work.
Although I'm thinking about continuing my education in a master's program that isn't journalism related, I still feel that this experience both on the court and during my extracurricular activities will help me succeed in the long run. It won't be too long before I'll have to get a real job!
But a job can wait because we're headed to Southern California this weekend to take on UC Riverside and San Diego. Hopefully we'll get to soak up some of the sun, since it is supposed to snow in Seattle this weekend!
All the way Redhawks!