Wesmen and Athletics-Players and Coaches Blogs

Wesmen Players and Coaches Blogs

During The 2010-2011 Season, Coaches And Players Of All The Wesmen Teams Will Give Readers An "Inside Look" With Insightful "Wesmen Blogs"..

Stay up to date on all the inside scoop on the Winnipeg Wesmen by reading coaches and players "blogs" all season long.


Larry McKay - (Men's Volleyball Head Coach)


Blog #3 - Monday, April 4, 2011

What is an MVP? 

Most Valuable Player awards abound in sports at all levels.  Children and adults alike await their announcement with baited breath, nervous perspiration, perhaps accelerated heart rate.  Who should receive such awards?  What is the criterion?  What do I have to do, one might ask oneself.  Or, retrospectively, what didn’t I do to be selected?

Well, in the end, like beauty, the criteria for selection are in the eye of the beholder.  Try as one might to find a standard for these selections, they become as subjective, varied and human as any other difficult choice in a widely subjective field.

In the case of our program, the Men’s Volleyball team at The University of Winnipeg, I can pose questions to which the answers might define the selection.  But in the end, it might be the person who crafted those questions that leads to the ans wer the crafter wishes.  Lies, damn lies and statistics.  Not exactly the same thing but in the same ball park.  Well, it is my humble opinion so I’ll ask the questions here.

Who returned to play a 5th season when he was only a few courses away from completing his degree?

Who was the only member of the Wesmen to have won a CIS National Championship?

Why would a person return when every one of the people he entered into the program with five years previous had not continued on?  Indeed, only one person remained who even entered the program the year after him.

Why, with such a stalwart reputation as a fiery combustible competitor would a person continue with a program that clearly was destined for many more losses than wins in his final year? 

Why, after reaching the high of a CIS National Championship, yes a gold medal, would he choose to return?  In fact, he won a CIS silver medal the year after his CIS gold.  The year after that, he was only instrumental in one of the larger upsets in Canada West Men’s Volleyball history.  The Wesmen, finishing 7th in league play, travelled to Calgary to play the 2nd place (and 3rd ranked) Calgary Dinos.  Three matches, all going the 5 set limit and the Wesmen come out just enough ahead.

In his fourth year, he was a driving force behind the team again making Canada West playoffs but falling short of upsetting the favoured TWU Spartans on their home court.  Once again, the series went to the 3rd and deciding match.  For his stellar performance throughout the season he was selected by the Canada West coaches as a conference all-star.

Who suffered a serious back injury in his 3rd year?  What would you say if you were told that most people would not have recovered from such an injury? Ever.  He did so in a few months. 

Who suffered the same injury just prior to the beginning of the preseason in his 5th season?  Again, possibly out for the entire season his return was even in more doubt.

Who returned to the team after a month in time to play in our second pair of regular season matches?  Though clearly in discomfort and far less than his best, who continued to strive for excellence from himself and his youthful teammates?

Who played the entire rest of the season until suffering the same injury for a 3rd time in the team’s 3rd last match?

OK.  Let me summarize.  He has been a consummate winner in every sport he has picked up.  He reached the pinnacle of our sport.  He was seriously injured but returned when most others would not have.  He was left without any teammates in the group he entered university with.  He was left without the teammates he had shared all of his success with except one.  He reinjured himself before the season began.  He again returned from that injury before anyone thought he would.  He was already finished his degree.

What do you think of this person?

One more thing.  He eschews personal recognition.  In light of that desire I will not name this person.  That proclivity is not exclusive to this person.  Indeed, it is a common trait amongst our alumni.  Perhaps that is a key to their success and happiness.

I will name Ben Schellenberg who spent a weekend out of his life last May to be with our Strike Club teams and our coaches in Abbotsford.
I will name Trevor Shaw who dashed from his government job to our club practices last year for no salary, nothing but the thanks from the kids and from me.
I will name Marshall Jones and Kris Funk for the same reason as Trevor (just replace the government job with teaching job).
I will name Maurice Williams who attended occasional practices and many matches this past university season in order to help me.

It looks like in addition to success in winning volleyball games, we have had a pretty amazing success rate in former players acting as role models for current and/or future players.  We are all walking in their footsteps seeing the qualities that they demonstrated to be the people they are.  I could go on naming many more people in the previous two decades. Suffice to say they are teachers, lawyers, business owners, accountants, engineers, doctors, university professors, civil servants, police officers, firemen, paramedics, corporate executives, fashion models, architects, writers, professional athletes, and the list goes on.  But they all once walked these hallways, dropped buckets of perspiration in the gym, stood up for their teammates and became a part of the historic program here.  I am grateful to have been with them all. 
No picture on the wall can speak enough about how much this person this season has meant to all of us.

Blog #2 - Monday, January 10, 2011

Today is January 10 and it's been more days than you can all remember since my last blog entry.
Our Men's Volleyball squad continues on it's quest for improvement. The injury bug continues to plague us with Matt Schriemer, Matt Dueck, Derek Miller and Jaye Burnett still off the court. Others have minor injuries that they are managing with the assistance of Athletic Therapist Jeff Billeck and Erika Andrejowich and Caity Purvis-Collins, our two trainers. We trained in December and early January before participating in an international tournament in Saskatoon this past weekend. We played versus Brandon, Budo (Japan) and Saskatchewan twice. It was an excellent event in which we were able to measure our progress since our last match in December. It also gives us a much-needed competition before we resume league play versus Regina on January 21. With 8 matches remaining in league play, the four we played in Saskatoon give us a better idea of where we need to work most to achieve our best possible results.

Blog #1 - Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I have been delinquent in my responsibility to provide a timely posting to this inauspicious website.  I will remedy that now by placing my fingers to keyboard though I must also offer a sincere apology for my tardiness.

The week to week cycle of practice, preparation, self-improvement and then measurement of all the aforementioned in a game or two at week’s end is upon us.  The Wesmen have been doing this since 1967-68 when our university first fielded a Men’s Volleyball side.  In all of those seasons from that one to this no university has accomplished as much.  We carry that with us daily in our training.  When do championship caliber players and teams become thus?  We are a group of hopefuls in the making of a championship in the future.  Habits exemplified by those whom have gone before us are in the making.  Being good is not a sometime thing.  It can and needs to be an all the time thing and in other areas of our lives, not just the areas we like.

Life issues in the news recently include our recent exercise in democracy at the municipal level and the fatal collision of two vehicles on Bishop Grandin.  Each of us will pull our own lessons from these events and there is no need to pontificate by any of us.  Participating or not participating in the electoral process is our choice but both have an impact.  Choosing to return home following an evening out has no less a possible impact.

Being mid-term time here I hope everyone the best in their preparations.  Finally, I look around to see examples of how fortunate I am in my life.


Mike Raimbault (Men's Basketball Head Coach)

Blog #4  Monday, October 18, 2010

The exhibition season is over and it is now time for the real thing.  Conference games are now upon us.  We rounded out our exhibition schedule this past weekend with games against Lakeland and Briercrest.  The first night Lakeland gave us everything we could handle.  The are an extremely athletic team and are a well coached group.  The next day we played Briercrest college, another tough group of kids who competed hard on every possession.  These games were our final opportunity to prepare for conference play as we kick off our regular season schedule this weekend with a single match against Manitoba.  Friday night should be an exciting game as Manitoba has been putting up some big numbers during their pre-season schedule.  We have to focus in on our game preparation all week and leave it on the floor Friday night.

Also this weekend is Basketball Manitoba’s Super Coaches Clinic.  For any coaches out there, this will be a great event with many fine presenters coming in to share ideas about the game.  For more information, check out Basketball Manitoba’s website!

Blog - #3 Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Last weekend our team traveled to the beautiful city of Montreal for three exhibition matches.  Upon landing in Montreal we headed straight down to Vanier College for an exhibition scrimmage.  This was a good challenge for us having just landing in Montreal and taking on a program that regularly sends their top kids to quality programs both in the CIS and the NCAA.
The scrimmage went well and it gave us a chance to fine tune a few last minute details before taking on our first CIS opponents.

Both games against Concordia and Ryerson were close matches in which we ended up on the losing side.  However, both contests provided valuable learning experiences for our group.  With our new group and so many new faces it is very important for us to learn from every single time we are on the floor.  We had a chance to face some new challenges as a group and to learn from the experience.

Aside from just the basketball being played, having a chance to travel as a team in the pre-season is important for building team cohesion and unity.  It is important to spend time away from the court together as a team.  On a side note, Montreal proved to be a difficult city to navigate through, but we managed to find our way without too many problems.

Next up for the Wesmen are two final exhibition contests against Lakeland College and Briercrest College.  The season is flying by and conference play is almost upon us!  

Blog - #2 - Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We have one more day of practice and then we are off to Montreal for our first taste of competition since our early exhibition games against SDSU.  Since our early pre-season games the team has been training extremely hard both in the weight room and on the court.  The guys have been spending a lot of time in the weight room and we are steadily getting into better physical condition.

I am sure that the guys are excited to finally be progressing into the exhibition portion of our schedule.  We leave Thursday afternoon for Montreal and will be busy during our entire stay.  Our trip starts off with a scrimmage against Vanier College on Thursday night.  This will be a great opportunity for us to get our legs moving after being on the flight, fine tune a few things, and compete against a tough Vanier team.  It will also be an exciting night for Kenny Perry who spent one season playing for Vanier previously. 

Friday night we have a tough test against Concordia University in the opening game of their tournament.  This will be our first test against CIS competition.  The following night we will face off against either Ryerson or New York Tech.  Overall the trip will be a good opportunity for us to continue the learning process that began several weeks ago now.  Hopefully the trip will help us to bond and gel as a team as we continue to grow and gel as a group.  Be on the lookout for scores and stats throughout the weekend.

Blog - #1 – Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Last night was the annual alumni event here at the University of Winnipeg.  The night provided us the opportunity to connect with many of the former Wesmen players who have laid the groundwork for us to be where we are now.  It was also our first opportunity to compete as a single unit against competition other than ourselves.  The alumni team featured many former Wesmen greats suincluding Norm Fromel, Erfan Nasajpour, and Matt Opalko.

All in all there were many positives from the game itself.  It was a good test for our new group providing us with an opportunity to try out some different line-ups and combinations.  Aft this point we have a lot of work to do as a group still, but so far we are gelling and growing one day at a time.  We need to continue building each and everyday as the season is quickly approaching.
   
Following the game there was a function where the current and former Wesmen had the opportunity to share a meal together.  Many great stories were told and many laughs were shared.  The overall message of the night was greatly summed up by all time Wesmen leading scorer, Ken Opalko when he said, “Once a Wesmen, always a Wesmen.”


Kenny Perry - (Men's Basketball Player)

Blog #3 - Monday, October 18, 2010

Hello Wesmen Family and Friends

This past weekend was our last set of games of the pre-season as we played in the CMU tournament in Winnipeg this past weekend.

Our first game was a good test against the highly powered offensive team of Lakeland College from Alberta. It was throughout the entire course of the game as they competed with us in the game and took leads at many parts of the game. However we fought hard and came together as a team to pullout a win 88-82. Nolan Gooding had an impressive 24 pt game to along with 8 rebounds and the Winnipeg native Brayden Duff muscled in a hard earned 18 pts.

In our second game we played against a very disciplined Briercrest College team from Saskatchewan who was loaded with sharp shooters. We exchanged leads in the early beginning however, we went on a run to take a 12 point lead to close the first quarter....in the 2nd quarter they came out fired up and took the lead at many points. At halftime Coach Raimbault regrouped us to get us focus and we came out fired up in the 2nd half where we blew the game wide open to end up winning 118-91, Kelvin Smith the Freshman from Los Angeles, had a breakout game scoring an impressive 30 points. We ended up having five guys in double figures.

I feel that those final two pre-season games helped us tune up some things before league play starts this upcoming Friday, October 22nd as we head over to U of M to face our cross-town rivals the Bison at 8 pm. Please stay tuned and keep checking back as we prepare in a important week of practice for this week's season opener.

Thanks
K.P

Blog #2 - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hello Wesmen friends & Family

After a good week of practice we went to Montreal for the Concordia Nike Invitational Tournament.  We arrived in Montreal on a cloudy Thursday afternoon where we got off the plane and went to scrimmage my alma mater the Vanier College Cheetahs.  In the beginning you could tell that we were sluggish as we had no legs in our shots, as Vanier competed with us early. However, we ended up pulling it together to win 3 out of 4 scrimmages against a talented young group. 

As Friday came along we prepared to play Concordia in a very anticipated game sense it was their home opener. We came out strong in the beginning as we traded leads back and forth in the early going. In the second half we went on a run to take an 11 point lead.  However, we ran out of steam as their pressed brought them back in the game to win by 5 points.  I was the leading scorer with 19 points, followed by Nick Lother with 15, Lynden Drayton-Barrow had 14 and Nolan Gooding had 13, although he played a solid overall defensive effort by taking several charges. 

Our last game of the trip was the consolation final against Ryerson.  We came out bad in the beginning, which Ryerson was able to take a commanding double digit lead in the early going. It took us a substantial amount of time to wake up and play. We made a run in the 2nd half, but it was too little too late as Ryerson ended up winning by 15 points.  Our leading scorer was Lynden Drayton-Barrow with 17 points followed by myself with 13.  
Thanks
 K.P

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 6, 2010

First and foremost, I would love to give a warm welcome to alumni, family, friends and fans as we brace ourselves for the 2010-2011 season. My name is Kenny Perry and I am a 4th year transfer from Halifax, NS and this is my first year here with the Wesmen. We have a fairly new team this year with a lot of new faces.

We all arrived in Winnipeg during the week Aug 17th as we went into training camp to prepare for our two exhibition games against the South Dakota State Jackrabbitts, an NCAA division 1 team from the Summit League conference. The games were good for us as a group because we had an early chance to play together as a team. We ended up losing both games by a substantial amount of points. However, it was a great experience for us to grow as we prepared for the preseason over the past month.

Additionally, the new head coach, Mike Raimbault has done a great job in getting us into game shape as well as preparing us to be student-athletes. We have been training hard every week both in the gym and in the weight room as well as working in the classroom. As a result, I must say we have been managing well with basketball and school.

It should be interesting to see how we will do this upcoming weekend as we go to our first preseason tournament in Montreal as we play the host team Concordia in their invitational. Please check in on our blog for weekly updates.
Thank you
K.P

Pedro Daza ( Men's Soccer Head Coach)

Blog #3 - Monday, November 15, 2010



Blog #1  - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wesmen Men’s Soccer is working hard on developing a strong and committed team.   Tryouts were held in August and attracted strong talent.  Training has been held on a regular basis so that the final roster could be determined and to prepare for our participation in the MCAC league.   We had two official MCAC league games – first one against Providence College and Wesmen won 2-1.  The second game against CUSB (St. Boniface) ended in a 1-1 tie.  We also had three exhibition games with two wins and one tie.  In addition to our regular training we have introduced soccer specific cardiovascular and conditioning training. 
Soccer players on average run approximately 12- 14 km per game so we are integrating the conditioning needed.

The talent on the team is extremely diverse with players from many cultural backgrounds – majority of the talent is local with four international players from far away as Brazil, England and Africa.

For years, I’ve watched our players leave Winnipeg to attend Universities outside our province so they could participate in soccer programs and play in the CIS or NCAA. Wesmen is providing an opportunity for our talent to play for their home city and achieve academic and athletic excellence.These are exciting times for the athletes, the coaches and for Winnipeg.  For me and for many players, it is a dream come true.Go Wesmen!

Stacey Boudreau - (Women's Soccer Coach)

Blog #1 - Monday, November 15, 2010

After a well deserved 2 week break the girls have just finished their first week back.  This last week marked the team’s introduction to Futsol and an early morning regime.  However, the 6:30AM starts have not hampered the girls enthusiasm or effort as you can hear them joking and laughing from start to finish.  And thanks to Mick Gale, UW is leading the charge in implementing Futsol here in Winnipeg. Some of the best players in the world played Futsal and it’s no wonder, the game pays dividends. The speed of play and low bounce ball forces the player to play a more controlled technical game. And as we turn to the indoor season Futsol is the best choice to help the team put our best foot forward – no pun intended, ok maybe there was… Our end goal is to continue to enhance the girls technical skills in readying the team for entry into CIS next year. Everything we do is in preparation to bring a strong team, a contending team into the CIS

Mick Gale (Men and Women's Soccer Coach)

Blog #1 - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

After this weekend the work really starts soccer recruiting begins in earnest for CIS I am off to Kamloops this week and then Toronto and from there on to U.K where there are a total of 68 applications to be vetted.
It is no use complaining as a successful team is what was asked for and the fun has only just begun. The bus is moving so jump on now before it gets too fast. Players are slow to adapt and when considering the future there needs to be some soul searching if we are to e prepared for the exciting times ahead.


Janelle Deniset (Women's Soccer Player)

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

 ----Hey there Wesmen family,

The Women’s soccer team finished off great in an overall successful first season. This past weekend, we competed in the MCAC championships and brought back the gold. We came out undefeated in regular season games giving us a bye to the final. The championship game was played against Providence College, and finished in a 10 -0 win for the Wesmen. Not a bad start for the women’s soccer program, if you ask me. Sheri was named regular season MVP and Julia was named MVP of the final and tournament MVP. Way to go girls!

The women’s soccer program was a completely new experience for the university and it was also quite a different setting for the players. Not only did players have to get used to playing with each other, they had to get used to not playing against each other. There are players representing every youth club in the city, with a long past of competition and rivalries. But trust me, it took barely any time at all for this great group of girls to come together and play as a team. In the few months that I’ve had to get to know this team, I’ve realized that not only do we have a skilled group of girls on the field but off the field, we also have a group of genuinely good people. I’m looking forward to spending plenty of time for the indoor futsal training.

Even with the strong start, the entire team knows that much work lies ahead of us if we plan to compete at higher levels. I think we are all ready to work hard and put the effort to get there. Thank you for your support and I hope to see you all out cheering as loud next season!

Cheers,

Janelle

Sheri Hince (Women's Soccer Player)

Blog #1 - Monday, November 15, 2010

Hey Everyone! Guess what time we've been waking up at everyday?! 5 am. That's right. The U of W men and women's soccer teams are now playing FUTSAL! Although we're playing at such early times (6:30-8 am every morning!), the training and games are so fun! It's definitely a great way to start the day! This week has been our first week of training and it's been great! Lots of excitement in the a.m.!

We have so many plans ahead for our Futsal teams. The Women's team is planning to play a Futsal Tournament in Portugal in March. As well as the Men's team, planning to travel to England, I believe. This is very exciting, I'm counting the days ahead! We will also be traveling every second weekend for training. It's going to be a great year!!

 

Diane Scott (Women's Volleyball Head Coach)

Blog #5 - Monday, January 10, 2011

Happy New Year! Cannot believe it is 2011 already, cannot believe that we are past the halfway point of our university season and there are only 6-8 weeks left in our competitive schedule! The first half seems so long, but this second half sneaks up on you fast and hard!

All the homework, assignments and group projects are done, fingers crossed we have a passing grade, the next few weeks are focused on review, like cramming for the exam! Week in and week out, down the stretch each competition is like a dress rehearsal for the big show, Nationals! This is the exciting time, the challenge at hand to see what we have, what we can do with it and how far we will go! The goal is attainable, the opportunity at hand, we can't be afraid to go for it, we have to be willing to compete!

Overall our first half was positive, we competed well, some nights better then others, we were in all the matches, lots of opportunity for growth, improvement and success! We won the matches we should have, we stole one along the way and we had opportunities to take 2 or 3 more, but came up short! We improved out game overall, our skill and toughness, giving ourselves more chances to win. Our youthful group is learning on the fly what it takes to play in the CIS, specifically in Canada West, not easy, not for the weak! Every night of every weekend match up it is like a Final Four, a Championship match! There are no gimmies, no freebies, each one has to be earned!

This past weekend we played an exhibition match against BU out in the metropolis of MacGregor (outstanding hospitality), losing in straight sets 16, 21, 12 to a really good squad! They are a little older, definitely skilled and don't like to lose so they amp it up when they have to! We played with them most of the match, but at times we remained too passive. We need to find our grit as a team, to step it up and go for it! Everyone takes a turn at times, I am confident everyone wants too, however we need that to be a mission, a commitment that is shared to the end!

Blog #4 - Monday, November 29, 2010

We are all human, we all have limitations, weakness, strength and potential. The combination and levels of these traits vary from person to person and within a team can be the determining factor of success, whatever that represents! Personal, professional, social and physical - athletic!
Some of us are brought up to put away our weaknesses, pretend they are not there, ultimately ignore them and move on because weakness is negative! Others are taught not to even go that far as to identify them enough to even put them away somewhere! Some are taught to face them, fight them and gain in spite of them, others are taught to embrace them!  Our limitations, weaknesses, strengths and potential are what define us as individuals!
The willingness to identify, admit, take ownership of our "limitations/weakness/strength/potential" is our starting point, and will always be our start point of our destination, our personal journey's end!
All the opportunities, challenges, friends, foes, family, exposures, pleasures, fears and success are all molded through our person. When we venture as individuals this template is generally consistent, we do what we want, how we want, even when we want, keeping certain structures in mind, but it really is just about us!
However, when we join in partnership or in a group, a TEAM, we need to gain the experience and skills to manage our limitations/weaknesses/strength/potential to fit into that TEAM. We need to make changes and adjustments for the betterment of the group, we need to be cooperative and selfless! We need to grow, mature!
This commitment to move away from our individual, just enough for the sake of the group holds so much more for our individual then we would ever know without the effort of that commitment! That commitment, stimulates growth, through this growth we become more! We have more confidence, experience, exposure, reps, and wealth of knowledge, more should never seem negative when it comes to our personal destination! It should be embraced, the MORE the MERRIER!

Blog #3 - Monday, November 1, 2010

November 1st, Coaches Blog, Starfleet USS Wesmen Women's Volleyball Enterprise

Sorry, just had a little flashback to William Shattner and Star Trek, who wasn't a fan of Captain Kirk and the whole (Doc) McCoy! Those polyester shirts reminded me a lot of the old school jersey's we use to play in.....thank goodness for DryFit!

October has ended and our first league match in the books......great start here at home in front of a big crowd out to see us compete against our crosstown rivals...The Bison's...! Out of the gate we were great, fantastic start to the match, ready, focused, following game plan to a "T" and competing! We played right with them and then took charge, it was great, we looked poised and experienced beyond our years putting them on their heels. We hung in there and took a big step forward in our overall growth taking the first set 25-23! Up 1-0 on the Bison's fantastic! Set two would show signs of another solid performance developing, then their (Bisons) experience and confidence started to shine through. A few tactical changes here, a change up there and all of a sudden we were scrambling, red flag, mental note we still have some work to do! Sets 2, 3, 4 were all solid off the hop, up to the second technical we battled and played right with them! To be honest.... we kept them in the match, our unforced errors at the ends of sets gave them the little extra room they needed to feel comfortable and stay relaxed!

It was a frustrating loss for sure, we know we have improved, we know we are better/more consistent, but we need to continue with the commitment to keep our focus. We are still young and inexperienced, and we need to really believe that this effort, all the hard work and the tough lessons are going to make us better short and long term. We improved from last weekend in Brandon to this weekend at home, and we will continue to improve, because we can and we are committed too! There is no time for Wa, Wa, we have a new foe in Calgary this upcoming weekend, opportunity knocks!

Blog #2 - Monday, October 18, 2010

Phew, finally over that Thanksgiving turkey "hangover", seriously can one find more ways to eat the same bird over and over again! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the big meal and am already looking forward to Christmas dinner, but before we even get there, there is plenty to talk about......!

After the last couple weekends sans volleyball so the focus could be on rest, recovery, school and life we (WVB) are now back on task for what lies ahead, what we've been in the gym training for these last 2 months and what has been on our mind since the end of last season, competing! With a couple of re-boot exhibition matches vs BU out in Souris and Brandon this upcoming weekend, all focus will be on performance in our Canada West conference. The team has been working hard, challenged to go outside their comfort zones and has improved a bunch over these last few weeks post our Lea Marc Bronze. We are chomping at the bit to get to the real stuff; Bison's, Dino's, Bird's, Sparten's and a second helping of Bison before the Christmas break!

I can honestly say it will be very exciting for our team, their ability to continue to improve over these weeks has been awesome to see, and I know there is so much more to come. The key for our young team, is to keep it all in perspective; not expect too much too soon, but not limit ourselves by limiting our expectations. The skill is strong, improving each day, our depth is certainly present and in place, our potential great, the team effort motivating and the leadership is strong! I have seen improvement in every single player, each contributing all that they have and reaching a little deeper, this is definitely a "Team"!

So with my time to reflect this past weekend (out at the "Hunting Shack") about all the reps in the gym, the team meeting's, events, tournaments and matches, the one thing that stands alone for me was the weekend we spent together as a team out at the "Hunting Shack", a chance to be a team away from volleyball! Needless to say it was a hoot! Some stories too "team" too share! I will not bore you with all the details, but I am going to share a little about what I have learned about each of them by giving them a "Nic. name";
Jina "I Want It Now" Barker, Alicia "Give Me The Gun" Perry, Alix "I Rock" Krahn,
Kelsey "Sunny" Konihowski, Sonia "Full Throttle" Rossy, Lauren "Bring It" Sears,
Miranda "Ginger" Grayson, Kaelyn "Go Me" Gauthier, Brit "The Princess" Habing, Kaley "Gilly" Gilham,
Erika "Can My Parents Come" Willows, Mac "Attack" Jeffrey, Carleen "The Krusher" Kruschel,
Di "The Potty Scotty" Scott!
Porta Potty that is!!!!!!

Alas, they crack me up!
Diane

Blog #1 -  Tuesday, October 5, 2010

" Hard to believe, but we are already into the second month of our 2010-11 season, time flies when you're having fun! It has been a whirlwind of events, expectations, guidelines, effort and adventures already! We've covered the orientations, the Rock Climb, Doping guidelines, pot-lucks and Alumni matches, oh yeah and then the academic balance with all the volleyball training and competing! Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling exhausted yet? That's the best part, because that's what it means to be a university athlete, full throttle, pedal to the metal, hang on and enjoy the ride!

Speaking of which, our university women's volleyball team has been going full out for the month of September, 18 practices, 12 matches, 1 road trip, 2 tournaments, lot's of growth, lot's of competition, tons of blocks, digs and kills and a Bronze medal this past weekend in our Lea Marc Invitational as a reward for their effort!

I can't say enough about how excited and pleased I am with this group of young women; athletic, responsible, gifted, confident, fun, respectful and we've only scratched the surface! Their strength is their willingness to be more, to reach higher, work harder and it is already paying off! Don't get me wrong there is still plenty of work to do, but this group is on task! They worked extremely hard all summer, they are willing to keep each other accountable and they have gained the respect of every team in Canada West these last couple of weeks through their play and perseverance!

We have a couple weeks to re-energize, work on skills and systems, gain strength and continue to grow, we have time to decompress and focus on school, with a great base set in place for our official season to begin! We will play a couple exhibition matches with Brandon and be ready for our first league match against the Bisons October 30 here at home! Looking forward to this season!

What makes me most proud is the character of our team; the young women in the room are all unique and special in their own way, they compliment one another and together we are stronger! Most importantly they are fun and funny...they crack me up! They celebrated my birthday (29 again...) with me by buying me a gift....an awesome Adidas track suit, school colors of course! It touched me in a way they will never know, and I'm pretty sure Sue Sylvester would be envious!"

Alix Krahn (Fourth Year Women's Volleyball Player)

Blog #6 - Thursday, November 18, 2010

When the going gets tough, the tough get going! This is one of many ways to interpret the results of the weekends matches against UBC. It is hard to pinpoint one thing in particular that was lacking this weekend and while I could dissect this weekend down into its different technical components, what sticks out in my mind is the word Struggle. Struggle is apart of every teams journey along the road to success. It serves as a test to those working through it. While you (or we in this case) may not handle the struggle well, the great thing about struggle is that it is a double edged sword. On one end you may have failure, but on the other you have growth, and when you have growth the possibilities are endless.

Getting back to the weekend, we started the match off on Friday coming out of the gate with fire and up one set to none on the Thunderbirds. Slowly over the next three sets we broke down, losing the game three sets to one. Frustrated by Friday nights results we were determined to play and win on Saturday. We started the game off slower narrowly losing the first set, but continued our gradual climb winning the second. We lost the third set and then after being up 21-14 lost the fourth 25-22. Mmm a struggle? I think so. Did we learn a valuable lesson this weekend? We sure did. Although its hard for us and for others to look past the loss of this weekend or see it as a positive growing experience, it was another stepping stone along our journey this year and when it comes down to it, it’s all about the journey. How we journey as a team this year through practice and league. How we deal with the challenges that come our way, but more importantly how we come together as a team through the journey. That remains to be one of our biggest team challenges this year, how do we (when we are down) come together as a team and rise above it? This weekend we are set to play the University of Saskatchewan at home, a perfect opportunity for us to test the lessons learned from last weekend and challenge ourselves to stick together as a unit. Ready, set, go!

Blog #5 - Thursday, November 4, 2010

Ready, Set, Go.. and we are off to the races as the 2010-2011 Volleyball season has just began. This past weekend we kicked off the start of our season at home against the U of M Bison’s. The week leading up to the match was excellent. Practice was better then ever, we were communicating well and we were ready for the big game. We started the match off great with a win, 25-22. Everything about that set was right. We were talking, defending the court and putting the ball away whenever we got the chance. Things were looking great as we headed into the second match with a lead of 8-5 at the first technical timeout. However it appeared that after the time out things took a turn for the worst. We ended up loosing the next three sets, 25-23, 25-21 and 25-18. It was a tough lose that was very frustrating for most of us. Although the end result was not the one desired, we got together after the game to discuss the outcome and realized that there were a number of positives along with the negative. The consensus was that we are our worst enemy. We realize that everyday we need to not hold our selves back, but continue to push ourselves forward. We need to look in the mirror and demand more from each and everyone of us. Why? Because we can, because we are good enough and because that is what we are going to need to do in order to get the outcome we want.

This weeks focus has been Calgary. It will be our first away game of the season and it will be a great challenge after this weekend. Calgary is a good team, with a lot of experience on the floor. We are looking to work hard this weekend, demand more from ourselves and come out on top. We are confident that if we play our game this will be the result. Diane has given us that game plan now our mission is to search and destroy. “Worship the Temple”.

Blog #4 - Friday, October 29, 2010



Blog #3 Thursday, October 14, 2010

Dig Deep, or at least that what we were doing this past week! After finishing the weekend on a positive, defeating UBC in three, we entered into last week with one challenge on our minds defence! Although our defence had been decent and at times pretty good on the weekend, it has proven to be our biggest obstacle. A combination of this weeks and last weeks practices have left our legs black and blue and enough burnt skin on the gym floor to make any coach happy (if only for a while).  Its hard to come up with a rough number of how many times we have hit the floor this week, but it shows that we were willing to commit to playing defence. Willing to move our feet to the ball and commit to the play, which has been one of Diane’s challenges for us in practice.

After a weekend of hard play and a week of getting down and digging, most of us were relieved to know it was thanksgiving weekend. Thoughts of family, rest, studying, and of course food filled our minds as we finished the week. Some of us travelled home to visit family, while others remained in Winnipeg. Regardless we all have a lot to be thankful for and one thing for sure is the opportunity to play on a CIS volleyball team. Along with that a great coach, support staff, team mates, and the list goes on. These next few weeks for us are preparation for the up and coming exciting 2010 volleyball season, and during this time we hope to commit to each other and to the challenge of getting better everyday. As we push ourselves and each other to take the steps we need to as a team, we are reminded that the sky is the limit. Carpe Diem!!


Blog #2 -  Thursday, October 7, 2010

Go, Fight, Win! Those three words have been used as a slogan at the university over the years and they sum up this weekends volleyball action at the 2010 Lea Marc Invitational tournament. It was a weekend of putting it all out on the court, battling through the ups and downs and earning the hard fought win!

The tournament, which began on Friday October 1st, featured five teams; Brandon University, University of Manitoba, University of Regina, UBC and of course your real home team the Winnipeg Wesmen. We opened the weekend in a battle against Brandon that resulted in their defeat over us three sets to one. Later on that evening we went on to face U of M. The sets were tight 23-25, 21-25 and 26-28, with U of M coming out on top. The next morning we rose to the competition and defeated Regina three sets to one. That evening we went on to face the three time reigning nationals champs, the UBC thunderbirds! It was a hard, long fought battle. We came out of the gate strong winning the first two sets 21-25, but were unable to finish losing the next three sets. Angry and little pissed off (in the right way, as Diane would say) we came into the gym on Sunday morning hungry for redemption. We were focused, determined and willing to commit to whatever we needed to do to win. Once again we came out of the gate as a solid unit winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-16. We were faced again with the third set challenge, knowing the UBC would not leave without a fight. Seeing this as an opportunity to prove ourselves, we stuck together through the battle coming out on top 26-24.

Overall the weekend was a success. While our start may have been slow we improved continually throughout the weekend, finishing with a third place defeat over UBC. The growth over the weekend was  a reminder to all of us of how far we have come and of course of how far we still need to go. Each week we will strive to become stronger, faster, better. We have learned that working together means winning together. Look out Canada west conference here we come!

Blog #1 - Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Greetings Wesmen volleyball fans,

    As the 2010 volleyball season is upon us, we the members of the women’s volleyball team are asking ourselves, are you in… or are you out? We have settled on this set of questions as our team slogan to define our commitment to the team this season. I’m pleased to report that every team member and coach involved in our program has decided that they are in!

This year’s team is exciting and athletic. With the leadership of three veterans, Lauren Sears, Kaley Gilham and myself (Alix Krahn) and five second year players, Carleen Kruschel, Alicia Perry, Miranda Grayson, Kaelyn Gauthier and Sonia Rossy, we have been looking to add some fresh new talent to our program. This year we are thrilled to announce that we have five rookies joining us on the floor: Jina Barker, Brittany Habing, Kelsey Konihowski, Erika Willows and Mackenzie Jeffrey. These talented young ladies have proven to be tough and hard working throughout these first few weeks of practice, competing everyday for a spot  on the floor. Day in and day out we and our head coach, Diane Scott are fully committed to pushing ourselves and each other to strive for excellence on and off the court. The experience of the veteran players, along with the addition of five bright, young rookies, reflects the depth that the 2010 roster will bring to the court.

The team was more thoroughly introduced to each other the second weekend of September, when we took a trip to St. Ambrose for some team bonding. Not only did we bond, but we learned a few things about ourselves. To start off with, we got a chance to shoot clay pigeons with a semiautomatic shot gun. To most of our surprise, we all turned out to be a pretty good shot! Next up was quading. While most of us managed to stay dry, others of us chose to stray from the beaten bath ending up rather wet and stinky. Needless to say it was a figure-it-out moment, that lead to growth. In the evening we spent our time eating smores and talking around the camp fire. Particularly memorable were the stories Diane told us about her experiences with previous teams she had coached and her own battles with volleyball. We sat around the fire, inspired and exhilarated, feeling confident that impossible is nothing.
   
With the feeling of burning desire and passion in our hearts, we hit the court the following Monday with determination, to prepare ourselves for the upcoming weekend tournament in Regina. We practiced hard all week, leaving early Friday morning. The tournament was composed of eight top CIS volleyball teams. We opened strong on Friday against the University of Calgary, defeating them three sets to two. Later on that evening we went on to defeat the University of Saskatchewan in four sets. The following morning we played Regina and were defeated three sets to one. In the evening we were, once again, defeated by Alberta. The game was an intense, hard fought battle that went to five sets, ending with Alberta coming out on top. Our final day of the tournament we faced Saskatchewan again for third place and we were defeated three sets to none. The weekend was an excellent challenge for us. It was a good measure of where we were at and where we need to be.
   
This next week brought with it our alumni match on Monday which was a great chance to play against some of the graduated players and catch up. Now the challenge at hand is the upcoming weekend, where we will host our own Lea Marc invitational tournament. The weekend will be another chance for us to play some of the top CIS teams and push ourselves to take another step forward. As the season fast approaches we look forward to seeing you out at games. Just as we are a team, we also view you as a vital team of support that we need in order to succeed in achieving our goals. So as we have asked ourselves, we would like to invite you to ask yourselves, are you in… or are you out?

 
Tanya McKay - (Women's Basketball Head Coach)

Blog #2 - Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Wesmen Women's Basketball Team comes off a weekend that was very rewarding.  A weekend to experience "Buzz off Cancer' - initiated and coordinated by 4th Year guard Amy Ogidan and two big games vs. the Calgary Dinos.

Buzz off Cancer was something that Amy was driven to complete.  After losing Chanel Duncan last Fall - a young aspiring student athlete - who dreamed of being a Wesmen to Brain Cancer - Amy was relentless in finding a way to show and express her feelings towards Chanel, her family and the fight to raise funds for Childhood Cancer research.  An amazing event that was very successful.  We are very proud of Amy.  She not only pulled off a very successful event - she sat at Centre Court during the Men's half time of Saturday Nights game - to shave her head to show support - of what many Cancer Patients experience when dealing with and fighting cancer recovery.  Amy truly is an amazing person.

In the two games - Friday and Saturday night - the Wesmen were able to battle and pull both out by 4 points each night.  60-56 and 55-51.  Stephanie Kleysen once again stepped up as a rookie - having a double double each night.  10 points, 15 rebounds and 13 points, 12 rebounds.

Catie Gooch, 5th year guard - continues to lead and guide the team in practice and on the floor in games. 

The Wesmen head to BC for to tough games against UBC this weekend.


Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Our Wesmen Women's Basketball Team after a hard and gruelling September of training - is ready to jump into the season. Coming off this past weekend - Bob FM Tournament - the Wesmen pulled out a 2 and 1 record beating Lakehead and Brandon. The always tough cross town rivals - the Bisons - gave the Wesmen more than they could handle in pre-season losing 60-69. A great start however, to an exciting season.

Coming out of the weekend - rookie Stephanie Kleysen made her presence known. Starting all three games - Steph led our team in offensive rebounding, overall rebounds per game and deflections.

This coming weekend the Wesmen head to Thunder Bay to play in the Lakehead Invitational. We will play 3 games - Lakehead, Laurention and Bishops. We will play without 4th Year Amy Ogidan (injured her ankle this past weekend in our Brandon game). We are looking forward to seeing our rookies make an impact filling in for Amy.

Amy Ogidan - (4th Year Women's Basketball Player)

Blog #5 - Monday, November 15, 2010

Hello everyone,

This past weekend we headed off to Vancouver for our first road trip against the UBC Thunderbirds. We defeated them 71-61 and 57-50 for a road trip sweep. UBC has a good mix of veterans and youth, and are known for being tall and athletic. We knew that we would have to dig down defensively and show discipline in our offensive sets. Although we had a few errors we managed to hold onto our lead throughout both games, and control the tempo of their offense with our defensive activity in the forms of steals, blocks and deflections. With the pair of wins last weekend we are now 5-0, making us one of 3 undefeated teams in Canada West. The other two teams are the Regina Cougars (6-0) and the Victoria Vikes (8-0). We are heading to Saskatchewan to take on the U of S Huskies in a 2 game series.

Blog #4 - Saturday, November 6, 2010

Hi friends,fans and family,

1-0, is a good way to start any season. This past weekend we were looking to make it 3-0 at home against the University of Calgary Dinos. After having a Bi-week filled with some great practices we were all excited to play in our home opener. We were also hosting Buzz Off Cancer, fundraiser for childhood cancer on the Saturday night. For our first pair of home games there was great fan turnout, the stands were filled, and the games were exciting! The first night we defeated Calgary 60-56 and the second night we beat them 55-51. The scores were close, and the games were physical. Calgary is a young athletic team with some strong offensive threats. We struggled a little offensively but our defense pulled us through for our home sweep :)

Buzz Off Cancer was held on the Saturday night. We had over 25 people donate hair to make wigs for kids and raised over $ 5,000 and counting for the childhood stream of CancerCare Manitoba. It felt great to walk away from the University that night, from an event that was so "hope-filled". My goal in organizing the event was that it would bring hope to individuals who have won the battle with cancer, are still fighting or family members of those who have lost. I was further reminded that night that Cancer is something that effects SOOOOO many people. The amount of people that came up to me that night and shared their own personal experiences with cancer was truly touching and humbling. A lot of people have asked me why did I shave my head? Was I nervous? Was it worth it? And a bunch of similar questions... For me when I lost my friend to Cancer she was only 14. I realized that I am not invincible and that my health is not guaranteed. Until that moment, I never seriously contemplated the idea of my health being taken from me. While she was sick I promised her I would shave my head with her if need be, so it was something I was always prepared to do. For cancer patients losing their hair is a very real, physical example of a loss of health... many women, especially little girls learn to treasure and cherish their hair as a part of their identity. I wanted to serve as an example of strength and hair loss, because I believe that each Cancer patient is stronger than any of us will ever know. Although we think of them as physically weak or ill, they are STRONG. If the event comforted or brought hope to anyone, then it was worth it.

Next week we will work hard in practice to prepare to defend our undefeated record against the UBC Thunderbirds on the road in Vancouver Friday and Saturday at 6pm.

Until next week everyone!

Ogi # 14

Blog #3 - Friday, October 29, 2010

Hi everyone!

We had a week off from league games, as we practiced hard through our bi-week. It felt odd to have a bi-week so early in the season, especially coming off such a great win against U of M. Many of us wished we were able to play again the next weekend. Although this was not possible, we used the week to focus on a lot of great things in practice, and many of our players took full advantage of the extra time to catch up on homework and assignments and get into the athletic therapy clinic. Since it was Halloween weekend, many of us were able to take young family members out trick or treating, hand out candy, or enjoy some time with family and friends. The basketball season is a long one, so any opportunity to catch up with friends and family outside of basketball should be taken advantage of during these little breaks.

Until next week!

Amy # 14

Blog #2 - Friday, October 15, 2010

Hey Wesmen Family,

This past weekend the team traveled to Thunderbay to take on the Lakehead Timberwolves in their pre-season tournament. Bishops and Laurentian were also featured in the tournament. I was unable to travel due to an injury, however I was busy all weekend responding to text messages and updates from teammates and coaches. Over the weekend we finished 1-2, falling short in our first two games against Bishops and Laurentian. By the final game against Lakehead we found our shooting rythmn, winning 89-61. These were our last pre-season games before we prepare to take on the University of Manitoba Bisons Oct.22 at the Investors Groups Athletic Center at 6pm. We are currently 3-3 in pre-season and excited for a hard week of practice and our first regular season game.

Thanks for reading!

Amez # 14

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Normally each year the Bob FM Shoot Out marks the end of a hard month of practices. By this time we have normally had our annual intersquad and alumni game, rookie night and plenty of team bonding. As the tournament approaches I find practices become more focused and we are all excited to play on our home court in front of our friends and family. This year was particularly special because all members of our team are from Winnipeg, which allows us to use our Wesmen slogan "your REAL home team" with pride :).

The attendance and fan support was the best I have seen throughout my time here. We played Lakehead Friday, University of Mantioba Saturday and Bradon Univeristy Sunday. We finished the tournament 2-1, suffering a loss to U of M. Although we lost to our "cross town rivals" I was pleased with the effort and energy in which we played. We are a young athletic team filled with the potential for anyone to shine each night. It was excting to see our rookies play so well, Stephanie Kleysen was a stand out scoring 16 points in her first ever CIS game. The next night we had some veterans step up, and by the third night we had over four players in double digits. It's this kind offensive depth that has made our first few games exciting.

We are on the road Thursday Oct.14 to play in Lakehead Thunderwolves pre-season tournament which also includes Bishop's University, and Laurentian University. Our first regular season game will be against Univeristy of Manitoba Oct. 22 and our official home opener will be Nov.5 and 6 against the University of Calgary Dinos. Which will also be the same weekend as our childhood cancer fundraiser BUZZ OFF CANCER (information below).
Till next week!
Ogi #14

BUZZ OFF CANCER FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER-
NOV.6 FOLLOWING UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG’S GAME VS. THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS IN THE LOUNGE AREA OF DUCKWORTH CENTRE.

INTERESTED IN DONATING 8 INCHES OF UNDIED/UNTREATED HAIR? OR KNOW ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE...PLEASE E-MAIL: amyogidan@hotmail.com

TO DONATE MONEY ONLINE VISIT: <http://www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=549&ceid=366&cid=6&cerid=0&cdt=11/6/2010>

T-SHIRTS AVALIABLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG WESMEN GEAR STORE- $15 OR $10 FOR STUDENTS ALSO GIVES YOU FREE ENTRANCE ON THE DAY OF EVENT.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CANCER RESEARCH IN THE CHILDHOOD STREAM OF CANCER CARE MANITOBA.

CHILDREN SHOULD BE FULL OF LIFE NOT ILLNESS! SPREAD THE WORD...THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE SUPPORT!