2014 WINS For Life AAU season Blog
current season record in Championship games: 8-5
5/3-5/4 Tourney's
The first weekend of May was another over-all successful tourney experience for the WINS For Life program. Our two girls teams faced some elevated competition and handled it quite well. The 12u girls followed their Sunday victory with some laser-tag action. The 13u girls demonstrated some great things on the court…and on the bench (with the array of their Team Spirits signs). Both our girls teams are undefeated in the Having Fun Department.
The boys teams had a combined record of 9-5. Our 11u team impressively advanced to their fourth consecutive Championship game and took home their third title of the season. They are quite good at wiffleball too. They spent an hour playing in a spirited spilt-squad game with the 15u team last week.
The 14u team earned a bid to the Championship game and competed hard against one of the best teams they have faced all season. The boys 13u team went 2-1 for the fourth consecutive tournament! They are the Captains of Consistency. I’m looking forward to watching them compete this weekend. The boys 12u team battled and produced some very entertaining games and exciting come-backs.
With the 15u team idle for the weekend, I was able to attend several games. On Sunday I attended three girls games in Westfield, Ma. and then drove to Sturbridge to join the fan clubs at three boys games. During each game this weekend it was wonderful to see how our program consistently models everything that we talk about, teach, and value. Each of our teams are quite similar in some very important ways...and certainly "competing together", "competing hard", "competing intelligently" and "having fun" are very evident when observing the WINS For Life teams.
4/26-4/27 Tourney's
As we close out April, the WINS For Life All Stars Basketball program has already advanced to eleven championship games! Our record thus far in Championship competition is 7-4.
This past weekend (4/26-4/27) was another successful weekend for the WINS For Life PROGRAM…all seven of our teams represented themselves quite well! Our over-all record this past weekend was 20-7. More important than the very good record is the progress that each team continues to demonstrate. From tourney to tourney our students are improving individually and collectively. We consistently receive positive feedback about how we carry ourselves regardless of winning and losing. This is appreciated as much as it is valued.
Our 13u girls really modeled progress with noticeable improvement in all areas in just one week (from their first tourney to their second). They have dealt with a lot of adversity, mostly due to multiple injuries. They are becoming the Queens of What’s Next?! Things are getting better and healthier as they head to Westfield, Ma. this weekend. First year coach Mike Morhardt and his staff are doing a great job!
Our 12u girls continue to roll through the competition. They won their second consecutive Championship, winning their final game 33-11. Although they lack size, they are big with their brains, hearts….and skills. Led by Coach Giannini
and Coach Roller, this group of 6th graders take their confidence and 8-0 record to Westfield State this weekend.
The 11u boys have advanced to the Championship game in all three of their tourney’s,…and in three different states (CT., MA., NY)! This time they took their Traveling All Star Show to Brewster, NY….and came home with their second title. Congratulations to Coach McGoldrick, Coach Ives, and the boys!
The 12u boys responded quite well to the challenges and good competition they faced in Springfield. They traveled to NY. and worked hard to achieve success and advance to the Championship game. Although they were 7-points shy of the title, they demonstrated improved team basketball and rocked pool play by going 3-0. Thank you shout-outs to Coaches Jesse Peterkin and Brad Toomey for putting together a very well attended Team Dinner in Widow Browns Café in Danbury. Gotta love those team building moments!
Consistency in athletic competition is a good thing…and our 13 boys team have been very consistent. They have gone 2-1 in each of the three tournaments they have competed in. Each time they have lost, they have responded with a big win in the very next game. That's what good teams do. Coach Ceasar and Coach Wiggins are a winning combination in the Department of Leadership.
Competing hard and competing together certainly is a trait of our 14u team. They are fun to watch. They are also led by three coaches who know how to bring the fun (Flint, Corey, Gionfriddo). This group of 8th graders rocked all three of their pool play competitors, winning each game by several touchdowns. They advanced easily to the Championship game. Although the result in the title game was not what they worked hard for, the over-all results that they are achieving as a TEAM is the true success story. They return to Sturbridge, Ma. this weekend to defend their 2013 Championship title.
The 15u team enjoys being the “older brother” in the WINS program. This TEAM prides themselves in leading by example while modeling the WINS For Life values and building blocks. They are currently 16-1. They won Championships in each of their first three tournaments. This past weekend, they stepped up and played-up (vs. 16u teams). In the opening game (vs. CT. Elite) they were down 27-24 at half-time. They remarkably held them to only 4 points in the second half and won 53-31! They won their first three games before losing a battle to the tourney champions.
I leave you with a few quotes:
This past week the world of basketball lost Hall of Fame Legend, Dr. Jack Ramsay. The life he led is one our students can learn from. He once said: “Use your imagination. Imagine the life you want to live, and live it."
Many years ago, during Michael Jordan’s career, Jordan said: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”.
Thank you to all the parents and fans who support our teams.
David Vasquenza
“Coach V”
