Best Laid Plans

Earlier this week I wrote about my plans to have a couple intense practices and an exhibition game this weekend. Well, things do not always go as planned. The exhibition game has been cancelled due to lack of opposition players, which works out okay as my injuries continue to have an dampening effect on the team. And the practice while they have been intense, I was not able to go five on five due to lack of regular players and shortage of extras. Nonetheless we were able to get two really good practices in with five regular players and continue to do shooting, running and even some competitive three on three and four on four. The biggest challenge has been to keep the ladies interested and still focused on the task at hand. I am disappointed that I was unable to fulfill my original plans but very happy with what we accomplished with our time.

Our current injury status is as follows, 1 ankle, 1 concussion, 1 lower back and 1 cold/flu. Unfortunately, our concussion has been forced to retire early this season as per medical advice but the great news is that she continues to come out to practice and support the team. The ankle and lower back have been out to practice to provide moral support but unable to accomplish much on the physical side. The cold/flu has been in attendance as rest is the prescribed treatment for her. The ankle and lower back provide me with a slight dilemma as a coach. Where does the priority lie, for the individual or for the team? Do I allow them to play with knowledge that they are not 100% or do I sit them because they are not 100%? In my mind the answer is two-fold 1) will they make the team stronger 2) will playing them risk long-term injury? If the answer is yes to first and no for second, then they will see time on the court. To be frank, we are playing for a very unique opportunity, a chance for provincial championship. If it was for the top spot in the province, then my reasoning would be vastly different. This is a case where the goal of the team outweighs a lot.

Are we ready? I think we are. Not as prepared as I had hoped but still we should be ready and I still have one more week to get them ready. The key is going to be getting all the players healthy physically and in the right mindset to be successful.