A Homecoming to Remember

I AM A DARTMOUTH GROUPIE! Every year I drag my family to the Homecoming festivities. They roll their eyes, but come. I love the parade with all the classes, bands and teams marching all over town and the freshmen sweeping in at the end of parade. I actually go to the front of Dartmouth Hall and LISTEN to the speeches. I don’t want to miss anything. Then there is the bonfire. It is spectacular.

This Homecoming was special to me. Our women’s basketball alumnae came home to Hanover for the weekend. Thirty women from the class of 1979 to the class of 2006 returned to celebrate our great basketball tradition. They celebrated as only our players can. They talked and laughed. They played three-on-three with the current team, attended practice, had a banquet and watched a pictorial history of the program. What amazed me the most was that regardless of the amount of time between meetings, our conversations picked up right where they were left off. And then there was the laughter — we laughed so much it hurt.

But it was not all about them. The alums were anxious to meet our current players. They wanted to know “THE TEAM”. Knowing the names and statistics off the website was not enough. Watching streamed games online was not enough. Our alums are not fans; they are a part of us. And they wanted to share their precious time with our current team. They met formally and informally with each other and with us.

On Sunday morning everyone rolled out of bed for one final meeting. Alums from all walks of life met with the team for a mentoring session. A businesswoman, lawyer, doctor, teacher, professor and pilot told their stories. They offered advice not only on careers, but also on life itself. The alums returned to this place to do what they have always done — give back. The big secret to the success of this program is that each generation has left our program better than they found it. That tradition is alive and well.  This weekend it was passed onto to our current players.

I will treasure this Homecoming. I am amazed at the accomplishments of our alums. I am proud of the women they have become. I am blessed to know them. They have put a permanent smile on my face.

- Coach Wielgus

Early Season Opinions

The Ivy League's annual preseason poll has come out and a panel of 16 media members and women's basketball sports info contacts think the two-time defending Ivy Champion Dartmouth women will win it all again.

Dartmouth received 11 first-place votes (of a possible 16), garnering 123 of a possible 128 points. Harvard, which finished second in 2009, is a close second in this poll with 115 points and five first-place votes. Princeton and Columbia are neck-and-neck for the next two spots, with 86 and 83 points, respectively.

We're not a bad pick considering that the Big Green has won four of the last five Ivy titles. But preseason polls are a funny thing. I don't think anyone places much stock in them anyway. I'm entering my fourth year here and this is actually the first time we've been picked to finish first. We were tabbed for second in 2006-07 and finished there, fourth in 2007-08 and finished tied for first and second in 2008-09 and finished first.

Those of you who know Coach Wielgus and all that she has seen in 24 years in this league can probably imagine her take on it, but here it is:

"I appreciate that we have been picked first but I put absolutely no stock in it," said Wielgus. "Nobody knows what is going to happen; the league is extremely balanced and I think there's teams in there that have been picked in traditional spots that belong higher. I have such respect for my opponents and I know that any one of us can win this Ivy Championship. I'm looking forward to starting the season and the only poll that matters is the one at the end of the year."

For my official DartmouthSports.com take on things and the full poll results, click here.

- Dara

(Dartmouth Sports Info)

Farewell Morning Workouts

So, last Monday was the seniors’ LAST 6 AM workout EVER and the rest of the team's final 6 AM fall work out. I feel free, liberated, happier sort of, and caught up on sleep ... finally! 6 AM's were great for conditioning and there’s no one the team would rather see in the morning than Coach Miller, but let’s be serious. No one wants to be woken at 5:30 AM up by the piercing, high-pitched buzzing noise of an alarm clock ... it just puts you in an even worse mood, And don’t even get me started on the annoying jazzy cell phone alarms that now exist which try to cover up the fact that they’re interrupting your great REM sleep by being pleasing to the ears. No. There’s really nothing that can cover up the fact that I’m waking up at 5:30 to go run. People aren’t supposed to be awake or functioning at this hour and trust me, no one wants to see me this early in the morning ... that’s for sure.

But there’s something special about waking up at 5:30 AM, walking out the door into air so cold it stuns my lungs and a sky so dark I can’t see in front of me, and heading over to Leverone Fieldhouse where the rest of my teammates await. No one on the team prefers 6 AM work outs (except for Kelsey maybe) but everyone shows up. That’s the beauty of preseason ... all 12 of my teammates and I have the same goal: we want to be prepared for the tough season ahead of us. If that means waking up at 6 AM and doing a million shuttles to the point where we can’t feel our legs for a week straight ... then we’ll do it.

The beauty of 6 AM's is to see that while we’re all just as tired from staying up the night before doing homework (or watching Desperate Housewives ... ahem) we are all just as focused on getting through the workout and getting better collectively. Ten minutes into the workout the concept of time is irrelevant and we are focused on the task ahead of us, cheering each other on every second of every sprint.

6 AM workouts are extremely painful to wake up for, but incredibly important because they bring the team together and constantly remind us that the harder we work the luckier we’ll get.

Hard work breeds champions.

- Michelle Meyer (Covington, Ohio), Senior, Guard

25 Years and Excited as Ever ...

I couldn’t sleep last night. I got up early, showered, BLEW dry my hair and broke out a new sweat suit. I got to work early. I bothered everyone in the gym and made them talk to me.

It is the first day of practice and I can’t contain myself!

-Coach Wielgus

Courtesy, Jen Goodwin

Life Is Good ... When You Can Scoot

This is rogue blog that breaks away from the tantalizing world of Dartmouth Women's Hoops to explore life in the north country.  The Upper Valley, as we call this area, is all our opponents say it is.  We do get snow, there are lots of trees, there are only two highways that lead to Hanover.  “Booney” is the preferred adjective of our competitors.  So yes we are remote, but we are not isolated.  The world comes to us.

Hanover is much, much more than an Ivy League outpost.  It is a vibrant, rich place with a great sense of community. People here care. They especially care about our program, our players and our staff.  Our players are local stars who stop often to sign autographs and be greeted by strangers. We have, hands down, the best attendance in the League and the best fans. Leede Arena rocks.

The College is remarkably diverse and the environment allows for people from all walks of life to mix together. It is a culturally healthy place.

There is always something going on in the Hanover area.  Every Thursday I check the local paper for plays, concerts, dances and special events like bonfires, festivals and street fairs.  My New York City-based family come up here to partake in our long list of activities! This place is culturally rich and personal.  You are somebody and there is always something to do.

Then there is the lifestyle.  This is a fun place with fun people. For those of you in the real world, commuting to work can be a major grind. I know — I commuted to NYC everyday for a couple of years.  But in Hanover, we can be more creative.  My staff and I ride to work on scooters!

(Coach Wielgus, Dir. of Operations Jen Goodwin, Asst. Coach Mary Gleason)

Bottom line, I think life is good if you can scoot to work!

Until next time,
Coach Wielgus

Don't Worry, There's More Coming

Hey Going Green followers! Thanks for all the great feedback so far. We're all very excited about sharing the 2009-10 season and the quest for an 18th Ivy title with you.

Just wanted to touch base to let you know that the posts will start coming with more frequency soon. Practice starts next weekend and we look forward to having Coach Wielgus and all the players blogging during the season.

Check out the 2009-10 schedule here. We'll be heading to Cincinnati and Los Angeles this season along with a host of Northeast opponents and our traditional Ivy slate. We'd love to see you at a game when we're in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for following and stay tuned for more exciting stuff from the Big Green! And as always feel free to e-mail (or post as comments) any comments or questions you'd like to see answered here and we'll do the best we can to oblige.

Go Big Green!

-Dara

A Well Deserved Honor

For those who may not have seen it on DartmouthSports.com, congratulations are in order for Coach Wielgus. She has been named the 2008-09 New England Basketball Coach of the Year by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wielgus led the Big Green to its 17th Ivy League Championship and the 12th of her career at Dartmouth last season. Dartmouth finished 18-11 overall and 13-1 in the Ivy League, just one overtime loss shy of the first 14-0 mark in program history. On the final night of the regular season, Wielgus won her 400th career game as Dartmouth defeated Harvard to clinch the Ivy title. The Big Green advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament, all coming under her direction, also marking Dartmouth’s fifth straight postseason appearance.

Wielgus, who is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2004 inductee) will be honored at its annual induction/award ceremony on October 9 at Mohegan Sun.

While last year's squad had a great deal of talent, under Coach Wielgus' guidance the group bonded together to become a truly great team. The Big Green took great pride in its defense, which held Ivy opponents to a paltry average of 47.1 points per game and all opponents to an average of just 55.1 points. At one point, Dartmouth held 14-consecutive opponents under 60 points in regulation.

Congrats Coach!

-Dara