So Long Miami:(

Today was our last morning in sunny Miami and there were plenty of long faces as we packed up our stuff and headed to the bus to begin our travel to Wisconsin for our game against Marquette on Thursday.

There were sooo many fun moments from our trip to Miami. First off, we had the best bus driver, Carl. He provided lots of funny moments and a few not so funny ones as we got stuck in traffic, LOTS of traffic, heading to practice and then there was the infamous scenic route around Dolphin Mall trying to get to the highway! Carl, you’ve earned a spot in our hearts and it also doesn’t help that you told us we’re better than the other team he drives … The Miami Heat!

There was lots of time for team bonding, but none more exciting than the team dinner that the kids cooked for us. The spread consisted of chicken, pasta, salad and vegetables. I have to admit when I saw the angel hair pasta I was a little worried (I found out later that the kids forgot the olive oil, leading to the “clumping”), but the food was good and Abbey even made Funfetti cupcakes for dessert.

There were numerous trips to the beach and the pool in between practices and we even had a group wake up to see the sunrise over beautiful Miami Beach (see picture).

We knew that we couldn’t stay in Miami forever and it was only fitting that a snow storm is heading towards us here in Milwaukee (go figure!), but I have to say spending time with this group was a lot of fun.

As we all head our separate ways after tomorrow’s game, I think we’ll all miss Miami, but the memories (and some photos!) are priceless.

Until next time,

Jess Poole

Dartmouth Women's Basketball Hits Miami Beach

Grab your sunscreen, flip-flops, and bathing suits because Dartmouth Women’s Basketball hits Miami Beach! Today was action packed—filled with fun… and sun! We loaded the boats and cruised around the Venetian Islands. During our journey to our special spot for the day, Monument Island, we saw houses belonging to Will Smith, Bill Clinton, and Madonna.

We wasted no time diving into the fun after our arrival. Some girls grabbed the paddleboards while others were quick to mark their spot on the jet skis. I chose to attempt the paddleboards first. Making my way onto my feet, it looked like I was on my way to a successful first paddle. I WAS WRONG! Just shortly after grasping my footing, I lost my balance and the board flopped sideways. SPLASH—down I went, directly into the blue salty water. Attempt two was a success:) As I paddled around, working to improve my balance, I noticed my teammates cruising on the jet skis.

They flashed by me spraying water as they passed. Kamala (Thompson) and Ziggy (Faziah) went too fast; their bodies flew off the machine and into the water. Throughout the day this proved to be a reoccurring trend, as Mitz (Milica Toskovic), Eve (Zelinger), and Nic (Nicola Zimmer) all had their share of jet ski crashes. When given my time to ride, I too got a little crazy. I spinned cookies ‘round and ‘round in each direction—my driving seemed to frighten Sofia (Roman). Lauren (Taiclet) showed me hyper-speed cruising, getting the jet skis to reach over 42 mph.

 Coach Wielgus, Coach Yo, Coach E, Coach Woody, Director of Basketball operations Koren, trainer Yuri, and assistant athletic communications director Jess all had their turn on the jet skis; it was fun to watch them have a good time!

 Lakin (Roland), Daisy (Jordan), and Tia (Dawson) enjoyed diving into the water with big snorkel goggles. Roomer has it they even saw little fish! Jordyn (Turner), Kasey (Crockett), and Abbey (Schmitt) coasted around on the paddleboard while soaking up the UV rays. Our day at Miami Beach Monumental Island was quite dandy. Memories were made, and we all had a great time! Not to mention, our skin now has a touch of golden glow. What a wonderful day! :) Tah tah for now.

Until Next Time,

Kaitana Martinez #21 (Hailey, Idaho)

Our Trip To The Florida Everglades

Hi Everyone!

We've been here in Florida for a few days and we've had a lot of fun. Our first big adventure was a trip to the Florida Everglades on Thursday!

Our day started at 10:30 when we got on the bus in practice gear and set off for the Everglades! We took a tour on a boat from a place called Coopertown Air Boats, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the Florida marshlands. The boat tour was about 40 minutes and took us through about eight miles of the everglades.

We ran into a bit of rain at the beginning leg of the trip, but that wasn't enough to keep us from having an awesome time! We saw quite a few gators on our journey: the first gator we spotted was a very curious one - he swam right for the boat.  lucky for the rest of us, he only had eyes for Mitz (he never took his eyes off her!), but coach Chris was ready with her sandal in case he tried anything sneaky!

The next gator we saw was a very old, blind gator - but don't let that fool you, because his nickname is "the king" and he runs things in the area and is considered the dominant male. We also saw a few of his 'girlfriend' alligators and their little gator babies hanging around.

 The highlight of the trip was definitely getting to hold a little three-year-old alligator. Most of the team gave it a try, and it was an interesting (and squishy) experience. Tia's reaction to holding the little gator was by far the funniest - she looked like she was about to cry! We ended the trip by getting a literal taste of the Everglades - fried frog legs and gator - and it was delicious. Tastes just like chicken! The trip was a great start to the day and sent us off to practice on a really positive note :)

Jordyn Turner '16

Bienvenidos a Miami!

  

The Dartmouth women’s basketball team has embarked on another fun adventure before breaking for the holidays and this year we’ve taken our game to South Beach (Thanks for phrase Bron, Bron:).

If you’re in the Miami area from Dec. 12-19 and happen to see a group of tall, college-aged looking women walking around wearing green, chances are it’s the Dartmouth women’s basketball team! There will also be a group of us that look like coaches walking behind them, wondering what we’ve gotten ourselves into!

We’re play Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Dec. 15, but in between that we’re going to do an air boat tour of the Everglades, hit the beach and do some other fun activities. We’ll also have some practices, actually lots of practices, since we leave Florida and head to Wisconsin to take on Marquette on Dec. 20.

Make sure to check in with our blog as we’ll have some special bloggers along the way courtesy of the Class of 2016!

Miami has no clue what its in for!

Until next time,

Jess Poole

Our Trip To Virginia In Pictures

On our trip to Virginia to take on Old Dominion, we were able to take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg! We even had our own personal tour guide as assistant coach Erin Rewalt was able to point out all the cool stuff since she spent a year in Williamsburg on staff at William and Mary. 

 Not only did we see some of the historical sites, we also went to a mystery dinner theatre!! This was probably the highlight of the trip (nothing against Colonial Williamsburg:) So at this mystery theatre we had to solve a murder mystery and let me tell you it was FUN. Some of our group even got to participate!  Tia Dawson got a birthday shoutout and Lakin Roland was the winner.

All in all, it was a fun trip with lots of team bonding (See the photo in the airport!)

 More team bonding on the way as we get ready to head to Florida in a few days. Make sure to check in with the blog, as we’ll have some guest bloggers documenting the trip for us!

Until next time,

Jess Poole

What I’m Thankful For

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and not just because of the food, although don’t’ get me wrong I do LOVE a good Thanksgiving spread. For me, Thanksgiving is about being thankful and I have quite a bit to be thankful for.

It’s always interesting working in athletics during the holidays. Often times the holidays are prime opportunities for teams to travel for games that generally bookend the holiday season. That being said, I haven’t been able to make it home for Thanksgiving in several years (sorry Mom and Dad!) and the same can be said for our student-athletes who often spend Thanksgiving with each other.

That being said, I’m very thankful for the Dartmouth women’s basketball family. The players and coaches have taken me in and have made me apart of the Dartmouth women’s basketball family, which has been nice especially during the holiday season.

As we hit the road this afternoon for our game at Albany tomorrow, I was catching up on some reading and as I looked around at the players and coaches, I said to myself, “I’m really lucky” and I am. Everyone doesn’t get to work with players and coaches who constantly make them laugh and who enjoy the same things that you do.  All in all, if I can’t make it home for the holidays there isn’t a better group of people to spend the holidays with.

Now, if we could maybe hit some tropical locals such as, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands or maybe the Bahamas for next Thanksgiving, I could use a little color for the Hanover winters!

Until next time,

Jess Poole

Abbey’s Got Game and She Can Bake!

I recently learned something about sophomore Abbey Schmitt, she and I share a passion for all things cupcakes! 

Ever since I had my first cupcake from Georgetown Bakery in Washington, D.C., about five years ago. I have been hooked. Let’s just say I’ve even gone so far to have them shipped to me here in New Hampshire, so it’s a pretty serious addiction. Thankfully there is one on Newberry Street in Boston so whenever I need a fix it’s not too far!

Abbey, also likes cupcakes and she’s a pretty good baker too because her cupcake won Dartmouth’s version of Cupcake Wars on Oct. 14. That’s right, she beat out 60 other bakers for the title of Best Cupcake!

The event was a fundraiser raising money for ChaD and Abbey and one of her friends from back home, Katie Rowe, who is a freshman decided to go with Caramel Apple cupcakes. They were apple cupcakes with cream cheese filling and caramel frosting … ALL MADE FROM SCRATCH! (Thanks Pintrest for the recipe:)  The duo even put wooden sticks in them to make them look like real caramel apples … genius!  The cupcakes must have been good because they won first place in the crowd vote despite running out of cupcakes halfway through the event. In my mind, that’s the universal sign that they are good, when you run out it means they taste fantastic.

Head coach Chris Wielgus even had a hand in the win letting pair borrow her electric mixer, bowl and cupcake pan!

I like this bake-off idea, I think we need to do this among the basketball team. I say we break into teams and the coaches and support staff get to decide who’s the best baker … I’m down, especially if it involves cupcakes!

Well done Abbey!

Jess Poole

A Little Golf Outing

This week's blog is written by a special blogger our very own Abbey Schmitt! Check out her take on the women's basketball's golf outing with the men's golf team. 

This past Monday (Oct. 1), some of us went golfing with the Dartmouth men’s golf team.  It was so much fun!  We got dressed up in our best golfing attire, Kamala and Sofia almost matching in their khaki pants, blue polo cable-knit sweaters, and baseball hats.  I was wishing I had packed my khaki pants to wear, but instead came as close as I could with my white denim jeans.  Not quite country club attire, but close.

We pulled up to the gorgeous green golf course at the Hanover Country Club with colorful fall trees all around.  I had never even been to the golf course before.  We met Coach Parker, the golf coach, and proceeded to get a putting lesson.  After practicing for a few minutes, Coach Parker paired us up with members of the golf team and sent us out to play eight holes.  This was a quite a daunting task, for many of us had never picked up a golf club in our lives!  Luckily my parents made me take golf lessons when I was little, so I had third grade experience under my belt.

After the two guys in my group hit their shots off the first tee with perfect precision, Daisy proclaimed how scared she was to take her tee shot.  Coach Parker thought that was the funniest thing he had ever heard, that a six-foot basketball player would be scared of a little golf ball!  He kept checking in to see how his new best bud Daisy was hitting after that.

Another highlight of the outing was when we had a long distance putting contest to see who could get closest (realistically, none of us were going to make it in) to the pin.  Lauren casually stepped up to putt, and the ball rolled up a hill, curved to the right, and went straight into the hole!  It was amazing!

The night ended with delicious pizza from Ramunto’s.  We all loved the sports exchange, and we’re hoping the men’s golf team will come play basketball with us sometime soon!  

Until next time, 

Abbey Schmitt

THEY'RE BACK!

I have long said that the best thing about my job is the coaches, players and people that I get to meet and work with and my job here at Dartmouth is no exception! I get to work with some great people and the student-athletes that I’m lucky enough to call “mine” never cease to amaze me. Due to the fact that I travel with them, I have a very different relationship with the women’s basketball players and I have to admit at time during the summer I found myself really missing them! (Although Eve Zelinger and Nicola Zimmer, who were on campus, did come and visit a bunch so it made the “withdrawal” much easier to handle.)

While I feel like I go through the trenches with all of my teams, it’s very different when you travel with a team. You find out about them on a personal level. You know who likes read on the bus, who does their homework, what movies the group is likely to watch, but I think most importantly I get to watch the growth and development of the players both on and off the court and that’s something that I really cherish.

So this week when the team started showing back up on campus, I was really excited! I saw Abbey Schmitt, literally as soon as she got back, and she gave me a big “Hi Jess” and our senior leader Faziah Steen stopped by to tell me she was back and Tia Dawson gave me a wave when I saw her in Alumni Gym. 

I even got to meet a few of the freshmen! They are in for the time of their lives with this team!  My wish for you all is that you take every opportunity given to you and run with it.

It’s really nice to have them back and on campus and getting ready for the upcoming season. I tell you nothing is better than the sound of bouncing basketballs!!

Here’s to the 2012-13 season!

Jess Poole

The Olympics and Me

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS.  My love affair with them started 28 years ago when I gave birth to my second son.  As any new parent knows, newborns require constant, 24/7 vigilance.  It is one tough job with no rest -- it is just constant. 

Enter the Olympics games.  YES, 1984 was an Olympic year, which meant I could watch the Olympics with my very nocturnal newborn son.   We would catch a nap here and there, but come the middle of the night he was up and so was I.  This was a blessing, no sleepy-eyed rocking chair action for us.  We were up and at full attention in front of the TV.  You see in the mid-80s it is during the middle of the night that they broadcast the women’s events.

My son and I watched women compete in the Olympics in gymnastics, field hockey, diving, basketball and you name it sport.  It was inspiring to watch those women from all over the world compete for a gold medal on TV.  How lucky was I that I was up to watch them!!!

Yesterday, once again I found myself at full attention in front of the TV watching the Olympics.  This time I was with my Dartmouth family who require much less attention then my son did in ‘84.  As a matter of fact, I am the one that requires attention and they kindly take care of me.   

Everyone in the room was a woman and an athlete.  One of the spectators had even won two Olympic gold medals!!!   How did that happen!!!  But the most amazing thing of all was that we watched women compete in the Olympics during PRIME TIME!!!!  Not because it was fair, but because it was good for the TV ratings.

How lucky am I?? ? How lucky are all of us???

Until next time,

Chris

Preparation + Hard work = Success

Preparation and hard work are two things that you hear over and over again in the sports arena and you hear it because it’s true. You can’t be successful without preparation and you can’t become prepared without hard work.  It’s really a very simple equation and I think that the women’s basketball team has embraced this motto.

The grind that is college basketball at the Division I level at an Ivy League institution nonetheless, is based on these two principles and this summer I’ve seen a tremendous amount of preparation and hard work from the players and coaches this summer.

As most of you know, my office is in the main corridor of Alumni Gym and most times, I get to see the players both coming and going from practice or workouts. This summer I’m seeing them A LOT (Granted, I wasn’t here last summer, so I’m really not sure if it’s a lot or not but we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt:)

I’ve seen Eve Zelinger and Nicola Zimmer, sweating it out on multiple occasions and from what they tell me the newcomers and other players are going just as hard on their own.  That is both preparation and hard work at its finest.

The coaches are working equally as hard just in a different way. July is recruiting month for collegiate basketball coaches. They pack up and live out of a suitcase or suitcases as they crisscross the country looking for the next member of the Dartmouth women’s basketball team.

If you think about it, that’s a lot of hard work too! There are TONS and I mean TONS of youth women’s basketball players out on the summer circuit (Thank you Title IX, for making this possible) so it takes a lot of prep work to see who will fit in with our system, culture, etc.   Again, preparation and hard work at the highest level.

The hard work and preparation that I have seen from the players and staff this summer can only mean good things are to come in the fall and winter. I smell Ivy League title No. 18 in the very near future.

Jess Poole

The Comeback Kids

Koren Schram '09 and Erin Rewalt '99 TU'09 were awesome players.  For four years they made up the fabric of this program and left a great legacy for the athletes that came after them.  They garnered tons of accolades, a few Ivy titles and several trips to the NCAA's.  They were hardworking and lots of fun.  I was so sorry to see them graduate and I knew I would always cherish my time with them.

Then the unbelievable happened. These talented and gifted women came BACCCKKKK!!!  Can you believe it!!! And they came back so different.  They were all grown up and full of life experiences and knowledge. They were no longer wide-eyed players waiting for the next game to break out.  They were coaches ready and eager to take on the challenges of Division I basketball at an Ivy school.  And they are good at the craft of coaching and have mastered the art of keeping the silly paperwork flowing in the right direction (Away from me!).

It is so special to have them back in Hanover.  I love seeing them everyday and because I see them everyday I know things will never be dull.  They are genuine in their love the game of basketball and their love of Dartmouth.  They are wonderful teachers, caring people and truly professional.  They are great ambassadors of Dartmouth women's basketball.  

It is the highlight of my career to work with them. I am beyond blessed and so are our players

Until next time,

Chris

Graduation 2012

Dartmouth has tradition down to a science.  This fact is never more evident than during graduation.   Graduation is beautiful, thoughtful and efficient.  It is as much about fellowship and family as it is about degrees and graduation 2012 was no exception.

Sasha Dosenko was our lone senior and her Dartmouth family gathered to bid her “so long.” on Sunday.  As President Kim said, “At Dartmouth we never say good-bye.”   One of our traditions occurs at the beginning of graduation when the President, the Board of Trustees and faculty walk through two lines formed by the graduates.  It is symbolic of the graduates honoring the people that have taught and mentored them.   

I was watching the procession when I spotted Board of Trustee Gail Boudreaux ’82 break rank and hug Sasha Dosenko’12.    It was a very special moment for me and for the women’s basketball program.  I recruited and coached both these women.   I am very proud of them, but never more proud then when they hugged.  They were two centers from the same program, but generations apart.  One had successfully navigated the real world and one was just entering it.   Despite their differences, they were family and they knew it.

 That’s best of Dartmouth’s traditions!

Until next time,

Chris

Getting Ready for 2012-13

Hello Dartmouth women’s basketball fans! It’s been awhile since we posted something on this blog and I thought we would give you a little insight as to what’s going on in the program these days!

I’m a big fan of spring and summer and despite what the weather has been doing here in New Hampshire, spring and summer are on the way, I promise! Spring and summer symbolize rebirth and growth to me and I think that’s what’s happening with the Dartmouth women’s basketball team.

I have the pleasure of having an office that most of the players have to pass by on their way to the locker room or the gym and I have seen every single one of the players getting after it this spring. Between lifts, individuals and pick up, this group has showed me that they are serious about putting the 2011-12 season behind them and I’m very excited for the 2012-13 season.

Anyone who is associated with sports knows that losing is NEVER fun. I don’t care what people say about moral victories, growth, etc., etc., losing is something that competitors hate to do and this group from the support staff, to the coaches, to the players, HATE TO LOSE, so you can imagine that last season was tough for all of us that are associated with Dartmouth women’s basketball.

For those that don’t know, I’m from Michigan and I am proud to say that I am a Detroit Lions fan and have been one since birth, meaning that I’ve been with them through the, shall we say … lean years and trust me the lean years have been more than any fan should have to endure. Now that the Lions have started to turn things around, I have to say it is so much sweeter to cheer for them and see them do well because I know exactly how far they have come.

This is the same sentiment I feel with our basketball team. I joined this team that had one senior, one junior, a BUNCH of underclassmen including five freshman and I saw them struggle mightily at the start of the season, but as the season progressed so did they and despite being hit by the injury bug late in the season. I think the last month of the season, was some of the best basketball from this group. I saw some chemistry on the court that was lacking in the beginning, I saw smiles out there on the court and I saw a group of players and coaches having fun playing and coaching basketball. 

I know the players and staff are not interested in repeating the 2011-12 season and I see the players putting in the time and effort on their own to make sure that 2012-13 is the start of a new, better chapter in the story of Dartmouth women’s basketball and I can’t wait to be apart of it.

Make sure to check in with our blog throughout the summer. We’ll have some posts throughout the summer as we head toward the 2012-13 season!

Jess Poole

And Just Like That … The 2011-12 Season Is Over

Well here it is … March Madness and while I will say this is my favorite time of year, I also can’t believe that our season is over, I really feel like it just started yesterday.

With that being said, the season really is over. Rookies are no longer rookies (this means you guys: Kamala, Nicole, Abby, Tia, and Milica) and our senior Sasha Dosenko is moving on to the “real world.”

My first season as a member of the Dartmouth women’s basketball family was one that surprised me, in a good way. I’ve been doing this a few years and first seasons can be challenging and full of change, but this first season was different, I felt like I was automatically apart of the family and that made things so much easier. So I want to thank the players, who welcomed me with open arms, and coach Wielgus and her staff who made me feel at home from day one and who I wouldn’t trade for the world.  This group of coaches has become more than just colleagues, but friends and when you get to work with friends, what could be better??

I’m sure when I first met the players back in September, they were like “Who is this, chick?” but now that we’ve been through a season together I think we’ve got a much better understanding of each other. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending time with this group.  The laughter, jokes and good-natured ribbing that happen with this bunch provides constant laughter and makes me really happy to be where I am!

I’m going to miss the bus trips (although we can delay the Columbia-Cornell trip as long as possible, that is one of those trips that is just not recommended more than once a season).  I love giving Nicola Zimmer a hard time about having (or not having) the essentials, namely her shoes! I also love giving both Faziah and Nicola a hard time about their “travel buddies” Carl and Tamsun (sorry if I spelled this wrong, Ziggy!) aka Pillow Pets. We’ll be adding another to the mix next season – his name is DC and he’s a Moose!

Although the season that had some lows, we did end on a high note sending Sasha out with two wins at home and then playing Harvard tough as nails in the finale. I’ve seen this group grow and it was fun seeing it all come together over the course of the last month of the season and I know big things are in store for next season. Honestly, I can’t wait for next season to start! Only 195 days until the first practice for the 2012-13 season!

Jess Poole

Front Row Seat

“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.”

-Winston Churchill

This season has been anything but storybook for the Dartmouth women’s basketball team. We’ve endured a 13-game losing streak, injuries and just quite a few “growing pains,” but though all of this the idea of effort hasn’t been lost.

Effort is something that one can give no matter what the circumstances and this past weekend against Yale and Brown, I saw so much effort out of our team. In both games we only dressed seven players for those of you reading this … yes, we only dressed seven players, meaning our bench went two players deep but despite that I saw some of the best effort of the season and I really think the effort made all the difference against Brown.

In the first game against Yale, the team had a transformation in the locker room at halftime. They came out with an intensity that I hadn’t seen this season. The best example of this was sophomore forward Arianne Hunter, who despite struggling with sore knees, threw her body around chasing after loose balls, so much so that she went flying into the bench, but she was out there giving 110 percent. Classmate Eve Zelinger was also a perfect example of this. Zelinger, who was battling strep throat all week, pulled it together and got out on the court and gave it her all. She took a shot in the nose, not just a shot, a HARD shot but she didn’t stop, she kept going (after being checked out by the athletic trainer, of course!)  That effort from Hunter and Zelinger was infectious and in the second half, the Big Green just got after it and even though the game was decided they didn’t give up, which was good to see.

The win at Brown, who had just defeated Harvard the night before, was so fun to watch. The effort from the Big Green was there from start to finish. There were bodies flying around, folks going after rebounds and most of all I saw smiles and body language that told me; not only were they working hard, but they were having fun. In a season like ours that has been filled with ups and downs it was really neat to look on the faces of the players and coaches and see fun.  It’s those moments that really make me feel blessed to be apart of this team.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this group and I’m glad I’ve got a front row seat for the growth.

Until next time,

Jess Poole