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