Welcome To the Team Coach Belle

Hey, Hola, Salut, Aloha, Ciao, Olá, Hallo!!!

Coaches lead, teach, and inspire. Their position amongst a team is essential for success, as they are like a compass pointing the way to a desired goal. Frequently in athletics, players don’t care how much coaches know until they know how much they care. Coach Belle understands this concept well, and will lead the Dartmouth Women’s Basketball with her passion, preparation, and positive energy. We are thrilled to welcome our new bright spark, Coach Belle, to the Big Green family.

In our initial meeting with Coach Belle during the interview process, I was immediately impressed by her respect for Coach Wielgus, our previous coaching staff, and Dartmouth women's basketball's tradition of excellence in the Ivy League. Coach Belle’s kindness was projected through her appreciation for Coach Wielgus and all she has done for collegiate women’s basketball. As the meeting with Coach Belle proceeded, we developed a sense of her core values (which she expressed were respect, attitude, and preparation), observed how her kindness and positive energy would motivate our team, and acquired an idea about the basketball style (up-tempo, high intensity) she hopes to implement within our team. Daisy’s (Jordan) first impression of Coach Belle was that she has “high energy,” while Sofia (Roman) said that “she is very positive and friendly—it’s comfortable to have a conversation with her.” Kasey (Crockett) asserted that she seems to “definitely have a plan.”

Coach Belle, since the announcement of her hiring, has been able to spend a week on campus. Changes have already been made within our strength program-- they are “much faster” (Lauren Taiclet) and “very efficient” (Kamala Thompson). In our first small groups workout with Coach Belle, we were able to pick up the intensity. “Our first skills workout with her was high paced with high energy,” claimed Milica (Toskovic). Jordyn (Turner) added that the session was “also fun.”

The team is thrilled about the potential for next season. “There’s going to be a definite positive change, and I’m excited about it,” said Tia (Dawson). Incoming seniors Eve (Zelinger) and Nicola (Zimmer), despite being off campus this term in Washington D.C., also have positive things to say about our new coach. “Although I haven’t yet met Coach Belle [in person], I am excited by her energy and passion--I am really excited for a great last season,” commented Eve. Nicola shared, “she has a contagious energy and I’m super excited to be coached by a former point guard.”

As we continue with the remainder of our “pre-pre-season” (a term Coach Belle used to describe our current workouts), we are looking forward to what is to come for our Dartmouth women’s basketball family. We have "growth opportunities" (another term Coach Belle uses in replacement of “weaknesses”—she doesn’t like negative words) that we are working to improve. With higher intensity, an increased accountability toward positive attitudes and respect, a new vision of preparation, and a giant spark of energy from Coach Belle, we have begun our journey back to a tradition of success. Ivy League Championship No. 18… we are coming for you!  

                                                                                                                  Tah Tah For Now,

                                                                                    Kaitana Martinez #21 (Hailey, Idaho)