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)

Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened

Basketball has taught me a lot, namely patience, discipline and humility. Over the course of the last week basketball has taught me more about those three things than ever.

You see, when I interviewed for my position I met a lot of people during a very short period of time. I was grilled, for lack of a better term, and the one person who really made me feel at home was basketball coach Chris Wielgus. We sat in her office and chatted about basketball and my credentials, but she also asked me about ME! My likes, dislikes, my family, dreams and all of that, it was a welcome conversation in a very hectic day and is one that will always stick with me.  For full disclosure, she did her fair share of “grilling” after I was on board, but it never lasted long:)

Coach may not be sitting in her office anymore, but her legacy will live on. From the young women that currently occupy the locker room in Leede Arena, to the banners and Ivy League Championships, to the TONS, and I mean TONS, of Dartmouth women’s basketball alumnae, parents and former staff members that show up in droves when we’re on the road and at home. Coach has impacted Dartmouth and the community in ways that can never be expressed. Coach will always have a home at Leede Arena, because it truly is the house that Chris Wielgus built.

Thanks Coach!

Jess Poole

Here is a link to the Farewell Letter Coach Wielgus wrote in the Valley News  

What A Ride

What a ride this season has been!!!   We are the second youngest team in nation and we introduced our “newbies” to college basketball by skipping the proverbial frying pan and throwing them directly into the fire.   We have played an unbelievably tough schedule.  Our competition was over the top and that is our style. --we played the best to get better. Unfortunately, our reality is that there is little or no tangible reward for our efforts, except more challenging games and more of hours travelling.   It has been tough.

Our team never gave up and continued to work hard in the belief that they were good, but needed time to grow, and grow they did.  Not to fruition, but to a very competitive level of play.   They compete and fight and they don’t back down.

We are only a short distance along our journey to becoming a great team.  There will be bumps in the road and that goes with the territory, but as long as the players continue to work hard and persevere they will be fine. 

Most importantly they are fun to watch.  There is NOTHING like fun basketball to put a smile on anyone’s face and we are all smiling because our best basketball is yet to come.

Until next time,

Chris

The Start of the 14-Game Tournament

The best thing about working with a basketball team, in my opinion, is the March Madness. Lucky for those of us that work and play in the Ivy League, every game carries the weight of a March Madness game.

For those that don’t know, the Ivy League doesn’t have a conference tournament and the winner of the regular season gets the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That being said, every game in the Ivy League is a tournament game.

For the Big Green women’s basketball team, the rivalry with Harvard is just that, a rivalry. Head coaches Chris Wielgus and Kathy Delaney-Smith are the longest tenured coaches in the league and not surprise here, Wielgus has 12 Ivy League Championships and Delaney-Smith has 11. Let’s just say, this is always a GAME from the head coaches right on down to the players.  

Round one of the GAME, took place on Jan. 26 in Cambridge and served as the Ivy League opener for both teams.  It was a grudge match as was expected and the Crimson took the win, 88-66. Due to a new scheduling format, the teams will meet again, just 15 days later on our home turf for round two. While I personally enjoy beginning and ending the season with Harvard, I don’t expect the new scheduling to take anything away from the series, this rivalry will always be a good one!

There will be plenty of good games throughout the Ivy League slate this season. I fully anticipate the league to be a grudge match night in and night out for the next two months and I can’t wait. I can wait for those LONG bus trips to Cornell and Philly but hey you can’t win them all:)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, look out for the youngsters from Hanover, H.H., because when it starts coming together, they are going to take off! You have been warned!

Until next time,

Jess Poole

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