I have been duly admonished by an avid follower to update my blog (thanks, Dan!) It was a very active October and now a number of activities have come to a close. The weather that has extended summer a whole month beyond the astronomical start of autumn has ended. We’ve had our first measurable snow and some record cold temps. The boat is out and cleaned and winterized. Adirondack chairs are piled up on the porch out of weather’s reach. Oktoberfest celebrations are a dim memory (hangovers notwithstanding). And my volleyball coaching adventure has ended with lots of good memories and a few new friends.
I’ve played recreational volleyball, indoor and beach, for over 35 years, so I say to myself “how hard could this be”? I enjoy this sport, and it allows me to fall down (on purpose!) and get back up again. Those of you who have known me since my youth recall my remarkable ability to trip on nothing, or anything, hence one of my nicknames is “Grace”, for the irony. I learned so much from Coach Christina and the Paul Smith’s women’s team (whom I called “girls” but in fact, was a group of lovely young women) and I have a new appreciation for college athletes. The time spent on practice and traveling to competitions was more extensive than I imagined. Throughout, the girls were upbeat and consummate sportswomen. Coach Christina spent a lot of time training the team, planning strategy, and also managing morale. Our team manager, Montana, stepped up and took care of recording stats. The technology was beyond me, so I baked a lot of snacks, drove the team van a lot of miles, and did a lot of cheering. I think I compensated for my technical failure. In the end I made a bunch of new friends, learned a bit more about how to play volleyball correctly, and got out of the house and my comfort zone. Now I’m looking forward to what’s next! Stay tuned…
My new reality 