It's hard to write something, anything, when things don't go the way you worked and hoped for. We are approaching the end of our first half season, and we find ourselves with only two wins and six defeats.

Six defeats that came about in different ways, but still with eighteen goals against and only eight scored.

Today, the team and an important meeting, after a tough physical practice, and spoke about what we need to bring to the table in order to turn things around and start winning some games.

The upperclassmen need to bring to the table their experience and leadership, together with passion and determination.  The new players need to bring to the table their enthusiasm, energy, desire to change things, and leadership as well.

Leadership doesn't house in a school grade. It doesn't have to be part of an upperclassman portfolio. It belongs to anyone. Anyone who is willing to step up and take control, command, initiative, and charge.

This beautiful game, in my opinion the most beautiful and challenging in the world, needs to have equal parts of heart, mind, and talent. Exactly in that order.

HEART: it must pulse in your chest, yes, but it must push you out of your comfort zone and make you go the extra mile, the extra five minutes, the extra game.  It's the power that gives athletes the necessary desire to work hard and succeed. Without heart, there is no competitive story, period. It's the fire that feeds our passion.

MIND: it must keep you focused, yet, in control. It must be used to give you the psychological edge over another athlete who tries as hard. It must be completely concentrated to the task ahead and stay there until the referee blows the final whistle. It must be there to see what's happening during a game and anticipate opponents' moves. It's the acknowledgement that you have a game plan and you are prepared for the best and for the worst.  Ice in the brains is the motto. You must be in control.

TALENT:  You either have it or you don't, but there are different levels and skills that can be used as someone's talent. We must find our own talent and use it at its best and work on improving what we lack off. Our strength is the common talent, the desire to do better and the determination to achieve our goals.

Remember, and remember good..WE ARE WABASH and WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS RIGHT!!!

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Waking off the field yesterday, right at the end of our victorious performance against Rore-Hulman, Taz called back and informed me that we may have had established a record. 

Since yesterday was Taz's birthday, his twenty second, I though he meant something personal, something that had to do with his anniversary celebration.  "A record?" I asked. "Yes, coach, a record," he quickly replied, "in my four years as a player, we never went 2 & 1!"  This fact was readily confirmed by our SID Brent Harris who checked the stats and told me that the last time we had this kind of starts it was 2002.  "Five years, huh," I thought, "that's not bad, we broke a five year negative record today!" 

The significance of stats are for the record book and that's great, but the impact that something like this may have in the minds and hearts of our players, staff, and our fans as well goes much further than a simple couple of numbers and a dash in the middle.

Wabash soccer deserves everything that it obtains, because we worked hard for it, still do, and nothing comes easy to these young men who decided to turn things around and change their stars this season.

Paraphrasing one of the more celebrated phrases of the 20th Century, a small step for a player, a giant leap for the soccer program.

And now, off to Centre College.....

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)