SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Newspaper
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Newspaper
ph: 240-446-3450
publishe
MARCH 2008 Vol 2 Iss 8
Now Available - Check In Daily!
COVER STORY ARTICLE
Champions of Tomorrow - Providing Choices For Female Athletes In Montgomery County, MD
COT founder and former Quince Orchard field hockey and lacrosse coach Jenna Ries has returned to her home so to speak to coach the girls' lacrosse team at B-CC.
"A Leader Takes People Where They Want To Go. A Great Leader Takes People Where They Don't Necessarily Want To Go, But Ought To Be."
- Former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter
March 8, 2008
She stood on the sidelines calm and collected as the final seconds ticked off the clock as her Quince Orchard Cougars field hockey team trailed Severna Park 2-0 in the 4A Maryland State Championship. A loss was inevitable at this point and she knew it. There would be no back-to-back State Titles, yet Coach Jenna Ries maintained her composure as the clock reached double zeros despite her obvious disappointment.
Ries had to be strong to avoid any suspicion of hypocrisy, as she is constantly focused on instilling mental toughness in all her athletes.
“At the root of every athlete are physical and mental gifts that will ultimately guide the athlete. Some of these attributes cannot be taught like timing, desire, field sense, tenacity, perseverance and speed,” Reis explains adding, “as a coach, my job is to accept nothing less than an athlete’s best. An elite athlete must learn to handle adversity, play through the pain and deal with physical fatigue. In these circumstances a mental edge is a must!”
Ries should have an understanding of what it takes to win as she’s been on the decisive side of victories most of her life. First, as a key member of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase high school field hockey team which won the school’s first State Title. She then transitioned to the college game where she played for a highly successful University of Maryland program.
After a triumphant athletic career, Ries utilized the abundance of knowledge she acquired from the talented coaches who taught her to perform at the highest level of competition.
“I learned so much from my coaches in high school and college without fully realizing the impact it would have on my entire life until I became an adult. Sports often mimic life and if you can learn to be a team player and to push yourself, you can use these tools in every avenue of life.”
Having established herself as one of the top field hockey and lacrosse coaches in Montgomery County, Md. at Quince Orchard by winning two State Championships, Ries wanted to build off of that momentum to help female athletes throughout the county.
“I just love coaching! I love seeing kids take their game to the next level and learn how to be a true team member,” Ries said.
So she created the “Champions of Tomorrow” (COT) program in 1998 to train and prepare female athletes in Montgomery County from late childhood to young adults.
Growing into one of the county’s most successful athletic training programs in just 10 years, COT achieved its success by evolving passed the stereotypes that hindered women’s athletics for so many years.
Although she has seen her share of success as a coach and establishing COT, Ries’ elite training style for female athletes has ruffled a few feathers over the years.
Her critics – most of whom are from the old school and have different expectations for female athletics – think high school sports is about bonding and learning how to communicate with others while exercising.
While those goals are still prevalent in Ries’ approach to coaching, she has contributed to the evolution of the female athlete in Montgomery County.
.
The reality of today’s highly competitive world is that the average college scholarship is valued at $100,000 and to become scholarship worthy, it is a must that athletes start training physically and mentally at a very young age.
Preparing them at an early age helps athletes to develop strong work habits, a necessity to withstand the rigors and expectations of a scholarship recipient.
“I am very aware that not every athlete who plays for me is looking to play sports in college. But as a coach who strives for excellence I can’t accept anything less than an athlete’s best effort. This goes back to the life lessons I try to instill in all my players. Not all of my players will go on to participate in college athletics, but each will be better prepared to handle conflicts and problems in the real world outside of sports. The lessons learned on a playing field are easier to learn when they are not compromised with excuses for less than elite behavior.”
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the harsh realities and competitiveness of an NCAA scholarship, let me tell you a story that may help you understand.
I will be vague to protect the identity of this particular athlete, but there was male basketball from Montgomery County who received a scholarship to a Division II school last season. He was very talented but coddled throughout his high school career.
When he arrived at the school in late August he was out of shape but was expected to run and lift weights 2-3 hours a day with his teammates. The seniors on the team pushed him hard, so hard that he was ready to quit before the season even started. He told the coach he couldn’t continue to workout because he was sick.
The basketball coach at the school knew he had potentially wasted a scholarship at this point so he pushed the player harder during workouts. Within a week the player had quit the team. The scholarship went to a walk-on who was prepared mentally and physically to compete at the next level.
What very few high school athletes and their parents fail to understand about college athletics is that now they are dealing with people’s livelihoods and well being. In this case, if the basketball coach wanted to continue to provide for his family, he had to be successful. To be successful, he had to have his players give every ounce of energy and dedicate themselves completely.
For Ries, COT is about creating opportunity for female athletes to have the ability to make choices and to have multiple options. If any of Ries’ COT athletes do not play in college it will not be for lack of preparation, it will be because of choice. Ries wouldn’t have it any other way. She wants each of her athletes to have the opportunity to make choices.
Ries will tell you straight-up; COT’s goal is not to obtain college scholarships for the athletes in her program. Athletes who train to perform at an elite level will possess the tools to become an elite athlete if they choose to pursue that avenue.
The COT resume includes athletes such as; Emily (Maryland) and Natalie Ellenberger (American U.), Andrea (Catholic) and Monica Baick (Drexel), Lila Samperton (Georgetown), Alicia Vincenty (Towson) and Colleen Childs (Villanova), and there are so many more.
COT is in the process of building a training facility (Champions Field House) in Rockville, Md.
When the facility is completed some time in September of 2008, COT will look to expand their sports training beyond girls’ soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and volleyball. They may even consider including the other gender.
Ries' teams at Quince Orchard were always prepared and most of the athletes who play for her are outstanding students. Now B-CC lacrosse will reap the benefits of her dedicated and commited coaching style.
Give us your thoughts and comments on Ries, Champions of Tomorrow and this article:
Write to publisher@montgomerysportsspotlight.com
MCPS Lacrosse Is Alive And Well!
March 17, 2008
The history of lacrosse in Montgomery County, Md. can be summed up in one word, “irrelevant”. This is a football county first and will probably always remain that way. Yet, there is always room for additional sports to follow a close second especially a spring sports like lacrosse.
Why has Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties achieved success in lacrosse while Montgomery County has dwelled in the state’s cellar since the inception of the sport in the 1980’s?
It starts with two key elements essential for any athletic venue to experience substantial growth. The first thing Montgomery County required was the ability to recruit and hire knowledgeable and experienced coaches. It all starts at the top and the rest will fall in place over time.
Top rated coaches understand that the second element required to produce successful programs in lacrosse is the development of strong youth feeder programs. The two (programs with strong coaches and developed youth feeder programs) are synonymous with each other and rarely can one work without the other.
Two programs in Montgomery County who have heard whispers of reaching elite status in Maryland are Wootton and Churchill. Colin Thomson is in his 7th season as head coach of the Patriots, who led his squad to an undefeated regular season record and reached 4A/3A finals in 2007 has built his team into a power with the assistance of the Madlax select allstar program he is part of.
The Bulldogs of Churchill are just a step behind Wootton and the two teams are quickly developing into a rivalry with state wide appeal. Jeff Fritz, the Bulldogs young and energetic coach, typically fields a team that could have as many as 30-35 players on the sideline.
Resembling a small army, the Bulldogs run through their pre-game drills with the precision of a small college program. Fritz played on the first MCPS team assembled in 1986 while at
Seneca Valley and has helped establish the reputation of lacrosse in Montgomery County.
Seneca Valley, known nationally as a Maryland perennial football power is trying to gain ground on the two elite teams behind the leadership of another young and skilled coach in Mike Ricucci. The Screamin’ Eagles were 13-2 last season and will field another competitive team in 2008. The bottom line is MCPS Lax is on the rise and the sport will continue to grow thanks to some talented coaching.
Give us your thoughts and comments on MCPS Laxs and this article:
Write to publisher@montgomerysportsspotlight.com
Rutgers Women's Basketball Coach Stringer Leads The Way When She Is Needed Most
March 17, 2008
(Courtesy of Wikipedia.com)
When nationally syndicated radio personally Don Imus made disparaging remarks about the Rutgers University woman’s basketball team last year, racial tensions once again raised its ugly head.
Imus, who is typically negative towards most people of all races in an attempt to be humorous, crossed the line. News media from all avenues (print, television, radio) focused on the story for weeks which added fuel to the fire. The coach of the Rutgers woman’s team, Vivian A. Stringer, was angry and rightfully so.
As an African-American woman Stringer has seen her share of discrimination as a woman and as a woman of color. Rather than dismiss the comments by Imus or retaliate by participating in a verbal volley, Stringer and her players took the high road and met with Imus to discuss his comments.
She wanted Imus to see first hand the character of her players. Imus ultimately lost his job and the issue slowly faded out of the news. But Stringer’s handling of the matter set the example for so many who followed the story.
The three-time National Coach of the Year in Woman’s College Basketball recently entered an elite club by winning her 800th career game, a feat only Pat Summit of Tennessee has reached in the sport.
Give us your thoughts and comments on Ms. Stringer and this article:
Write to publisher@montgomerysportsspotlight.com
Do College And High School Football Combines Really Serve A Purpose?
(Courtesy of Wikipedia.com)
March 8, 2008
What is the purpose of football combines? Do they really tell NFL and college scouts what they need to know about a potential draft pick or recruit?
The two actually serve different purposes. The NFL combines, for the most part, confirm for scouts, GMs and coaches the obvious. They have seen nearly every single game (tape) that potential draft picks have played.
Despite what the NFL will lead you to believe, the hype surrounding the combines is designed more for show and interest building rather than identifying draft status. With that said NFL teams also use the combines as a chance to sit down and interview players and evaluate their character.
Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Such as when a player drops his 40-yard dash time from 4.5 to 4.3 or improves his bench reps from 25 to 36. Outside of the few surprises found at the combines, the event is a promo for the April draft.
The high school combines for college scouts will typically take place during the spring and summer months of an athlete’s junior year. The spring high school combines takes place with hundreds of athletes from schools in surrounding areas who are tested in the 40-yard dash, bench press reps, 3-cone drill (for determining agility), broad jump (for determining vertical leaping ability) and the shuttle run (for determining quickness).
The summer combines are usually performed at college campuses and they are sponsored by the schools on an invitation basis only.
Whereas the college combines for potential NFL players serve athletes already identified as elite players, the high school combines for college scouts are designed to put athletes on the map based on their athletic ability.
Do high school combine results tell college scouts how a player will perform on the field? No! With thousands of high schools nationwide the combines allow college scouts to identify the top athletes prior to their senior season so they can zero in on the elite players.
Is it a perfect system? No! But with limited resources and time, the combines serve their purpose.
What could be changed? The NCAA should be required to perform psychological and character profiles on all recruits before a scholarship is awarded. Also, a recruits GPA and SAT/ACT tests scores should be part of the overall combine grade (since they ultimately have to meet the minimum standards as it is - Yes, make the juniors take their SAT/ACT tests early so they have plenty of time to improve over the course of the next year).
Why, because the right to go to college for free should be earned. Because an individual runs a 4.3 40-yard sprint and graduated from high school, does not indicate he’s prepared for the rigors of a high learning institution. It cheapens the concept of college and rewards a small number of players who probably shouldn’t be on a college campus.
Give us your thoughts and comments on College/High School Football Combines and this article:
Write to publisher@montgomerysportsspotlight.com
The 24-Hour Sports Infomercial Network?
March 3, 2008
How does ESPN maintain their stranglehold on the television sports market?
No other competitor runs a close second to ESPN who dominates in a multi-billion dollar industry. FOX Sports sure has given it a try, but they’re small potatoes compared to the ESPN monopoly.
The Connecticut-based company took off in the 1980’s when they acquired the rights to televise NFL football games and they have never looked back.
Financially snuggled under the bosom of the Disney Corporation, who owns the ABC network, ESPN can bid with the major networks to guarantee their continued coverage of college and professional sports.
ESPN’s life blood is televising college and professional sporting events. To guarantee their success, ESPN must guarantee the success of the of their sports partners. On the outside, ESPN attempts to maintain their original non-biased sports reporting with continuous courtroom coverage of athletes and coaches who run into legal problems.
They dedicate shows like Outside the Lines, The Sports Reporters and PTI to point fingers and lambaste unruly athletes. ESPN anchors/reporters will even take occasional jabs at league commissioners, but they know not to bite the hand that feeds them.
Excluding the previously mentioned original programs, ESPN has attempted and failed to create lasting television programs with substance. The worldwide leader in sports has even attempted to reach various demographics by popularizing street and adventure sports with the creation of the Summer/Winter X Games geared towards teens.
The network had a nice run televising poker tournaments for the 40-plus generation, and without trying, attracted younger viewers to the sport.
Look, I’m an ESPN original viewer from the 1980's and love the concept of 24/7 sports coverage. I can't get enough of it. But now the network has changed. By catering to the athletes, coaches, former players and General Managers they cover, they lose all their journalistic credibility.
True journalists remain non-biased and aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions of athletes and others in the sports world. ESPN has ventured into the world of a 24/7 infomercial, promoting themselves and the athletes they televise. There is a reason the United States government breaks up monopolies like Microsoft, Ford, Standard Oil, AT&T and Apple, the American people would benefit from equal competition.
While I doubt ESPN is on congress’s hit list to break up, creating an equal playing field for potential new sports networks should be considered. Hopefully, the next sports network that surfaces will do everything in it's power to remain neutral and report the news without a financial agenda guiding every move.
Give us your thoughts and comments on ESPN and this article:
Write to publisher@montgomerysportsspotlight.com
ph: 240-446-3450
publishe
