Saturday Practice

Good practice Saturday. Had 3 on college visits, 1 at a church function, 3 playing in our state volleyball tournament, and 1 at work-more on her later. So we structured the practice towards our new players and went over the expectations we have for them, the drills we use everyday, how they are to act during practice and the classroom, and some general housekeeping matters. We have decided to split our JV and Varsity practices because the JV are fundamentally weak although their attitudes will soon make up for it.
I had argued with 1 of my assistants over keeping the girl who had to work on Saturday. She had played for us last year as a freshman, quit over Christmas break, and never paid for any of her equipment. What I didn't know was just how bad her home life is. With no one in her family to support her-financially or emotionally-she was lucky to get to practice at all and eventually suffered severe emotional problems. As for her job now, it's because she is the primary caregiver for her younger brothers and sisters. She's 15. I will talk to her and tell her we feel that right now anything she can do for her family is much more important than anything she can do for us. Some kids will never know how well off they are.