Three Days In - Student Athletes Rise to the Occasion

Sports challenge has been a great experience. Every day you learn something new and grow more as a leader and a basketball player. Sports challenge actually challenge’s you both mentally and physically, and you really do get challenged physically. Most mornings you wake up the sore backs and muscles, but your team mates, coach’s and even random people across the camp push you and make you want to work through the pain and sore muscles. Today I walked into practice not only with sore legs but with bad stomach pains. My team mates helped motivate me but I still needed that extra little push. So I thought about one of my good friends little brother named, Amir. Amir passed away less than a month ago. He was born with a bad heart condition and was always in and out of the hospital. Baby Amir went through multiple surgeries at only the young age of four. He was a honestly a solider even until his very last days in the hospital bed. When doctors told his family he only had a day to live, he banged it out and went for a another three more days. His will to work through the pain and everything else he had to endure makes me think and say if he could go through all of that and still always have a smile on his face then I can live through the sore legs and back and early mornings and so when I feel I cant go any more I think of him and try to bang it out. And thats truly key here, you need to have a motivation and just have fun.

Khoudia N. (Age 15)

New York (Girls Basketball Program)

Well…Sports challenged is definitely the best program that I have been to. These last three days have been a life changing experience for me and I am guessing for many others. It’s a great experience for anyone, and there’s a lot of diversity. You literally are meeting people from all around the world, such as England, Argentina, New York, and San Diego.

There are many things we do especially in the morning, things such as vitamins. Vitamins are a workout of different cycles such as footwork, agility, speed, and strength. If I were not a rising senior I would definitely come back to sports challenge. I think sending your child here would be a favor for them and they would come back even more talented than before

You also eat breakfast lunch and dinner and snacks in between… man you got to love that food. Sports challenge also has coaches that are experienced in the sports your playing in.

Most of the coaches have previously or are currently playing overseas, and all of them either played in college or are still playing. Also as the day goes along you are being observed, because at the end of the day a leadership shirt is given to people that the coaches feel have been the most active, energetic, and helpful on and off the court. Sports challenge is a place where you learn to lead and lead to learn. I love sports challenge and though I’ve only been here for three days so far, they have made me a better ball player and a better leader each day.

Tyseem L (Age 17)

Brooklyn, NY (Boys Basketball Program)

SportsChallenge Games: Outrageous and Spectacular

SportsChallenge is a place where fun and seriousness coexist side by side, in perfect harmony. There is constant positive energy and good humor, and the next great joke is always only a few seconds away. But when it comes to sports, we couldn't be more business-like: each practice is highly intense, and the coaches and student-athletes work hard to make sure that skill development is always happening. One could say, then, that we are dead serious about sports.

Except, that is, when it comes to SportsChallenge Games.

Today, the program was separated into four distinct teams (Red, Yellow, Blue, and White), and while we're still as competitive as ever, the Games lean heavily-- HEAVILY-- towards fun. Tonight, we donned our team colors proudly and marched into the gym for some dodgeball. And oh, what a night of dodgeball it was!

Balls were whipped around the gym with such force that the spectators and judges were almost as active as the players. Loud and creative cheers from each team made the gym shake (judges have been known to award extra points for great cheering).

The best Dodgeball match of the night was the last, between Blue and Yellow. Yellow opened the game ferociously and took a commanding lead of 9 players to four, but Blue refused to give in. Behind the cool and collected play J.P. Crowley, Blue stormed back and eventually took a 3-2 lead. Just then Crowley was knocked out, leaving 2 players on each team for the final minute. The players jockeyed for position, dodging several balls. Director (and SportsChallenge Games Master of Ceremonies) Jeremy Edwards started the count-down with 10 seconds left. Yellow's Shane Jennings, an Irishman in his second SportsChallenge day, threw his ball at the Blue team, but missed. Then, with two seconds left, Blue attacked. A throw came straight at Jennings, with considerable pace. There was no time to dodge; Jennings needed to catch the ball, or his team would lose. The ball hit Jennings squarely in the chest, but he wrapped his arms around it and held on tight--clinching the match for Yellow as time expired!

His teammates rushed the court and raised Jennings aloft, chanting loudly and wildly. It was an unforgettable moment.

There are many more SportsChallenge Games to come. If the competition is at this level of gloriousness now, I can only imagine what Capture the Egg (an SC original) will look like.

-Coach Matthew Roach

My Day Today

I’m going to tell a little bit about what I did today at SportsChallenge. First when I woke up I got dressed then I went outside and participated in the vitamin b6 workout program and went through the 4 hard workout drills then I headed over to breakfast and ate! After breakfast I went to basketball practice when I went through numerous drills that I think are going to improve me as a player.

After practice I went to my leadership class. In my leadership class we made a timeline on key events that happened in my life. After that I got together with a partner and shared all the key events. After that we read a packet about team learning and what it means to be a good team. After that we watched a short clip of remember the titans showing key scenes on team identity and leadership. After my leader ship class I went to lunch. After lunch I came back to my dorm and went to sleep for about an hour. I then got up and went to the gym and shot around before practice. During practice we went through different drills. After we went through drills we played our first game of the day. We won our first game of the day and I got to meet some new people on my team and got to build team chemistry. And that’s what I did today-well actually all that before 5pm...there is more to come tonight!

Stacey Y. (age 15)
Washington, DC (boys basketball program)

Working hard on Day 2!

It's day two here at summer academy. Check out what we are up to on the field/court.


Jean Carlo makes a great save in practice

Jessica passing to a new teammate


The basketball guys start their scrimmages

Make sure to stay tuned for some more images, footage and the results of the first night of the SC Games. Tonight the Red, Blue, White and Yellow teams fight it out on the dodgeball court. Any predictions on who is going to win?

Soreness, Goals, and Anticipating SC Games

Today, I woke up on the second full day with soreness and new cramps. However, I had to quickly act as though the pain in my legs had gone away as we began our second Vitamins session. Doing sweaty abs and box jumps for for forty-five minutes is truly the best way to wake yourself up at 7 A.M. After we had gotten all sweaty and smelly, we piled in the buses for breakfast. As a vegetarian, I was worried about the new cafeteria's ability to provide non-meat options. However, the extremely nice chef kindly offered for the rest of the breakfasts to make some veg options for us non-meat-eaters. Not only did I have the pleasure of meeting the cooking staff at St. Anne's, but also to meet Mr. Lonnie, our bus driver.

In soccer practice today, we worked on turns and defending those offensive turns. We also had an intensely competitive juggling game, during which the coaches showed their competitive sides. Due to our very tired muscles, we all thanked our coaches for our extra long stretching sessions. All the athletic sessions today were intense and difficult workouts, but always rewarding at the end. Because today's theme is vision, I worked today with a new sense of determination to accomplish the goals, which I planned out last night with the help of my advisors. Personally my goal for the field is to use my weak foot at least three times each session. Though it was difficult because it was the first day with my goal, I felt more aware of the fact that I should be utilizing my weak foot.

We are all about to head to dinner to refill our energy tanks with various treats. After dinner and evening forum, we are all pumped for SC Games '09 (and white team is going to dominate)!!

Charlotte T. (age 17)
Richmond, VA (girls soccer program)

Pool Time!

Today we had our first session of "open-swim" at the pool. Debunking more myths than those pertaining to leadership (people are born leaders, the best leaders are the most-outgoing, etc), Sports Challenge challenges the myth that one cannot swim within 45 min of eating as the pool was filled with student-athletes after lunch before their afternoon sports session. As far as I know, no one cramped up!

The highlight of the pool time was a creative version of volleyball that a big group of soccer kids started on one side of the pool. Somehow dividing into teams, the kids hit, punched, or threw a volleyball over flags that serve as markers. Yelling, screaming and having an all-around good time, the kids' makeshift game turned into an aggressive competition between the soccer and basketball players (who had been jealously eying the game for the past several minutes).

Temporarily segregated by sport and after some whooping, pointing, and laughing the two sports were able to compromise into one big game and thereby giving Coach Hellerman a clear lane to finish up her 70 laps! This game lasted for the rest of the pool session, leaving everyone happy, fatigued, (though vocal chords perhaps a little scratched), and relatively relaxed and loose for today's last session of sports!

-Coach Alexa Caldwell
Brown University '11

Pompine

There is an "age-old" SportsChallenge tradition that harkens back to my Haverford College days—THE POMPINE. (Various spellings exist.) It's a game of chance involving a group of athletes or coaches (or both) throwing fingers on one hand and adding up the total result to see who "it" lands on. The loser (or winner depending on the situation) has to do a previously agreed upon task such as clearing the trays at dinner.


Yesterday, after a suspenseful pompine at lunch, Coach Gomez was chosen as the lucky winner to be carried into evening forum as well as perform an inspiring chant for the word of the day: RISK. Check out how it turned out below! Enjoy :)



This classic pompine was followed by yet another creative gamble when coaches played and the two losers/winners had to wear the clothes chosen by the other loser/winner at this morning's speed and agility session (aka vitamins). So, true to the game, at 6:50am this morning, all 6'5" of Coach Kirk Daulerio was donning the soccer shorts of the relatively very petite Coach Molly Arenberg. Molly is a former soccer player at Marquette; she chose a tie-dyed-t (mid-rift on Coach Daulerio) that made for a an interesting session as Coach Daulerio did the ladder work-out, lunges and hurdles in his new outfit! (Did I mention that Coach Daulerio is the father of two and a college admissions director in his spare time!).

About an hour ago, at the end of their Conflict Resolution class, three girls basketball players lost a pompine and are now very excited about having to read aloud the new poem they created in order to fill the emotional fuel tank of Coach Kizmahr Grell. (I'll leave explaining the emotional fuel tank for another day...)

Coach Jeremy Edwards

Visit from Harry Birnbaun

Alum Harry Birnbaun graced SportsChallenge with his presence this evening to give students an introduction and lesson on the importance of vision, which is tomorrow's daily word. Coach Molly and Coach Edwards assisted Mr. Birnbaun in finding some fashionable new glasses to help him with his vision or as we say here at summer academy "allow him to see his goals". Needless to say, Mr. Birnbaun was a great addition to evening forum and left nothing but smiles on the coaches and kids faces. Take a second to check out some of the photo's of last night below.

Fun

This morning we were having much fun with our basketball session. We did work on the pick and roll off the screens; it was fun because everybody was learning how to do it right and we started using it in our games. The other thing i liked about today was our leadership class. we met other campers; it was fun because we all talked about the different ways to remember the other campers name. then we tried to beat the coach's time but we couldn't. even though it's only day 2, i know I would love to come back to sports challenge again.

Devonte J (age 16)
Chicago, IL (boys basketball program)

College Counseling 101

We just finished up our first college counseling workshop here at the SportsChallenge Summer Academy! In Admissions Committee 101: How Colleges Make Decisions, Coaches Daulerio and Gonzalez covered a range of topics relating to the college application and admissions process.

The turnout was impressive, and the students were engaged, inquisitive, and proactive. For a glimpse into the conversation, picture this Q&A... (Cue harp music and faux fog)

Q: Coach D, What makes a good essay?

A: While it doesn't have to be a Pulitzer-prizewinning piece of literature, an essay should give an admissions officer a closer look at your interests, passions, background, and/or personality. Effort is key! Don't submit a laid-back, half-written paragraph that you threw together at the last minute. The worst essay I've ever read was only about five sentences long, and in those five sentences the word "cheesesteak" was mentioned fifteen times! True story, and it doesn't end well. Don't let it happen to you!

Q: How many recommendations should you submit?

A: Typically a college will ask for a counselor recommendation and one to two teacher recommendations. Some might ask for a peer recommendation. Many colleges will allow you to submit extra letters of reference, but you want to make sure you keep these to a reasonable number, say one or two, if you do decide to submit extra letters. I've seen admissions files with 20 to 30 extra letters that all say the same exact thing - "Suzie is a wonderful person, bright and motivated, and will be a terrific, wonderful, exceptional, yada yada yada student in your community." Not helpful. Keep it to a reasonable number.

Q: What if my school doesn't rank its students?

A: Then you are at a serious disadvantage...oops, I mean, it doesn't matter! Every high school is different, and each of them have their own system of grading and/or ranking their students. College admissions officers will evaluate you within the context of your school's own system. It wouldn't be fair to hold it against a student if their school chooses not to rank, or they do not weight their grades, or they don't even report grades! Colleges will love you just the same, so don't worry, be happy! Hmm, sounds like a song

These were only a few of the many questions students asked during the session. Our goal was to provide insight into the admissions committee process and to relieve some of the anxiety students generally feel as they prepare to apply to college. The key, as we mentioned, is being proactive and being your own self-advocate. Talk to admissions officers. Set appointments with your guidance counselor. Research colleges, visit, and interview. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Above all, realize that there is a college out there for everyone, and if you put the effort into the application process, you will undoubtedly find a good match.

-Coach Kirk Daulerio (SC College Counselor)

Vitamin A

Good morning Sportschallenge fans! Can you feel the enthusiasm! That's what the student-athletes felt this morning as all 100+ student athletes made it to the tennis courts at 7:00 AM sharp for our first session of Vitamins. All 105 high school athletes were on time, and even better, everyone was pumped and ready to rumble. It was a beautiful morning as Coach Wood walked everyone (student-athletes and coaches!) through a dynamic warm up and a series of speed and agility drills.

Vitamins is the daily 7am workout regime we use at Sportschallenge to get the student-athletes focused and warmed up for their athletic sessions later in the day. It's also an opportunity to teach the student-athletes how to build a complete conditioning workout when they leave the camp. All of the drills are being recorded and uploaded to a website that student athletes will be able to access when they are home after the camp.

We're off to a great start this morning, and as we discussed last night, our student athletes have their hard-hats (work-ethic), sponges (to absorb all they can) and open-minds all in place to get all they can out of the day.

Have you had your vitamins today?!

-Coach Will Stafford

Game Day!

Wow, what a day...we always worry that we might be packing in too much day one, but once again, the student-athletes stepped up and handled all that we threw out at them!

After a busy afternoon of registration and moving in, the program officially began with the Opening Leadership Seminar. After a welcome from SportsChallenge Founder and Director Kevin Morgan, fellow Directors Molly Hellerman and Jeremy Edwards explored 4 traditional myths about leadership. They energetically leaped around the stage (impressively, given Edwards' torn ACL), and challenged student-athletes to think of themselves as future leaders.

"Leaders are always vocal and charismatic," Hellerman said.

"False! That is a lie!" Edwards cried. "Raise your hand if you have ever led by example, by working hard, " he asked the student-athletes. Everyone raised a hand, demonstrating the point that leadership can often be nonvocal.

Perhaps the highlight of the seminar came when Edwards and Hellerman were looking to debunk the myth that "leaders are born, not made." Coaches Li'Esha Garcia and Shannon Drury appeared on-stage in costume, with Drury apparently in labor and "Dr" Garcia encouraging her to push a baby out. After some further encouragement from the student-athletes ("P-U-S-H! PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!"), Drury "birthed" Coach Kodi Shay, who wriggled free and then raised his arms in the air in triumph. But, as Edwards soon pointed out, outstanding athletes and leaders do not actually emerge from the womb fully formed; hard work and the right learning environment make all the difference.

With high levels of energy and good humor, the student-athletes soon began to take advantage of the unique learning environment of SportsChallenge. In the first athletic session of the program, athletes came in with positive attitudes and a ton of exhuberence.

From my post as a coach in the Boys' Basketball program, I was impressed not only by the high level of talent, but, more importantly, by the student-athletes' willingness to hustle and play together. This first athletic session was a chance for the student-athletes to meet their coaches and get a sense of the rigors and opportunities of SportsChallenge, and they took full advantage. Already, players were calling each other by name, making sweet passes, and playing hard, tough defense. As basketball coaches, we are very much looking forward to harnessing this passion into organized team basketball, and the players are right on board: Basketball Director Bobby Rue asked the basketball players how they wanted to be described at the end of the program, and the players suggested "organized," and "hard-working," as their top choices.

From my conversations with other coaches, it was apparent that each program is off to a similarly exciting start. In particular, we couldn't help but hear the girls' basketball team getting fired up, cheering loudly that each and every one of the girls "Rock!" Apparently, Coach Shannon Drury had brought a box of rocks with "I" and "U" written in marker on either side of them. She then pulled out a rock, showed the "I" side, and said, "You know what? I rock! I don't care what anyone says; I rock!" She then flipped the rock over and turned to the student-athlete next to her. "But you know what else? YOU Rock! And YOU Rock! And YOU Rock!" Before long, the entire girls basketball program was going crazy, encouraging each other and loudly ROCKING out.

These kinds of moments are what make SportsChallenge a special place. And it's only just begun. We can't wait to see what will happen in the week to come!

-Coach Matt Roach

S-C round three!

Five years, two car rides and one plane ride later, I have returned to the SportsChallenge program in Middletown, DE for a third time. However, I am not returning as the nervous, pumped up high school student-athlete but as an avid, passionate soccer coach. Even though it has been five years, I have been welcomed back into the SportsChallenge family in the same fashion I was as a student-athlete a while back—with open arms and high fives all around. Staff training started Tuesday, June 23rd and I immediately started to learn what I took for granted as a youth soccer participant. What I never realized was all the hard work the coaches put into making this program an experience of a lifetime for any teenager. During the past four days, staff at Sports Challenge have been fine-tuning not only how to become a great coach but also a great mentor, leader and teacher. As a newer coach to the staff, I have to say I have been learning from the best of the best.

I also can not help but reflect on my days as a student-athlete five and six years ago. I still have my old SportsChallenge t-shirts and the handouts on how to be a leader and on how to set "smarte" goals: goals that are Specific, Measurable, Accountable, a Reach, within a Time-frame, and Effort based. Most importantly I still have lasting friendships with my former teammates and coaches. I remember after my first year at Sports Challenge, I made my high school soccer team set three individual goals and three team goals for the season—SportsChallenge style. I was able to step up as a confident, well-rounded leader. And these were not part of my character prior to participating in the program. I did not have any title as captain, but SportsChallenge gave me all the tools I needed to help my team on and off the field. That year, my high school soccer team went from a losing record the season prior to being UNDEFEATED. I could not believe the power of effective leadership!

I am so excited for the student-athletes to come in tomorrow! I hope to impact and touch the lives of the student-athletes just as my life was touched by the coaches five years ago. :-)

-Coach Molly Arenberg

Summer Academy Training

For the last few days, the SportsChallenge staff has been hard at work here in muggy Middletown, DE, on the beautiful campus of St. Andrew's School. We've been preparing our leadership courses and fine-tuning our soccer and basketball programs to make this year's SportsChallenge epic full of spirit, energy, passion, competition, and fun.

This year, we'll be posting updates on all things SportsChallenge here on our brand new SportsChallenge blog, Overtime! Our aim is to bring you the SportsChallenge experience through the web; we'll have photos, stories, and journal entries from coaches and student-athletes alike. The program starts tomorrow. Stay tuned!

-Coach Matt Roach