Semi-Final Tragedy

Wow...what a game??

There are really no words to describe our semi-final game against Australia.  We had a bit of a slow start, but things picked up quickly.  We battled back and forth with the Aussies for the first half, ending up tied 26-26 at the halftime buzzer.

No one expected what would come next...the third quarter hit us hard.  Defensively we continued to do our job, but offensively nothing went our way.  We only scored two points for the period.  At the start of the fourth quarter we knew the time had come to again battle back from being down.  And again we did...with about 27 seconds to go we were down by one.  Desiree Miller fouled out and put Amber Merritt on the line (that's number 15 from Australia).  She missed both free throws.  We got the ball over half court and Rosie (our 16 year old) got the ball as she cut down the lane and took an amazing shot.  Unfortunately it bounced off the rim and the referee called a shot clock violation.  We lost the game by one.

Our team has fought throughout this tournament.  We have battled back from the craziest of situations and we will continue to fight tonight as we go for Bronze. 

For those who watched and noticed I didn't play last night...here is the update...I separated my AC joint in our game against Canada and was medically unfit to play last night.  It was a difficult decision to make and hear, but ultimately I probably would have been detrimental to the team had I played.  So...the loads of treatment and rest have helped and hopefully you'll see my dancing and playing in the Bronze medal game tonight...

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Game 4 and Quarterfinals...

It's so terrible that I'm just getting this posted as our last two games have been ridiculously exciting.  Game 4 of pool play was against China.  Both teams were 2-1 at the start.  We started out strong defensively, but struggled offensively...we couldn't get a shot to fall!  I don't remember how far down we were at the half, but I remember that sometime in the third period we went down by 20.  Many teams would have given up but we were able to battle back and in the last seconds of regulation play we tied it up to go into overtime.  Never had I been a part of such a comeback...it was crazy!

We watched a new five minutes be put on the clock and and then it was back to the races.  The team battled back and forth with China and finally went up by three to win...the final score was 68-65.

After a crazy game against China we met Canada in the Quarterfinals at 9:15pm.  A full day of anticipation for a team we know all too well.  We beat the Canadians at ParaPans in Mexico back in November by 30+,  but we knew the Paralympic Games are always different...better games, better competitions, more on the line.  This game proved to be such a game...we quickly went down by 11.  I don't know why but we were off to a slow start again!!  We pulled within 3 just before the half.

As expected the second half was a battle for the win, but we pulled ahead and won by 12 (67-55).  It was the best team effort to date and I was more than pleased with the team's performance!

We see Australia tomorrow at 1pm/7am CDT...it's the Semi-final so wish us luck!!!

Game 3- USA vs. Mexcio- REBOUNDED (Literally)

Team USA rebounded back from our loss yesterday with a big win over Mexico!!  We got back to playing our game and really hammered down the fundamentals.  Our press defense was back on track and our offense had a really nice flow to it.  The final score was 67-33...big day for us!

We followed up our game with a quick 1 hour practice...nothing too strenuous, but we definitely jammed out to the crazy mix of Jason DeRulo, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Alabama...yep that's right!!

Tomorrow is our off day for competition so we will practice, spend time with our families, and watch our Men's Team take on Australia.

Not too much exciting going on here today...the other pool had far more to confused about...we will have to watch and see how the crossover unfolds.

Anyway...until next time...Good Night!!!

Game 2- Germany vs. USA- Bummer!!

Well...I promised more interesting and more interesting it was, but the end result...not in our favor.  The game against Germany was close throughout...it was 23-23 at the half and we felt in control until the very end.  Neither team hit a shot in the 2nd half until about 6 minutes in and then it was a constant battle.  Defense was great, but the rims are so tight everything was slamming off the backboard and basket! We ended up losing by 6!

I thought my defense was solid, but, I struggled offensively...I mean I only took two shots, but neither is worth mentioning...maybe tomorrow will be my day!!

On a brighter note...I think the team is in a good place and a loss in pool play is not bad...we can work with it and will...I'm confident we got better and will continue to do so.

I'm off to sleep...we play Mexico early tomorrow morning!!

Game Day 1- USA Defeats France

The first day of competition is always interesting...the jitters are there and the team is always pumped to play someone other than ourselves.  But it is especially interesting when the opponent is a team we haven't played in about six years.  As far as I can remember we haven't played the French since the cross-over of World Championships in 2006.  Needless to say it had been a while and we didn't really know what to expect.  Our coaching staff had met with coaches from other teams and had briefly discussed some key points to note about the French...but we were still going in blind.

After a few minutes we were off to the races and our team found a great rhythm...next thing you know its 41-8 at the half.  The 2nd half was a bit more forced as the intensity had to drop and our momentum consequently slowed.  We still outscored the French and finished the game 63-24...all in all not a bad day's work.

Tomorrow we meet the Germans...our rivals to the bitter end.  They finished 2nd to the US in 2008 and 2010, so as you can imagine there is a definite desire to beat us on this stage.

I wish there was more to say...but that's about it for now...I am sure tomorrow will be more interesting!  Until next time....

Opening Ceremonies

After hours of preparation...last night dressed in our finest Ralph Lauren (i.e. a blue blazer, while collared shirt, a cream-colored skirt, cashmere socks, and a beret...all fashioned after the 1950's Opening Ceremonies attire) we walked a little less than a mile in the chilled London air (thankfully it was dry, as it had rained most of the day) to a stadium filled with people, cameras, and lights.  The Queen and the Royal family were all in attendance and the crowd was so excited for the start of the Games.

We walked in to the sound of a roaring crowd and it was (as always) incredible.  After trying to navigate the track (which was covered in cords and various props) and trying to snap a few photos during the process we were finally seated.  Front and center we watched the end of the show.  Steven Hawking narrated as a show about a young girl named Miranda was continued.  She took a journey on a boat through waves (of people) and read some books.  There was some apple throwing and a bit of dancing at a protest about equality, which included a giant balloon statue of a naked disabled body (gender unknown).  Clearly I am not an artist because most of the time it really does go straight over my head, but I loved every minute of it nonetheless.

The torch entered the stadium by a retired wheelchair athlete who descended from the sky right in front of us and then was carried to the flame by a couple of British athletes.  All very cool!  The night ended with a lovely fireworks show!

Anyway...we rushed back to the village to get some food and sleep in an effort to be completely prepared for our game against France today!  I think it'll be a great start to an amazing tournament!

We play at 3:15pm...hope you'll all be watching!!!

Until later...all the best!!  a

Welcome Ceremony- Oops My Bad...

So imagine dancing clown-like court jesters, singing to Queen as the queen of ceremonies rides in on a golden chariot pulled by more clown-like jesters on stilts...and you have the opening of our Welcome Ceremony/Flag Raising Ceremony! While this sounds incredibly entertaining some might say the highlight of this poetic, dancing performance was when yours truly joined in song to "We are the Champions" and continued with a solo during the crowd's silence of "...of the world." (hopefully you know this Queen song or this story will make even less sense)!!

Interestingly today we practiced at one of our game facilities (i.e. the marshmallow), which is directly next to the Village...I mean literally right across the street...however the way the streets were designed we had a 15 minute ride to the gym...apparently this was easier than walking...oh boy!!  Additionally we learned that the transport mall does not want wheelchair users to transfer into seats on the bus because the empty wheelchairs are a safety hazard for others if the bus driver brakes...we quickly advised them that the balance issues of those of us in chairs were accentuated by staying in in our chairs and we are working to fix the problem...trust me no one wants falling paraplegics in a moving bus!  The rest of the day was filled with practice and more practice and more practice, but tomorrow will be a nice resting day with only one practice on the competition court!!!

Anyway...it's getting late and it's time for us to watch a little Alias...have a great day/night (depending on where you are)!

Welcome to London!

We made it...and without any lost persons or bags, so totally a positive!!  After landing at Heathrow in London and a brief stop for a photo with Dorothy and the others from Oz (yes I loved the irony that I was actually not in Kansas anymore) we headed to the bus for a 1.5 hour tour of the outskirts of London! We viewed the city and the many beautiful sites we may not actually have time to see, but the tour was great!

We arrived at the Paralympic Villlage and had about an hour to eat, change, and grab a ride to processing! Processing is the warehouse where outfitting for the Games and ceremonies happens. Never before have Paralympians been given 99 items, but this time...we did and it was certainly a process!! Who knew that trying on clothes for 4 hours could be such a workout and lead to some members of the team overheating and becoming dehydrated.

Today we had practice and then a "friendly" game against Great Britain (GB)...ugh it was close! BUT the US prevailed! We had a few rough patches and a solid end game!  I will say it wasn't our best game ever, but we certainly liked the win at this point in the game! We have practice twice tomorrow!

Most importantly...I'd like to let you in on a little team secret...it's GOOGLE!!  Most think of this as a Internet search engine but to the US Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team it's a happy word, a word used to make you find your "happy place," a word used to take you out of that negative funk!  I Googled at least 300 times today...but mostly because I was helping my teammates and the staff get to their happy place...I was actually accused of being too happy today...clearly I have found my Google place...thank you happy words!!

Until tomorrow....good night! 

Umm...yeah...

Although we are now in England...and we finally have Internet service, I did want to update everyone on the end of our last tournament.  If you saw the scores or the stats you know that we lost...both games...total bummer!!

Our game against Australia was a whirlwind...we were hit once, hit twice, and hit again...it was awful and playing it was worse!  We are not used to being pressed, but we can still break a press and for some reason we departed from what we know and just played sloppy.  The score at the half was 32-8, we went scoreless in the 2nd quarter, and while it seemed to get better in the second half, I cannot even begin to explain what the deal was.  I think the final score was 54-29 or maybe 56-29...not really sure...not really sure it matters...we lost...we lost miserably.

Because we had won our other games we still made it to the Championship game.  We actually played really well despite our loss, and based on the energy and enthusiasm of our girls I don't think it was obvious that we had lost that morning, which is huge!  We were down a couple of points at the half and then the dry spell hit...I don't think we scored much in the third quarter.  We ultimately lost 57-50.  The score says a lot about our game...it says our defense was solid, but our scoring was weak, and in fact we only shot 33%...and with a shooting percentage like that we made it nearly impossible to beat a team like Germany...or anyone else in the world for that matter.

Anyway...athletes hate to lose...we HATE to lose...I really hate to lose...which makes finding the positive in those games that much more important.  We have to learn from our mistakes and make our team better from losing.  Really the only way to deal with the disappointment and frustration is to make sure it doesn't happen again!  Sundays' losses were our only in over two years, so when we arrived in England we knew it was time to get to work.  We watched some video, practiced, and are working out all the kinks...so when we hit the floor tomorrow against Great Britain the Team USA I know us to be should be the team that plays and hopefully wins!

Starting Off Right!!

Today was the start of the 4 Nations Tournament and despite a bit of jet lag and a full day in the gym, we managed to pull out two very close wins. This morning we faced off against the Netherlands. We started out slow, struggling to adapt to the new threats and speed of the team. Our first half left something to be desired for sure, but the enthusiasm and energy our team needed was there. We were actually down most of the game, a place we are certainly not used to...but it makes for a great battle! The second half we cut the lead and managed to inch out a win...72-70. For those who know our game...you may be somewhat surprised by this score...or really surprised...and for those that dont't here's the gist...our goal is usually to hold teams to under 40 and it's incredibly rare for the score of a women's wheelchair basketball game to get that high...unless one team is clearly dominating another. So not our best showing! But that being said...our second half was better than the first and we improved throughout...and we still got the W...so all in all a step in the right direction! About 6 hours, two Men's games, and a team meeting later we met the Germans...and well let me provide some context to the environment going into it...there is a video in the lobby of the gym showing Germany finishing second to the United States in Beijing and the tournament program shows a picture of the Gold Medal game at World Championships in 2010, where Germany also finished second to the United States...so we knew going in it was going to be a rematch of years past. Every time we play Germany it's a back and forth battle for the lead, a physically strenuous and intense fight to the end!! Today was nothing different, leads exchanged countless times, fouls were numerous, women were falling often, and every second required focus and intensity! We escaped with a win by 4...and yes it felt great (aside from the shoulder, but that's nothing new)! We meet Australia in the morning, who appears to be picking up on some of our pressing techniques! We haven't seen them since before World Championships in 2010, and as you quickly learn as the team to beat, no team is the same as in years past and everyone is bringing their best game to you! Tomorrow will be no different. As for me...it's time to sign off...I'm exhausted and 6:00 is going to come quickly...so until tomorrow...peace!

4 Nations Tournament

Frankfurt, Germany- Schedule

Saturday May 19, 2012
Netherlands vs. United States- 10:00am (3:00am CST USA)
United States vs. Germany- 5:45pm (10:45am CST USA)

Sunday May 20, 2012
Australia v. United States- 9:00am (2:00am CST USA)
Women's 3rd Place Game- 2:00pm (7:00am CST USA)
Women's Championship Game- 6:30pm (11:30am CST USA)

For Live Viewing:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?client=tmpg&hl=en&langpair=de%7Cen&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&u=http://www.keyscout.de/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_frontpage%26Itemid%3D1&usg=ALkJrhjkbT84nQHis7gU0zbre-mScSrmaw

Paralympic World Cup

Manchester, England- Schedule

Wednesday May 23, 2012
Great Britain vs. United States- 3:00pm (9am CST USA)

Thursday May 24, 2012
United States vs. Germany- 7:00pm (1pm CST USA)

Friday May 25, 2012
United States vs. Australia- 7:00pm (1pm CST USA)

Saturday May 26, 2012
Women's Bronze Final- 2:30pm (8:30am CST USA)
Women's Gold Final- 4:30pm (10:30am CST USA)

Find Results and Team Information at:
http://www.btpwcschedulesandresults.com/2012/results/basketball/schedule.php