Wow...

I can't believe it is done. Last night we had our Christmas party and that signals the end of our season.

The end of our year was awesome. The day after we won the Big Sky Conference championship, we all met at Old Chicago's to watch the ESPN selection show. It was a standing-room-only crowd as we got to hear our name called out on live TV! It was an exciting time to be a Bear!

After that, we had a chance to play #6 ranked Washington in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We played them tough, taking the first game from them. We also had great chances in games 3 and 4. Alas, we fell to the Huskies, but we had a great showing.

As coaches, we just want to take a moment to all of you who have been coming to our matches, following us on Big Sky TV, or even following this blog. We really appreciate your support. It means more to us and our athletes than you probably know. It has been a real privilege being a part of this program this year. Now, it is time for a bit of a break....some holiday fun with family, then back to work in mid-January to prepare for next season!

Make sure to keep up on the blog though! The Spring season is always full of fun little things that we do as a program. Just because our competitive season is done it doesn't mean that we go away...oh no. I think our returning players are already imagining hoisting another trophy next year!

From all of us here to all of you, have a great holiday season!

The Wagon!

This short video is from the 15' Wagon in Spokane. We stopped by the wagon for a little photo shoot after our morning practice on the day we won the conference tournament.

The picture of the girls on the slide is particularly memorable. The girls on the bottom were supporting the weight of all of the girls above, so they were getting extremely uncomfortable as the girls above kept stacking on. A couple of our kids got a nice bruise or two, but it was well worth it. We all had a good chuckle about it... Then won the tournament!

Introductions...

Thanksgiving night we had a dessert banquet where we were asked to introduce ourselves "creatively" and to tell a story about the coaching staff/team. While the other team did a basic introduction, this is what our girls came up with....

The song in from a Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell. Funny stuff.

We Did It!

For all of you out there that may be following this, but have not heard, we won the conference tournament last night! It was a great match between us and Portland State, and we beat them in four. Our girls did a great job this weekend. I have a bunch of video and photos that I will be putting up on the blog soon...just don't have time right now. We are headed out to watch the selection show on ESPN to find out where we are playing next week in the NCAA tournament!

Keep an eye out...lots of great stuff coming. We had a really fun weekend...

Senior Night Video

This is the video I put together for senior night...at least the first half of it. I couldn't make the file small enough while still retaining a good quality. So, here is the first half, which is a look back at our senior's trip here at Northern Colorado. You will notice that there isn't any volleyball in this, which was on purpose. Our girls do so much more than just volleyball... enjoy.

Bears Win on Senior Night

As we entered the match on Saturday night, we were really trying to keep emotions at bay. It was tough though as we knew that four of our athletes would never compete on our home floor in a Bear's uniform again. It was tough though, as we choked back tears during their introductions. It just goes to show how much we care for our athletes.

One we were on the floor though, the girls got to work. Minus a bit of a hiccup during game three, we took care of a very feisty Northern Arizona Team. It was really fun to watch as all of our seniors contributed to a great match.

After the match we had a celebration for our seniors and family (about 50 people) in the High Plains Club in our football stadium. It was a great time of sharing memories of the seniors' journey and contributions to our program. Then, we showed a video of our seniors (I will try to get it posted today...). Good times.

Now, it is back to business. On Friday night we are going to be taking on Eastern Washington back on their home court. No one ever said that winning a conference championship was going to be easy... and the road we are about to travel is rough and winding...but if our girls can muster the courage and fortitude to forage on, we have a great shot at bringing to tournament trophy home to Greeley.

Tough Weekend, Bright Forecast

Yes, it is true that we had a really tough weekend (if you saw the scores, you know it was REALLY tough). Every teams has their letdowns and we are no exception. What really matters is how we handle the situation and how we are prepared to change it the next time we are faced with the same circumstances.

With the losses to both Eastern Washington and Portland State, we are probably going to finish third in the conference this year. The top three teams traded blows all season, and with the two losses last weekend we are in a tie with Eastern at 11-4 with one match to go. If the record is still tied at the end of the year, they beat us on the head-to-head to claim the second seed in the tournament. Either way, we are going to be playing them again (on their home court) the Friday after Thanksgiving.

This week has been a great week of growth for the girls. We truly believe that we have the talent to win this conference, it is just a matter of putting it together on the court. We have been giving a lot of focus to a Championship Attitude this week, and our practices are reflecting it. All 16 girls are working extremely hard because they want it so badly.

With all the effort and time that our athletes and coaches put in, we are all confident and hopeful that next week will be exciting... All I know is that it is a great time to be a BEAR!

Bears keep streak going!

Well, we just came off another successful weekend! Montana came to town last Thursday...and for all of you who don't know, Montana tends to be kind of a rival for us. There just seems to be tension in the air whenever they are around. The last time we saw them it was at their place...where we had our "usual" results. We ended up losing in four, and we just didn't play well while doing it. So, when they came to us, it was time to exact our revenge! And we did... We ended up beating them on our floor last Thursday in four. It was a great win for the bears. With the win we solidified our place in the conference standings. And I don't know that we are done yet with Montana this year. There is still a good chance we could play them at the tournament!

Montana State came in to play us on Saturday. We went five with them last time in Bozeman, so we made sure to be ready for them this time. The preparation paid off with a 3-0 win. Montana State had a rough go as we served really tough and kept the pressure on them the whole match.

We are now headed to Eastern Washington and Portland State this week. As of right now, Eastern is in third place with four losses on the year. Portland State and us are tied with first, each with two losses. It is going to be the battle of titans! We figured it out...if we can beat Portland State at home (a tall, but do-able task), we can afford one more loss and we would still be able to win the conference. If we lose to Portland State, we will more than likely take second place in conference (maybe third if we lose to both, but that won't happen).

However you look at it, this is going to be an exciting weekend of volleyball in the Big Sky.

OH! Forgot to mention that Taylor Smith was Co-Player of the week for the Big Sky. Sweet.

Unbreakable

We showed this to our athletes right before the Weber State match last weekend... The theme is unbreakable.

Lee's Mongolian BBQ

Ahh Lee's. It has become a tradition for us to eat there while we are in Ogden. This trip was no exception.

Like I have mentioned previously, Lee's in a hole-in-the-wall place that one of our former assistants found randomly about four years ago. We have been going every year since. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip last week.

Dramatic Weekend

Here, at Northern Colorado....we like to give the crowd their money's worth....or so it would seem. This weekend we played two five game matches...TWO! Luckily we came out with two wins.

The first match against Idaho State was crazy. I don't know that we have even lost a game in their gym the past two seasons...but they had a different idea of how the night would go. We took the first two games (both won with Kelley Arnold tips to the middle of the court). We went into the break pretty happy and confident. After the break, Idaho State came out with a little different line-up and a vengeance. They were on fire and the took the next two games. The fifth was a thriller. With a lot of ties, the game was close until the end. We earned two or three points as the game progressed to give us a tiny cushion at the end, which we needed. At 13-14, we sided out for the win. The other coaches and I felt as if we were going to pass out. Sometimes it is tough being a coach.

Going into Weber, we were ready for a match that we could get over quickly...which almost happened in the wrong way. Weber State's momentum was a tidal wave in the first two games. It felt as if we could hardly breath. We just couldn't match them. Then, out of the break, we got down again. During moments, we could score a few points in a row, but then they would come back a score a few of their own. At one point it was 23-20...then they scored another point to be up 24-20. We sided out to make it 24-21....then the magic happened. We came out and scored three straight to tie it at 24. It went back a forth a couple times before we scored three straight to win the game 28-26. Game four was another very close game. We finished it strong to win 25-22. The fifth game was all bears. We won it 15-8. Once again, the coaches felt as if we were about to collapse...

We are very proud of our kids this week after an emotional weekend. The seniors really came through to guide us through some tough matches. It was very fun (and tough) to watch. My heart still starts to race as I think about it.... Good times.

I am waiting on some pictures of our adventure to Lee's...that will be the next entry!

Win vs Sac!

Well, we pulled out another win! Sac State made some great adjustments after the second game to take the third, but we came out in the fourth to take the match. Overall it was a pretty solid match for us. We did a great job adjusting to them this time, which is something that we have been struggling with over the last couple of weeks. Making those changes during time-outs is often difficult for our athletes, but not last weekend. We did a great job and it showed.

We are now headed to Ogden UT, and Pocatello ID, to play Weber and Idaho State. One of the best things about this trip...Lee's Mongolian BBQ. Lee's is a hole-in-the-wall place that our former assistant coach Paul Richardson found one year. It is awesome.

Besides the food, it looks to be a great weekend of competition. Idaho State has been playing well and has been beating some solid teams. We beat them the first time in four, but they are improving every time they touch the floor. I have a feeling a battle is going to be taking place when we are in their gym. We have never swept Weber during the season since we have joined the Big Sky. They have great athletes...and they have a habit of getting very hot when they play us. If we can get them down, we will have a great shot at beating them...if we don't get them down, it is going to be another battle.

Very important weekend for the Bears. Keep an eye out for another update!

Adventure at Air Force

Yesterday turned into quite a little adventure. We left our campus at 1:00 to head down to Colorado Springs for the match against Air Force. The weather here was already a bit shady, and the weather south of Denver usually proves to be worse. Yesterday was not the exception. We ran into snow. Thank goodness we had a stud bus driver. Also on the way down, we ended up breaking down for about 45 minutes. It made us a bit late and cut our pre-game practice short, but at least we got to hang out and watch a movie while we were sitting on the side of the road. "The Proposal" was the movie of choice. Romantic comedies tend to be the style of movie we watch...joy.

The match went well. We ended up beating Air Force in three and we had the opportunity to get most of our athletes onto the floor. Our "second" teammers did a great job when they went in. We didn't miss a beat. Really happy with their play.

We are now preparing for Sacramento State. The coaches are watching a bunch of film to get the athletes ready. At this point in the season, every match is very important. We have had some great success against Sac State the past couple of years, but they have beaten some solid teams this year. We will be ready for whatever they bring.

Split, but still first

After a great match against Portland State on last Thursday, we lost a tough one to Eastern Washington. All three teams came into the weekend 5-1, and all three teams leave the weekend 6-2. The first half of conference play is over and the Big Sky conference is as muddy as ever.

Our next Big Sky match is this coming Saturday against Sacramento State. We went to their place a little over a month ago and beat them in three. They have since played some great matches and challenged the top teams in the conference. We have matched up well against Sac State the past couple of years and we are hoping to carry that through the weekend.

Before that match, we are actually playing Air Force tomorrow night (wed). We are headed down to beautiful Colorado Springs for a match against another Colorado team. We hope to pull a good win out to prepare us for the weekend, but you never know what Air Force has up their sleeve...

Muran

The word "Muran" is our newest theme that has become our focus for the next couple of weeks. This is a big weekend for the Bears and we used this video to motivate our athletes.

Muran is an African word that means bravery, courage, cunning, warrior.

Trouble in Missoula...

We just got back from another emotional weekend. If you checked our scores you will know that we won a crazy match against Montana State on Friday night in five, then turned around and lost to Montana in four. For some reason, we always get very emotionally charged in Montana's gym and I think that we played like it...worried. Not to take anything away from Montana, they played very well to take the match.

Yesterday turned out to be a pain! We were supposed to fly out of Missoula around 6:45am. No fun in itself, but our flight got cancelled. After a lot of scrambling with United, they decided to put us on a bus and send us to Helena, MT. The 2 1/2 hour drive was incredibly beautiful but cold. Once we got into the airport (which was tiny), we had to wait almost three hours before our flight left. Again, no big deal, except that there was only one place to eat in the airport....Captain Jake's. Most of us decided to wait to get back to DIA to get food.

All in all it was a crazy weekend. It could have been worse. One great thing about our kids is that they handle adversity well. They just rolled right along and didn't complain.

This weekend will be the real tell on how we are doing so far this year.... #1 and #2 from Conference are going to be knocking on our door. Let's hope our girls take advantage of home court.

Snow in Bozeman....

We are now in our hotel rooms in Bozeman, Montana. The snow started last night and it has been fairly steady since then. There seems to only be two or so inches on the ground...but last time I checked it is still early OCTOBER! Yes, we get snow in Colorado...but not like this in OCTOBER. We have already had a couple of the requisite snow ball fights, but I am looking forward to what the day holds for us.

Life on the road is actually pretty nice most of the time. We have breakfast at about 8:45, then we will leave the hotel for a pre-game practice around 10:30. Then, we are back at the hotel for study hall from 12:30 to 2. Study hall is great because we can actually have an hour and half to get some work done! After that, we will head to our pre-game meal around 3:30, then off to the gym around 5 for our pre-game routine. It ends up being a nice combination of stuff to do and time to relax in the room.

Tomorrow we will be headed to Missoula which is about 200 miles away. We will be driving it and we are hoping that the roads will be cleared. We usually have mini vans, but this time they put us in two Suburbans and a Toyota Sequoia. All of them are nice but one of the Suburbans (the one I am driving) is only a 2 wheel-drive, so that may be fun.

4-0

Yep... 4-0. This has been the best start the Bears have had since joining the Big Sky conference. We played Northern Arizona last Saturday night. What was supposed to be a bit of a lopsided match (they have several injuries), turned out to be a battle to the finish. NAU played their hearts out. Fortunately, we had enough to fight off their attack to come out with a 3-1 win.

The travel this weekend was great. It worked out that we could travel with the football team. We flew right into Flagstaff, and they we drove all of fifteen minutes to our hotel room. After the match, we hopped back in the vans, and drove back to the airport. So nice getting home the same night as the match!

We are now preparing for our next matches. We travel to the Montana Schools. Montana State on Friday night, then Montana on Saturday. Montana State hasn't won a conference match in three years, but they can be dangerous. They took both Weber and Idaho state to five sets..., and they have some athletes...we will see. Montana on the road is always very tough. We have yet to win a match in their gym, so hopefully this will be the year. Word has it they have a couple of tricks up their sleeve. Should be another great match.

I am waiting on some pictures from the last trip...when I get them...so will you.

Headed to Flagstaff...

So close...we had CSU, a perennially ranked team in a game to two points....but we came up a bit short. Two years ago CSU beat us up, last year, we took one game off them. This year, we were with them every point. It was a great match for the Bears, but we unfortunately couldn't finish. We are definitely proud of the girls though.

We are headed to Flagstaff in a couple of hours to face off against Northern Arizona. NAU is always a very scrappy team that just stays in the match. They can be very dangerous if we aren't playing well. After watching us against CSU, I think we should have a great shot at starting our Big Sky conference at 4-0.

The bonus of today's travel is that we are actually flying out with the football team. They are also playing NAU on Saturday. That means that we fly straight into Flagstaff and get to avoid the 2 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix. It also means that we get free TV on Frontier's charter flight. Whoohoo! Free TV is a deal at twice the price.

Still going...

Wow, another great match against a strong Big Sky Opponent. Sacramento State is always extremely tough at home. Last year we went a full five game match and came out with a win. This year, we came up with a great win in three. All twelve athletes that traveled saw court time in the match to help the Bears take the important Big Sky win.

The trip as a whole went really well...with a little luck. We almost left Lyndsey (our head coach) behind at the airport. She had to travel separately to the airport due to a speaking engagement and then got stuck in security. Luckily, our plane was delayed just enough as she ran up to the gate as we were boarding.

The other great thing about traveling to Sac State....In-N-Out! We got our once a year fix! (some of us...coaches.....went twice!) I know several people here in Greeley were jealous.

Next match is against Colorado State University on Wednesday night. They are always a very good team. After that, we travel to Northern Arizona to take on the Lumberjacks on Saturday night. They are another team who is very solid on their home court. Should be a great match.

2-0 in the Big Sky

After the first weekend of Big Sky play, we are 2-0. Weber State is always a dangerous team and we worked really hard to keep them down. Idaho State scrambled and played really well against us. Fortunately we had enough fire power and a great defensive effort to pull through.

Tonight we are headed south to the great city of Denver. The University of Denver and us have been trading blows for the past couple of years. They have a roster full of solid athletes, but I think we match up against them very well. Only time will tell, but in my estimation, today is a good day to be a Bear.

Here are a couple of pictures from this past weekend.

First Conference Win

Well, we took it to Weber State last night. This is a beautiful thing because Weber always finds a way to beat us... In the three years that I have been here we had only beat then once in five tries. Last night, we won in convincing fashion. It is ever better because we didn't have two of our great athletes on the floor. Amanda Arterburn suffered a concussion in the weight room on Wednesday night, and Kelley Arnold has been suffering with a cold. This is not to say that the people on the floor aren't phenomenal players. Bre V did a great job back in the libero role, and Breanna Williams has been a great source of energy and consistency (not to mention defense) for us.

Depth on the court is a wonderful thing, and this team really has the chemistry to pull it off.

Weber State tonight!

We are headed to the gym to face Weber State! This is our first conference match of the year and it is at home. We are very excited to get things rolling this year, and this will be a good match to guage where we are.

Time to get rolling!

PIctures from the CU win.

Here are a few pictures from last Tuesday night. Great crowd, great match.

Northern Colorado Beat the Buffs!

Wow, what a great night last Tuesday was. After all the work everyone did to not only make the team successful, but also all of the work to get people in the stands, it was great to have such a fantastic night.

Our girls did a great job handling CU. After a close start to the match, we took control in the middle of game two and rolled the rest of the way home.

When pictures come available I will make sure to post them...

Home Opener!

Tonight is our big home opener against the University of Colorado, Boulder. They are headed up to Greeley to face us in the Butler Hancock Sports Arena. Our girls are incredibly excited about the opportunity to play against a Big 12 Program, and another in-state rival. Should make for a great match. Plus, the first 300 people get free T-Shirts!

Tonight's match comes right on the heels of a very successful weekend for the Bears. After winning a tight five game match against Southern Methodist University, we won two straight matches in three against North Texas and a strong University of Texas-San Antonio team. The final match of the weekend came against a top 30 ranked New Mexico State team. Although we fought hard, we ended up losing...by a total of seven points. It was a great start to our season and we are looking forward to keeping it going against CU tonight! Check back for pictures.

Ball Girls & Jr Captains!

We would love to have you involved!


Circle which one you are interested in:
Ball Girl Jr Captain
Name: ________________________________ Grade: ____________
Parents Name: __________________________________________________
Address: ___________________ City: _________ St: _____ Zip Code: ______
Email Address: _____________________________ Phone #: _____________
Please list the dates you are available:
1st Choice: ______________
2nd Choice: ______________
3rd Choice: ______________
HOME MATCHES:
Tuesday, September 1 Colorado 7 p.m.
Friday, September 4 North Dakota State (UNC Tournament) 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 Eastern Michigan (UNC Tournament) 12 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 Miami (UNC Tournament) 7 p.m.
Thursday, September 17 Weber State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 19 Idaho State* 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 15 Portland State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 17 Eastern Washington* 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 Sacramento State* 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 5 Montana* 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 Montana State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 21 Northern Arizona* 7 p.m.

Please email or send to:
UNC Volleyball
208 Butler Hancock
Greeley, CO 80639
Lyndsey.Benson@unco.edu

The New Season!

It is here! As coaches we can't believe it...but we are LOVING it. We love having the girls back on campus and they have been working very hard in the gym. We just finished our two-a-day schedule, and now it is time to prepare for our upcoming tournaments!



We are headed to Denton Texas this weekend....home of Taylor Smith. We will be taking video wherever we go, and I am sure I will be able to put some videos up on this site.



Keep an eye out for more stuff...including photos and info about this year's team builder...the Pirate Adventure. Good times.

In the Words Of...

Natalie Laband;

It has been a blast living up here in Greeley this summer! It is extremely hot! Much hotter here than in Monument where I grew up. I must admit I saved up my money for my first big purchase---an air conditioning unit! What can I say---I am a wimp! Ahhhhhhhhh, I can FINALLY sleep!
We have experienced many adventures up here so far. Our first adventure was moving into the house! I live with Bre W, Jill, and Natasha in what we like to call “the dollhouse.” It is definitely different living on your own; it’s a blast because every night is a slumber party. It does have its drawbacks though, like cooking for myself, it can be fun but at times I wish I could have my mom cook me one of her amazing dinners. Just recently we had a new addition to the household--spotted last week--a baby mouse! Yuck! We have a basement so when the tornadoes start rolling in we head down there with whoever doesn’t have a basement, (Kenzie, Ashley, Abbie, and Julie) and hang out till the storm passes.
The schedule has been very busy. I am taking a class, we workout every day, while playing lots of volleyball and spending time with our new best friend, Nottingham Field’s track and stadium to run! But there is always time to lay at the pool too and hang out and do midnight slip n’ slide. A bunch of the team gets together and we have found a new obsession of watching all the Sex and the City episodes while eating dinner together.
In June, I got to go to the O.A.R. concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Bre Williams and a couple of our friends. Red Rocks is my favorite venue for a concert, its outdoors and you’re in the middle of some of Colorado’s natural beauty. Not only was this concert at an amazing place but also O.A.R. is one of my favorite bands and seeing them live was incredible. I also got to go to Florida for a long weekend to spend with my family for my cousin’s wedding. I have eight people in my family so it was really special that we all got to be there together and see all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. A couple days after I got back some of the girls and I went to Water World! We had a blast. Many of us conquered one of our biggest fears, the skyline speed slides. They are slides that go pretty much straight down! Very scary but so much fun! We were there at the opening time at 10:00am and left at 6:00pm and we only took one break for a quick lunch. We were exhausted and our feet were raw from walking on the cement all day. We managed to escape the day without sunburns minus Ashley’s scalp :-(. We plan on going again soon but next time wearing matching water shoes.
I also got to experience the Greeley Stampede for the first time! I actually got to go twice…amazing! I went to see Phil Vassar, one of my favorite country artists, he was incredible! The concert was delayed due to rain but that didn’t stop us from going out there. We were in standing room only so we were on the dirt but because of the rain the dirt turned straight to mud so I decided it would be smart to take off my flip flops so I wouldn’t lose them in the heavy mud and just walk barefoot. Very good decision on my part, many people joined me and my dirty feet even made it into the Greeley Tribune. The second time I went with Julie, Bre and Jill and we rode the rides and listened the music at the free stage. The rides were fun but the “Ring of Fire” was one I could only handle once. You go in a circle round and round then sit upside down for 30 seconds then go again! Scary!

In the Words Of...

Breanna Williams

As my first summer as an official college student and now sophomore of UNC, I have had a ton of fun and exciting experiences that could not have taken place if I have not been staying in Greeley for the summer. Moving from the dorms into my house was definitely one of the first adventures to take place this summer and boy was it hard work to move a bed up a steep flight of stairs. Once “The Dollhouse” settled down, my three roommates and I began our new life in Greeley. Workouts have been tough, but after each session is completed I feel that much closer to a Big Sky Championship. It is a powerful feeling seeing my team together everyday working hard and accomplishing so much between our ever growing friendships and athletic ability. Besides the volleyball I have had many other fun times here! Last week a few of us on the team went to water world and had an absolute blast. We managed to hit almost every ride in the park and conquer some fears of the zoomerang along with the sky high white slides that seem to go straight down. I also went to my first concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see one of my favorite bands, O.A.R., perform. There have also been some late night slip n’ slide encounters as well as some chill team moments of hanging out and eating some fajitas and amazing chocolate chip cheesecake but so far this summer has been everything I could ask for and more! With all this fun and hard work it is easy to forget that someday we will actually have to grow up and attend real jobs. Until then I will continue to enjoy the summer and look forward to our fall season!

Bre

3 Day Two...Finally!

Wow, after a couple of super crazy weeks, the video is finally done. Sorry it took so long, but it was a lot of fun to make and I hope you enjoy watching it. Stay tuned...our season is about to begin!

Three-Day-Two Camp

For all of you out there who are waiting for the video from three day two, I just wanted to let you know that I am working on it... My plan is for it to be uploaded tomorrow afternoon/evening. It was a really fun camp and we all loved having the campers on our campus. Stay tuned!

Hitting Clinic

On Tuesday the Northern Colorado Bears volleyball team hosted nearly 60 athletes with a desire to improve their hitting skills. From what we saw the girls had a great time and learned a lot. Here is a short video to recap the day...

Setter's Clinic

Today was our setter's clinic. We had 37 excited young athletes in our Rec center (Yeah Air Conditioning!!) working hard on developing their setting skills... Here are a few photos of the day.

3 Day 1!

Camps have begun! 3 day one is in full swing and the girls are working hard. Here is a quick little video of what has happened on day two.

In The Words Of...

RaeLynn Snyder

Summer is by far my favorite season. Though every summer is special in some way, this summer has been extra special for my family. My brother Bryan got married to his fiancé, Sarah, on June 16, 2009. Preparing for the wedding was of course a lot of work, but a ton of fun! As Maid of Honor, I had a lot of duties, but wouldn’t have traded them for anything because I had so much fun wedding planning. Bryan and Sarah got married right here in Greeley, CO on a beautiful summer day. It was awesome to have our family and Sarah’s family together for the first time. Now I have the sister that I have always wanted. To add to the wedding, my brother found out at the beginning of June that he had been hired as the assistant nutritionist for the Denver Broncos. They just moved into a new apartment in Denver that is very close to Invesco, and so far he absolutely loves his job. How could you not love going to lunch with Head coach, Josh McDaniels and Champ Bailey? I am still waiting for Broncos tickets and a “bring your sister to work” day. J
For me, I have been up in Greeley pretty much all summer. We have all been working extremely hard lifting weights, ploys, and running everyday. We all have our goals in mind and are working towards them each and every day. Working out has been tough, but we have found little ways to reward ourselves like slip and sliding and building forts out of blankets and sheets just for fun while eating s’mores. I went home with senior, Kenzie Shreeve for a weekend as well. We had a lot of fun together and it was nice to get away and escape to the mountains for a few days. Family and friends mean a lot to me so it was really nice to have the chance to go home for the 4th of July. My grandparents have a beautiful meadow in the middle of nowhere with an old chicken coup on their property where they have a big cook out, dance, and fireworks show every year. It is a lot of fun and really neat to see my family and spend some time with them. While I was home, my dad thought it would be funny to have a water fight on a 90 degree day in Simla, CO. It is such a small town, a water fight is some of the best entertainment you can do in a town like Simla. We all know who won this water fight…my dad! Yes, I admit it. He was pretty good even though we both got soaked. It wasn’t too fair though that he got all the water balloons. No complaining though, he’ll get it next time. I also got to see a lot of my friends while I was home too. I went to a movie and dinner with two of my best friends from high school, which was a lot of fun. It was great to see some of my closest buds.
Now it is back to reality with running and lifting and starting camps. It will be nice to get some money here is July while most of us girls will be helping out with Volleyball camps. Our 2009 season is just about here and after our spring and how hard we have been working this summer, I am getting very anxious. I can’t wait! GO BEARS!

In The Words Of...

Natasha Law...

Hey Yall!
A big howdy from another person from the greatest state in the WORLD, Texas J. Well I am more than halfway through my first Colorado summer and it definitely hasn’t disappointed me at all. I spent pretty much all of May at home with my family and Texas friends. It was amazing but to prepare for fall, Greeley was the place where I needed to be. I have been quite busy and have been enjoying all of it a lot. Four days a week we have been working out as a team, and although Joe, our strength and conditioning coach, kicks our butt we are bonding so much as a team and fighting through all the pain to get that much better. Besides working out I have been working a little as a babysitter to supply my shopping addiction and because I love kids like A LOT. I just moved in with muh girls Bre Williams, Jill, and Natalie into the Dollhouse and we love it so much. It’s an adorable house, sadly doesn’t have AC, but is quite pretty and we are having tons of fun. Although my family is in Texas I have been able to see them some too. They are my favorite people in the world so that has definitely added to my summer. I met my parents in Minnesota, where all of my mom’s family lives, for a weeding. For Father’s day I drove to Colorado Springs to see my oldest brother and his family since I could not make that quick of a trip home. Now in Greeley we have been doing lots. Besides our team, football, some softball girls, and basketball players are up here along with some other regular students so it’s nice that the town isn’t student- free in the summer. We have gone dancing, to Rockies games, Waterworld, the Greeley Stampede and spent many days by the pool among other things that I can’t remember at the moment. It has been a good time for sure! Also for the fourth of July I went to Golden to spend it with one of our teammates that graduated this year Lauren Carter, and got to sit closer to fireworks than I ever had before. It was beautiful watching them with the backdrop of the mountains. I’m used to watching them on the Lake at my house, which is also beautiful, but this was a nice change. My birthday is coming up soon and I get to go to the Keith Urban and Sugarland concert so I am counting down the days to say the least. I can’t wait to see what else the summer has in store for me. Fall will be here soon enough and we get to go to my home state for a tournament so my future is supa bright and exciting!
Natasha

Camp at Middle Park

Last week a few of us headed to the mountains to be clinicians at a camp in Granby, CO (right next to Winter Park). It was a great time. The kids did great, and the coaches had plenty of time to enjoy themselves. The camp ran from 9-12 in the mornings, then from 12-5 we had a long break. During these breaks we found ourselves Jet Skiing, hiking, on paddle boats, and even doing a little four-wheeling. The athletes at the camp learned a lot, and it was a ton of fun for the coaches.