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Fall 2006 Is it Avalanche or Avalanches? Our young team is often referred to in two different ways. I call the girls as a group the "Avalanche" and they call themselves the "Avalanches." You can hear it especially when they do their cheers. Remember? "Gooooo, AvalancheS"! So, which is right? The answer, I think, is, well, both. They are the Avalanche and they are Avalanches. When the girls chose their team name last spring I liked it immediately for all of the good analogies related to teamwork and the power of a unified force. By itself, a snowflake is soft, gentle, and light. But millions of snowflakes together make an unstoppable force. What a motivating thought--if we work together well we can be a great team just like a cascading avalanche. A coach's dream team name, for sure. And I tried to talk about that to the team. Really, I did. But then I realized that the opposite side of the analogy isn't really true. These girls are far from lightly falling snowflakes when they are not together. As individuals they are powerful in their own right. Each has her own strength, each her own individual power. Just look at the determination on Caris' face as she crashes the goal; just watch the end result of Hannah's big foot; just be dazzled by Shelby's endlessly positive attitude; see Nicole's blushing red face after she's given everything she can give; get absorbed by Dana's constant enthusiasm; watch Tyla hustle back to help out even when she's tired; watch how quickly Holly gets up if she gets knocked down; and then witness Ashley's stalwart and consistent defense. And, after just two practices, I am already seeing similar qualities in our new girls: Anna, Kelly, Sammy, and Taylor. Each one expresses something special about herself yet also complements her teammates and makes them stronger. This is going to be a great season. Go Avalanche! Go Avalanches! Think snow! |
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