KEEP YOUR GOAL IN SIGHT

Always keep your goal in sight...even if you miss or you fail, keep on trying!

WELLS FARGO

Always visualize your ultimate goal...even on a muggy July night in Iowa!

TONY DUNGY

One of the greatest coaches the NFL has ever seen is Tony Dungy...and he deserves a blog posting of his own!  He won a Super Bowl title with the Colts a few years ago, and he is now an analyst on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."  He has also written 3 inspirational books.  For a fantastic read, check out the article linked here

WE DEAL THE CARDS

Photo from Dickinson County News

After meeting with Spirit Lake head football coach Josh Bolluyt today for lunch in Spirit Lake, a great quote shared from Coach Bolluyt was "We deal the cards." This phrase was in reference to how Spirit Lake approaches each football game. They will set the pace offensively and defensively, and the other team must adjust to them, not vice versa. They worry about what they can control and what they are doing on the field, not the other team. What a great philosophy and also a fantastic, concise slogan to get kids to "buy in." We are stealing this phrase in Le Mars this season: "We deal the cards."

WHERE YA FROM? L-TOWN!

Some people have asked where the inspiration for the slogan on the back of our girls youth basketball camp t-shirts came from.  To answer that question, it came from the late, legendary, iconic Ed Thomas (former Aplington-Parkersburg football coach).  To Coach Thomas, playing for A-P was all about pride...pride in the team, pride in the program, pride in the school, and pride in the community.  No matter where life would take those kids, he wanted them to always be proud of being from A-P.  We are stressing this same sense of pride with our kids in our school and our town.  The slogan on the back of the shirt is in memory of Ed Thomas and in honor of Le Mars.  Take a look at this video to watch Coach Thomas and his players breaking it out (2:38 mark of the video):

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Image from flickr.com/creativecommons

twitter.com/ltownhoops

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@ltownhoops

POINTING FINGERS

Watching "Sports Center" today, NFL analyst and former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth said, "Every time you point a finger, there's always three pointing back at you."  He said this in reference to disgruntled New York Jets WR Santonio Holmes.  What a great quote, and there is some real truth behind that.

SHE'S THRILLED TO SIGN ON

Take a look at this article from The Washington Post linked here

2012-13 SCHEDULE

We are posting the 2012-13 varsity/JV girls basketball schedule.  On paper, it is one of the toughest schedules in the state, if not THE toughest...but we like it that way!  Playing the best competition will only make us better and it will constantly test us.  There is no better area of the state for girls basketball than NW Iowa...the depth in quality of teams is amazing, and we will be ready for the challenge!  Please come out to support the Lady Bulldogs this winter!  Take a look at the schedule here: 

Le Mars Community Lady Bulldog Basketball 2012-13 JV/Varsity schedule

DATE                     OPPONENT                                                        JV/V TIMES                                        

11-20                     at Hinton                                                          6:00/7:30 PM                    

11-27                     at Unity Christian                                             4:45/6:15 PM                    

12-4                       at Sprit Lake                                                     4:45/6:15 PM                    

12-7                       at Emmetsburg                                                4:45/6:15 PM                    

12-11                     WESTERN CHRISTIAN                                      4:45/6:15 PM                    

12-14                     SPENCER                                                          4:45/6:15 PM                    

12-15                     at Sioux Center                                                4:00/5:30 PM                    

12-18                     at Bishop Heelan                                             4:15/5:45 PM                    

12-21                     CHEROKEE                                                       4:45/6:15 PM                                    

1-4                         at Estherville                                                    4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-8                         SERGEANT BLUFF-LUTON                                4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-11                       at Storm Lake                                                   4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-15                       SPIRIT LAKE                                                      4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-18                       EMMETSBURG                                                 4:45/6:15 PM                    
1-22                       at Western Christian                                        4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-25                       at Spencer                                                        4:45/6:15 PM                    

1-29                       at Cherokee                                                      4:45/6:15 PM                    

2-1                         ESTHERVILLE                                                    4:45/6:15 PM                    

2-5                         STORM LAKE                                                    4:45/6:15 PM                    

2-8                         SIOUX CITY WEST                                             4:45/6:15 PM                    

2-9                         SIOUX CITY EAST                                              4:45/6:15 PM                                    

2-13                       Regional Quarterfinal                                         7:00 PM

2-16                       Regional Semifinal                                              7:00 PM

2-19                       Regional Final                                                     7:00 PM

2-25 thru 3-2         State Tournament                                                TBA

CORY WEISSMAN

Cool story here from ESPN:

MIKE GESELL

It's always fun to follow kids from our area in college athletics, especially at the highest level.  Check out one of the first Iowa Hawkeye articles about South Sioux City's Mike Gesell linked here.  Gesell is a fantastic leader, a great student in the classroom, and an awesome citizen in his community...a true role model for kids to want to emulate.  And the best part is that he's a Hawkeye :)

PAT SUMMITT VIDEO

Great video about legendary Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt.  Thank you to Le Mars' own Julie Theisen for passing this along.

MORE PICTURES FROM YOUTH CAMP

We've added some more pictures from our youth camp last week.  (Sorry about Coach Kopp's poor photography skills!)

PASSION (FROM MICHAEL JORDAN)

This meaning and depth of this quote from Michael Jordan needs no explanation...

"He has a strong passion for the game and that’s hard to teach people. I’m a strong believer if you have a passion for something, you’re going to figure it out. That’s the thing I saw in him more than anything else – his passion for coaching.”  (Michael Jordan, in reference to Mike Dunlap, the new head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats)

Read the full article here

Find your passion in life...

NICOLE SCHUETT

We were deeply saddened to hear the news about the passing of Nicole Schuett on Wednesday, July 11, after a long and brave battle with cancer.  Nicole was a special education teacher at Le Mars Community Middle School, and her daughter Alex (class of '11) played basketball for the Lady Bulldogs, in addition to volleyball and track.  Nicole was an amazing person in so many ways, and she will be definitely be missed.  She positively impacted the lives of numerous people through the years, both in and out of school, and her positive outlook on life and her courageous spirit were inspirational to all of us during her battle with cancer.  Please keep her husband Chris and her children Alex and Zach in your thoughts and prayers.  To read her obituary, please click here

WILL IT BE EASY? NOPE!

Great photo here from Alan Stein's "Stronger Team" blog:

YOUTH CAMP--DAY 3

We wrapped up our youth camp with a solid third day.  Our guest speaker was Tara Lehner (class of '09), and she talked about some important life lessons for the girls.  Congrats to our fastbreak league champions the Heat (grades 6-8) and the Celtics (grades 3-5).  Also congrats to our contest winners and to all that participated in a successful camp!  Check out a few of the pictures from camp:

PLAYING FAST



Image from flickr.com/creativecommons

"Most coaches believe defenses are more vulnerable late in the shot clock (or possession), that you can get them out of position with a lot of passing.  I don't know why defenses wouldn't be more vulnerable before they get set.  That's why we play fast."  --Mike D'Antoni

YOUTH CAMP--DAY 2

Day 2 was another great day at youth camp today.  The girls really played hard and had tons of fun.  Our high school girls are such awesome leaders and were there to help out, which was great to see again.  Erica Westhoff (class of '11) was our guest speaker today and had some cool messages for the girls.  Final day tomorrow...and then we'll post some pictures!

INNOVATION (FROM MIKE LEACH)

This is awesome and so true:  "Innovation only happens when somebody bucks the norm and tries doing things a different way.  I suspect most people are reluctant to step outside conventions because they don’t want to open themselves up to criticism.  It’s unfortunate.  If there is honor and nobility in what you’re doing, you shouldn’t fear anyone’s opinions."  --Mike Leach (from his book Swing Your Sword) 

YOUTH CAMP--DAY 1

We concluded an exciting day 1 of a very successful Lady Bulldog Youth Basketball Camp this morning.  We have 33 campers in grades 6-8 and 20 campers in grades 3-5.  We also had several of our high school kids helping out this morning, which was a joy for our younger kids.  Jenni Theisen (class of '12) was our speaker, and she provided a motivational message to the campers.  Check back in the next few days, because we will post some pictures from camp.

ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING

This ESPN story reminds us that we can accomplish anything in life...also, it begs the question, "What's your excuse?" next time you face a choice or challenge.

FROM 1-31 TO CONFERENCE CHAMPS

Cool story from Forest City, Iowa:  the Forest City High School baseball team just clinched a share of the North Iowa Conference baseball regular season title with a win over Osage the other day.  This came a day after beating Mason City Newman, ending the Knights' 122 game conference win streak...yes, that's right, 122 game conference win streak.  This is a great accomplishment for the Indian baseball team, especially considering the fact that their season record only a few seasons ago was 1-31...what a remarkable turnaround.  Congratulations to Coach Jeff Jerome and the Forest City Indians.

STEVE NASH

Image from flickr.com/creativecommons

"I felt uncomfortable being comfortable.  I'd call the team manager, get the key to the gym, call some teammates, and go shoot for a couple hours."  --Steve Nash (from the book :07 Or Less)

THE MOST INNOVATIVE PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY?

Pulaski (Arkansas) Academy's football program might be the most innovative and creative high school athletic program in the country.  In fact, in one game during the 2011 season, the opponent was down 29-0 before touching the ball.  Coach Kevin Kelley's team never punts, they attempt onside kicks at every opportunity, they never return punts, and their playbook features many unique tricks.  Has there ever been a program that has defied conventional wisdom like the Bruins?  It seems to be paying off in the W/L column, especially since Pulaski has won a couple state titles under Kelley, and have compiled an impressive W/L record.  What's more important is that the players absolutely LOVE playing this style of football and the "outside the box" thinking...you know that in life these kids will develop into risk-takers who are not afraid of change.  Yes there are critics (as there are with anything in life, especially anything involving something different), but Kelley and his players don't mind...maybe it's the critics who wish they would have thought of these tactics first.

CONGRATS TO SOFTBALL

Congratulations to the Le Mars Lady Bulldogs softball team for finishing the regular season tied for the Lakes Conference championship!  Good luck in the postseason!

GOOD VS. GREAT

Image from flickr.com/creativecommons

Check out this article written by Maurice Jones-Drew, running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, about the common theme of "good vs. great."  The article was written in June, 2010, but it is an outstanding read.  Please take a few minutes to read it, print it off, save it, and then re-read it again in the future...it's that good!  The article is linked here