Ok so I'll be honest, I opted to push today's workout to tomorrow night for two reasons, to ice down a sore limb or two, and to watch UNC-Michigan St. play on deck of an aircraft carrier. How could you miss this (unless of course you are at work or have your own game to deal with)? I could only imagine how different that feels, but how rewarding it is at the same time. I've played against UNC, which is definitely a cool experience in and of itself, but this is cool. It would be awesome if this becomes a yearly occurrence, and even spread to the women's game as well.
Speaking of college basketball, I want to shout out one of our former Cosby players, Kelsey Conyers, for making her college debut as Virginia Tech got the win at ODU tonight. I've mentioned before, all of us in the Cosby basketball family are proud of Kelsey, and I have a feeling tonight's game is the first of bigger things to come. Congratulations to her, the Conyers family, and the VT women's basketball program. Good stuff all around.
Interestingly enough, my first college game was an exhibition at ODU my freshman year. I was inactive, on the bench in street clothes. That's the breaks of college ball sometimes, but still a cool experience. That's a great facility down there, and looking up at the big screen and seeing yourself, even sitting on the bench, is surreal. It makes all the hard work worth it. I won't ever forget that night, I was truly blessed to have been a part of that experience.
This year, I've committed to give even more of myself to our basketball program at Cosby. Our coaches and players work so hard, and I'm just following suit, trying to go the extra mile. One way I'm doing this is by staying after our Varsity practices to help out at the JV practices. Last year, I didn't make many of them, so this year I want to make as many as possible. I've been to all of them so far. There's likely no way I can maintain that pace, but I'm going to try. Coach Ox, Coach Leonard (who volunteers by the way), and our JV team are all working hard and poised for success. I am challenging myself in other ways as well to help all of our girls, JV and Varsity, get better and accomplish their goals as well. It's a pleasure to work with such great coaches, and under one of the best, Coach Mead.
People have been asking me my opinion on Joe Paterno and the Penn St. situation. Again, I don't think my opinion matters much, but I will say I agree it's a sad situation that has affected so many people, all over the country. I have a feeling more people may be exposed to have some sort of involvement in how the whole thing went down. It's too early to even say anything. It's a developing story, with new twists and turns everyday. Several analysts have said, there's no way Penn St. could let Paterno go out and coach this weekend, be touted as a hero, and run the risk of that later coming back to bite them as the facts continue to unfold. I totally see that side of the story. Also, I'd hate to be one of the coaches who is likely to be let go once the season ends as the school attempts to clean house and start anew. There are probably coaches and staff in that department who work extremely hard, and had no knowledge or participation in anything other than their jobs, who could be without a job soon. Sad story, we'll see what happens next.
This is just another example though, of wrong doing in a college athletic program. Sure it's worse than the dirty money, rule breaking, etc., but still, the games that so many love are used and abused by people who go about it the wrong way, breaking rules and laws along the way. I've played at the college level, and seen first hand some of the bad stuff that happens at times. It's taught me to always value the game and go about it the right way. Breaking the rules, lying to players, using players, not valuing their health and education, and so much more of that stuff is all bad. Now you have the Penn St. situation that takes it to a whole other level. I always say sometimes it's easy to do the wrong thing, but you should always strive to do what's right, no matter what. I really enjoy meeting coaches who go about their work the right way. That's the place I want to be. I hope an effort is made to highlight those who love the game they coach, the players that work hard for them, and their efforts to do things the right way. They should be applauded.
I'd be remiss to not thank all of our veterans on this holiday. Like so many, I have veterans in my family, and I also have fraternity brothers who have served and are still serving right now as we speak. I love all of you guys, and hope that one day I can use basketball in a way to pay even greater tribute to all those that serve.
That takes me back to tonight's game. It's over, UNC wins, but like Dicky V said, it's a great night for basketball and America regardless. I enjoyed watching it, and yes, I did take some notes on stuff I saw, some of you know me too well. Add playing and/or coaching on the deck of an aircraft carrier to the bucket list.
That's all I got, time to chill out and it's back to CBS 6 in the morning. Thanks for reading.
-- Travis
Showing posts with label WTVR CBS 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WTVR CBS 6. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
It's snowing in Radford, and I'm not there
First of all, truly amazing end to a story I broke last Sunday. Friday afternoon, Robert Wood, Jr. was found near the spot where he was last seen in the North Anna Battlefield Park. This is a shocking piece of great news. If you live in Central Va. you already know that. So many people volunteered and searched and prayed, and now they celebrate. I am interested to see what information comes out next. How this kid survived 6 days on his own in the woods is remarkable, and as far as I know, that's exactly what happened. I'll be working on the story again tomorrow with my colleagues at CBS 6.
I'll admit, I didn't watch all of the World Series, but obviously if you're a fan of baseball, you're a fan of that drama in a 7 game series. Some players definitely made names for themselves this fall. As for my Yankees, the Quest for 28 continues...
It's no secret I couldn't have made it to the college level playing basketball without a serious commitment to working hard every single day. Yesterday I read an interesting story on Dallas Cowboys.com (yes I'm a huge Cowboy fan) about a true underdog story of a guy who is also being praised for his work ethic. That guy is rookie running back Phillip Tanner. Here's a quote I'd like to share from that article.
"You have to go to practice every day as if you’re the starter. You have to take every rep as if you’re going to take every rep in the game and work hard, finish all your runs.” -- Phillip Tanner
If I could share a quote with young athletes out there, this would be near the top of the list. Here's the thing, Tanner was a small school DI back. Obviously, born with a ton of athletic ability. But, he went undrafted this year, and was signed by the Cowboys as a rookie free agent. After a huge preseason, he gave them no choice but to keep him on the roster, and last week, he saw his first action in the backfield, gaining 34 yards on 6 carries and scoring a touchdown. The article praises Tanner for coming in early everyday. He's in as early as 3:30 a.m., and even on his "late" days, he beats most all of the team and staff still (6:45 a.m.). Good for him. Hard work pays off. Even if he wasn't a Cowboy, I'd be happy for him. He's been a great story, and conquered the odds so far. That's motivation.
It feels like December in Richmond right now, and Western Va. got several inches of snow today. The closest snow got to me was about 20 minutes north of the city in Ashland. I always have said, if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow.
Well, time to get to sleep. Working my usual super long Sunday tomorrow, starting at 6am. Stanford and USC are in OT on my TV, should be fun to watch.
Remember, you're blessed to have tomorrow, no matter what happens.
I'll admit, I didn't watch all of the World Series, but obviously if you're a fan of baseball, you're a fan of that drama in a 7 game series. Some players definitely made names for themselves this fall. As for my Yankees, the Quest for 28 continues...
It's no secret I couldn't have made it to the college level playing basketball without a serious commitment to working hard every single day. Yesterday I read an interesting story on Dallas Cowboys.com (yes I'm a huge Cowboy fan) about a true underdog story of a guy who is also being praised for his work ethic. That guy is rookie running back Phillip Tanner. Here's a quote I'd like to share from that article.
"You have to go to practice every day as if you’re the starter. You have to take every rep as if you’re going to take every rep in the game and work hard, finish all your runs.” -- Phillip Tanner
If I could share a quote with young athletes out there, this would be near the top of the list. Here's the thing, Tanner was a small school DI back. Obviously, born with a ton of athletic ability. But, he went undrafted this year, and was signed by the Cowboys as a rookie free agent. After a huge preseason, he gave them no choice but to keep him on the roster, and last week, he saw his first action in the backfield, gaining 34 yards on 6 carries and scoring a touchdown. The article praises Tanner for coming in early everyday. He's in as early as 3:30 a.m., and even on his "late" days, he beats most all of the team and staff still (6:45 a.m.). Good for him. Hard work pays off. Even if he wasn't a Cowboy, I'd be happy for him. He's been a great story, and conquered the odds so far. That's motivation.
It feels like December in Richmond right now, and Western Va. got several inches of snow today. The closest snow got to me was about 20 minutes north of the city in Ashland. I always have said, if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow.
Well, time to get to sleep. Working my usual super long Sunday tomorrow, starting at 6am. Stanford and USC are in OT on my TV, should be fun to watch.
Remember, you're blessed to have tomorrow, no matter what happens.
Monday, October 17, 2011
When's the last time...?
I know it's only October, but it's never too soon to start getting in the holiday spirit.
Me, I'll be spending my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at CBS 6 News this year. Working on Christmas is never ideal, but millions of people have to do it. This year, I'm one of them. There's no guarantee my news director will throw me a little on air love for working on Christmas, but it'd be cool to report on Christmas Day.
But anyway, as I'm sitting here I start to wonder, when's the last time I did something for a bigger cause. I mean, I help my friends, co workers, and players out all the time. But that's not what I mean. I hope that as the holidays draw nearer, I can find somewhere to volunteer at, or some family that I can help somehow. I've always, for example, wanted to volunteer with senior citizens. There are so many seniors out there who have lost their spouse, and live alone. Most of them spend much of their days and night all by themselves. I think that's sad, and I'd love to volunteer to help that cause, because part of be in the journalism field means I have to love to talk to people, and I do. Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas....
Moving on, today was my first day off in a week. I wish my body hasn't been stuck on an automatic alarm clock for 8 something in the morning for the past month or so. I guess that's a sign though that God wants me up for a reason, to work harder and focus on the future.
How awesome was The Walking Dead last night in the season premier? I mean it left me saying wow, and I can't wait for next week already. That show is picking up a ton of speed, and it seems a lot of people are talking about it. The ratings are probably huge.
I motivated myself this weekend. I was out in the field covering Occupy Richmond. Yes, the Occupy Wall St. movement made its way to Richmond this weekend, and continues today, with about 50 people left (down from 500 ish on Saturday). Anyway, I took a chance and tried to be creative with a stand up for the story. Working on my own, it's tough to get movement and creativity into a stand up when it's just me and a tripod, but I keep trying anyway. I got back to the station, and obviously my idea didn't quite work. It was kind of funny, you can laugh it off, delete it, and move on, but I'll admit, I was a little discouraged at first. The more I think about it, though, I remember that to be successful, you have to take chances! People may laugh at it, criticize it, you might fail. But don't stop taking chances. These learning experiences have to motivate you. It's true, you miss every shot you don't take.
Anyway, on to Monday night TV. Two and a Half Men is already off to a pretty funny start. Maybe the Cowboys will trade for a running back before Thursday.
Keeping the faith and still taking shots,
-- TP
Me, I'll be spending my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at CBS 6 News this year. Working on Christmas is never ideal, but millions of people have to do it. This year, I'm one of them. There's no guarantee my news director will throw me a little on air love for working on Christmas, but it'd be cool to report on Christmas Day.
But anyway, as I'm sitting here I start to wonder, when's the last time I did something for a bigger cause. I mean, I help my friends, co workers, and players out all the time. But that's not what I mean. I hope that as the holidays draw nearer, I can find somewhere to volunteer at, or some family that I can help somehow. I've always, for example, wanted to volunteer with senior citizens. There are so many seniors out there who have lost their spouse, and live alone. Most of them spend much of their days and night all by themselves. I think that's sad, and I'd love to volunteer to help that cause, because part of be in the journalism field means I have to love to talk to people, and I do. Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas....
Moving on, today was my first day off in a week. I wish my body hasn't been stuck on an automatic alarm clock for 8 something in the morning for the past month or so. I guess that's a sign though that God wants me up for a reason, to work harder and focus on the future.
How awesome was The Walking Dead last night in the season premier? I mean it left me saying wow, and I can't wait for next week already. That show is picking up a ton of speed, and it seems a lot of people are talking about it. The ratings are probably huge.
I motivated myself this weekend. I was out in the field covering Occupy Richmond. Yes, the Occupy Wall St. movement made its way to Richmond this weekend, and continues today, with about 50 people left (down from 500 ish on Saturday). Anyway, I took a chance and tried to be creative with a stand up for the story. Working on my own, it's tough to get movement and creativity into a stand up when it's just me and a tripod, but I keep trying anyway. I got back to the station, and obviously my idea didn't quite work. It was kind of funny, you can laugh it off, delete it, and move on, but I'll admit, I was a little discouraged at first. The more I think about it, though, I remember that to be successful, you have to take chances! People may laugh at it, criticize it, you might fail. But don't stop taking chances. These learning experiences have to motivate you. It's true, you miss every shot you don't take.
Anyway, on to Monday night TV. Two and a Half Men is already off to a pretty funny start. Maybe the Cowboys will trade for a running back before Thursday.
Keeping the faith and still taking shots,
-- TP
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Injuries are part of the game....
Sometimes, one of the hardest parts about being an athlete is being bit by the inevitable injury bug.
Injuries happen. Trust me, I've had my share of them, from concussions to crutches, from a college training room to the ankle injuries, and physical therapy, I could tell some injury stories. When you play hard at a high level, sometimes you get hurt.
This risk is something we accept every time we lace 'em up, but that doesn't make it any easier to overcome. For me, I was one of those alpha-jocks who hated taking a day off, missing a practice or game, or even just a chance to work out and get better. I'd rush back, even sneak to get a workout in when I'm supposed to still be on crutches. That's how a competitor is.
As a coach, as a human being, though, we tend to always treat someone else's injuries with extreme caution. It may sound cliche, but here's what I tell young athletes- one or two practices or games aren't likely to make or break your career. While being injured sucks, keep your head up, don't let it get you down, even though it's easy to get depressed. I tell them, your number one priority is your health, doing what you have to do to get healthy. That's how you can help your team. An injury may affect you physically, but there's still other things you can contribute to the team even if you're physically hurt, and the team always needs that.
We know more now about various injuries than we did even 5 years ago. You see so much focus on concussions for instance, as we continue to learn more about the possible long term affects and consequences of having severe head injuries. I think it's great to continue to learn more about injuries, their prevention, and how to more quickly remedy one. And remember, it's part of the game.
Two movies I'm looking forward to seeing: the remake of 3 Musketeers and Anonymous, the movie about Shakespeare. Both of the previews look very good, and my little bro has already been bugging me about going to see them. I saw Moneyball a few weeks ago, and it was worth the ticket price.
It's been the weekend of overtime at work so far. Thanks to everyone who reads my stuff on wtvr.com. I'll have more tomorrow on some of the stories I've covered this weekend. So far, my two big stories for the weekend are definitely interesting topics that have generated conversation.
Drake and Jay Pharoh on SNL rapping about stealing candy from kids was pretty funny. Two talented guys right there.
Ok, I'm out. Work before the sun is up tomorrow. Good news- for me, it's FRIDAY!
Injuries happen. Trust me, I've had my share of them, from concussions to crutches, from a college training room to the ankle injuries, and physical therapy, I could tell some injury stories. When you play hard at a high level, sometimes you get hurt.
This risk is something we accept every time we lace 'em up, but that doesn't make it any easier to overcome. For me, I was one of those alpha-jocks who hated taking a day off, missing a practice or game, or even just a chance to work out and get better. I'd rush back, even sneak to get a workout in when I'm supposed to still be on crutches. That's how a competitor is.
As a coach, as a human being, though, we tend to always treat someone else's injuries with extreme caution. It may sound cliche, but here's what I tell young athletes- one or two practices or games aren't likely to make or break your career. While being injured sucks, keep your head up, don't let it get you down, even though it's easy to get depressed. I tell them, your number one priority is your health, doing what you have to do to get healthy. That's how you can help your team. An injury may affect you physically, but there's still other things you can contribute to the team even if you're physically hurt, and the team always needs that.
We know more now about various injuries than we did even 5 years ago. You see so much focus on concussions for instance, as we continue to learn more about the possible long term affects and consequences of having severe head injuries. I think it's great to continue to learn more about injuries, their prevention, and how to more quickly remedy one. And remember, it's part of the game.
Two movies I'm looking forward to seeing: the remake of 3 Musketeers and Anonymous, the movie about Shakespeare. Both of the previews look very good, and my little bro has already been bugging me about going to see them. I saw Moneyball a few weeks ago, and it was worth the ticket price.
It's been the weekend of overtime at work so far. Thanks to everyone who reads my stuff on wtvr.com. I'll have more tomorrow on some of the stories I've covered this weekend. So far, my two big stories for the weekend are definitely interesting topics that have generated conversation.
Drake and Jay Pharoh on SNL rapping about stealing candy from kids was pretty funny. Two talented guys right there.
Ok, I'm out. Work before the sun is up tomorrow. Good news- for me, it's FRIDAY!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Less than a month to the season...
The good news... the Virginia High School League adopted a week earlier start time for winter sports this year.
The better news... Monday, November 7 is less than a month away
The bad news... until then, we are still working with preseason practices and the obstacles associated
So over the past week and a half, I've been spending a whole lot of time doing film study, watching our games from last year over and over, looking at the smaller details. I've also been studying film of colleges who have clips of their practices online. Check out this one of the Gonzaga Women's Basketball Team:
This is impressive. In our practices at Cosby, I always preach energy, intensity, and communication, from the time you walk in the gym to the time you wrap up. Notice how every player is into it, yelling, clapping, working hard, and enjoying it. That's how I played, and I think you get more out of practice if you practice in this type of atmosphere.
Another website I stumbled upon is the one created by Florida State Women's Basketball. Take a look.
http://www.seminolehoops.com/index.html
All I can say is wow. This is great stuff. All of the videos not only are useful to young players from a workout stand point, but a lot of the clips show how Coach Semrau's program is a family. Playing in college, I felt as if I was part of a family too, but they really showcase it to the world on this website. Honestly, I'd want to go to Florida State after visiting this site. It must help them with recruiting, and obviously they do a ton of great things there to have had so much success. I'm sure I'll visit this site more than once again. I hope to one day have the chance to work in a program like that.
On another ACC basketball note, I want to shout out former Cosby stand out Kelsey Conyers for making the women's basketball team at Virginia Tech. Kelsey has played with and against that level of talent before, and she was a pleasure to coach last season as a Senior. She was an All Distirct, All Region, and All Metro player multiple times, and not only a top rate player, but a top rate person. It doesn't surprise me at all, and I'm glad she decided to play at VT. Congrats to her, and I have a feeling that program will be better everyday she walks in the gym. That's just Kelsey.
Other than that, I'm just waiting to watch the CBS 6 News at 11 (sorry, I'm not on tonight), and then get to sleep. Tomorrow is my Saturday, and my only true off day this week, with shifts at the YMCA and preseason practice filling the rest of my week, then it's back to CBS 6 Friday. I'm just looking forward to working out tomorrow and getting some shots up. Hopefully, my ankle and knee soreness continue to subside. Thanks for reading.
-- Coach P
The better news... Monday, November 7 is less than a month away
The bad news... until then, we are still working with preseason practices and the obstacles associated
So over the past week and a half, I've been spending a whole lot of time doing film study, watching our games from last year over and over, looking at the smaller details. I've also been studying film of colleges who have clips of their practices online. Check out this one of the Gonzaga Women's Basketball Team:
This is impressive. In our practices at Cosby, I always preach energy, intensity, and communication, from the time you walk in the gym to the time you wrap up. Notice how every player is into it, yelling, clapping, working hard, and enjoying it. That's how I played, and I think you get more out of practice if you practice in this type of atmosphere.
Another website I stumbled upon is the one created by Florida State Women's Basketball. Take a look.
http://www.seminolehoops.com/index.html
All I can say is wow. This is great stuff. All of the videos not only are useful to young players from a workout stand point, but a lot of the clips show how Coach Semrau's program is a family. Playing in college, I felt as if I was part of a family too, but they really showcase it to the world on this website. Honestly, I'd want to go to Florida State after visiting this site. It must help them with recruiting, and obviously they do a ton of great things there to have had so much success. I'm sure I'll visit this site more than once again. I hope to one day have the chance to work in a program like that.
On another ACC basketball note, I want to shout out former Cosby stand out Kelsey Conyers for making the women's basketball team at Virginia Tech. Kelsey has played with and against that level of talent before, and she was a pleasure to coach last season as a Senior. She was an All Distirct, All Region, and All Metro player multiple times, and not only a top rate player, but a top rate person. It doesn't surprise me at all, and I'm glad she decided to play at VT. Congrats to her, and I have a feeling that program will be better everyday she walks in the gym. That's just Kelsey.
Other than that, I'm just waiting to watch the CBS 6 News at 11 (sorry, I'm not on tonight), and then get to sleep. Tomorrow is my Saturday, and my only true off day this week, with shifts at the YMCA and preseason practice filling the rest of my week, then it's back to CBS 6 Friday. I'm just looking forward to working out tomorrow and getting some shots up. Hopefully, my ankle and knee soreness continue to subside. Thanks for reading.
-- Coach P
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