2019 Education magazine

Page 20 2019 “Education making a difference” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 “When I first started ten years ago we were having larger schools drop us because they seemed to think we were not competitive enough for their programs. I have never forgotten that feeling. Over the years the girls and their parents have bought into the program and commit a lot of time, and with that has brought much success. “Mr. (Bailey) Climer was superintendent when I was first hired and he told me the only thing he wanted me to accomplish was to bring home some hardware before he retired because, the girls program was the only program he had not won any hardware with as an administrator at West Lincoln Broadwell. I was glad we could give him a few before he left. “At... the beginning of the year (2018) the team talked about game day goals, individual goals, team goals and post season goals. The girls all knew what they wanted at the end of the year, and that was to be state champions again in both seventh and eighth. We discussed the obstacles we would face and what we would need to do to accomplish that goal. As the season started you could tell these girls were on a mission. “We adopted the saying ‘earned not given’ because I wanted them to know that every practice, every game they had to earn the win, that nothing would be given to them this year because of their success last year. Every team would give them their best game. “We stressed the fundamentals over and over again, and the girls responded each and every day. That is what makes this team and program so special, the girls understand that it takes doing the little things to make big differences in games. “The Seventh and Eighth Grade teams both won the Logan County Championships, I believe for the sixth year in a row. Post season was next, and these girls were not done yet. The Seventh Grade Team would find themselves playing multiple games a week as the Eighth Grade Team consisted of only one eighth grader, Elly Martinez. At one point the Seventh Grade Team played a Wednesday in Pontiac for a Sectional Championship, Thursday and Friday for an Eighth Grade Regional Championship, and then Saturday two games in Assumption for State. All these games and travel didn’t seem to faze these girls at all, as they knew what their goal was, and nothing was going to stand in their way. “The Seventh Grade Team defeated an undefeated Ottawa Wallace Team by a score of 52-20 to clinch a State Championship 3-peat. The team broke 11 team records and Kloe (Coach Froebe’s daughter) broke eight individual records; to say this team rewrote the record books is an understatement. “This team was not satisfied as they were still hungry and wanted to give their eighth- CONTINUED