MEA break: Teams Relax, Recharge and Prepare
Whew. We made it. The craziness of the season has reached it’s peak. Since mid-August teams have been planning, practicing, and preparing for the demands of busy game schedules as well as the new school year. These student…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWhew. We made it. The craziness of the season has reached it’s peak.
Since mid-August teams have been planning, practicing, and preparing for the demands of busy game schedules as well as the new school year. These student athletes are pushed to their limits with two weekday matches, Saturday tournaments, along with homework. All teams have faced disappointment, injury, sickness, and problems to some degree; but, now, teams will have a nice long weekend to relax, recharge and prepare for the second half of the season; the part that matters most. Here is a look at how the volleyball community will be spending the MEA break.
Coaches: Most coaches will be analyzing the sub section match-ups as they are announced. They will hope to keep a positive outlook as they look back at tape to develop a game plan. Some will be puzzled by the seeding, but coaches will remain optimistic.
Players: Some teams still have to play a match on Thursday. Their game-day routine will be different so having a short practice or team gathering is a wise idea. The majority of teams will have their weekend free from tournaments and will use the time for some much needed rest after big matches, homecoming, week and mid-quarter tests.
Others, will not rest until the season is through. In the cities, Chaska will host the Toni Kaiser Memorial Invite. It will showcase several of the top teams in the state: Stewartville, Champlin Park, Mayer Lutheran, Belle Plaine, Edina, Eagan ‘ last=”]’ last=”] and Bemiji. This is a great event for gaining confidence and fine tuning problem areas. There will be great match-ups that would not happen otherwise. Teams with deep benches will be at an advantage as coaches won’t want to risk injury or burnout.
Some teams are keeping it low key with close scrimmages like Lewiston Altura and St Charles. Others are grinding it out with morning practice and workouts like Rochester Mayo. Whatever the coach has decided it’s a great opportunity for teams to refocus their mission and goals for the year. We wish everyone a restful MEA weekend and goodluck in the next seasons of playoffs!