Spartan Buddies! by Chelsea Lasky

This year, the Spartans began a new program to get in touch with Case Women’s Basketball alumae for networking and friendship purposes—if not just to share in the perils of running 5 suicides in a row because no one opened their mouth to call out a switch.

In August, we anxiously awaited the email from coach announcing our Spartan Buddy matches so we could introduce ourselves and get the alums reconnected to the program. Some players were matched with recent grads like Ashleigh Tondo, Anna Taylor and Mary Herendeen, while others received matches who matriculated before Coach Reimer’s time at Case.

I got my Spartan Buddy’s name, Tracy Roessner (pictured in purple with members of the women's basketball team above,) I sent an email and immediately got a response from a more-than-enthusiastic Tracy. Very quickly we formed a friendship which shares a love for basketball and a present/past not only as a student at Case, but an assistant coach here as well (for those of you who didn’t already know, I am student coaching this year).

Tracy lives in Chicago, so we shoot each other emails every so often; me to update Tracy on the season and see if anything is new with her, and her to give encouragement and just to talk about anything and everything.

One exciting thing about this whole match-up was getting to meet Tracy for the first time when we traveled to Chicago for conference play a couple weeks ago. We knew well in advance the date of the game, and we were both looking forward to meeting one another. In an email reminder of the date, Tracy responded, “I have been looking forward to it all month!” After the game, I got the chance to meet my Spartan Buddy and we talked through most of the guys’ game which followed.

I learned so much about what Case was like a few years ago, and I shared so much about how Case has changed and how we do things these days. Tracy and I do not share a major—she graduated with a social sciences degree and I am on track in the engineering school—but that didn’t stop us from talking about so much.

The Spartan Buddy program may just be in its inaugural year, but it is doing great things for past and present players at Case. Tracy shares the same love I have for the Case Basketball program and she hopes to see us succeed more and more each and every year. I think it’s safe to say the whole team, as well as Tracy, hope to repeat her senior year appearance in the NCAA Tournament back in 2002.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

By Marissa Miles, Class of 2013


Ahh... another semester of college down. I can't decide what about this makes me happier, the thought of finally having time to sleep at night, or the fact that I won't be seeing the inside of the library for at least a solid month. It's refreshing to know that every time coach pulls us into a huddle to talk about increasing our energy, I won't automatically think of the thermodynamics behind it. And when she draws up an inbounds play at a timeout, I won't accidentally mistake the arrows for the movement of electrons across a bond rather than the movement of the ball across the floor. So you caught me, I'm a certified nerd. I guess that’s something that one should expect once they've found friendship with the afterhours security guard at the library and is on first name basis with the Safe Ride driver that brings you home after a long night hidden away in the stacks studying.


Finals week at Case is officially OVER! Now, I don't know if you've ever experienced anything like it before, but finals week here is without a doubt the craziest time of the year. Campus immediately becomes the walking grounds for a few thousand exhausted, zombie-like individuals making the trek to a horrifying 3 hour final, giant cup of coffee in hand. I'm trying to decide what about finals week was more entertaining, witnessing teammate Caitlin Rudge take a 5 Hour Energy and then fall asleep an hour later or watching Chelsea Lasky nap face first into her open Physics book. Despite all the late nights and hard work, all that matters now is that it's over, and somehow we made it out alive.

So now we're on to one of the most fun times of the year, winter break. A few days ago, campus shut down, and the majority of Case Western students made their ways home for the holidays. We however, just relocated to a different part of campus. For a few days now, and then for quite a few more after Christmas, our team all moves in together while we're here for winter practice and a few games. Sure, there's moments when being the only people on campus and spending entirely too much time together makes us want to kill each other, but for the most part we have a ton of fun. Who wouldn't enjoy a day full of basketball, food, movies, and NO class. It's spectacular. Although it's true that some mornings when I wake up in this different living situation I miss the sounds of Erica obnoxiously blowing her nose, I now know that Lauren's right downstairs ready at any moment to spit a rap for us. Living with my other teammates over Winter Break is definitely a bonding experience, and you really get the opportunity to learn more about each other than we already knew. For example, today I saw an old photo of Sarah Milligan dressed as a nun (we'll leave it at that).

I'm excited to beat Wooster on Sunday, head home for a few days with the family, and then get right back here to Cleveland to prepare for our Holiday tournament. A few great basketball games, a team holiday party, and a whole lot of bonding... they don't call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothing. Happy holidays!

Marissa

Here we go!

Basketball Season Begins--Sarah Milligan '12, Team Captain

On October 15, the Case Women’s Basketball team prepared for our first day of practice. It was a day we had been anticipating since the end of last season. After last season ended, we hit the weight room and focused on improving our skills on the court. But on October 15, all of our hard work in the offseason was over and it was time to start practicing. We were all so excited to get started, but also nervous to see what Coach would throw at us during practice. The first practice was challenging and physically demanding, but we worked hard and pushed ourselves to get better. One of the best things about our team is that we are all so supportive of each other—we are always there to pick each other up. We came together during the first practice, and it was a great feeling. (Sarah is pictured above, far right)

The first week of practice as a whole has been great. We have done a lot of conditioning, started to work on our offense, and of course we have focused on our team’s pride—our defense! It is exciting to see how our team is shaping up, what our strengths are and what we need to improve upon. I am so excited for this season. We have so much talent, great unity and a lot of enthusiasm. We have set high goals for our team, and we are working hard every day to reach those goals!

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Kathryn Huber!

From Tyler, Texas I send yall all a southern drawled- 'howdy'.
As I begin my freshman year in the dreary Cleveland, cold and cloudy,
I plan on majoring in the wildly popular world literature (totally the norm)
And am therefore writing my short biography in poetic form.
When I first began my inquiry into the wildly unknown world of college,
I originally hoped to find a great school of nerdy knowledge,
As well as a great team of awesome talent and skill,
A place where the odds of failure were slim to nil.
Luckily, I found myself finally on the doorstep of Case,
Unwanting of a home in any other colliegent place.

My summer (unlike this poem) in detail, would make you want to sob,
As my time was spent trying to balance three terribly boring jobs.
The first, and most entertaining, was a job at the Mexican Resturante El Chico,
Where my tasks included waiting tables, cleaning kitchens, and making pico.
The second, and most boring, was a job at the local Willowbrook Country Club,
Where these tasks included serving food, making drinks, and cleaning the hot tub.
Thirdly, and lastly, was a job coaching a middle school basketball team,
Which is entirely much more difficult than it would seem.
So yes, besides this much strung out - work - filled summer,
I'm sorry to say, that recently my life was largely uneventful...bummer.

And now as I conclude this brief biography,
About my summer, hopes and recent drastic change in geography,
I'll take this time to express my excitement for the coming season this fall,
and am ready to go the NCAA III Tournament and take it all!

Meet our First-Year Spartans--Julie Mooney!

Hi everyone! My name is Julie Mooney (pictured left; Caitlin Henry, middle; Evy Iacono, right.) I am from Dublin, Ohio, which is two hours south of Case Western. I am extremely excited to be here, and I am looking forward to a great first year of college. I chose Case Western mainly because of their outstanding nursing program. I knew Case had a great reputation, and after the first week of classes I can easily understand why. The combination of demanding classes and clinicals, and faculty members who are very knowledgable and supportive, makes me feel confident I will receve a great education. I also loved the basketball team and the coaches when I visited them in January. They have all been very welcoming and nice.

This summer, I spent most of my time with friends and family. I also spent four days a week babysitting in order to make a little money for school. I did manage to fit in a couple of great vacations. For my graduation present, my parents rented a house on an island in Florida. I took 6 friends and we had a great time. Then, since I recently took up playing golf with my family and friends, my Dad took me to the Greenbrier Resort for a weekend of golf in July. It was awesome! During my free time, I enjoy running and hanging out with my friends. I had a great summer, and am now ready to buckle down and get ready for school.

I am really looking forward to this school year and the basketball season! I am going to miss everyone from home but I will have plenty of time to see them when I go home for breaks. These next four years should be a great experience at Case Western

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Lauren Elkin!

Hi! My name is Lauren Elkin, and I am from Reisterstown, Maryland. After applying to 12 schools and typing up many essays, I am very happy that I ended up at Case Western Reserve University!

I chose this school for several reasons. Most obviously, I chose this school for its awesome academic reputation. What sealed the deal was when I met Coach Reimer at an open house. After taking a tour of Veale and learning about the basketball program, I knew that this place would provide me with the perfect balance between academics and sports. I sent my deposit in that same day. I was officially a Spartan!

My summer has been fun. It started off with a day at Ocean City. Later on, my grandfather had surgery, so I spent a lot of time helping him and my grandmother. After all that was over, we focused on the playoffs for this coed adult softball team that my uncle, my sister, my dad, and I were all apart of. This was the first year that my sister and I joined the team, so the playoffs were super intense for us. In the end, we came out on top in the championship game! That was a blast! After that, I saw one last Ravens game live before I entered the Browns town…GO RAVENS! I concluded this awesome summer with a big family dinner. It was super fun!

So, I finally made it to Case after a 6 1/2 hour drive. I am going to miss my family a lot, and it will be hard for me to not see my twin sister every day (she's the one in the photo on the right), but I am so excited to be a Spartan!! These next four years will be absolutely awesome!!

The Shield--Issue 2

THE KEY TO SUCCESS
by Coach Freeman Blade

There are literally hundreds of books, articles, papers, seminars and audio/video tapes on the topic of success.

I want to take a 30 second time out and share with you what I believe is a key to your success—preparedness.

Consider this:

1. Preparation is the key to success.

2. Luck favors a mind that is prepared.

3. If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Allow me to ask you a few questions:

1. How are you preparing now for your future success?

2. What has been your attitude in these summer months toward preparing for the fall or winter?

3. Are you developing your strengths and improving your weaknesses?

4. Are you improving your fitness level so you are able to work on your skills at game speed?

5. How much introspection (checking in on yourself daily) are you doing?

6. Will you have learned more about who you are as a person and as a player by the end of the summer?

Keep this in mind throughout August—how you prepare, the level of your commitment to preparedness will determine the level of your success. It will determine the quality of your success and the longevity of your success.

The best preparation for tomorrow is in doing your best today. Your will to prepare must be greater than your will to succeed.

Go Spartans!

The Shield: Issue 1

THOUGHTS FROM THE CASE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICE
by Coach Freeman Blade

There is an ebb and flow to every game, there are times when the offense is just not clicking and there are moments when you think you can't do anything right. The ball is not falling, the officials are not making the calls and fans (parents and friends) are not sure what to think.

There is, however, one thing that you have absolute control over. It is your relentless pursuit for excellence. It is your hustle, your hard work and your never-say-die-attitude. It is the hustle, the hard work and the never give up attitude that makes the difference between winning a ball game by one or losing by one.

Always work with this thought in mind: I will work harder than you, I will hustle more than you and I will be more efficient than you. It is about getting the most out of the moment that we have.

Go Spartans!