Taylor Vigil: "Believe In We"

Hello fans, athletes, coaches and all other supporting peers!

It is with great pleasure to be writing to all of you here today.  Another summer has gone by in the blink of an eye and now it is time to get everything packed up and ready to move and start anew 2012-2013 season.  With returning athletes, as well as new editions to each team, I know without a doubt the women’s basketball team is enthralled to tackle a new year together.

Briefly flashing back on my past here at Sonoma State, I realized, or I thought I realized what it truly meant to live each day on and off the court like it was your last; with no regrets and no wasted energy.  Hearing my fellow seniors every year say, “Play like this is your last practice and your last game because one day it will end and you do not want to have any regrets.”  After hearing this by many senior classes and coaches, I tried from the first day to do just that.  Yet, there is a difference.  A difference between hearing something and trying to do it, versus listening and not just feeling it within, but doing it with your actions.  Today I am here to tell you that despite my years, I tried to live and play each day like it was my last time on the court.  I realized now it is a different feeling because as a senior stepping into the new year, myself along with my three other fellow senior teammates- we only have one year to really make it count and truly play each day like it is our last because like any other season it ends.

Like any other team; however, this is not just about the women’s basketball team, but I speak to all teams when I say, “Believe in We.”  After all, every athlete and every team here is in search of a common vision, or goal if you will.  “Believe in We” is the women’s basketball teams newest motto for the year and like you- we have a vision to not just be successful by getting better but be successful and also make an impact holding a better winning record than what we have in the past.  For every senior out there, for every teammate, for every coach, and hey- for every fan as well, make a statement to them and hold that statement as a promise to yourself to always believe in ’we’ and truly live your life on and off the court, field, etc., like it was your last.  With no regrets, no shame, no blame, no confliction and no doubts but with conviction, determination, heart and pride, and of course- love of the game.

Always take note that despite our high spirits to get the year started- remember that teams and people work well together when things are going well, but it is when endeavors take place or trials occur that make or break a team.  It is always easy to get by when successful things take place for your team, but what will you do when adversity strikes?  I challenge all athletes and all people (coaches, staff and fans) to vouch to not just celebrate success or joyous moments, but celebrate adversity that you will face in the near future at some point and use those adversities as stepping stones to a better place.  Use them as life lessons to make you a better player and a better person on and off your playing ground.  Without failure there would not be any triumphs.  This year brings new chances, new opportunities and new faces; cherish them, take them and enjoy them.

I wish all athletes and supporting fans, coaches and staff a successful year and the best of luck to every individual.  Make this year count regardless of what you do or who you are- make it count.  It is not what you do, but how you do what you do.  Remember to go support and watch all athletes in the upcoming year.  Go online and check out game schedules.

To wrap up the blog, here is a closing quote that is one of my personal favorites:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.  Watch your words, for they become actions.  Watch your actions, for they become habits.  Watch your habits, for they become character.  Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Take care and look forward to much success for all teams and supporting coaches, staff and fans!

Vanessa Currie: 55 Games, 14 Girls and 1 Pitcher Later...

I am sorry it's been so long since my last blog.  My goal was to write one every two or three weeks in order to keep fans updated on the inside softball scoop, but with being on the road with so much traveling, finishing up with academics for the semester and spending free time with friends, I just haven’t kept up and I apologize.

With our season coming to an end in regionals on Saturday afternoon, I don’t know who all will end up reading this, but I just felt like this 2011-2012 season is something that should have written closure to it.  I have two unfinished blogs from after the Chico series and after the Tournament of Champions, but they were never submitted because I was having a hard time differentiating in words, between what is appropriate for a blog rather than a personal journal.  And although it took me a while to accept the fact that we were not going to make the conference tournament this year after winning it the past two years, and also took me some time to get over disappointment in my own personal performance the past few weeks leading up to post season, I feel now I can freely write about the team and this 2012 season.

It has been a long road this season and it never got easy.  Through the injuries, and girls quitting, this team battled adversity day in and day out.  We never had enough girls to run the exact drills we wanted to run, and we never had extra base runners for practice, and with our second pitcher walking out on us, we never had anyone to relieve Sam (Samantha Lipperd) in games.  I could go on about how much I strongly dislike all of the girls who didn’t keep their commitment, and how far we could have gone if everyone would have stuck it out… but I’d much rather talk about how much I love my teammates who never gave up, and how the 14 of us, no matter what, stayed strong and battled to do the best we could with what we had. 

In the beginning of the year and in my first blog, I talked about our team/season goals that we set, which were winning conference, the conference tournament, and ultimately being national champions.  Making it into the regional tournament as the 5th seed, we already knew we had fallen short of our first two goals, but the most important one was still in sight. As a team, we thought, how cool would it be in the headlines to see “ DII SOFTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS WITH 14 GIRLS AND 1 PITCHER.” 

On Thursday night, we took the time to reminisce over the whole season and talk about memories, physical performances and favorite accomplishments about one another.  I knew this team could make it to super regionals, especially after our first win against Chico (State), needing only two more wins to clinch a spot in Supers.  Game two and three, though, we couldn’t seem to put runs across the board and stranded multiple runners on base, ultimately losing against (Cal State) Dominguez Hills in the 7th with a heartbreaking walk off home run, and to Grand Canyon by one to knock us out of the tournament and end our season.

Overall, I am very proud of our freshman class for stepping up to every challenge given to them and for not giving up. They matured quickly and did such a good job of coming up clutch when put into games.  I can’t say enough about our pitcher, Sam, who has broken so many records and accomplished so much these past three years, especially this year, never showing she was tired or hurting.  If our hitting came through as much as Sam’s pitching did then we would have been unstoppable.  As for our seniors Shannon (Kehr) and Skylynn (Myers), I am so sad that their time playing for SSU softball has completed.  They both made such huge impacts; Sky in all four years she played for this program and Shannon in just her one year here.  They led our team in different categories of hitting and played such solid defense.  They won’t be missed just athletically, but as best friends too.  Watching teammates grow, succeed and accomplish goals, gives you a sense of love and respect for them, and the best of wishes for whatever comes in their future. 

As hard as it is to see Sky and Shannon finish up their last year of ball, I can’t help but think about how fast my own senior year has come up. You live and you learn in college, and you set a lot of goals for yourself, but the most important one for me is to just keep bettering myself in all that I commit to, and with that said I can say I am proud of how I ended my junior year.  I love this team, the 14 of us through it all.  The adversity we went through on the field this past year, I know will only make us stronger and better people off the field and for the years to come in this game that we love.

Vanessa Currie: What Happened in Vegas, Can't Stay in Vegas

Coming out champions of the MSUB Desert Stinger Tournament and an 8-0 team record for the season, I couldn’t have felt any better! I could see confident energy radiating throughout the whole team and our offensive performance rallied throughout the lineup. But things took a turn for the worse this past weekend.

I thought for sure that our performance from Las Vegas would carry over to our first CCAA series vs. Cal State Monterey Bay, but it looked like a whole different team out there in all four games as we came out flat, no energy, looking unsure on defense and defeated at the plate on offense. We had plenty of opportunities to move runners around and hit them in, to either tie or go ahead in all three games that we lost, but we just couldn't string any hits together to make it happen. CSUMB capitalized on our defensive errors and our weaknesses that we showed at bat, ultimately making them more successful.

I thought that splitting almost every series last year was frustrating, but losing our first home CCAA series was the most upsetting feeling after coming in so confident. Not only was I upset with the three losses and how we played as a whole, but I was really disappointed in my individual performance. As one of the captains, I know that I have many different responsibilities as a leader, but the one I want to pride myself the most in this year is leading by example because we have so many underclassmen. I understand that I am not always going to perform as well or better than I had the prior weekend and I know that everyone has bad games, but learning to be a “gamer” as Coach Mac (assistant coach Trisha McCormick) says will make you a scrappy player even on your off days and help build momentum for your team. But this past weekend is over and there is no way to press re-play... so after taking Sunday to really reflect on the weekend and having a captains practice and team meeting on Monday, I know this talented team will bounce back to our ability and accomplish our season goal of taking at least 3 out of 4 from each CCAA team in order to win ourselves a conference title.

Although Cal State East Bay has never been one of the stronger conference teams, you can never take any CCAA team lightly. Going into this weekend, our team goal is to take all four games of the series to put us back on top. We will come out strong and confident while remembering that softball is such a mental sport, it is crucial that we recognize that our individual performances are not for ourselves, but that they determine the outcome of the team.

Taylor Vigil: The Fight Through Adversity

First I would like to apologize for not being able to make my blog posts consistent, keeping all of you following fans updated like I would have liked to. However, as the saying goes, better late than never. Again I am sorry to have kept all of you "anticipators"waiting, but I hope this blog will make up for the ones I have failed to post.

I believe the last time I left off, I spoke about “The Right First Steps” and we were underway to play the Humboldt State Lumberjacks in late November. Now three months later, the women’s basketball team holds a record of 8-12. Having overcome a huge win against the Chico State Wildcats at Chico was a tremendous accomplishment for the Seawolves, who had not beat the Wildcats at home since 2002.

Throughout my four years playing, I have realized that in this league, anything is possible no matter what the match-up may be; one should never underestimate their opponent and be ready and alert to play any team, any player and at any place. It is what makes this conference that much more enthralling to know the outcome is always unexpected. With that being said, on the other hand, the outcome I find tend to be what you put in before the end result comes. For a team that works the hardest on and off the court, takes care of the little details and ensures their team and them as a player have a vengeance and passion to never give up whether in the practice situation or game situation. Now that does not mean the harder you work the more likely things shall be handed to you. We are in an environment of competition and that is what makes the game a challenge we love to tackle down.

I have learned that throughout this season, no team can escape adversity- and well, the Seawolves have been a victim of adversity. Whether it be injury or sickness or even having to deal with the stressors from day to day that simply make it life. As a result we have learned the term “bounce.” A common term used in the locker room after any game we have lost has been a term that has seemed to carry over in our daily lives on and off the court as a team. Down to the final stretch of the season, we have learned that we are a support system that thrives on one another and if we want to be successful, we have to want success for our teammates before we can want it for ourselves. We have learned that we have to want it for our teammate ahead and behind us- from the bench to the floor, in order to really be called a success. We have done just that and have come a long way since.

Now when I say success I do not mean by the number of games won compared to the games lost. I simply mean doing the things we have talked about and gone over and played the game to the best of our capabilities as a player and teammate. If you have done all that you can by working hard and being all that you could have been by bringing all your talents to the table with pride, heart and urgency then the final numbers on the score board is not what makes your success positive or negative. It is simply your effort driven with a purpose relative to your teammates and the accomplishments made in the process. Of course as a player, I want nothing more than to win- who wouldn’t? Yet aside from that the true moments of pure happiness come from the simply great defensive plays that turn into steals, that turn into great passes, that turn into great execution and great baskets made which all then have a domino effect for every possession. The one great rebound, the hustle play, the perfect pass, to the most amazing three point shot are the possessions of bliss. The Seawolves have learned that it is no longer about one but about many working together as one. Our success has not just been by the five players working out on the floor but every person from the bench to the floor. The rebound that lead to a pass that lead to a shot are the successful plays the Seawolves have learned to make consistently.

The game against San Bernardino will be a battle between two aggressive teams. I know the focus for the Seawolves lies within us and what we can do to be successful. This game is has a lot on the line for the Seawolves. If we win, we are entered into the playoffs, but if we lose then we are automatically out at having a shot at the playoffs. For our team, however, we understand that this is an opportunity for our seniors they will never get back. The sense of urgency becomes greater- from a freshman to a senior. We have all the tools it takes to be the dictator of the game. We have discovered it is want to over have to that will get the job done. After persevering through adversity we plan to go to great measures in fighting for the W. Regardless of what happens I have full faith that we will fight and deploy all we can to have a shot at the playoffs.

We all are many but together we form one ready to fight side-by-side 'till the final buzzer sounds. Be sure to come out and support your lady Seawolves!! The game is at The Wolves' Den TONIGHT @ 5:30pm!! And thank you again for all your support.

Vanessa Currie: Finally Show Time

“Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.” -Henry Hartman

Entering my Junior season full of excitement, kickoff nerves and high expectations for both myself and the team I would love to share the inside scoop to softball with fans, friends, family and fellow student athletes! After the most mentally draining fall, with our roster dwindling down from 21 to 15 I couldn’t be happier to finally start season with the most dedicated girls who stuck out the heavy conditioning, weights and long practice hours to prepare for go time.

With initial nervous feelings all through fall about this spring season and going in with the mind set that it was going to be somewhat of a “re-building year” because of all the new teammates we had acquired, our first games against Academy of Art proved to me otherwise. This year we have 6 freshman and 2 transfers, with 7 out of the 8 battling it out for starting positions at second, shortstop and third base. They all knew that they had such big shoes to fill since we graduated some of the CCAA’s best infielders and hitters last year, and already I am so proud of them for stepping up and taking on such big roles so early in their collegiate years.

Saturday pre-game started off emotional as we dedicated the game to the recent passing of Jim Ledford, the father of former second baseman Kayla Ledford, for he was a number one fan and so much a part of our Seawolf softball family. I also shared a few words on the behalf of my friend and former high school teammate Bree Williams who was a top incoming pitcher this year for Academy of Art, but who’s life was taken this past summer only weeks before she was about to start her first collegiate season. Although I started to choke up as my little speech about the two of them came to an end, I remembered that game time was minutes away, and by thinking that today my teammates and I were going to play our best for Jim & Bree put me back into my competitive mode. I couldn’t have been happier with the teams all around performance as we kept our energy, pitching, defense and offense up throughout the doubleheader and came back from behind in both games. I am also very happy with the fact that we scored in multiple different innings, since that is a big goal of ours this year in order to score consistently throughout the game instead of get ahead and flatline or not get any runs on the board until the last innings. After kicking off the season as a 2-0 team, we celebrated at our 2nd annual Karaoke Night fundraiser in the Commons and it was a great time! Parents, family, athletic staff, friends, alumni and our signed recruits for next year along with their parents partook in the singing, games, raffles, silent auctions, food and drinks to complete the successful Saturday.

This weekend we take our first trip to the Desert Stinger tournament held in famous Las Vegas, Nevada! This will be a good test for us as we compete against and scout 28 other top contending DII schools from all over the U.S, who’s same goal is to be the 2012 National Champions. Please follow us online and wish us luck throughout our next 5 games this weekend, thank you!

Taylor Vigil: The Right First Steps

Welcome fans, family and friends!! If you have been following Sonoma State women’s basketball, then I am sure you have been excitingly informed of our victory in overtime over the Colorado Mesa Mavericks with a 55-54 score on Saturday. Your support for our team has been greatly appreciated and speaking on behalf of the team and coaching staff, we only hope to see you in the near future at our upcoming home games!!

Starting this season off on the right foot has been key for our team collectively. In my last blog I talked momentarily about where success began for us and how the foundation, aka our pre-season, is vital. It is something to build on in hopes to potentially reach our destiny and it showed on Saturday that by building on everything we have worked for, victory becomes a reality.

Saturday's win over the Mavs felt immense. It was not until Saturday night that I recall back to the time during in pre-season when, not only my teammates, but my coaches constantly reminded me that with hard work comes reward. The times of hard training and conditioning, the times of working so hard that you had to look to your teammate beside you to try and pull that second wind out of you to go on, and the times of realizing how important it is to take care of the ‘little details’, that I realized and felt those times paid off. Apart of this reward of winning through hard work and perseverance to never quit, was the simplest fact that I was endowed with this win alongside my teammates and coaches. They were the people who helped me get to this point in time, who helped me push myself to get to gain such an accomplishment like beating the Mavs, who helped me to allow the mistakes of the game only be used as my incentive to bounce back and be a difference within the next play and who helped me instill the confidence that I needed to do so.

The wins we have accomplished and, especially the win over the Mavs, was never about one individual, nor one individual for one play; it was about all five individuals out on the floor working through each possession together. It was about the bench working as a unit talking about the flow of the game, being engaged in the game by cheering on their sisters, and by using words of encouragement to help them realize what needs to be done on the offensive end as well as the defensive end. It was about the coaches who helped us get set up in the right positions and who gave us the confidence to know we would, and could, be successful during the times we were. It was about the fight we had together to never give up for 40 minutes. This team has had a small taste in just a short time of what it is like to not only ‘talk’ about being successful, but actually become successful.

Before every game I like to write some words of encouragement to my teammates to remind them about what our main focus was on during the past week in practice. I let them know that myself, as well as the other girls on the team and the coaches all believe in them and that they are capable of bringing their talents to life during the game. This last game, I used a basketball quote by an unknown author to start off my letter. The quote says:

“Love the game. Love the game for the pure joy of accomplishment. Love the game for everything it can teach you about yourself. Love the game for the feeling of belonging to a group endeavoring to do its best. Love the game for being involved in a team whose members can't wait to see you do your best. Love the game for the challenge of working harder than you ever have at something and then harder than that. Love the game because it takes all team members to give it life. Love the game because at its best, the game tradition will include your contributions. Love the game because you belong to a long line of fine athletes who have loved it. It is now your legacy. Love the game so much that you will pass on your love of the game to another athlete who has seen your dedication, your work, your challenges, your triumphs and then that athlete will, because of you, love the game.”

I used this quote as a metaphor to implant this idea in my sisters that we are a team just like any other team out there, working for a common goal and doing what we love. With that, I went onto say that while mistakes are bound to happen throughout the game, it is how well we deal with those mistakes. It is our “love for the game” that takes away the possessions of frustration and miscommunication. Our love of the game is what brings us to where we are now, our love of the game allows us to compete and have this sense of urgency to simply get the job done and it is our love of the game that allows us to never quit on ourselves or one another and it is our love of the game that lead us to victory. I am so proud of my teammates for everything they have done, been doing and helped me with. I only look forward to what the future brings.

I hope all of you fans stay tuned for more information regarding SSU women’s basketball and come watch us play at our next home games. But, be sure to check us out when we travel to Humboldt to play the Lumberjacks on November 26!!

Taylor Vigil: A New Season, A New Opportunity, A New Family

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Junior guard Taylor Vigil of the Sonoma State women's basketball team will be writing for the Seawolves' Insider Blog all season long. Be sure to check out her posts here to get an insider's perspective into the life of a student-athlete at Sonoma State.)

Hello everyone. Let me start off by saying thank you for tuning into the Seawolves' Insider Blog!

Returning as a redshirt junior on the women's basketball team, I am excited as any one of my fellow teammates to get this 2011-2012 season started. Upon arrival, myself and eight crucial returning players are ecstatic to have an additional three transfer teammates, as well as three incoming freshman to begin this new season on our road to success. With these six incoming enforcers, we were grateful enough to have our senior from the previous year, Olivia Larkin, be one of our new student assistant coaches. With the departure of Annie Roeser, a great and fun-loving assistant coach also from the previous year, we were lucky to have our newest edition to our coaching staff, Amanda Hanneman. A former player from Missouri has transformed into becoming an assistant coach on the Cali side.

Our pyramid to success has started with only a few important building blocks; the foundation, aka, our pre-season. This starting path to our journey has encountered many familiar concepts along with some new, different and exciting training drills on behalf of the conjoining forces of Coach Rigby and Coach Hanneman. To the point in which the whole concept of conditioning and intensity has been uplifted to a whole new level: BEASTMODE! This level called ‘Beast Mode’ has been the perfect ingredient to Sonoma State women’s basketball. Precision, persistence and consistency have been our focus, in link with weight lifting, condition and actual practices. This new year is one that I feel to be an exceptional one filled with many opportunities in seeking our goal and, soon enough, reaching it.

While the season is only on the edge of taking off, who says you cannot dream big? Success has a re-defined meaning for this team; it is as John Wooden once stated, “a peace of mind as a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to becoming the best you are capable of becoming.”

Kicking the year off with our first exhibition game against Cal State San Marcos with a W and a locker room chant after the final buzzer (“check ya Cougars”) was a great feeling for our first step toward success. Yet, this game, as well as every other practice from that point on, is a building block we view as a lesson to learn from (regardless of the win) and be cautious of the road ahead.

Collectively, this team, from the players to the coaches, everyone is motivated, confident and eager to see what the future holds. The upside to the future is also known as our destiny, which is held in our hands. Consciously knowing the work that needs to get done is our ambition to stay motivated and always bring out the faith and fight we have within ourselves, but more importantly one another. This team is not just fellow peers that have come together to play basketball. Myself, along with 14 others, are fully capable to look to one another and see more than a teammate, but a friend and a sister. That is just one of the many greatest gifts a team can have that makes them so special.

This team expects many great things this year and with our newest additions, there is no doubt in my mind those ‘great things’ cannot become a reality.

Be sure to follow us online at Sonomaseawolves.com and stay tuned for more news in the near future about our team. Thank you for your support and interest! Also, be sure to watch us tonight at Santa Clara @ 7 pm, and then against Menlo on Thursday @ 7 pm in Rohnert Park.