Southeast Captaining 101 Clinic Recap

This past weekend was the Southeast Captaining 101 Clinic in Tallahassee, FL.  Since I played this past season in the Southeast (Club) Region, I had been hoping to bring one of these clinics to our region.  When I started trying to plan something last summer / fall, I got some initial interest but couldn't nail anything down.  Fast forward a few months to CCC and a chance meeting with Sarah Clark, the president and one of the captains of the Seminole Ladies. Sarah graciously agreed to look into hosting the clinic and within a month, we had a date and location set.  A huge thank you to Sarah and her team, as the clinic would not have happened without them.

Jenna (Florida) and Mariel (Central Florida) face off in one-on-one defense drill

Some of the best players in the state representing Florida State, Central Florida, Florida, and Tabby Rosa attended the clinic.  Chelsea Murphy of Ozone came down to coach at the clinic, and did a fantastic job leading a myriad of sessions including an awesome session on Mental Toughness.  Chelsea's wide range of experiences as a player and leader made her an invaluable resource to all of us.

Mental Toughness session

Florida features three college programs that could all break into the Top 20 this season.  While qualifying for Nationals is a goal for each of these teams, cultivating successful programs that are increasingly competitive is a long-term goal that each is striving to accomplish.  Training younger leaders, distributing playing time, getting team buy-in, and planning effective practices that fit into a season-long plan are all challenges facing these leaders.  We had an awesome time discussing all of these things, as well as honestly tackling the topic of SOTG and the difficulties in building an elite Florida women's club team.  I was really impressed by the honest and productive dialogue in all of the sessions.

Having some fun with the agility ladder outside

One of the most rewarding parts of the weekend was seeing the friendships being developed between teams.  Florida State, Central Florida, and Florida have had an extremely competitive relationship, and we all got to do some bonding over a pasta dinner, our shared struggles with the agility ladder, and the realization that all of our teams struggle with some of the same issues.  I am hopeful that the friendships formed and solidified this past weekend contribute to spirited play in the Southeast and help to form the basis for a unified and successful Florida women's club team.

Happy clinic participants outside in the sun after a rainy weekend

Thank you to everyone who came to the clinic this past weekend!  We look forward to cheering for you this season, and competing against you all this summer / fall.