Hello-
Just between small group practices here- had two setters in the gym for the last practice, Natalie Thomas and Nichelle Grage- they were sucking wind pretty bad by the time we got done! We usually have our small group practices set up to go one hour. The workouts are often more intense practices because they are shorter then team practices and we are working on skills specific to their positions... I didn't count, but I would bet that Nichelle and Natalie set close to 1000 balls in the hour we were in there!
Also- found this information about the history of UMM in the UMM Retirees Association Newsletter. I think it is very interesting to know where we've been and what UMM used to look like. Enjoy!!
Coach B
The early years from the WCSA alumni web site: http://www.morris.umn.edu/alumni/WCSA/history/
Founding: “An intense effort was made to establish a University of Minnesota agricultural high school on the Morris campus in the early 1900s. Local legislator Lewis C. Spooner rallied the community, legislature, governor and the University of Minnesota regents in support of the new school. E. C. Higbie was hired as the first superintendent and on October 3, 1910, the West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station opened to 103 students.” The WCSA was one of four residential agricultural schools established in MN, served 15 counties, was one of the longest running in the U.S., and operated through 1963, serving over 7000 students. The other MN schools were in St. Paul, Grand Rapids, and Crookston. Waseca, a fifth school, opened in 1953.
Six month program: “The WCSA’s mission was to educate west central Minnesota youth on contemporary agriculture and homemaking methods and provide core academic instruction. Students accepted were at least 14 years of age and eighth grade graduates. Students enrolled in a three-year course of study that ran from early October after the fall harvest until late March before spring planting. Students continued projects at home during the summer, and visiting instructors monitored progress. Summer projects allowed students to share new agriculture practices with their parents. Typical classes included animal husbandry, cooking, sewing, carpentry, as well as English, math, and music. Short courses were offered for students who could only attend for brief periods.”
From the Gemini report: http://www.morris.umn.edu/preservation/WCSA_NRform.pdf/. Section and page numbers are noted in brackets.
Numbers of students: Class size varied over the years from 103 to 455, dipping during World Wars 1 and ll and surging after each war [8:11].
Campus: The central square (mall) was developed between1911-1916. A master plan from 1911 involved three sets of twin buildings all facing the central square, forming a pleasant symmetry [7:2-3]. Several of these buildings were in place by 1920, though most were under different names. Spooner (the WCSA Boys’ Dormitory, 1912-13) and Camden (the Girls’ Dormitory, 1912) faced each other across the square. Imholte Hall (Agricultural Hall, 1910-11) and Blakely (Senior Hall, 1920) flanked Behmler (Dining Hall, Junior Girls’ Dormitory and Gymnasium, 1918). The oldest building, the Multi-Ethnic Resource Center (Agronomy, then Music, 1899), dates to the Indian School and sat across from the Home Economics building (since razed for Home Ec 2, now the Humanities building, 1954). Engineering (later Community Services and now the Welcome Center, 1915) was placed on the western side of a north-south road. The Cattle Barn built in 1914 is now the Saddle Club Barn; the Seed House (1929) is the Recycling Center, the Infirmary (1923-24) is the Education building. Junior Hall (1926) is now Pine Hall [7:36].
The early years: “The WCSA's six faculty held the titles of superintendent, accountant, preceptress of the girls' dormitory, and instructor in home economics, animal husbandry, and iron work. In reality their roles were much larger, as the 1916 WCSA yearbook explains: ‘Those were the days when the accountant taught mathematics, acted as librarian, sold the postage stamps, mopped the dining room floor, fed the chickens, and gathered the eggs’ (Moccasin 1916)…. When the School and Station opened in 1910, the campus and farm were in disarray and the staff was at first consumed with repairing and improving the facilities. The 1914 yearbook explains, ‘In those days [circa 1910-1912] there was no sidewalk between Morris and the school so they [students and staff] were obliged to trail through eighty rods of very adhesive Stevens County clay....The whole campus, therefore, was a sea of mud, not a very beautiful sight at that time surely’" [8:9, quoted in Olson 1972:9]. When the funds became available for building, faculty member Bridgford wrote, “a real transformation took place” [8:10].
Making a difference: “The School and Station in Morris was also founded at a time when… agriculture was becoming increasingly technical….”[8:5]. “Two years after its founding, The Farmer, a long-running agricultural journal published in St. Paul, credited the institution with significant improvements in local agriculture: ‘This whole section of the state shows the influence of this new school already. Two years ago there were but two silos in Stevens County, and but little attention paid to stock raising. Today there are about 50 silos in the county, 20 being sold by one dealer this past season. There are 25 pure-bred Holstein sires in the county and a few dams and several pure-bred Guernsey herds. A number of herds of good grade cows are started. Fifty-one students in the school from the home county are transforming the ideas of farm life in their home neighborhoods. Numbers of them have started the building of silos on the home farms. More systematic records of cost and production are instituted; better seed is introduced‘” [8:10]. The WCSA /Experiment Station was making a difference.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Another Great Day in the Gym!
Just finished up our 2nd team practice a little bit ago- had 10 players there tonight. We did some defensive work, a bunch of serving and serve receive and then played some doubles/triples. We followed that up with some 6-on-5 (Hermes jumped in as well) and worked on serve receive, playing the ball out. It was fun- we played well and communicated with each other before, during and after play! It was very, very fun to watch- a much, much different feel in the gym than last spring...
Couple of other updates-- check out our Cougar Athletics Website- a BRAND NEW LOOK! Please email me (braegelc@morris.umn.edu) with your thoughts or comments or if you find stuff not working...
Last, I am happy to say that we had our first 2011 recruit on-campus last week. I worked with her at a volleyball camp (she is very talented!) and it won't be long and we will shift our focus from our 2010 recruiting class to 2011! We have put together a list of our top recruits and will be trying to get them on campus later this spring...
Have a great week!
Coach B
Couple of other updates-- check out our Cougar Athletics Website- a BRAND NEW LOOK! Please email me (braegelc@morris.umn.edu) with your thoughts or comments or if you find stuff not working...
Last, I am happy to say that we had our first 2011 recruit on-campus last week. I worked with her at a volleyball camp (she is very talented!) and it won't be long and we will shift our focus from our 2010 recruiting class to 2011! We have put together a list of our top recruits and will be trying to get them on campus later this spring...
Have a great week!
Coach B
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Small Group Practices...
Hello-
Just finished up a small group practice- we do quite a few of these in the spring. At this last practice we had Brita (outside), Sam (setter) and Allie and Megan (middles) so we did some combination drills, dig-set-hit, some tossing to a setter and hitters worked on hitting zones and being up and available faster, defensive work, and some eye sequencing work (We were using a deck of playing cards... and some parents may want to work on different suits with your daughters... Spades and Clubs are different suits!).
Have a great day!
Coach B
PS- Sorry, but you are stuck with my writing- Coach Pennie is coaching the softball team this spring!
PPS- My two year old son this morning when we are laying in bed at 5:55 am- "Daddy... you and Mom and Grandpa and Adam (my brother) are the best." I love my kids! And he's right!
Just finished up a small group practice- we do quite a few of these in the spring. At this last practice we had Brita (outside), Sam (setter) and Allie and Megan (middles) so we did some combination drills, dig-set-hit, some tossing to a setter and hitters worked on hitting zones and being up and available faster, defensive work, and some eye sequencing work (We were using a deck of playing cards... and some parents may want to work on different suits with your daughters... Spades and Clubs are different suits!).
Have a great day!
Coach B
PS- Sorry, but you are stuck with my writing- Coach Pennie is coaching the softball team this spring!
PPS- My two year old son this morning when we are laying in bed at 5:55 am- "Daddy... you and Mom and Grandpa and Adam (my brother) are the best." I love my kids! And he's right!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
First Spring Practice!!
Hello-
Just walked out of the gym from our first spring practice. I thin.... scratch that, I KNOW we are going to be very, very good next fall!!! We looked like we are in great shape as a team, we were intense and focused in our first practice in a little over 4 months. The ball certainly didn't always go where we wanted it to, but I was pleased with our effort and communication.
We are really working on serving aggressive this spring, focusing on our defensive effort and intensity and running a faster offense, especially with our outside hitters and our opposite.
We have two former players helping out as coaches this spring- Colleen Hermes and Malinda Prisinger are helping out as they are doing their coaching internship and we are still in the process of wrapping up our recruiting for our 2010 class.
And with Joe Mauer signing the 8-year deal... does it get any better than this!?
See you all soon- April 25 is our Tournament day!
Coach B
Just walked out of the gym from our first spring practice. I thin.... scratch that, I KNOW we are going to be very, very good next fall!!! We looked like we are in great shape as a team, we were intense and focused in our first practice in a little over 4 months. The ball certainly didn't always go where we wanted it to, but I was pleased with our effort and communication.
We are really working on serving aggressive this spring, focusing on our defensive effort and intensity and running a faster offense, especially with our outside hitters and our opposite.
We have two former players helping out as coaches this spring- Colleen Hermes and Malinda Prisinger are helping out as they are doing their coaching internship and we are still in the process of wrapping up our recruiting for our 2010 class.
And with Joe Mauer signing the 8-year deal... does it get any better than this!?
See you all soon- April 25 is our Tournament day!
Coach B
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Update...
Hello-
It's been a while since we updated you on our happenings here at UMM and with the volleyball program, so here goes-
We've had a number of recruits visit over the last couple weeks- we are also excited to add a middle blocker to our program last night after she committed to UMM (NCAA rules prohibit us from announcing names at this point... but later in the spring we will let you know who's on their way). So that brings our total to 5 at this point--
Our first of 10(!) Junior Olympic volleyball tournaments was held last weekend, Feb. 28- 10 teams were at that one and we have our next tourney March 28- 19 teams have signed up for that and we will be using all 3 PE Center courts and both RFC courts. Then we have tourneys April 10, 11, 17 and 18... It will be a busy month (but the money we raise from that will help go to the trip we have to New England coming up this fall)!
The Cougars have been lifting with Coach Jarvis (and loving every ... other? minute of it!?). They have been playing a little bit on their own and we will start up with our non-traditional season practices after spring break on March 22nd. Very, very excited about that!! We are happy to announce we will be welcoming two new players to the team at that point, Alycia Heisler and Ashley Serbus- bringing our spring total to 13 players. I can't wait to get in the gym and see how we look and see if there hard work in the weight room and working out has improved their game!
That's about it up here for now-- Hope all is well and keep in touch!
Coach B
It's been a while since we updated you on our happenings here at UMM and with the volleyball program, so here goes-
We've had a number of recruits visit over the last couple weeks- we are also excited to add a middle blocker to our program last night after she committed to UMM (NCAA rules prohibit us from announcing names at this point... but later in the spring we will let you know who's on their way). So that brings our total to 5 at this point--
Our first of 10(!) Junior Olympic volleyball tournaments was held last weekend, Feb. 28- 10 teams were at that one and we have our next tourney March 28- 19 teams have signed up for that and we will be using all 3 PE Center courts and both RFC courts. Then we have tourneys April 10, 11, 17 and 18... It will be a busy month (but the money we raise from that will help go to the trip we have to New England coming up this fall)!
The Cougars have been lifting with Coach Jarvis (and loving every ... other? minute of it!?). They have been playing a little bit on their own and we will start up with our non-traditional season practices after spring break on March 22nd. Very, very excited about that!! We are happy to announce we will be welcoming two new players to the team at that point, Alycia Heisler and Ashley Serbus- bringing our spring total to 13 players. I can't wait to get in the gym and see how we look and see if there hard work in the weight room and working out has improved their game!
That's about it up here for now-- Hope all is well and keep in touch!
Coach B
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