We have proven over the course of the season that we are a resilient bunch with many a close victory, we kept finding ways to win. Tomorrow at St Augustine we will look our opponents' in the eyes and we will demand that they respect us. We will use such to show them that we are here, and we are ready to compete and we will win. We will fight for every point, we will RESPECT each and everytime we hit the ball tomorrow.
The moment is ours and I have little doubt that if we believe in this spirit that has carried us to a 13-3 season. That confidence which began at Seneca that I know has taken hold and will not be shaken by any situation that we are presented with on the court tomorrow. You heard the scouting report that I gave you today and read the box score of their playoff match yesterday. You know the match-ups where we have had our success this year, as they will be the same for our match tomorrow.
Remember the match and our success starts the moment you wake-up tomorrow, as you are re-affirming this belief. Remind yourself of this at any given moment before and during the match. If we remember what point by point concentration truly means. If we keet ourselves in the moment, then we will succeed.
There is a video on confidence that you'll see below that encourages such affirmations, "We love to play big matches. I love to play big points." Say that in your head as you walk the halls of PVI tomorrow. Visualize that forehand or volley winner as you enter the hallway from the class you just left. We've all won big matches and big points this year, so we are rightfully empowered with that thought.
We ended practice today on a high note and I am very confident in what I saw. I saw such confidence in your body language and spoken words. I was worried as we didn't have an outdoor practice the day before, but I left practice on a high and I can't wait for tomorrow to come. Each and everyone of is ready for this opportunity, one that we have all truly earned. I've worked hard and did my best to help each one of you be prepared for this opportunity.
Tomorrow will be special, and tomorrow you will all be special. All of us have a role tomorrow that is vital to our success. Once again this is our time and their time has past. Like many of our opponents this season they didn't see us coming. I can assure you that they don't see us coming either. We are just another round and another playoff match-up that they've been to before. This means more to us than it does to them. They are taking us for granite, and with two HQ seniors at the top of their line-up, but a big drop off after #2. Well this seems a lot like Seneca.
Enjoy these two great videos. One is on 'Confidence' described by Dave Porter, the tennis professional I've put videos up of before. The other is the great speech from the movie 'Miracle' about the US Olympic hockey team that pulled an amazing upset of the Soviet Olympic team at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
As this blog has had other hockey themes this season, the gold medal game and the Flyers huge upset, I thought this motivational speech to be most appropriate. Enjoy this video and see how the themes of our match against the #1 seed could run concurrent to the 'Miracle' game. As the ideas you'll see in this video are much of what I've stated to you the past two years, per blog and emails.
Enjoy yorself tomorrow, as your time has arrived. I will be there, on the other side of the fence, as Coach Winkler will be too. All of us will be there to support and encourage each other in anyway possible.
Love Always,
Coach
Confidence - David Porter
'Miracle' speech by Herb Brooks
