Possible Career Change and Getting Ready for Chicago

Davis contemplates a new career as the club gets ready for the Windy City Qualifier.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This man broke my doorknob. He broke my doorknob and then try to blame it on me saying I broke the doorknob as I'm eating my lovely breakfast this morning. I broke you that you brought that he broke my doorknob and he did that because he knew he broke something for me.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Welcome to Above the Tape, an all access people podcast. My name is Davis Lauderdale, and I am your favorite director at Florida Elite Volleyball Academy. But more importantly, I am the host of this podcast. As always, I am joined by my co-host, the woman who finds new inconvenient times to record this podcast every single week. She is the head coach of our top 16 team as well as a two-time conference coach of the year at Sun Lake High School. Please welcome Elisa Tapata. Thank you, Davis. This is my job. This was what I do. This is what I do. What I would say. Joining us again this week. She's back. Because we could not get enough of her last episode. Not to mention, I am trying to make up for stealing her idea to have this podcast. Please welcome back our two-time national champion, two-time conference coach of the year at Wesley Chapel High School. And your second favorite director at Piva. Please welcome back Brittany Collison.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

My bestie's back. A I am gonna correct you that it was our idea of a podcast. Not anywhere Davis involved.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Listen, I started it. It's my equipment.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

He wouldn't want to edit anything either, so thank goodness he's doing it. Yeah, true, true.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

How would you you can this is fine equipment that we're running here? You wouldn't be able to guys have to see his labels. I can't remember everything. I can't remember. So anyway, good morning, Britney. Is this early enough for you?

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Um it made it better that you brought me breakfast because I was not happy about getting up this early.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

We have got we have shot at mid or recorded at midnight, and now we're recording at 8 in the morning. I mean, we have to go work everybody's at work around Elisa's schedule.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

I swear you guys have lied to me, though. He's like, Yeah, we usually do like 12, 12:30. That was and then it's 11 p.m. and now I'm waking up at 7 a.m. to get over here.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Well, you did know that we've only had like three episodes at that point. So you know, there was you still told me what you told me at that time. It was 12 30. But Elisa's job is like I said, it's really getting in the way. So um, before we get started, um Oh, I can't stand you guys.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Today it's her pool plans.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Yeah, she's on spring, she's on spring break, so she's just like, whatever.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

I'm gonna enjoy my time off, okay?

SPEAKER_01 2:46

I don't blame you.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Right? Like, so what? You finally saw the sunrise in who knows how many months, right? Davis, you got a good breakfast spot. You got to see Lele.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

That's true. You guys over here. They're just pointing the fingers, they're happy they're out. Yeah, I'm so excited. Anyway, um, before we get started, um, I keep reminding you guys every single week, subscribe to our podcast. Um, for those of you who haven't, seriously, come on, what are you guys doing? You're like my kids, are you like my kids and just do the opposite of whatever I say? Just just it takes two seconds. And while you're there, just give us a five-star review. If you don't give us a five-star review, you're just a hater. So don't be a hater. Anyway, I have a joke. You guys ready? Let's hear it. All right. Why can't a nose be 12 inches long? Because it's not a foot.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Wait, was that was that answer? Yes, because it'd be a foot. Oh my god, I never got a joke before.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

You just ruined it.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Oh, it wasn't that good anyway.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

It was pretty good. It's a good one. It's not as good as last week. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah, you literally yesterday I was running to the restroom at practice and was like, hey Lise, you know where you're gonna be when you walk in an American. You know what you're gonna be when you walk out a European. Everyone's just like, who's this guy in the gym?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Well um, I do have a very important announcement. This is something that I did not well, so we do this podcast, just so you guys know, we don't really come in with much of a script. We just kind of wing it. Um I kind of come up with some little ideas, but a lot of times I withhold from these two just so we can get, you know, natural reactions. Um, so I have a very important announcement. This might this might be kind of sad and emotional, but I have I might be moving on from my position at FIVA. Um I am gonna be starting a shoe painting business. Um just so you guys know, I have now painted two pairs of shoes. Um it's gonna be it's gonna be I specialize in red shoe paint. You guys want to see my latest work?

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Is it the better red? Oh bam!

SPEAKER_00 4:58

I know you you gotta watch on YouTube to see the video.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

How long did that take you?

SPEAKER_00 5:03

A whole day.

unknown 5:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Look at that. Look at that. It used to be all this used to be all white, and now it's red and white. I mean, it looks pretty good. Pretty good, huh? Look at the the shoe.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

I want like a matte red.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Okay, well that's gonna cost you extra. So but yes, I will paint shoes. Um, there'll be it's a hundred dollars a shoe. We're doing a special. Buy one shoe, give the second shoe half off. So for$150, I'll paint both your shoes.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

For the more than the cost of the shoe, he'll paint it for you. I'm just gonna go to Nike.com and buy the shoe for half the price.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

So it all it all started because I bought these custom shoes that say Feva on it. And they're orange. They were orange. And they were orange. But the color so on the on the computer it looked kind of like reddish orange, and look, and the color, the color was described as hot lava. Hot lava, I think, is reddish orange. These things came in orange, like Tennessee volunteer orange. Like it was and so I wore them for like a week or so and it was just driving me crazy. So I was like, I have to paint these things. So I painted them and I did amazing. I did amazing.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

They do look good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

And so then, you know, I tried to paint Katia's shoes last night in practice. Yeah, he's like she said no.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Can I uh paint your shoes? You want me to paint that red? He rolls off his shoe to show her.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

She was like, No. So do you have to put like a protectant over it? So it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

So you have so there's a whole process. I'll actually I'll put the video up with this, but it's you have to first you have to put acetone, which by the way, I thought that was I did not know that was fingernail pause remover. So I thought it was acid, like acid, so I wore gloves. I swear to god, I did. And so I'm like, you have to put acetone first to like remove the finish, and then you have to sand it down to like I guess take some of the like the finish off. And then you have to obviously tape it up really, really good, and then you have to you know, paint and paint, and like so it was like six or seven coats of paint I use. No, legitimately six or seven coats of paint.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

You have to make sure you have like the same stroke, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Uh yeah, absolutely. And then after that, and then after that, you have to let it sit, and then you have to put like a finisher, which like I guess holds it in place.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

That seems too tedious.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

It is, that's why it's so expensive. That's why it's so expensive. Doesn't sound for me. Guys, call me up if you need me to do this. I love my job here, but I think I found my calling. So just just you know so anyway. So, girls, how was your weekend? I know at least you didn't do anything.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Yeah, were you off again? I was all my god, I'm dying for a weekend.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Okay, in all fairness though, I did go four weekends in a row, or maybe even five in a row. Okay, four weekends in a row that I played, and two of them I had to travel for. That's where I'm at right now. So I I deserve the four weeks off.

unknown 7:53

I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Me and Britney have worked every single weekend since January, like every weekend.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

Well, my weekend was actually really well. I went to two lightning games. Okay. And then after one of those lightning games, we decided to go eat at Yeoman's. You guys have been there before? Britney has. Is that downtown? Yeah, it's a really cool spot. It's uh like a British restaurant. Like British food. Like British.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Like fish and chips.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

Yeah, like fish and chips. But and like, you know, all the other things and English muffins. They have in the morning, yeah, not at night. Okay. But they have like a pool table, they have like one of those golf simulators that are also like hockey and all the fun things. So we decided to go there after the game. And I'm sitting and I sit down and I in the corner of my eye, I see someone, I'm like, dang, that guy, I know that guy. At first I always like immediately go to it's one of my players' dads. I was like, oh no, that's a ref. And he gets up and walks right towards me, my brother, my husband, and he's like, Elise, how are you? And I was like, I'm doing well. And I explained to my brother, I'm like, this is my I said, this is my brother and husband. And he originally went to my brother first. I was like, no, that's my brother. That's not my husband. I'm sorry, that's my husband. But I was like, nice to meet, like, like like they're like, nice to meet you. And my brother was like, How do you know Elise? And he's like, Oh no, I'm not I red coded her. No, he's like, I'm a ref. And he's like, he goes, Oh, how's my sister with you? And he's like, Your sister's great. I was like, You see, I'm not refs do love me. I'm not a bad coach to these refs, right? And so he's like, What I love about your sister is, yeah, I mean, like, she'll she'll make sure we know the rules. Like, she'll she challenges us with the rules. He goes, But my favorite is that your sister has a like a short-term memory loss. Like, if I screw up a play before I didn't call something, she'll, you know, chirp a little, that's okay. And then she'll just let it go. And then we'll move on to the next one until we screw up again. Then she'll let us know. But she's like, other coaches, whole grudge. At the end of the game, she's always giving me a high five, a hug. Do you want to water to go? He's like, she's so polite.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

I was like, It's because you won.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

I don't know. But he's like, my brother's like, Have you ever thought about carting her? He's like, No, she's never gotten to that point. I say it's because he knows how to do his job. I see, I leave him alone if they know how to do their job.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yeah, I give you I give you a hard time, but it it is always justified.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Right. And he goes like this, he goes, I'm not gonna lie, there was one time I we were playing a game, I can't remember who it was, but the the R2 was just terrible to where like my girls were teaching him on the JV game, like how to do the book and everything, like it was embarrassing. So he was the R2 for our city match, and I called a timeout just so I can talk to the up ref from standing on the court looking at him like he doesn't know what he's doing, like someone needs to watch the line, some like someone's gonna get hurt. You're not gonna land on one of my players. But he was he brought that up, and he was like, he's like, that's the only time she's ever like really was like, come on. Yeah, but you see, refs do like me. I got a hug. How cool is that?

SPEAKER_00 11:21

That's all I'm gonna say. Good for you. Good for you. I mean, I will say high school refs can be abysmal, like they can be so bad. There's some good ones too, of course. But they some of those guys are not really like volleyball refs, they're like, you know, they ref like football and basketball, they just throw them in.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

He was sharing with my brother, like how he's also a professional baseball, like umpire.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

So he's like, you know, I I do volleyball, he does college and volleyball as well, but he's like, I do like the minor leagues and and some of those leagues and whatnot, like in Sarasota when they're here for spring training. Um, and he was like sharing that, and I was like, you know, they have to learn a lot of rules, different sports, give them a benefit of the doubt, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Yeah, we gotta we'll let him, we'll let them slide.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Well, speaking of refs that don't know volleyball, I had one of those this weekend. Um March Mayhem first match on Sunday. We are playing, and one of my girls absolutely drills another kid in the head. Um and she was totally fine, like she was not like down for the count. The down ref goes, Are you okay? And she's like, Yeah, I'm good. But he's like, No, you need to go get checked out. And so he forces her to go get checked out for a concussion. The opposing team player. No, the player. The down ref the coach from the team that was refing is the one who takes charge and says that she needs to go get checked out, which that's a nice call to make. So the other coach, hit her coach, he's like, No, she's fine. Like she's saying she's fine. So then the down ref calls the up rep over and is like, she got hit in the side of the head. Like, it's okay if she gets hit in the front of the head, but the side of the head, automatic concussion protocol. And so he's like, Oh yeah, yeah, sender. Never heard of that before. Never either, neither. So sender. So now we're on a delay and we're waiting and we're waiting. And he's like, All right, we're gonna go ahead and do a special substitution and we're gonna continue play. But when she comes back, if she's okay, then she can go back in the game. And I was like, Okay, so we're making a sub, and he's like, Well, it's a special, special substitution. I said, Has everybody been in the match yet? And he's like, No, I go, so that's a regular sub. The score's like five to two at this point. It's not like we've been around six rotations, and so they sub number three goes in the match. A little bit later, here comes back number eight. He subs number eight back in. It was a setter, by the way, so they were all discompopulated. She checks back into the game about two, three, four points later, number three comes subbing in for somebody else. And now I'm losing my mind because I had already asked clarification if it was a regular sub, and they said, Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

So can you explain can you explain the rules for those who don't understand?

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Yeah, so if everybody's already played in the match and you have an injured player, then you can do an exceptional uh substitution and then you could take a player from another spot and put them in where you need them to go. But then the player that's injured cannot return to the match for the whole match. For the whole match, yeah. So while she was allowed to enter back in, basically, so then I start complaining. The up ref gets down off of his stand, he comes over, the down ref is like, you can deal with her. I'm not talking to her anymore. All I'm doing is trying to get clarification on what's going on. Like, these aren't the rules. The up ref comes over. Fernando at this point's on my bench. He's explaining, he's like, Oh, well, yeah, well, it was a special substitution. And I'm like, that's not a thing. So what he said was that he's like, Well, it's special substitution, so we didn't put it in the book. You always put everything in the book. You put it in the book, you put it in the book. Yeah. So now I'm like everyone was subbed in, right? No, no, it was a regular substitution, so it wasn't exceptional. So he just say it's only an exceptional. He subbed every one girl in for two different people. So one player got to go in for two different spots.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

And again, for clarification, you can only especially you can only use that exceptional sub if everybody else has already been in the game. Correct. Yeah, if yeah, if if not, you have to use one of your available players, sub-man, yeah, no matter what. Just make sure everybody realizes that rule. I didn't I only learned it recently.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

So then I'm looking at Fernando, and Fernando's just like smiling and nodding his head, and I'm like, is he right? Because now I'm questioning myself, even though I know I know the rule. And he's like, he's just basically made up his own rule, and I'm like, What? So I could have protested, but honestly, it just I didn't want to delay the court any longer. And he was super slow, and he was also a soccer ref. His shirt had a soccer refing thing on it. So geez. So he definitely did not know Volivas. So, anyways, I went and complained about him after the match, and uh they were like, Yep, he was definitely in the wrong, and we're gonna go talk to him. He's brand new. And I was like, Yeah, it was pretty bad. The whole match was bad.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

You can tell he's brand new. Don't worry, you don't have to tell him.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Then then wait a wait, it gets better. So the I'm supposed to ref at 9 45. We're again that stupid rule where you gotta play two matches on the last day and hate it.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

That everybody loves apparently except for us.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Um, we're like an hour behind already at like the 8.45 matches, and he was starting until 9.45. Like it's just getting later and later. And he completely missed the net call in the third set. Then the next point, the girl was definitely not in the net. He caused the net, I think, to make up for his last miss. And then I think the table ended the match on volley score, and then they couldn't get it back up. So now we're on a 20-minute delay over one point that was ending the match. That point was ending the match. They had to come up, they dealt with it, finally got it go back going, and then that team won like the next two points.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Just want to remind you guys that last week and the things that I said changed. I stated the app needs to be changed. But you know what you're doing, you wouldn't have had that delay. So I'm just saying. No, it was right.

SPEAKER_02 17:26

The app is not the problem, it's it's the operator, it's the operator, it's a user it is, not the app. Just like the boat, though. Think about it. If anything, the app stops a lot more, and it actually tells you when you're out of rotation because there's people that are terrified to be like, Yeah, they're out of the rotation.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Oh, yeah, I want a match on an out of rotation call.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Exactly. But the thing is, is I don't know what the is the I is delayed like normally like an internet issue or a phone issue. But not for me.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

At least I've never had anything. No, because you don't need the internet until you end the match to start it and then to end it. I mean, I've seen like an app when you're on an airplane.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

I've seen so many different delays where they have, you know, the ref has to come down and they're on the phone and and well, you know what it is?

SPEAKER_02 18:07

A lot of girls are going like this. They're on the app and they'll all flick out of it, go text their friend, go to their Instagram, post the post or whatever they need to do, and then go back and they realize, like, oh, I missed this, I missed this, and they're trying to play catch me up. And then next thing you know, it's like, well, that person is already on the court. It's like obviously not because they're stepping in.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Well, they need to provide iPads. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

I think they're when I talk to them, they say it's like trial and error right now. And they're they said eventually if they're gonna do this, they know they have to provide some type of source for people to use. Because you can't just rely on like well, half these kids' phones are dead all the time. Yeah, I ain't giving them my phone either. I've had to do that. Oh no, you're too nice.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Yeah. So we just gotta suffer basically for a year or so until they get it, until they get it worked out. So yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

I mean, look at Ball or TV, they have all those iPads, so that's what I mean. They can just steal something.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Yeah, yeah. Well, it was actually fun. This is my um this is the first weekend for me that I didn't go to a volleyball tournament. Um So you weren't working. I was I'm getting there. I was working actually.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Davis wasn't working, another weekend off for Davis.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

So Saturday, my son had a tournament and basketball tournament. Um and let me tell you, basketball compared to volleyball, like there I can I almost should never complain about volleyball because the disorganization of basketball is mind-boggling. Like, you don't know what time you play until usually like the day before. You don't know AM wave, PM wave, you don't know how many games you play, and they and it's like they'll do these things where it'll be like a four-team pool, and then you'll play the first two games, and then based upon how you do those first two games, you'll play an you'll play your third game. Yeah. But it's almost always you'll play the same team twice. So you won't play all four teams in your pool. You just play the same team twice. It's the dumbest thing. So we played it, so we he won his first game, his second team they won, and then they played they I'm sorry, they lost their second game, and then they played the same team right back over again. And it made it's the every single tournament, every tournament director, but it was so disorganized, you never know anything. They let you in like five minutes before the tournament starts. So there's no warm-up.

SPEAKER_02 20:19

Yeah, it's it's bizarre. It is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

They and they one minute halftime, one minute for halftime. Like they just go go and then But what time did you get out of there? That's a good part.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

How long was it?

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Yeah, I mean, it was like three hours. Like I was three games in like three hours. I mean, I was like, boom, boom, I'm out. So that part is nice.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

My little cousin used to play basketball, so we would go see her. Like, and I was coaching at the time, and I was just like, She was in high school, she was about to graduate. I'm thinking I'm like, She's like, All right, we have a game at this time, like when's your next? She's like, I don't know. And I'm like, Yeah. There's no schedule now. There's I mean it's and then you'll walk out, I'll be like, okay, I'll be back. And then, hey, we're warming up. Like, what do you mean we're warming up? You just said you didn't know what your next game was.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

So we get there and it's like, okay, so we were one and one, and then there's another team that was one and one, but we had beat them head to head. But the the tournament director person was like, Oh, they they play in the finals. And I'm like, okay, so explain to me how you have a two-and-o team, then two one and one teams, and an oh-and-two team, and you're gonna put the one and one team that lost to us by 15 points, you're gonna put them in the finals when we beat them. How does that make sense? Oh, yeah, that makes you're right. I think you're right. I'm like, he's like, but I think it goes off points. I go, okay, that's even better. Because we beat them by 15. Yeah. And so they they won by one to the other team that we didn't even play. I was like, there's no way you can spin this. And he's like, Yeah, I think you're right. Okay, you guys are up. You guys are up. I'm like, Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Oh, that's so now you're dictating how the tournament goes to the tournament director.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Can you imagine doing that?

SPEAKER_02 21:54

Davis is gonna be the director of AAE basketball.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

I am seriously, it's so fun. And then, like, yeah, it's just It's so different. It is such a man a cape.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

He's gonna come in and save AU basketball.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

I mean, I could I could do better. I'm just saying. I could do better. I could I could totally do better. It's so easy. I think just play the play each team in the pool.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

How are like the families? Like, are they like obnoxious?

SPEAKER_00 22:18

So our club was pretty our club is pretty good. They actually have a good culture, and that's actually why I kind of picked the club. So uh Pro Skills Basketball, if you're like Brittany, any any basketball club. No, they do a really good job. These the guy is on it. Um some of the other teams are bad. This weekend wasn't too bad, but it was funny because so uh my son's coach is a great coach, but he's very loud, very vocal. Yeah, kind of like an Elise.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

And a Britney, Brittany's louder vocal too. I'm not the only one.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Yeah, well, let's put it this way.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

I'm more discreet about it.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Yeah, let's put it this way. He's like, she's not it's because I'm not loud all the time in life. You can hear Elise's voice. So you can hear this coach's voice. So the you know, the coach, he's coaching, he's telling our kids something, hey, we got to get this rebound. Everybody, get this rebound. And the coaches, the other coach on the other team is like, he heard you the first time. And then so the coach just ignored me, did it again. The guy said it again. So, you know, me. I I I couldn't resist. I was like, this is my one chance to be a parent and not be a club director. And I was like, Hey, coach, coach your own team, worry about your own team. And then when I said it, the gym got super quiet. Did you all the other parents?

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Was your family with you?

SPEAKER_00 23:23

No, it was just me. Oh, and then and then all it was funny because then like all the other parents on my team started saying the same thing. They're like repeating me. I felt I was like, Yeah. But it was funny. He was just mad because we beat him, you know. So I mean they were seventh graders, so we were ninth graders. The kids were like four feet tall, but still, listen, they only still beat them. We still we still beat him. So and Jordan and Jordan played well, so I I was happy. So um, so real quick before we kind of get into some other things, um, kind of want to talk about Britney and how you do at how you've built up that program at Wesley Chapel. I mean, because when my daughter, when you first started, terrible. They were terrible. They weren't terrible, they were terrible with the year. They were terrible. They were terrible.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

So when I had got there, mind you, I started there fresh out of college. Um, I think I was like 23 when I got the job there. Um they had had a new coach for like the three seasons before me. So every year they had a new coach. So that was that's rough as it is. There's no culture being built, there's no stability there. Um, so basically I kind of just stuck it out. Um, lucky for me, Jordan Danielson entered the program as a freshman.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

She was actually coached Jordan Danielson. She's a coach with us. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Now she's coaching. Super happy about that. Um, she was a freshman my first year at Chapel, so super athletic. Didn't have, didn't know too much about volleyball yet, but she from freshman to sophomore year just blew up. And then by the time she was a junior, her sister Chloe came into the program. So then I had both of them, and they were pretty much unstoppable. They kind of just led that team. Um, we got a couple transfers in. We had one from New Jersey, a setter, which really helped at one point.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

Um yeah, what was her name? Um Jenna. Jenna. I love Jenna. Jenna was great. I got to coach Jenna in club. She's a good kid.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Yeah. Um Emma. Emma Laterno came. And then I had that group of freshmen, which was like Brooke, Lizzie, oh yeah, there's a great yeah. There was like Courtney. I mean, there's like five of them. They were like absolute studs. I mean, we were beating teams we shouldn't be beating with like four or five freshmen on the court at any given time.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

So they weren't normal freshmen, those were some talented kids. Yeah, they were super talented. So you even had Skye.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

Yeah, Sky's been great. Jameson, Zarya. Yeah. Um, just a lot of a lot of kids that started to come in and that actually really enjoyed volleyball, um, kind of bought into the culture. And I I think the stability of me being there for so many years. This I'm going into my tenth season now, um, really helped because they just didn't have they didn't have that before. Yeah. And we got a good feeder program. My little sister coaches at the middle school now. Um, so keep it with the family. Yeah, got a good feeder program over there at Waitman. Um, but yeah. I high school's weird though. It comes and goes. Yeah, it's like you have a couple good years and then you rebuild for a few years and then a couple good years. So we're kind of in that rebuilding right now, but reloading, reloading. Yeah, reloading.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

It's it's so funny because like we've had these conversations before after a season. I'm like, all right, I'm going into my rebuilding stage. And we I had a rebuild for like three, like when you were when Brittany was at her high with chapel, yeah, Sun Lake was at its lows. Yeah. Yeah. And now we're flipping. And now we're now we flip. Now, now Sunlake's at its high, you know.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Yeah, and same thing. I mean, Sun Lake was good, but when you when you got when you took over, now they're like exceptional.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

You know, I have to say, like, the biggest thing, Brittany said it too, is just having this, you know who you're getting, you know you're gonna have your coach there. People are gonna buy into that program, people are gonna want to live in that area.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

Right, yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna say they avoid going to the private schools because hey, I'm gonna have a great team here because there are some, just like I said, there's some bad refs in college.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

There's some bad high school coaches, and I'm gonna tell you the truth, that there's probably more bad high school coaches than there is good, yeah. Right, and it's and it's almost sad, like for some of the programs. And if I whenever a high school reaches out asking what we're doing or what I'm doing, I don't care. I'll tell you what we're doing. It's whether you're gonna be able to do it, yeah. You know, like whether you have the talent or whether you have, and I always tell people, it's not that Sunlight comes and gets these girls that are talented. It's you have kids that one are buying into a program, two that are probably athletic and want to learn.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

I've had people before that some of them don't even play club volleyball. Like they play basketball on on this time of the year, and they're still one of my top players. And they play what five, six months out of the year. Yeah, I've had that too. So you just gotta maybe three months if that's Uber. You have to find a coach that buys in to that wants to be there that sets a standard and is willing to put it.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

And is willing to work for very little money. Yeah, pennies, the pennies we work for. I make exactly two dollars and forty-two cents an hour.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

You know how much I think I give my whole check back. I know, I spend so much money on those kids. Yeah, whether it's like buying them ice cream, buying them food, don't ever buy a high school girls volleyball team food because you think they're only gonna have like fries and this. No, these meals are ginormous. I'm like, there's my whole coaching challenge.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Tina brings like uh snacks every day to practice, and they those kids just raid that backpack. They're like, Yo, Coach T, where's the snack bag? Yeah, and we're like texting their parents, like, yo, y'all gotta donate some snacks. We cannot afford to fund this team some snacks.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Yeah, it's it's it's fun though. High school's fun. It is fun. It's it's the you know what it is, it's like yes, club, you're working for a bid, but uh how many times can like you say you've won a state championship, right? That's hard to do. That is like the elite of the elite uh whether you like it or not, you know. In in the state, you're playing your state only, like you're not playing people from other states and stuff. And Florida is a competitive state for volleyball.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

So I I actually love watching high school ball. I mean, I just think it's it's it's the one game to focus on versus at a tournament, which I mean I love tournaments too, but it is nice just to go and you've got the you know, especially when you've got the student section and yeah, half the time just trying to figure out what they're saying on their chairs.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

And you know, you know what I like too is that a lot of the coaches in this area are trying to make volleyball like the sport for people to go see, the community to come in and watch, right? And do things before it wasn't like that. Before we weren't the sport to come watch, like everyone wants to come see football and volleyball now, which is so cool. Yeah, I think that's fine. Like we we make sure we have what is it, dress up days and yeah, we have to do our theme days.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

That's like Davis Davis knows. It was actually a lot of work trying to do Canva posts, all that I used to have to I was doing the Canva post for years for school, and I was like, this is just too kind time consuming. One of y'all kids need to take this over, is not like y'all can do it.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

Yeah, it's fun. It's it's like it's you can see a little bit of us in the program, and it's yeah, it's fun to see.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

High school volleyball takes a lot more time up than you think, even if you're not necessarily like not just the practices, but all the paperwork and all the little tedious things that you have to do behind the scenes. It's it's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 30:51

Yeah, and we do have a great county when it comes to like they love our sports, they're very supportive with it. Yeah, um, which is nice because you don't see that much. They let us they're kind of a little free with us, like they let us schedule our games, they're not very controlling on what we have to do. It's like here's your conference games, play them. But that's like five games and then the the the 20 games, you know, years where Hillsborough County is a little more strict, I should say, and they don't like to host home games if yeah, if they're out of county team, it's so weird. Yeah, if anything like my school's encouraging us to play the best teams we can find, like possibly find. Like that's that's what you do when you're building a program. Like you're not trying to play all these, I guess, that teams. Cupcakes, yeah, yeah, cupcake matches, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

Well, that is great. You guys both have good programs, so you guys are doing something right, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

We're in the same region this year. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

I know. I love I actually like watching.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

Wait, are we in the same district, right? We're in the same district and now region. That's just not even fair.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

So now you guys play each other. Well, you guys always play each other twice, I feel like, right?

SPEAKER_02 32:03

No, so it's still only you don't have to, it's you're not required to play your district team or region team. Um, but we're in each other's conference. So we're in conference district and now region.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

We've never had that. No. They the way they redid it, I'm not happy.

SPEAKER_02 32:21

So basically we lost kids, they gained kids in their like population of school. So now we ended up in the same school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

But like, why do we have to be in the same district? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

Our our district is not easy. It's us, it's it's Wesley Chapel, it's Mitchell, Lando Lakes, Wharton, Eastlake, Steinbrenner? I'm missing one. Maybe Wiregrass? I don't know. I thought there was eight. It might be seven, but that's wild. It's that like me, Steinbrenner, Eastlake, Wharton, not Warren, um yeah, no Warren. Someone has played in in a regional final within the last four years. Like that's nuts. That's gonna be tough. Same with you though. You were within, yeah, you were two years ago, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Yeah. Yeah. Something like that. Three or four years ago. That will be fun. So next up, guys, we have we have a big we have a great weekend. You get because you guys know where we are going this weekend. Chai.

SPEAKER_03 33:33

Chicago.

SPEAKER_00 33:34

Chicago Chai Chai. Chicago is one of my my favorite tournaments. I say Chicago. Aside from New Orleans, it's one of my favorite tournaments. Um he does is eat.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Yeah, because we get to go to Chinatown.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

Chinatown.

SPEAKER_02 33:51

Get some dim sum. Yeah. I'm gonna see if I can I haven't this guy came back with like a half a chicken. Pull up to the tournament.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

It was a duck. It was a chicken. It was a duck. It was a duck. I was like, oh no. It's so good. I'm telling you, you don't even understand.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

I do not like the duck.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

You didn't try it. I think I did. I don't think you did at all. But no. Um, and and by the way, just for the record, two weeks now without a bazookie. So I'm my fig I'm getting my figure. Let's go to lunch one day. Okay, let's go to VJ's. Let's go right after this.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

I'll skip the pool for an hour and then we'll get one.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Oh, it sounds good. Yeah, it is it is super fun. But my I think my favorite thing about the tournament um is well last year was great because we had we went three bits, like literally back to back. Within an hour, we had three teams up at the podium. Um, which was you know, that was crazy. That was just incredible. It was what 12, 13s, and 14s. Boom, boom, boom. Yeah. So that was, I mean, it'll always be great for that.

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Um did you guys like is and really a little off topic, but you were you close to missing your flight? Yes. Yeah, because so all right, so I'm gonna just prepare them up to Sunday.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

It's different this year because so last year. I'll stay home with you. I'll stay back with you. So that's kind of what I'm getting at. So the thing that's fun about this tournament is that we're you know, there's a we're taking 11 teams, so it's it's our biggest out-of-state tournament as far as like bringing teams. So we all get to kind of hang out, and um, the one thing I'm not as happy about this year is we're kind of spread out in three different hotels. Um, so it's not gonna be the same like in the lobby like how it was before. Yeah, yeah. However, we are staying connected to the to the tournament, which is yeah, the greatest thing ever, because I can, you know, go run upstairs and you know, get some food or whatever, relax for a few minutes and come back down instead of you know, the last year we were late or almost missed our flight because we had to go back to the hotel to get our bags and then leave. So this one we'll just go boom and we'll be right out of there.

SPEAKER_01 35:50

So was it like that time when everybody's getting their pictures and their uh you know, up on the stage, and it took forever. Yeah, it takes. I was the last team last year, and we were like, all right, let's go, hurry up.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

Yeah, we were like had literally had we were like we weren't as bad as some of the other people. Some of the other people had an even earlier flight. But but this year we have an early flight out, so we have to we have to book it. And but I've already got backup flights ready. Yeah, should I say prepared this time? Should I say I got us an economy car to drive? Me and you at least.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Hey, I'm down. I again I don't work Monday. When I don't have to work, I'm game for it all.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

It'd be a fun road trip.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

Like, look, I'm game. Like, I'm like podcast today, going to the pool, and I got a lightning game tonight. I'm packing it in in a day. So if you're telling me I gotta drive, that's fine. I'll do my share of driving. I'll give you an hour and a half or two.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

I will not drive, I'll just ride. I don't like car rides. Like if I was in an RV where I could stretch out, fine. But sitting in a car when we did that one from Atlanta that year. Oh my god, that's like the max I can do. I guess so Antsy.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

It wasn't bad with like Maddie drove. Yeah, that was that wasn't bad. Because Maddie liked it much that driving. Shout out, Maddie. You're the best.

SPEAKER_00 37:01

I did look it up. It's only 18 hours to Chicago.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

So not that bad. But we could stop, we could sightsee, we could take a picture with our bid medals and like look all cute. I'm pretty sure it's probably gonna be like an Easter egg since it's on Easter weekend or something. Yeah, I don't know. If it's not that, then I'm gonna go get me an Easter egg with that and put the bit in it.

SPEAKER_00 37:19

But so yeah, we're gonna um it's gonna it's gonna be a lot of fun because we're gonna um I'm I'm taking Jordan, which is the which literally I booked his ticket yesterday, and then um Cody and Fernando's oldest two kids, Mia and Diego, are coming as well.

SPEAKER_02 37:34

Are you are you are you bringing anyone? No. I'm I'm bringing my other children.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

Alice is bringing her husband, but not the not the baby who everybody wants to bring up. Not the baby, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:44

The baby no, the baby's there and with mama. She come with me.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

So I had to I had to come with me. Because we waited too long to book our flights, the flights went to like$950 from Tampa. Which I had already booked mine and Emma's, but um anyway, I found some tickets out of Sarasota that left like an hour later um for like significantly less.

SPEAKER_02 38:05

So I so is Emma going with you now?

SPEAKER_00 38:07

She has to because she's my flying companion. So it's me, Emma, Jordan, Mia, and Diego flying out of Sarasota. You got that. And I'll take Layle. I'll I swear I'll take her with me. She is free.

SPEAKER_02 38:17

You know what it is? It's a night. Like if I want to go do something with the coaches, it's like our most fun tournament where we go to that tournament.

SPEAKER_00 38:25

It is we have so much fun.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

And and I think, you know, you're gonna be like, uh, you're going out, I gotta watch the baby.

SPEAKER_00 38:31

I'll watch the baby while you go out. I'm totally fine. The baby loves me.

SPEAKER_02 38:35

Let mom and dad have a weekend, okay?

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Let us have a weekend, please. Yeah, but no, it's it's it's a lot. We we're gonna have a lot of fun. Um, it's funny because Mia, you know, Mia is a planner, and she is just like me as far as like food. So she sent she sent me this itinerary. And I'm looking at it right now. It is like she's planned out the meals, she's planned out where we're going, she's got museums, boat cruises, three it's like but read this.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

I've gotta read something off of this. This is my favorite line. You ready? She goes, Hold on, where is it? She goes, if you want to change anything, that is okay. Put a little like I guess a little what do you bother saying? Asterisk, asterisk or something, and it's and then I can see what it is to change it if I approve or move it to another time or day. And if you don't like the option, you don't have to come.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

So I was like, who did she send this to? It was me. It was it was me and Diego and Jordan. We're on this tech chain, and it's like, but she's got every single meal planned out. Oh, yeah. I mean, like, I I applaud her for that. She I'm all of I'm all about it. It's pretty impressive. I mean, she's got museums, she's got everything. It's it's pretty impressive. I mean, all the way down to depart for airport at this time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

Yeah. So we're we're definitely like breakfast and all that. I'm like, listen, I'm not gonna be able to make breakfast because my team's gonna win. Yeah, they're gonna keep winning. So we're gonna be playing in the morning. I'll do lunch and dinners.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

Yeah, it's gonna be fun. And and then as far as you know, I'll kind of spoil it now. I think what our plan is if I can get this everything, if I can fit everything in my bag, because again, I do not uh check a bag, but if I can get everything in my carry-on, Leilani is Leilani is being distracting right now over here.

SPEAKER_02 40:29

She's like face down. She's like planking on her head. What is this? I gotta take a bit.

SPEAKER_01 40:38

You gotta wait, so you're still not gonna check a bag even though you're bringing a list? I'm not checking a list. What are you gonna bring? One pair of underwear?

SPEAKER_00 40:44

No, you can fit you can one outfit? No, it's three outfits or four outfit, the one you wear, and then three more Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That's not enough. That's all.

SPEAKER_02 40:54

No, so I just realized like I'm gonna have to have Slavon bring a bigger bag too. Because, well, you have your just chill outfit. Yep. You got your coaching outfits. Yep. And then Stefan has like some really nice like dates planned for us for when we're not playing. So I need like a nice dressy outfit outfit.

SPEAKER_04 41:15

Insane.

SPEAKER_02 41:15

So then I can, but I'm gonna do a two for one, whatever outfit I'm wearing to dinner. I'm gonna have to be able to wear out like if I meet you guys somewhere or something. So I'm not bringing four different types of outfits, okay? Just three.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

All right. So it's ridiculous. That's ridiculous, but you know, you do you, so I'm not I'm not doing so. So as long as I can fit everything, we're gonna do that. Um, I'm gonna try to have um some of the coaches maybe come on and join us, and maybe even if one of the players stops by, you know, we maybe we'll we may do it in the hotel lobby or something. Yeah, we'll try to do something. We'll just try to do something different. So we may go a little off schedule this week.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

However, as we'll be talking about me getting a bid and like the process to it, like at least I it's gonna be like, How are you guys feeling going into tomorrow? You need one X amount of games to get a bid. I'm just gonna be like, I'm ready. I know the girls are ready, we're gonna get it. Yeah, you have to you have to see me in practice right now. I'm like, like energy. I'm like, is that bad energy? Jasmine's like, yeah. That's so cute.

SPEAKER_00 42:17

Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun. I mean, I think that there's I mean, I'm excited to watch Britney's teams. Brittany has both her teams there, um, and I think both of them have a good shot to do very, very well.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

Hopefully, they don't do three sets every match again.

SPEAKER_00 42:30

Oh, that's you know that's gonna happen, though. They are the three set queens.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

You better bring me food on Friday. I'll be there all day.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

Got you. I got you. Yeah, so I got I got my I gotta work, I gotta follow Mia's schedule, but I'll have some I'll definitely have some food.

SPEAKER_02 42:43

Basically, Davis is gonna be off another weekend, just like Boston. He's only gonna get to work when we get a bed, and when you get a bid and all our other teams get together.

SPEAKER_00 42:53

I'm gonna show up at the end and then jump in the picture. Yeah, he's just my medal.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

He's gonna take all credit, like, yeah, I did that. My name was on the roster. Well, and I'll you know what, guys, I have something to say about Davis this week. Oh boy, and I was gonna hold off and I was gonna do it. First, this man broke my doorknob. He broke my doorknob, and then try to blame it on me, saying I broke the doorknob as I'm eating my lovely breakfast this morning.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

That I brought you.

SPEAKER_02 43:16

That you brought, that he broke my doorknob. He did that because he knew he broke something, right? Um, so he broke my doorknob. And then in our coach's chat, he reaches out and says, Let me know if you guys want to be on any rosters. Mistake number one.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

That was a mistake.

SPEAKER_02 43:37

And we we have like when I say we're a family, everyone wants to be on each other's rosters.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

I get so the second I send that message out, I'm getting two responses. No, you got two responses. No, no, I don't believe it. It's not there's no proof. There's no proof. I'll show you right here. I will show you right here.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

Two people responded, and it's Minute he's like, I guess I can't be having all of you wanting to be on each other. The grumpy old man came out, and I'm like, You can't ask a question and not expect people for the response. So, Davis, I think you need to apologize right here, right now, to all the coaches on behalf of myself.

SPEAKER_00 44:18

I am sorry to everyone. Because I definitely should not have done that. Because the second I did it, all these tech put me on this road, put me on this road, put me on every roster. And then what happens is I'm fine with that. But then what happens is when Katia is walking around, Katia is like, you know, she goes to sit on somebody's bench. I'm like, Katia, you're not on that roster. Why am I not on that roster? Why are you not putting me on every roster? I'm like, because everybody else wants to be on everybody's roster, and there's only so many roster spots. So she was so mad at me the last tournament.

SPEAKER_02 44:46

So finally, this tournament, I was like, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna Well I this man put himself on Cadio's roster in New Orleans instead of me. So Katia's like, come sit. And I said, I can't because the Davis Lauderdale is on the freaking roster.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

Because I can only I have to be on one roster.

SPEAKER_02 45:08

And he chose I'm not even gonna say you could have chosen so many others. There were only two teams there. Doesn't matter. I could have chose one.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

I don't want to sit on Katia's roster. I don't want to sit on her bench. She's gonna yell at me. As soon as someone talks to me, I get trouble.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

Um, but and in all fairness, that still didn't sound like an apology. So it sounds like an excuse. It was no, it was it was a somewhat apology. Coaches, I'm sorry for snapping for a question. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

That was one of those, I'm sorry for making you feel that way. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you felt that way.

SPEAKER_02 45:45

See, I always say I have the coaches back. Yeah, well, I did I did it.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

I put it this way. I was doing the rosters, I was trying to, I was trying to finalize it, and I thought in my head, maybe I'm missing, maybe a couple people want to be no, maybe I'm forgetting, like, you know, Elise wants to be on Britney's roster or whatever. I didn't think about how many people were gonna want to have specific stress. So that was my fault. So I apologize. I'm looking into the camera. I know for those who watch this on video, I am sorry for making me feel that way. But anyway, yeah, so it's gonna be fun. Um can't wait. Hopefully, we come away with a couple bids. Yeah. Um, but regardless, I'm gonna eat well. We're gonna have some fun. Are we gonna eat no cubs game, no bulls game while we're there.

SPEAKER_02 46:29

Just the White Sox game.

SPEAKER_00 46:30

But no one wants to go see the White Sox. No, I don't want to see that. So yeah. So anyway, um, I think that's all. Yeah, we're gonna make it a short episode this week because we're probably gonna run, you know, maybe a couple episodes in Chicago. We'll see how that goes. But thank you guys, everybody, for joining us once again. Uh, we will see you guys in a few days.

SPEAKER_02 46:49

All right, let's have a good week. Yeah, I'm gonna go to the pool, so if you want.