Sunday, February 22, 2009

WHERE DID ALL THIS SNOW COME FROM????

March is only seven days away, and here comes another foot of snow!! With temperatures hitting almost 60 degrees last week, everyone had a false hope of good weather on it's way!! OH WELL!!!!



Physical Education classes head into their final stretches of basketball and weight training (and floor hockey in 6th grade). As reported earlier, students are doing a great job, and seem to be enjoying themselves. In addition, students who have had makeup work from earlier in the trimester are getting these taken care of.



In my blog from last week, I inadvertently failed to mention the great work our Lakeview moms did at the 6th grade Valentine's Day party......THANK YOU SO MUCH!!



Varsity basketball heads into the final two weeks of the regular season, with some big rematch games coming up. Tomorrow (Monday; Feb. 23rd), the Boys travel to Eisenhower to take on the Generals. Wednesday brings Jefferson to Lakeview, pitting the one-loss Spartans vs. the undefeated Wolverines. The Spartans get right back into action on Thursday, as they travel to Westview Hills and the Wildcats. All games are scheduled for a 4 PM tipoff.



The final regular season game forthe Boys will be at Lakeview on Tuesday; March 3rd vs. Old Quarry!! Pick a date, and "Catch-Us-If-You-Can!!"

On a final note, the winner of last week's "Lunch with the Coach" question was Varsity basketball player Joe N.. Joe correctly answered ST. LOUIS CARDINALS to the question, "What National League team started Spring Training the previous Friday and did not overspend in signing Milton Bradley." The question for this week is what Lakeview player missed the Jefferson game due to illness, allowing Jeff J. to step into the starting lineup, recording 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Have a great week, and ...........GO SPARTANS!! PLAY HARD!!

Coach Dodd

Sunday, February 15, 2009

HAPPY N.B.A. ALL-STAR SUNDAY

Hello Spartan Fans !!

PHYSICAL EDUCATION classes are rolling along with our units on Basketball and Weight Training, plus 6th grade Floor Hockey . The week of February 9th saw our annual "Bench Press" contest in all grades. The coming week will give all grade levels the opportunity to review and understand the seriousness of steroid abuse. ALL students will spend an entire P.E. class in the IMC studying and reviewing areas and information regarding this program that closely relates to athletics. After reviewing the website information, all students will then be computer-quizzed on a variety of steriod problems and issues. Upon completion of the information and quiz of same, students will get immediate feedback on the correctness of their answers. Any questions returned as wrong will necessitate the student taking the test again. In past years, MOST students have gotten 100% on their first try!! I know this years classes will do well!!!!

As we prepare to celebrate President's Day tomorrow (Monady; Feb. 16), let me congratulate my Lakeview Varsity basketball squad on a great week of action. Following wins on Monday and Tuesday vs. Westmont and Gower, the Spartans traveled to Woodridge to battle Jefferson. Even though the final score had the Spartans on the wrong end of 48-35, the effort put forth was just about all a coach could ask for.

Playing without Alex P. (illness), Jeff J. stepped up big-time at both ends of the floor tallying 15 points and 6 rebounds. In his Friday role as 6th man, Joe N. contributed 9 points off the bench to help the Spartan cause. When preparing for the Wolverines, we stressed that there were five things needed to be done to win. First was limit the opponent to one shot each trip down the floor, control the tempo of the game, keep composure if things were not going well, not back-down physically and finally, not let Jefferson run off a string of unanswered points. WELL...................our guys did a great job on the first four, but did allow the opponent to run off 8 points twice without a Lakeview score. The Spartans and Wolverines will meet again Wednesday; February 25 at Lakeview. It is my hope that we have another great fan base, just as we did for the game at Jefferson, and also for the Pack-The-Place victory over Westview Hills.

This Tuesday, the varsity reserves who have not seen as much action as the regulars this season will have a "Reserve Game" AT CASS tipping off at 4 PM. This will give our reserves a chance to demonstrate, in game conditions vs. non-teammates, what they are capable of doing. It is my hope that all family and friends attend if at all possible! A special "Thanks" goes out to Dr. Tiede, Mr. Windsor, and Coach Dvorak for supporting this opportunity for our reserves!!

On a final basketball related note, it has been one of my personal goals this season to emphasize to the members of our squad the importance of conducting themselves in a manner appropriate for someone representing our school. I discussed with the squad the difference between their god-given right to attend school, and the privilege of being a member of an extra-curricular activity such as basketball. As I left the gym as Jefferson, I was approached by a new Jefferson administrator who I had never meet. Mr. John McClenahan, Jefferson asst. principal stated that, TO A PLAYER, the Lakeview basketball team said Thank You to him for unlocking the lockerroom following the game. He stated that he didn't see that very often, especially after a tough loss!!!! Our squad and their parents who have raised them should be acknowledged for these comments they made!!! I am very proud of them for this act!!!

Please find listed below the final regular season schedule. Again..........it is my hope that our positive and enthusiastic fan base will continue their support as 2009 winds down.

Thursday; Feb. 19 -----Butler (home)
Monday; Feb. 23 -------AT Eisenhower
Wednesday; Feb. 25 ---- Jefferson (home)
Thursday; Feb. 26 -----AT Westview Hills
Tuesday; March 3 ------- Old Quarry (home)

SINGLE elimination conference playoffs begin Monday; March 9th, and conclude with the conference championship game AT Old Quarry on Friday; March 13th; 7:30 PM.

And....Finally, finally, the correct answer to last weeks "Lunch-With-The -Coach" question (What former World War II general and President of the United States has his name hanging in one of our gyms?) was Dwight D. Eisenhower. The winner once again was 8th grader Kevin R.. As year goes on, it is my hope that some other individual steps up and tries to win the prize.

This weeks question is (from last week's blog) what baseball team started Spring Training and their drive to the 2009 World Championship last Friday in Florida? Being an "Employee of the Company", Mr. Little is excluded from answering this question. HINT -- They did not over-spend on Milton Bradley this Winter, but have won NINE World Championships!! E-Mail me the answer at tdodd@ccsd66.org



Have a great week!!

GO SPARTANS.............PLAY HARD!!!!!!

Coach Dodd

Monday, February 9, 2009

CORRECTED LOCATION FOR GOWER GAME...2/10/2009

TOMORROW'S LAKEVIEW VARSITY BOYS BOYS BASKETBALL GAME (TUESDAY; 2/10/2009) IS ...AT GOWER.... AND NOT AT LAKEVIEW AS POSTED ON MY BLOG YESTERDAY (2/8/2009)

Thank you for your understanding, and see you at Gower for the 4:00 PM Tipoff!!!

Play Hard!!

Coach Dodd

Sunday, February 8, 2009

IS SPRING FINALLY HERE ??????????

Hello Spartan Fans,

Was last week wild, or what??

First of all, our P.E. classes are cruisin' along with basketball, weight training, and floor hockey (6th grade only). Although we are not keeping standings in our classes, the basketball games have been very competitive. It seems like everyone does enjoy this unit, while at the same time are showing improvement in their individual skills!!!! KEEP IT UP!!

In the area of extra-curriculars, the varsity basketball teams went 5-1 for the week! Coach Little's squad won 2 out of 3, including a great victory on Wednesday at the Girls' "Pack-The-Place" vs. Burr Ridge . Coach Little's squads defeated Burr Ridge and Westview Hills, and also had the pleasure of attending the Downers South - Benet Freshmen game on Thursday. Several former Lakeview players competed for their respective schools, and from what I understand did an outstanding job!!

Our boys posted wins vs. Eisenhower, Burr Ridge, and Westview Hills. As of this writing, the boys varsity squad has an overall record of 9-4, and are 7-0 in the conference. Our early season tournaments have definitely prepared us for the conference season.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all the individuals that worked on the two "Pack-The-Place" games last week. Mr. Little has taken an idea. and made it into one of the great school activities of the year!! The individual list of "helpers" is monumental, so a general "THANKS" goes out to them. At the top of the list is obviously Dr. Tiede who, without his support, this activity would have never begun!! Miss Casey has always done a great job each year with her cheerleaders, and to that, this year is no exception!!

Immediately prior to the start of the boys game, the District 66 athletic department recognized the Lakeview Boys Jr. Varsity basketball teams who have registered conference championships (coached by Mr. Dave Dvorak) during the last five years. The 2008 squad finished with a record of 8-1, while the 2003 team finished undefeated at 15-0. Members from the 2003 squad in attendance were Joey Johnson, Ryan Pjescich, Peter Li, Malcolm Herron, Mike Mascitti, Mike Cahill, Seth Carson, and Alex Gorniak. Teammates Matt Frett and Ricardo Lee were unable to attend the game, but were recognized. Herron, Cahill, Carson, and Gorniak are all currently starters for the Downers South Mustangs varsity, and carry a record of 17-4 into this week's action.

During the coming week, the Boys varsity will continue conference play with games Monday (Feb. 9) AT WESTMONT, Tuesday (Feb.10) HOME vs. GOWER, and Friday (Feb. 13) AT JEFFERSON! As of this writing, Jefferson and Lakeview are both undefeated in the conference. It will be "HIGH NOON" in Woodridge on Friday vs. Jefferson, with the game tipping off at 4 PM! Hope many of the "Pack-The-Place" fans can travel to our games this week!!!!!

As a final item, the question of the week is......."What former U.S. president (and World War II general) has his name hanging in one of the Lakeview gyms"??????...................Be the 1st person to e-mail me (tdodd@ccsd66.org) the correct answer, and win a "Lunch-With-The Coach".

The winner of last week's contest was Kevin R., an 8th grader at Lakeview, and a member of the football and basketball teams. ......Kevin correctly answered, "Old Quarry" to the question,..."Which team did Lakeview defeat in their first conference game"? .......Way to go Kevin!!!!!!

Have a great week! ................, and don't forget ..................the Cardinals' pitchers report to Spring Training on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO SPARTANS!!!!!!!........................PLAY HARD!!!!!!!

Coach Dodd

Sunday, February 1, 2009

IT'S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday to all the "Spartan Nation"!!!!

There is so much to catch up on, so we'll start with the outstanding job that our 8th grade class did at the formal dance on the 23rd of January.

Following some outstanding daily classes with Mrs. Garvey, Kim, and Mike, our Class of '09 performed as you would expect this class to do. On January 23rd, the afternoon was spent in style as the '09ers looked spectacular, and danced even better than anticipated. Lavish outfits, and even blue suede shoes highlighted the two hour gala event. A special performance by Mrs. Garvey's Celebrity Dance Company rounded out the afternoon's event. OUTSTANDING!!!!!!

A special thanks also goes out to the moms and dads who graciously served refreshments to all attendees (including the staff............great meatballs in particular)!!!! As well, another THANKS goes to those parents who donated treats, but were unable to attend!!

Our Physical Education classes are cruising along with Weight Training and Basketball, as well as Floor Hockey in 6th grade!! Although you would hope that all our students would enjoy all our units, these three we are currently working with seem to be favorites. The 6th graders have played Floor Hockey for the past three years, with basketball being something that many have done since a much younger age. In addition, so many of our Lakeview students move on to participate in athletics in high school, making our weight training unit so important for their future. Again, a special thanks goes out to our administration for allowing the P.E. department to obtain the new equipment we have acquired. What a difference six years has to a program!!

On still another front, I must say I can not be any happier with the performance of our Boys Varsity Basketball squad. The Spartans represented Lakeview extremely well during the two pre-season tournaments at Downers North and Westmont. These six games have allowed me to evaluate my squad in preparation for the conference season which is now well under way. Again, I must say that the support of our tournament involvement from the Lakeview administration over the past six years has allowed us to do this!!!!!

As of this writing, the Spartans are 4-0, with victories at Old Quarry and at Cass, as well as wins at home vs. Westmont and Lisle. Anytime you can win road games at Old Quarry and Cass, you have a successful team!! MAKE NO MISTAKE, WE STILL HAVE A LONG SEASON AHEAD!!!!!

This week (Feb. 2 - 6), the Spartans host Eisenhower on Monday (2nd), travel to Burr Ridge (4th), and play host to Westview Hills (5th). The Westview Hills game will be the 2nd annual BOYS "Pack-The-Place". Many week-long and pre-game activities on the 5th will take place for all the Lakeview students. Due to expected large crowds, the game on the 5th vs. Westview Hills will be played in the "Old Gym" due to lack of sufficient seating in the "New Gym". Come early and avoid the standing room only that took place last year. Many pre-game activities will take place beginning at 3:10 PM (approx.), with the Lakeview Band and Choir once again performing.

As well as the BOYS "Pack-The-Place" on Thursday, I would like to wish Coach Little and his GIRLS squad the best of luck as they host Burr Ridge on Wednesday. This will also be a "Pack-The-Place"event with the same activities as scheduled for Thursday!!!!!

IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THE SPARTAN NATION HELP MAKE BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY GAMES S.R.O.. I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU WILL SEE GREAT BASKETBALL FROM ALL FOUR TEAMS INVOLVED!!!!!!!

On a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate four Lakeview alums ('05) on their hard-fought 66-63 Downers Grove South overtime victory over highly-ranked Morton last Friday night. Alex Gorniak, Malcolm Herron, Mike Cahill, and Seth Carson played significant roles in the victory. Gorniak and Herron combined for 41 of their 66 points, and physically took over the game late in the fourth quarter and the overtime. A fifth member of the squad from Lakeview is junior Bobby Mueller who has had a great JV season, and is a great teammate of all!! GOOD LUCK TO THE MUSTANGS AS THEY CHALLENGE FOR THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP OVER THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS!!!!

Have a great week, and....................."PLAY HARD"!!!!!!!!

Coach Dodd

P.S. ---->>>> I am going to once again challenge my readers for a chance to have "Lunch with the Coach"!! .......... The first person to present to me (Face-To-Face) the answer to this question will win the lunch..............
WHAT TEAM DID THE SPARTANS DEFEAT IN THE FIRST REGULAR SEASON GAME THIS YEAR??????? (Hint......It was a ROAD game).
Remember......Face-To-Face answer!!!!!