Thanks Em!

Miss Emily Kuipers,

Emily is the other of the two seniors that we are saying farewells to (in the basketball sense J). She has been a part of the Lady Rangers for 5 years (indicating she is a senior and above). Emily’s commitment to this team was more than just being there and working hard. Her time commitment through the last 3 seasons has been two fold compared to everyone else's. Having to be in the training room before hand to warm up and do exercises so that she could be ready to go by the time practice started is just one account of her time commitment. The other major thing she did was continually working on her shot in the gym. If you have ever had the pleasure of watching Emily when she is on “fire”, you know there isn’t much that you have seen that outdoes that. One game that will always stick out in my mind is the UCCS game at their gym (which was packed to the max) when Emily went 10-12 from the floor and looked like she couldn’t miss.

Although I didn’t have the opportunity to be with Emily her freshman year, I have been with her ever since and what a joy it has been. I do know, however, that Emily went through some major awakenings when she got to college, and she had the help of teammates through that transition. Now she is as crazy as ever; in the sense that she is fun to hang out with and is down to do whatever. She was definitely the quiet type, but that only meant that she was a good listener. Anyone could be in a bad mood before seeing Emily, and immediately, with comment about something or just laugh at something you said, would have you in a better mood.

Due to injuries of the knees, Emily and I really became close. I will never forget that year because she helped me recover just as much as I helped her. On road trips that we were allowed to go on, Coaches always roomed us together. This made our friendship stronger than ever. Emily is one of those people that will do anything for a friend and I know we all appreciate that.

Emily, like any other player, had her ups and downs throughout her career. It’s how she rebounded that was so amazing. Before her knee injury Emily was one of the fastest people on the team, and could do things she couldn’t do now. But the overwhelming presence of a smarter player is what the team needed and that is what she gave us after her recovery. She is a player that, in women’s basketball, comes around once in a lifetime. Emily we will all miss playing with you.

LOVE YA

Jax

Senior Farewell

RUWBB has impacted my life in a very positive way. The coaches have been my mentors and friends these past five years. Coach Bain and Coach Raunig have always helped me step through my milestones. The life skills that I have learned from them are to be confident, take advantage of every opportunity that is presented, and of course to BE DELIBERATE! I was very blessed to have those two as my coaches.

The teammates that I had were the most wonderful group of girls I've ever been around. Every person on this team was different and we've all become good friends. I always looked forward to practice especially on a rough day because they would always make me smile and laugh... And of course the roadtrips were the best. I'll never forget Stevi's HSWOOMS (spelled swoosh upside down) or having the bus pretend to leave and watching some of my teammates panic and chase after us. I would like to talk about all of the hilarious moments but this would turn into a book.
Overall my experience with RUWBB was amazing. For the recruits who are playing here next year, or thinking about playing here, you will not regret your decision.
-Emily

Senior Tribute

Miss Ashley Pope

Ashley was one of the two beloved seniors we had to wish farewell (in a basketball sense) to a little over a month ago... Ash had a been a Lady Ranger for four hard-fought years. Her career at Regis was, to say the least, a BUMPY road. Due to a hip injury Ashley had to sit out over 50% of her freshman year. Unfortunately, injuries don't always heal as we want them to... Ash's hips have been a chronic problem for her throughout her career, but she never let it impede on her dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm toward the team. She fought every practice through the pain, and then iced her hips from all angles afterwards (that is a sight that none of us will forget- Ashley's butt tripled in size when she would emerge out of the training room after practice!).

Back to the point.... From the beginning Ashley grasped the concept of Ranger Pride. Our freshman year, she was always the loudest cheerleader. As a sophomore and junior, Ash started emerging as a vocal leader for the team. She knew when to motivate, when to congratulate, and when to demand more from her teammates.

Having played with Ashley all four years, her senior year was a period of time I will remember as her friend... Ashley's injuries finally decided to cooperate, which allowed her to come into her own as a collegiate basketball player. She added to her role as a vocal leader and became a leader on the floor. She knew her role well, accepted it, and dedicated every moment of game time to it. Defense, Defense, Defense, and Run the Show on Offense. We could always count on Ashley to apply irritating defensive pressure to the opposing guards, hustle for lose balls, and make the perfect assist for our favorite team shot- "laaaay-ups". Ashley played with a sense of confidence this past year that I hadn't seen in the previous years: she stepped into her shot and let it fly, she called plays with authority, and dug her heels in on defense and rarely let her girl go by her. Imagine if her body would have let her play all four years...

Congratulations Ash on finishing off your Regis career on such a high note. The team and I are proud of you. It was more than a pleasure to play with you and it is comforting to know that you will always be a teammate and friend. We'll miss your passion and caring attitude next year. Best of luck in all you do,

Lo