Thanks for taking the time to get the Star Chamber together one more time. I hope that all the members are present. Is Mike Peterson there? I know he hates coming to these meetings. I wanted you to meet for a couple of reasons. First, let me say that we have had a very good summer. For sure it has been the best we have had since I came to La Jolla. We can still do better, but this is a good start. I thought our 40-G testing was a great team activity. I have to give you guys credit for making the night testing suggestion

Our biggest challenge now is to get physically and mentally ready to play our games. We have shown much promise, but we still have many questions to answer. Remember that we are a team coming off a 5-6 season that will be composed of a limited number of seniors and a handful of juniors who are coming off though sophomore years. The rest of our club will be composed of J.V. players who are still unproven on the varsity level. I say this not to sound negative, but simply to remind you that potential alone will not win games. Our success must be earned on the field.

Once again, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for all of you to show mental toughness and make certain that our energy is spent on important matters of preparation and not matters that are of little significance. In this regard I am asking you to place your trust in me and believe that what I am asking you to do is best for you as individuals and as a team. My personal challenge will be to earn all of our players’ trust.

Enclosed you will find a handout for each member of the Star Chamber. The handout explains the concept of teamwork as evidenced be the Wild African Dogs. I want each member to read their little bit of information to the group. Mike, you are to read the introductory material in the handout and the closing comments. You should all keep your handout and save it with your collection of Star Chamber materials. I love the Wild African Dogs because they are the essence of teamwork and we can learn a great many things from them. You will be able to see why I want you very much to style your play after them.

Lastly, I will touch upon the most important reason for calling this meeting. You are not going to believe this, but Coach Huddleston wasn’t the only one busy this year building something for the team. I have finally finished our Star Chamber. Yes, I built a Star Chamber for you. The location of the Star Chamber is known only to me. As you can probably guess I had to work very secretly at some very strange hours so as to not reveal its location to anyone. (You wouldn’t believe what you can find on an old campus like this!) I am not certain if the concept of the Star Chamber is a complete secret anymore. I kind of get the feeling that perhaps one of you may have let the cat out of the bag. However, I do know that no one knows the location of the Star Chamber. I am hoping that you will be able to keep it a secret until we decide where to go with it in the future.

The fun part will be locating the Star Chamber. This responsibility will fall on your shoulders Mike. We will find out just how smart you really are! First, I want to tell you that there really is a Star Chamber. I know I am always messing with you guys and playing practical jokes, like last year when I had Brad looking for a swimming pool under the gym. I am giving you my word of honor that the Star Chamber does exist. This is not a practical joke. Towards the end of  Hell week  I will begin to send you clues in reference to the Chamber’s location. I will probably send you one per week. The clues will have to be somewhat masked because I can’t run the risk that others will figure them out if they fall into the wrong hands. For example, if I want to point you north, I will simply send you a clue with the letter “N” on it. Once I send you a clue, if I sense that you can’t determine its meaning, I will send you another clue to help you out. I may even send the same clue twice, but never more than three times.

When you finally locate the Star Chamber it will be your responsibility to tell all the members where it is located. Of course, when you find it, you will have to inform me so that I can give you a key to get in. Thereafter, you will all meet again to decide how you would like to furnish the Chamber. I have already placed a few things in there. I hope you like them. This will be a true test of your intelligence. All the SAT preparation courses and AP classes you have taken won’t help you here! Good luck.

One last item, we will soon start awarding Secret Society pins to team members. You guys will probably recognize Star Chamber references that your teammates may stumble across and wonder what they mean. I want you guys to play dumb and act as if you have no idea what they are. In fact, before I post a photocopy of the 1999 pin in the team room, I will send you a copy of it for your review. This will allow you to inspect the puzzle before your teammates have a chance to do so.

Thanks for taking the time to meet and thanks for being patient with this lengthy correspondence. Don’t let this material fall into the wrong hands.