My Goal

Today was a good game. Our team played well, and I think especially the offense worked together really well. I felt good about the way that I played too.

First, I tried my best. I was glad that even when I was tired, I kept playing.

I also paced myself better. I was playing right offensive midfield and my sister was playing left. Only one of us was allowed to go back on defense, and so when I was tired, she would run over and when she was tired, I went back. We worked really well as a team and this also helped me pace myself.

Because of my CAS goal, I also tried really hard to make a goal. This also helped me play really hard. Whenever I got the ball, I would book it to the goal. I had two or three assists and about 3 attempted shots. One time, I ran down the field and shot, and it went in. I was excited, but right when I was shooting, the ref blew the whistle because the other team was standing in front of the goal in my way. So, my goal didn't count. However, I then got a free position and scored again. So, although my first goal didn't count in the game, I will count it towards my CAS goal. My CAS goal was to make three goals during the season, and I made two today in the last five minutes of our last varsity game. It's kinda funny.

The center also did really well on the draws, so I was able to catch a lot of them. This helped our team get possession from the start of each reset.

Crazy

Last week was so crazy. I had a lot of stuff due for school and this was definetly reflected in my performance in lacrosse. I played in two games. The first game was on Wednesday was against Mashpee. Mashpee is really good and can be kind of mean, so it was hard to get motivated. I felt bad about how I played, so the second game, on Thursday, against Cape Cod Academy I think, I tried as hard as I could. I felt a lot better about this game. I need to work hard, not just for myself, but for the team.

I am not meeting two of my goals as well. I had to miss two games last week. I didn't want to, but I just couldn't go to them. I think the goal I set was pretty high though. Some told me, "If you reach for the stars, you'll hit the trees. If you reach for the trees, you'll hit the ground." My goal of going to every single game and every single practice was reaching for the stars. Although I did not meet it, I think it caused me to try harder and do better.

I also still haven't gotten any goals. There are a lot of good scorers on the team, so I don't feel like I'm really needed for scoring, but I think it would be nice to get one. I will keep trying.

Spanish Club

We didn't really do anything for Spanish Club this week. We had a quick meeting and are planning to do another fundraiser fiesta thing next week I think.

Abbington Again - Goals

So last week I got in about an hour of practice at home. It is kind of funny, I was working on my throwing and shooting, and I was trying really hard because I want to get better, but I was trying so hard that I dislocated my shoulder. It wasn't very serious, but it was kind of scary. I guess it showed me that I should work hard, but there is a limit to how much I can take. I need to find the balance between working too hard and not doing enough.




This week, practices have been going well. We have been targeting problems such as defending in midfield, offensive around the goal and simple things like passing. And I think I'm improving. Today during the scrimmage, I remembered to cut towards the goal, not stay standing in one place and face and shuffle when I'm defending.

Cinco de Mayo-La Fiesta

The party went really well, a lot better than I was worried it would be. The four Spanish Club members left our classes 10 minutes early to set up, which was just barely enough time to get ready. We sent up a buffet with the plates on one table, the meat (real meat and veggi meat) on another table, and everything else (chips, salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream etc.) on the third table. We also had free panera bread cookies. The organization of the food worked well. We were able to control the amount of meat people took which was good because we didn't have that much. We also had plenty of everything. We ended up selling a lot of burritos; about 40 of them. I stood by the door and collected money, my friends helped direct people and serve the food, and our adivior stood out side and told people what was going on. I think next time we should have a sign or something as well.The money making aspect of this went really well, we raised about 80 dollars for an orphan in Hondurus. However, it wasn't as much of a cultural experience. We had people who were going to come and dance zumba and play music, but they didn't come until all the burrito buying people had left, so it was mainly just like a bake sale. Maybe next time we could start music or something earlier. But, yeah, it seemed to go well. We are are planning to do it again soon.

Practice

So last week I got in about an hour of practice at home. It is kind of funny, I was working on my throwing and shooting, and I was trying really hard because I want to get better, but I was trying so hard that I dislocated my shoulder. It wasn't very serious, but it was kind of scary. I guess it showed me that I should work hard, but there is a limit to how much I can take. I need to find the balance between working too hard and not doing enough.


This week, practices have been going well. We have been targeting problems such as defending in midfield, offensive around the goal and simple things like passing. And I think I'm improving. Today during the scrimmage, I remembered to cut towards the goal, not stay standing in one place and face and shuffle when I'm defending.

Cinco de Mayo-El plan

We actually didn't buy enough stuff yesterday, so my lacrosse friend and I got a chance to participate in buying food. We are planning to have a $2 make your own burrito buffet to support an orphan in Honduras. I'm actually kind of worried about this. I don't think we planned it very well, it is not very well thought through. I'm worried that we don't have enough food especially. I am also worried that it might be too crazy. My goal in this fiesta is first to have fun and secondly to educate myself and others about Spanish culture oh yeah and finally to help an orphan in need.


Besides the food, there will also be Spanish music and Zumba dancing.

I'm really not sure what's going to happen tomorrow-I hope it is fun and not completely out of control.

Shopping

Today we planned to shop for Spanish Club Cinco de Mayo but my car died do I wasn't able to go. I will still be able to participate in this event of global importance, but I was sad that I couldn't have anything more to do with the preparation of it. Sometimes no matter how much you try to plan you can't make things go the way you want them to.

Better

The last three days of this week went a ton better. There was more cooperation from the team and more support from the coaches. We gave each other the benefit of the doubt and just worked together better. However, we haven't really set any goals.

I am a little frustrated though because I wish I was a better player. I really want to continue to work on basic skills and my endurance. I can do this by my two hours of home practice and by never giving up at practice. I need to continue to try even when I don't feel like it.

Cinco de Mayo

Today we planned for our Cinco de Mayo party which will take place next week. We plan to speak Spanish, make Mexico food, and listen to Mexican music all while participating in Mexico's independence day, which is of importance to Mexico and Mexicans everywhere. I hope to develop the new skill of cooking Mexican food as well as improving my Spanish and knowledge of Mexican culture.

Spanish Club

50 hours Creativity , 50 hours Action
We will participate in and plan celebrations from Spanish culture. I hope to learn to speak Spanish better and learn about Spanish culture through engaging in celebrations and art important to it.

Location
Out-of-School

Dates:
April 15, 2010 to June 15, 2011

Supervisor:
Ms. Kirk, Spanish Teacher

Learning Outcomes:
1.Engaged with issues of global importance
2.Develop new skills

Effort

Today and yesterday were tough practices. This week, and most of next week we don't haave any games, so we have a lot of time to improve. It seems good in theory, but for some reason, our team is having a really hard time getting motivated. We are also having troubles working together: the coaches and the team. The team is really stressed out from school; it's late spring and as the summer deadline approaches, more is required of us. I think the coaches are frustrated because they want us to do better, they want us to succeed both in practice drills and in games and we aren't doing very well. There is a lack of effort contributing to this; there is a confusion, frustration, discouragement and stress. These factors come together to make a mess and I'm not sure what to do about it.


I have talked to one of the coaches and I suggested that there should be set goals and rewards, like there are in school. In school you "practice" in class and homework, then you take a test and if you studied well you get a good grade. I thought that maybe this method would work in lacrosse. If we work hard in practice and do our best in the drills, we should take a "test" (maybe a drill where the coach watches and there is limit to the number of mistakes allowed) and if we do well in the test, and meet a certain goal, we should get a prize. I think we might actually do this to a small degree, maybe set goals and once we meet them go onto the next drill.

To decrease the amount of discouragement and frustration, I think that communication is mandatory. There needs to be clear instructions from the coaches to the team and the team needs to listen. Secondly, there must be communication between the team and the coach. I think this is where the captains especially need to help out. We have talked to coach, but I also debating whether or not the captains should also talk to the team to get their input and also maybe give them suggestions? I'm not sure yet...still debating. I guess we would be like mediators.

So far I think I have been meeting my goals to stay committed to the team-I haven't given up even though it's really tough. I also want to try to work collaboratively with the coaches and the team. I have also been practicing shooting a lot, so maybe I will get a goal next game.

Last Week

We had three games last week, but we weren't took successful. The fist game at Abington on Monday was probably the best. We ended up tying, which was exciting because we usually lose, but it was disappointed because I think we could have done much better. Our team has good players and good coaches, but we can't win. It feels kind of like the Red Sox curse. Part of the problem is that we are a one half team. Usually we are successful the first half. For example, in our Thursday Cape Cod Academy game we matched the other team goal for goal and it was 6-7 them at half time. Second half though we just kind of relax or give up or something and so we ended up losing that game, like we lose our other games. I'm not sure if its endurance problems, or that we don't care, or that we give up, I'm not sure what the problem is.


We also need to work on basic skills, which I will do this week. I want to get better at catching, throwing, and shooting. I've been doing pretty well on my two-hour-a-week-practice-at-home-goal, but I want to continue to do better. It's so hard to do everything at once. There are so many people who need things from me and so many things I want from myself. There is always so much work to do and it's hard to get it all done.

Oh, one thing that I really understood this week was that I need to give my all on the field. I'm good at pacing myself, I run hard, but I usually hold back a little to save energy to play the whole game. Our coach is asking us, though, to push ourselves as hard as we can on the field, then ask for a sub if we need one. I' going to try this and see if it works.

Finally, two of my friends and I are captains, which I'm really excited about. I think I'll like being captain, but I also understand that it comes with a lot of responsibility. I need to be a good example, I need to constructively tell people what to do and I need to be a servant. In other words, I want to lead by example and through encouraging and helpful instructions and I really want to be there for my team for support and skill and help whoever needs help. I think I'm taking this pretty seriously, probably too seriously, but I rather try too hard than fall short. This is a unique opportunity and I want to do the best I can in it.

 

Nantucket Game

So we played Nantucket today and we lost by a lot. It was disappointing, but we can learn from the mistakes we made.

I did try to focus on the goals I set yesterday and I think I did a good job. I did a lot better at defending. When I was down at the defensive end of the field I stayed aggressive; keeping myself between the player and the goal and covering their stick. I even checked once and I was so surprised that I just kind of watched the ball roll away. Next time this won't happen. I think I met my goal of improving my defensive skills today but, I will continue to try to improve.

As far as scoring, I didn't get a goal this game but I will continue to try. This game I really didn't have a chance to shoot. I was also careful with my passing. I only passed if it was absolutely necessary or very beneficial. I won't meet this goal until I score three goals.

Although my friend was the speaking captain today, I still worked on leading the team, especially the offence as my friend is on defense. I think I was a better leader this game. I was more aware of what everyone else was doing and how we could work together.

I could improve on communication. In lacrosse, there are two offensive midfield players. Only one of them is allowed on defense at a time. Today, I was playing right attack wing, and the left attack wing kept changing. I talked to a couple of the girls who played the position to decide who would be the one to get back on defense when necessary, but one girl I didn't talk to. This lack of communication turned out to be a problem because twice we both went up and we got in trouble from the refs. If I had talked to her it would have been better. I need to keep on talking.

Communication is important to the team in a lot of ways. Although mouth guards make talking difficult, language is so important to working together as a team. Maybe I will bring this up in practice...

Preparation

Today was the first practice after the game. We also have a game against Nantucket tomorrow. I'm not really excited for it. A big part of sports is preparation. We do repetitive drills and "chalk talks" and scrimmages to get ourselves ready to compete in games.
Today was an ok practice; we focused on some good things: The defense and offence split up into two groups and practiced shooting and defending, which was good, but I didn't feel like we really got that much done. Especially at the end of practice, we were scrimmaging, but it we really weren't productive. I wish we had had more time to sort of digest last game and practice for the game tomorrow.

What I need to work on mostly is shooting and defending. Whenever I got to the goal last game I didn't really shoot because I would get nervous and mess up. Tomorrow I will try to stay calm and really focus. If I can, I will also practice a couple shots before the game starts. This will help me reach my goal of making 3 goals.

I also need to practice defending. If I am at the other team's goal and they get the ball and start to run down the field, I need to run after them. I need to wait for an opportunity to check and to run next to them to try to herd them to the side line. I also need to make sure that when I'm at the defensive end, I actually guard the person I'm guarding. I have to make sure they don't get the ball or get open for a pass. At the same time, I also need to know when we get the ball again so that I can get open. I will try to watch both things.

So for tomorrow I will try to keep my focus and concentrate on these weaknesses. This week I will also make sure to keep my goal of preparation outside of school and practice for 2 hours. I did practice for at least an hour on Sunday, but I think I'll count that as last week. This week will last until Sunday night.

First Game

Today we had our first lacrosse game of the season. It was so much fun. Games are reminders of what practice is for. I think what happened today will definitely be a motivator for how I and the rest of the team practices this whole next week. Hopefully games will keep us motivated throughout the season.

We actually arrived at the Fairhaven field an hour and 20 minutes early. This gave us plenty of time to show the new players what a real field actually looks like and also to warm up. We practiced catching and throwing the most, but we also did a couple half-field scrimmages and 4 laps around our half of the field. Catching is one thing I really have to keep working on. It's not like I don't know how to catch, but I usually drop the ball once its in my net. When I am nervous I usually drop the ball more. I think I can work on catching and throwing at home so that in games I will be more relaxed about it. I will also, of course, practice catching at lacrosse practices, but I think its important to work on things at home. Practice makes perfect is really true. The more you do something, the more it becomes an instinct and the less you have to think about it. I also think that when I or other players practice lacrosse at home, we are really taking responsibility for our actions and increasing our contribution to the team. It’s one thing to learn at practice, while your coaches and teammates are watching, but I think people show true commitment when they use their free time to increase their skill for the benefit of the team. I hope I will do that for my team. Actually, I might as well set a goal. I will try to practice lacrosse for at least 2 hours (the length of a normal practice) every week outside of practice. I think this will benefit me and my team.

Today was not only the first game, but it was also my first time ever acting as a captain. Although we haven't picked captains for our team yet, I got to be captain for the day. The only thing really different was that I had to go up for the coin toss and thank the refs at the end. I think I did ok at this, I think, again, that practice would help. If I get to be a captain again, I will know more about what to say and stuff. The other part of being a captain, besides representing your team to the refs, is to lead the team. I wasn't sure exactly how to this. Because this was our first game, I was still getting back into how to play and everything, so it was hard for me to give instructions to other players. Plus my mouth guard was not molded right so no one could understand me when I tried to talk. It was kind of funny actually. But yeah, I did let my left attack wing know to stay behind the restraining line, but otherwise there wasn't much I could think to say. I just gave it my all. I ran so much. No matter what side of the field the ball was on, that is where I went. I think playing my hardest benefitted the team more than if I had tried to give instructions to other players. That is what the coach is for. I think what I'll do for games is I'll give instructions if someone keeps fowling or if someone looks really lost, but otherwise I'll just play hard. I think practice is more the time for talking. That's another thing- right before the game, some of the freshmen had a bunch of questions. I don't know if I answered them all. I want to make sure that they understand everything and that they feel comfortable asking questions. I might try to talk to them at practice. I was glad to be captain today.

I think I worked pretty well with others today. I wasn't passed to a ton, but there were always a lot of people on me. I have to keep trying to get open and to be in helpful positions. I passed a lot, which was good most of the time. Sometimes, though, I can just keep the ball and try to shoot. I will try both of these things in upcoming scrimmages and games.

I showed commitment, by waking up at 7 on a Saturday morning.

I think I helped the underclassmen by answering questions and I will check to see if they have more questions.

I didn't score any goals today, I got close though and I will continue to work on this.

I had fun today. I think everyone played well and we had a good game. I think things will only improve from here...or at least I hope so, that is what I'll work on.

Lacrosse So Far

So far in our official Lacrosse practices, I haven't missed a meeting, game or practice. I've been keeping up on my goal of staying committed!

Second Week of Practice

Today went really well. I'm used to having coaches now and I like them. Today we continued to work on basic skills and then split up into positions and had two half field scrimmages. It was fun because we knew basically what we were doing so we could really get into the game. I think this is the best method for starting something new; to start small and gradually build up to more and more complicated things. It sounds really obvious, but its easy to forget. Playing lacrosse is a lot more fun than doing drills. Also it is easy to just assume that everyone knows what you know and instead of waiting for new players to master the basics, just start playing scrimmages. I don't know though, I guess it's a little of both. I think a lot can be learned from experience. My first season of lacrosse my coach started me and a lot of other freshmen in the first game. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We couldn't really help our team win the game, but it did definitly speed up the learning process. You learn faster when you are forced to learn. But anyways, the scrimmages we played today were really fun. I think everyone got experience and learned some things about lacrosse. During the game, if some kept fouling or was confused we would stop the game and explain what they were doing wrong or give them advice. I learned today the importance of passing and the importance of staying spread out in offence. Both of these stills helped my team keep the ball.

First Week of the Season

      Last week’s practices went well. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny, for the first time this year, so it felt great to be outside.

      We actually have two coaches now: Coach Arcenas and the girls’ soccer coach, Coach Austen. I think it is good to get input from more than one person. They also work well together because Coach Arcenas knows about lacrosse, but is new at coaching and Coach Austen has been a coach for a long time, but knows nothing about lacrosse. But, it is weird though for me and some of the other upper classmen to have one coach let alone two. The “captain’s” practices, which lasted for about a month, have consisted of all kids. There was opportunity for everyone to give input about what they thought we should work on and how to practice. Now we have two “outsiders” telling us what to do. I mean, obviously, we are playing a high school sport, so we need a coach and a coach’s job is to lead the team. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this, but it does feel weird. It’s just a weird transition. I am still trying to work towards my objective of working collaboratively with others, and this includes the coaches. Therefore, I will try to work collaboratively with the coaches to help the team.

      I think I did work collaboratively with the coaches this week. I did what the coaches asked and it actually helped me a lot. For example, we started to work on being ambidextrous. I have always heard that this was an advantage in lacrosse, but I had never really tried it. This year though (this week) I’ve really been practicing and experimenting with this and it’s been working. I’ve been learning all these applications for switching hands and so I know that what my coaches are saying is worth listening to. Another time, Coach Austen asked me to explain rules whenever someone broken them in a scrimmage. The other returning players and I have been working with the coaches to teach the rules to the new player. This is working really well. Even if the player knows a rule already, pointing out mistakes can help make the rules memorable and provide application for them (At least that is what it does for me. I’m glad when people point out my mistakes that I can learn from.) Encouragement is also always good.

      Actually, having new and returning players work together seems to contain the same concept as peer tutoring. Sometimes kids are the best teachers because they themselves have just learned the concept. They can simply explain the concept the way that they learned it. They also can remember the mistakes they made or things they were confused on and so they will explain those parts even more clearly to prevent the learner from making the same mistakes. I will remember this if I ever have to teach something.

Last Preseason Practice

        For our last "captain’s” practice (the unofficial practices before pre-season), we ran a couple laps, practiced passing, did two half field "learning" scrimmages and a more serious half field scrimmage. I liked doing the running and the simple passing because that is what most of our team needs practice on. I'm learning that it's always best to start with the basic skills and build up, especially with beginners. The scrimmages also went well. Although scrimmaging is a more advanced activity, I think it is important to show everyone why the basic skills are important. The whole reason we learn basic skills is so that we can play well in games. I think playing a game every once in a while reinforces the basic skills and raises moral. The first half field scrimmages consisted of 6 players each; 3 defense and 3 offence. With my group, I reinforced passing, which we had just done a drill on. I let them play until they fowled or were having a hard time with something. Then I would stop the play and give an explanation. I think this worked well. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to explain small details while trying to explain lacrosse. It’s a lot easier to watch a game and then explain the details. Also, some of the other more experienced players helped me give tips and explanations. It is so import to work together with others if you lead, especially if the ones you are working with aren't leaders. While leading the captain’s practices with two other upperclassmen, I decided that I really didn't want the practices to be about me. The point of the practices was to help the new players learn and the old player to remember and practice their skills and this is what I wanted to make the practices about. This meant treating everyone fairly, whether I was friends with them or not. It meant that sometimes I didn't get to run at my own pace because someone needed a partner at the back of the line. It meant letting other experienced players help out and give explanations rather than trying to do all the talking myself. I don't know how well I did at all of this, I hope I was successful at teaching lacrosse. Mostly, because this was the first time I've done anything like this, it was a learning experience. I learned that more than anything, leadership is a responsibility and not a privilege to benefit the leader. I also learned about how and how not to teach lacrosse. I learned some stuff about "classroom control" and how to manage a crowd of teenagers (which might help me in the future since I am thinking about becoming a teacher). I also reached my goal of helping others learn to play lacrosse. I think any other teaching I do from here will just be extra than my original goal. I learned to collaborate with others, team members, and other leaders. I could never have lead the practices by myself. I learned that a leader has more responsibility for commitment and perseverance than anyone else. Not only did I have to show up to the practices, but they went a lot better when I thought about out drills to do in advance. I also had to be sure about what I said. I couldn't just guess about the rules or how to cradle. I don't know if I will be chosen captain this year, but whether or not I get another chance to lead, I really grew from this opportunity. Now my next challenge will be regular practices with our coach.