Here's to Sophomore Year!

I am almost done!

I am so close to ending my Sophomore year! But we know what that means.. Junior Year. Oh Junior year, I will own you. But before Junior year, I have got a whole Summer to spend! Guess what my summer is going to consist of? Training. Oh yes, my favorite.

Summer has a wide variety of things to do. Go to the beach, eat strange food, have fun with friends... But most of my time will be me, working my butt off in the gym, on the track, in the gym to get me to wherever my heart desires. And keep my Paleo diet going of course. Yeah I am going to hangout with my friends and go to the beach but my number one priority is my sports (and classes I am taking over the summer). Not only is training going to be taking up my summer, but I get to finally go back to Maui with my family and best friend/cousin! I cannot wait to be sitting on the beach, eating fresh fruit, with the occasional beach volleyball or surfing session. It is going to be awesome! Well enough of the Summer talk (it is getting me too excited) I am going to tell you about how my training has been, since I have not wrote on here in a very long time.

Track has been PHENOMENAL. I love it more than my life (it kind of is my life right now) and I cannot wait to excel in it next year for my school. I do the events Long Jump and Triple Jump as of right now, hopefully getting some work in at hurdles, 100, and maybe even the 200. Long jump is my favorite for sure. I train 3-4 times a week, and I have been doing it for at least 2 months now. So far, my   Long Jump is in the range of 17-20. So guess what that has given me... A new goal! My goal for next year, school track, is to go to state for long jump. I mean, not to get too cocky or too far with my goal, but being State Champion would be amazing, Completely out of this world, outstanding and I would do anything to be it, that is why I am training so much and giving it my all. Triple Jump, on the other hand, I have just started and I am actually enjoying it a lot, since it is coming very naturally to me. I cannot wait till track season because I fell like I am going to come out of no where and surprise a ton of people. Lets do it!!!

Now lets talk about something more emotional on my part... Softball. I am officially done with softball. It has been since 3rd grade that I have played this sport and I am glad to end it on this season. 7 straight years of softball training, and I am giving up. No, I am not giving up, I have lost everything for the sport. I love it (sometimes) and I love some of the girls, but man, having coaches the last couple years that have absolutely made something you love into something you want nothing to do with, sucks. This was such a great year to end my last season on. Making it to CCS for the first time in Scotts Valley Softball's history and getting awarded with Best Defense.. Not bad! I am going to miss it a ton! See you later Softball :)

Well, here's to a great Sophomore Year! Junior Year, IB classes, year round training... I cannot wait!

Words of Wisdom

Have you ever perceived an abundance of stress building up inside of you? Enough stress and conniption to fuel a car? An extensive quantity of accentuation and acrimony? Deep in the pit of your insides? Well, that has been me lately! 

Class to class I go, attending 5 days a week, accomplishing every task the teachers put on my plate, just to get an A in the class. I actually enjoy school a ton! I have no problem with spending my time in class. But having class, lots of homework, 2 sports and training doesn't always work together. But my only cure of all this stress has been to put my anger into my game.

Whether it's on the field, the court or in the gym, I use my stress and anger to power me. It fuels me through a workout. When it comes to end, I still feel like I could keep going. I feel stress running out of my body like it is being chased by a pack of cheetahs. I power through everything with so much motivation and it gets me fired up! 

I deadlifted 223 lbs few days ago. Three sets of two. I was on fire, I felt invincible and ready to conquer any task brought to hand. But then, a week later, I conquered the 228 pound deadlift. I was only able to commit to one set of two, but I have a new PR! And that is what matters!

I had a tournament last week. It was power league number 2 and we kicked some volleyball butt. We started off strong, kept going strong, and finished the tournament off strong, with a big 1st place trophy (in our hearts and minds). We did get 1st place though! I cannot think of one negative game, play, or set that my team had, we were on fire! Lately, practices have been getting harder because of how deep into the season we are getting, and how much time is being consumed. My team is mostly juniors and seniors, I am the only sophomore, and we have been piled up in homework plus volleyball and any extra sports in our hands. 

I have really been taking my time to get everything done and thinking about everything that has been happening in my life for the past few weeks and I have realized: I am not really sure if I am trying my hardest. I feel like I am putting an immense amount of work into everything I do, but I don't think it's enough yet. I train so hard to get me in the best shape, I have such a crazy amount of love and passion for volleyball that drives me to want to go somewhere with it, and I put in so much time and effort into my school work. There is never enough. I cannot get enough of anything. 

"How bad do you want it?" Is the question that fuels me. It is the question that makes my soul scream and makes me want to cry and train and do anything I could to get to the top.  Emotion in sports is like water in an ocean, but that is not what has me craving to be the next leader on a team. It is the euphoric speeches that had me enamored  and the breathtaking statements that gets me riled up and excited for what I believe I am completely capable of doing. I am setting my goals high with the motivation and inspiration that is not going to let me stop until I get there. 

Determination, inspiration and motivation are my three favorite words that encourage me to do my best. 

DETERMINATION: Settling a purpose. Coming to a conclusion with a large decision at hand, that makes you want to complete the task. For me, having determination in a sport is having the sensation to win and do the best that I can. It comes from bravery, having heart and passion, a purpose, and willpower. It is a constant drive of wanting to complete a task, it may take time, but working hard and busting your butt can lead to great things, all with determination.

INSPIRATION: Having someone or something be your idol or influence, someone to look up too. I look at the people who inspire to me to do my best, people who have excelled in the sport I train in, and use it to make myself become just as good as them. Be involved in the process of being mentally simulated to do or feel something. Something spontaneous, something no one has been able to do before. Have something that motivates you to do better.

MOTIVATION: a psychological feature that attracts someone towards a goal with a driving force that is applied. It is an inner drive that behaves in a certain manner. To have a purpose. Needs, desires, drive and want are all categories of motivation. Motivation can be pointed towards any subject. Ex: My goal is to go to a Division 1 college and play volleyball. My motivation is my family, coaches, and the desire to do work hard for my goal. I watch college games and all I can think is "that will be me" and it motivates me to do well. I see it and it makes me want it so bad. I have so much passion, so much drive, so much motivation.. And I will not let it go to waste.

So anyway, this past week has been Spring Break. I took my Spring Break and turned into training time. I am pushing myself at the gym like crazy, going to the beach to play volleyball, and going out to the field for softball. Tomorrow, I have the most exciting training that I will keep doing throughout highschool: Training with a track coach. Not just A track coach, John Rembao, the ex coach of Stanford, Cal Poly, and Austin Texas University. He is going to start training me in long jump, triple jump, 100 meter run and maybe even pole vaulting. I am so estatic! This is going to be incredible. Here starts my career in track!

Here are some picutres from the President's Day Tournament that was a couple weeks ago:

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a persons determination."  

Passion

I have a passion for a sport. A passion so strong that I wish I could spend every second of my life working harder to get me to the top. Volleyball is what I live for, and I will always work my hardest to reach my goals. I would train for hours every single day, go days without sleeping and eating, just to reach my goals and get to the top. I do not really understand how much I get made fun of for having this blog, laying my life out, getting myself where I want to go. I have a passion that has made me so determined to do my best in everything I do! Having passion is so strong. It makes you feel great and makes you realize that you really do have something worth living for. I cannot even explain how many people laugh at me for trying in school, doing a ton of extra practice, loving volleyball so much that I would spend days working my hardest at, and to set goals and stretch my arms up so high to reach the top! I love having the feeling of trying. Having something to work for, even if it might take weeks to years. I love having to fight everyday, because I know that in the end, it will bring me what I have always wanted. I cannot even explain how upset it makes me because I hear people saying "She's so weird because she has a blog talking about her life, what a nerd" or "you're so tough because you lift weights" in a completely sarcastic tone. It makes me so disturbed how people do not realize that I am trying to go somewhere, hence how I spend 40+ hours a week working my butt off to achieve my life goals. I am an athlete and leader and I will keep pushing myself to the limit, past the limit, and miles beyond the limit. Volleyball is my lifestyle. I spend hours on end playing it and thinking it. I am completely capable of achieving my goals, anyone is if they put their time and mind on it. Working out is my drug, I am addicted to the rush I get when I  light and complete it or make a PR. I bleed, I sweat, I ache, I work hard. I do not see how my life is affecting you, I'm driving myself the way I want to go! I love having volleyball as my passion, it gives me a warm feeling everytime I think about it because I want to achieve so much more with the sport. Motivation has gotten me started on my journey, the habit of working hard to achieve my goals is what keeps me going. People play sports for the thrill of having fun with a team who shares the same interest. We play sports because we are competitive athletes. The feelings of stress, pressure and nervousness is a part of being an athlete. These feelings stem from the challenge of taking part in something you love and have to work hard for, pumping you up, providing healthy adrenaline that turns into the best practice ever or an amazing game. It is so important to feel the continuous struggles with outcomes of failure and success. Without this, you will not develop and grow as an athlete of a team. How do I handle this stress, pressure, and/or nervousness? Easy!  1. Accept. Accept rather than fight these feelings. It is a normal feeling of adrenaline pumping through your veins. 2. Visualize. Visualize yourself performing well on the court or field. Tell yourself, "I can do this!" 3. Play like you only care for you and your teams effort, not the outcome. 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100702175501528

This little video is of me dead lifting 213 pounds for 5 sets of 3! It was a PR and man, did if feel amazing! Just a little inch closer to my goal!

Everyone experiences what it feels like to win. Winning is such an awesome feeling! It rewards you that with that rush of happiness and adrenaline. But there is a way on how to win with Sportsmanship: Win with grace and have respect for your opponents. The most respectful thing you could possibly do towards your opponents is compete fully. Never play down or defeated, treat every point with care and focus. After a game, it is not cool to walk and congratulate your opponents with a snotty look on your face that screams, "I'm better than you" or "You guys suck". Be that person/team that wins with a great attitude! Win with generosity and congratulate on how well they played. It is really not that hard.

Losing is no different! Lose with grace and respect for our opponents and especially, your teammates. How you react to a loss is a true example of your character. As hard as it is to lose, your reaction needs to be humbling, mature, and dignified. When you have a hard loss, remember that feeling and use it to motivate you and your teammates. Having the feeling of disappointment and separation in your team is a completely stuck up way to loose. Do not be that player, be happy! Every athlete experiences loss.

Having good sportsmanship is such a great quality to have. It is a lifestyle and an attitude that cannot go wrong.  I would like to tell you something funny that had happened yesterday in my softball game against Watsonville High School. My team was up 8-1 when I got up to bat and I hit a triple, driving in 2 runs, making it 10-1. On the pitch right after, there was a pass ball and I could not hold myself back from running after my coach had told me to go. I slid into the pitcher who had not yet received the ball but who had covered up the whole plate, and I slightly pushed her to try and get to the plate. I start trying to find the plate, and the umpire calls me out. I start getting up and the pitcher decides to push me back down and punch me straight in the chest. The umpire yells at her and pushes her back as her coaches run over to her. I was completely fine and reacted as if nothing had happened, but that was a completely unsportsmanlike thing for her to do. In that situation, the best thing I could have done was to not fight back. I got up as if nothing had happened and jogged my way to the dug out.

However, there is no need in any situation of talking negatively about teammates, coaches, and/or opponents. That is never acceptable. This behavior serves on no ones part. Support your team at all times and encourage everyone else to do the same. You are a team, a family. 

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, lost almost 300 games, and misses the game-winning shot 26 times. I've failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHXZgoqokKk


Please watch this video I have attatched above. This video is so inspirational in every perspective. Train hard everyday and you will get somewhere. I promise. How bad do you want it?

When Life Gives You Lemons

This last weekend was the Presidents Day Tournament at the San Jose Convention Center! It was a three day tournament that my team worked their hardest to win! And guess what, we got 1st :)

This weekend, I had no intentions to give up. I went out, worked my hardest, went for every ball, and served/set/hit/passed every ball with heart. I do not regret any one play or any game played this weekend. We played many teams that gave up a huge fight. There was not a 17's division so we played in the 18's division along with many 16's teams. I loved this tournament, it was put together so well.

It was also really funny at one point of the tournaments. I played my best friends team! Most of the girls on that team go to SLV high school, a school in my hometown, where most of my best friends go! It felt so weird playing them because I've only played against them in school. The coach of this team has always tried to recruit me for his club but his club just is not competitive enough for me. I am trying to go somewhere people! He always talks bad about Shoreline, and I hate hearing it, but it is what it is. But just to let you know, Santa Cruz Shoreline 17's has DEFEATED the Santa Cruz Crush by loads of points. That was a great start to the day!

Today, I did not go to school due to a Cardiologist appointment. This was my first day with a new Cardiologist, for I have had my last one for 2 years, and I absolutely love him! His name is Dr. Tran and he is a Pediatric Cardiologist. I honestly have never felt so honored to be in a doctors office. He was hilarious! He made me laugh so many times, I felt so comfortable. I have been diagnosed as a Tachycardiac, which is me having rapid heart beats at random moments (they usually happen once every two months or less). It is not severe in any case, but it keeps me aware of everything I do. Since they do not have anything on file of my heart palpitating, I will have a 30 day heart monitor that will catch my heart having an episode. I am very excited to see what will happen!

Having a new Cardiologist has opened me up to so many new things. I myself has always wanted to be a Cardiologist, but now, I have a life changing decision I need to make. Yes, I am only a sophomore and have a few more years till I really have to decide what I want to be, but I do so many medical researches on my own time that it should be time for me to decide. Dr. Tran had told me if I want to be a Cardiologist, it takes years of being committed and having patience. He went to school for 14 years, all around, starting at UC Irvine, going to a small medical school in Virginia, Utah State, and all the way to Nevada State. He told me he never knew what a Pediatric Cardiologist or that there was even such a thing until he discovered that being a General Nutritionist was way to boring to spend a lifetime on. I had know clue there was a HUGE difference between Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Cardiology. Pediatric is mostly birth defects, imaging, and preventive cardiology where as Adult Cardiology is heart failures/transplants, heart disease, and ongoing birth defects. He said it is a huge decision followed by a huge committment. And boy, am I ready to spend 14 years of my life studying Cardiology.

People always ask me why am I such a happy person. Easy: I live a great, blessed life. I love everything I do, I love everyone I am around, and I enjoy every second of it. I spend 100% of my life in school and playing sports. I try my hardest at everything I can, making my life worth living! I set smalls goals, little by little, to finally some day reach my highest goal and maybe even farther! There is always the good days and bad days. You just have to overcome the bad days by thinking about what you really have in life! I always think about my supportive family, my friends, my teachers taking the time to teach me to get me somewhere in life, my coaches motivating me and making me the best I can be, and my teammates. I live everyday for a reason and that reason motivates me to reach my goals. Everyday is a good day, and I think we all take that for granted once in a while. So stay positive, realize what you have, and be happy, it's so worth it!

"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile."

Never Give Up

What a long weekend.

This last weekend was the Power League Qualifier up in Sacramento, CA. This was such a huge and important tournament to every team because it depends on where your team is placed by how well you place. For my team, we did not do as well as we had hoped.

We started out as seed 112 on the first day and luckily ended up as seed 62 at the end of it. Everyone was nervous, not mentally ready, and did not seem as if we were ready to do our best. We came out with fire and passion, but had very nervous looks on all of our faces. Since it was the first tournament of the year, that is expected but to get over the feeling of being nervous was needed. Saturday was one of the longest days of volleyball I've ever came across. We woke up at 6:30 to get in a good, healthy breakfast and drove to the gym. Our first game began at 7:45. Our schedule was so confusing! They would say how are next game would be delayed till 4:30 when it would really start at 12:30. So we were basically running in circles figureing out what our real schedule was. Because our schedule was so confusing, our last game ended at 10:30. They literally had to kick us out of the gym because it was so late. But hey, it was worth it!

The second day also didn't go as planned. We had long breaks that turned out into us playing back to back to back without it even being on our schedule. Our last game ended at 8:30,  concluding the log weekend of volleyball.

I wish the qualifier wasn't our first tournament. We were all nervous and we did not seem well prepared. We all had our off moments but mine just happened to be so uncommon...

I am a setter. I am a team leader. I am the play maker. This weekend, I barely set. I actually only set one whole game. In every other game, I played all around as a right side. I got to pass serve receive, hit front row and back row, and got to play defense without worrying where I have to run and get the ball and make a decent play out of it. I felt free. I love setting so much, but playing right side was awesome. I started off Saturday with 15 kills in the first full match. I never even practiced right side in practice! I had great serving runs and great digs in defense. But I still cannot connect why my setting was not on like it usually is. Was it mental? Was it physically? Was I just flat out nervous? I'm not sure, but I'm ready to go into my next tournament and kill it. My next tournament is this weekend at the San Jose Convention Center on February 16th through the 18th. It'll be a good one!

I guess I can fit this into a "Never Give Up" sort of way. I did not put myself to the challenge that I always put myself too. I cannot say I quit, because I didn't. I went and played a new position with confidence, putting more points on our scoreboard then I expected. When things go wrong, and they sometimes will, don't give up even though it feels as if nothing is going to work. Success is only failure that is turned inside out. It is when things seem worst that you must not quit. We have many journeys throughout our lifetime and we get to parts of those journeys where we feel like we should give up. You are stronger than you think. Having one little setback is just not enough to stop you from achieving your goals. Go out there and prove yourself to the world. Who wants to be known as someone who is weak and gives up? I sure don't. If someone has been able to go out there and do it, I am sure as heck you are completely capable of anything you put your mind too. Never sell yourself short. There is always going to be those people that try and bring you down and tell you that what you're trying to accomplish is not possible, (I know plenty of those people), but then there is the motivation: Your friends, family, and coaches. Let the people you love be your inspiration to persist and persevere! Do you know that feeling of when your goal is only an inch away and you can't wait to come across it and out do it? That is the best feeling ever. Never ever give up, push yourself! I know you can do it! :) This next tournament, I am going to walk onto the court and take over. I am going to feel the greatest amount of confidence I have ever felt when stepping onto the court and use it to my advantage. This is going to be a great oppurtunity for me and a great tournament. I can't wait!

"A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't."

Mental Preparation

Today was such a strange day. I started off by waking up at 6:00 AM and going to school. It is CASHEE testing week so all the sophomores have to take this stupid test that is literally 5th grade level. SO easy. I felt so unbelievably tired after testing and I do not understand why. I started off with a great breakfast (like always) and just felt too exhausted! After long hours of testing, I had a few more hours of school until softball began.

Softball started at 3:30 and felt like it went on for days. We did a great amount of warming up then went straight into infield. We did loads of buckets then would get some water then do more. Right after infield, we did some outfield! I love outfield, it is my favorite position because I love running. Running for the ball then having to dive and catch the ball is such a great feeling. Standing up with the ball in your glove, having the crowd praise you... That is what I like. I love the feeling of my metal spikes picking up the dirt and throwing it behind me while I am running my heart off, trying to help my pitcher. Outfield was made for people like me. Athletes who are not afraid to run for a ball and go all out trying to catch it, flying through the air. Anyway, we went through probably 20 more buckets of outfield work then went to hitting. Hitting was okay. It was not what I would of liked it to be, but it is what it is! That took a little while then we went into running the bases. We went from home to 1st twice then when from home to home once, all getting timed. I love hearing the times cause it makes me feel like I have to compete against every single person. I finally hit a solid 3.0    running from home to 1st and only a 12.3 running from home to home. I am hoping that I can increase my speed and lower those times, even if it is only a little bit!

Right after softball, I went home quickly and changed into workout clothes to go to training. I started off with my normal dynamic stretches and I felt some sort of anger building up in me and I had absolutely no clue why. So, I decided I really needed to work off all the steam, built up inside me, wanting to burst itself out. I started with deadlifts, doing sets of 5 at 203 lbs. I concluded those with 3 sets of 8 lateral lunges with 25 lbs. Then, I did Death by 10 meters. Hearing it from Kyle Haynes, Jocelyn's husband and a gnarly weightlifter, did not sound so bad for someone who likes to sprint. But man, I was tired. It starts off by having one minute to complete a 10 meter sprint. After that, you have one minute to complete 2 10 meter sprints. One minute to complete 3 10 meter sprints and so on... By 10, I definitely started to feel it. He said I only had to go to 16 but I think I could have completed 25 easily. It felt good to get some good conditioning in while angry, I feel like it helps motivate me more. I guess you could say this topic brings me to Mental Readiness.

I have a huge tournament coming up this weekend that is at the Sacramento Convention Center on February 9th and 10th. It is the Power League Qualifier and Shoreline is coming out to do our very best. I always take advantage of my learning and performance oppurtunities and always taking that extra step. If there's an open gym, I will always be there, asking any coach or player to help me improve my game whether it is volleyball or softball but in this case, it is volleyball. I plan ahead, practice to my very best, and prepare as effectively as I can. Mental Readiness is such a key point in any sport. For me, whenever I step onto the court, field, gym floor.. I always turn into a new mentally, physically, and committed athlete. I always go into my best mental zone for quality performance. What I have learned most is that you NEED to follow a path that brings out the best in you. Stuck in the wrong crowd of friends that do not support you in what you love? Find people who appreciate what you want to do and where you want to go, someone who is right by your side giving you the support you should be seeing out of a friend/friends. That was my position earlier this year, I had friends who had no interest about how my tournaments went or how my training goes. I made the smart decision of changing friends to people who love hearing what I have to say. Go down the path you really do want to make, but be sure it is what you want. Lastly: RELAX AND STAY FOCUSED. So important! Tournament anxiety used to be one of my biggest problems. I would have questions racing through my mind like the fastest racecar out of the track. I got over that so quickly by sitting myself down and saying "You can do this, you're going to set every ball so perfectly." Images in your brain are such a great thing. You see you and your team doing the actions you wish, imaging them can put them into reality. I have a few girls on my team that I go up to and say, "I'm going to set this ball and you're going to reach so high and crush the ball, sending it to the ground on the other side of the net, having no defender even get close to getting it up" and oh man, does that work. Everyone makes mistakes, just don't let one have such a bad effect on you. Relax, focus, and do what you gotta do! ;) "Mental preparation is training the mind for successful performance."

Gratitude

Today was eventful and full of most of the stuff that I love. It started off with going to school, finding out that I ended the 1st Semester with a 4.4 GPA! After school, I went straight to my varsity softball practice. It was our first practice of the year and it went surprisingly well! We started off with a long throwing warm-up and then we continued into infield. I love hearing the crack of the bat, my team yelling where to throw the ball, and that nice, crisp smack of the ball hitting the baseman's glove. Softball is such a great sport that I hope to continue with for the rest of my highschool career and maybe longer. I then sped over to volleyball conditioning which started at 6:15 and went until 7:30! I really use my volleyball conditioning to take my chance and lead the whole volleyball club that consists of around 100 girls, even though only half of them usually show up. After the conditioning part ended, it was the night for the 16's, 17's (my team), and 18's teams to stay and have one big skills practice. Since it is was skills practice, we start by really getting our arms very warm and then sticking to one focus of the night. Tonight happened to be serve recieve practice. I love passing serve recieve because I am a setter, and setters never get to pass serve recieve! It feels like a natural motion to me and I love feeling the ball hit my platform, passing the ball perfectly to the setter. We ended the night with a great, intense game of fast ball that went on and on. There were so many great rally's and I am so pround of everyone working so hard tonight. I love having these practices because it has everyone playing with all different ages and variations. This is why I fit gratitude into my daily life and sports!

Gratitude is the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful. It is an emotion that occurs after people recieve help, depending on how they interpret the situation. Giving thanks is not just made to do on Thanksgiving. It should be used daily! What I've noticed is that when I put gratitude into my daily practice, it has made me a happier and healthier person! I researched facts about gratitude and I came across an interesting thought. The American Psychological Association discovered that grateful teens are happier individuals. And is result, teenagers that express gratitude are better behaved in school, are more helpful, show more respect to adults and peers, and also have more energy toward taking on life's everyday challenges. For the past year, I have really stepped up and taking on more challenges. Whether it's school, extracuricular activities, or sports, I take the challenge of making myself and other people the best we can all be. Gratitude can be such an easy thing in every situation like... Write a letter or a note to your parents, teacher, siblings, best friend, mentor, etc. If you teammate does something good, give them some affection and show them that you are there and that you guys are family. No one should go a practice without getting praised with something they did right. Comes to think of it... I don't think I have ever gone through a practice without someone not getting praised by either another teammate or a coach. Show compassion for others. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness in life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

One thing I like to do after I workout is reflect upon my workout with constructive evaluation. It is always a good thing to reflect upon what you did well. I always remember after my practices the things I do well, the things I do wrong, and what I learned from it. It helps you reflect upon what you can refine or improve. Take out the important lessons from each experience and target your areas of improvement. My favorite thing that comes out of my constructive evaluation is me assessing the role of my commitment, attitude, metal readiness, and my focus. I feel as if this is the biggest part of reflecting my performance because I can put so much thought into it. It really reminds me of how I have the mindset of a champion and nothing less.

Even though this picture is from our first tournament of 2012, I still love it so much! This is one of my best friends who happens to be one of my teammates on Shoreline. Her name is Breeanna Calhoun and she is a senior from Harbor High School. She loves Tim Tebow so I promised her next time I set you and you get an amazing kill, I'll Tebow with you! She did it on the next play we made. Always praise a teammate when they do something good! I love you, Bree!