Day 239: Sports Writer Week Three

Daily Blog Challenge Day 239/365

The AFC Lady Raiders played a double header in South Beloit during week three of their season.  In game one, the Lady Raiders picked up their second win of the season by defeating South Beloit 10-8.  South Beloit led the game until the 6th inning when the Lady Raiders scored five runs to take a 9-7 lead.  South Beloit was able to score a run in bottom of the 6th and the Lady Raiders added another run in the top of the 7th to secure the win.  AFC had fourteen hits and five players had a multi-hit game.  South Beloit started game two by scoring  six runs in the first inning.  The Lady Raiders scored three in the bottom of the first inning, but were never able to get the lead.  Despite seven hits, the Lady Raiders were only able to score five runs and lost game two by a score of 13-5.  After three weeks of games the Lady Raiders are 2-8.

Day 235: The Point of Varsity Sports...

Daily Blog Challenge Day 235/365

What is the point of varsity sports at the high school level?

11 games into this season, I am struggling greatly with this question. I have 16 girls on my team and I wish I could play all 16 at one time, but sadly the rules will not allow this. Lately, due to weather, we have been playing varsity double headers, so my junior varsity players are missing out on a few games (or having to wait until a later date to play). Next week we play everyday (JV and V) so I am not worried about people getting playing time. Tonight however, was our only games this week and due to weather the junior varsity games were cancelled.

I hate when all of my players don't get it, but the reality is some of them are not ready for the varsity level. Not only that, they rank what they do when they do get in a game. Playing in the field and hitting is better than just hitting which is better than just being a runner, so not only do I feel like I need to get all players in, I feel like I need to let them do the same thing. In softball that means planning way ahead and putting subs in right away (which is something I am still learning). I want everyone to play, but I have a hard time telling a starter they are not playing even though they are playing well, just so I can get another player in. Where do you draw the line?

Many of the varsity girls do not play during the junior varsity game (we make sure all the players who do not play varsity get in first), but yet it is expected that junior varsity players will play during varsity games. This is so far the most stressful part of being a Head Coach.

How do you balance being competitive and giving players a chance? Thank you for reading.

Day 232: Sports Writer Week Two

Daily Blog Challenge Day 232/365

The AFC Lady Raider Softball team started week two of their season with their first win of the season by defeating Durand 7-6 in the bottom of the 11th inning on a bases loaded walk. CK was the winning pitcher. On Thursday, the Lady Raiders traveled to Durand and were defeated 25-4.  On Friday, AFC traveled to Beardstown, Illinois for the Lady Tiger Showcase. They started the tournament by playing Quincy Notre Dame.  The Lady Raiders were limited to four hits and were defeated by Notre Dame 18-3.  In their second game of the night, the Lady Raiders took on Triopia.  Despite 2 home runs, one by CK and one by LM and twelve team hits the Lady Raiders were defeated 20-8. Saturday morning the Lady Raiders took on New Berlin and were defeated 11-3.  In their final game of the tournament, AFC fell to Beardstown 2 by a score of 18-3.  "Overall it was a great experience for our team and we would like to thank all of the parents for their help and support over the weekend" said Coach Wren. The Lady Raiders finished week two of their season with an overall record of 1-8.

Day 231: Why I Love Softball

Daily Blog Challenge Day 231/365

I know it is a clique, but I truly believe that athletics can help prepare young people to be successful, contributing members of society.  As I finish up my first year as a head coach, I am even more convinced of this fact and in my opinion baseball and softball offer different skills than other sports.

Unlike many other sports, in softball you have limited amount of chances to be successful during an individual game. Compared to basketball where you might take twenty plus shots a game, in softball you may only get to bat two or three times a game. There are many times in life that are limited to one or two chances: first impressions, job interviews, projects for work and deadlines.  Softball is all about being prepared when the moment comes for you to execute something you have practiced thousands of times.

Softball is a very mental sport and learning to control what is truly in your control is a tool for success on the diamond but also in life. Many parts of softball are dictated by human opinion (safe/out, ball/strike) so learning to let go of things you don't agree with is vital.

Everyone has a role on a team and they are not all the same. This is similar to any business. We are all important, but we all contribute in our own way.

Sports are also a great way to learn how to deal with success and disappointment. Many things happen in the heat of a game and learning to control your emotions is vital in sports and life. 

As a musician, I see many parallels between music and sports and both offer students a opportunity to learn and master life skills that will help lead to future success.

Day 230: Reflections on this School Year

Daily Blog Challenge Day 230/365

Today was a particularly frustrating day and I am writing this list as a reflection tool to work thru the challenges. I would love to hear how you deal with challenges in your classroom.

1. Teams working together get more done than individuals.
2. Classrooms and schools should each have a vision and decisions should be based on moving towards those goals.
3. Life skills need constant reinforcement.
4. It is easy to be your own island.
5. Your values, even if not spoken outloud will come thru in your actions.
6. It is possible for a great person to be a poor teacher.
7. Checking out and seeming like you don't care are a coping mechanism for frustration.
8. Feeling helpless to change a situation is one of the worst feelings.
9. Students are the reason I come to school everyday.
10. Many students need "love" from teachers and teachers need "love" from their schools/districts.

Day 229: People

Daily Blog Challenge Day 229/365

This year has reminded me the importance of relationships. People has a need and a desire to be appreciated and respected. We all look for these things. Students miss behave when they are lacking them and adults become stressed out.

We are all busy and it is easier to stay in our own bubble than it is to build relationships and communicate with those around us. As a college student, I was under the illusion that adults don't struggle with the same issues that "children" do, but I have since realized that I was wrong.  Humans are all looking for the same thing acceptance, respect, appreciation, understanding, attention and "love." The difference is students often don't know how to communicate these needs.

We need to put people first and focus on relationships and communication. In the end these are the things that make life worth while. 

Thank you for reading. 

Day 228: Feeling Discouraged

Daily Blog Challenge Day 228/365

I love spring weather, but I am not a fan of the end of the year because it is the time when we find out our new schedules for the upcoming school year. This time of year tends to make me feel unappreciated. As a music teacher in a district where prep time is considered sacred, I am under no illusion that the real purpose of my job is to give the "real" teachers prep time. Of course no one will say this outloud, but many of their actions show this belief.  It is frustrating to deal with. I know my district is not the only one where this happens, so the grass is not always greener on the other side.

With so many fine art positions being cut, I get a feeling that I should just be happy I have a job and just deal with whatever I am asked to do.

I know I am not alone in my frustrations of feeing unvalued and disrespected. How do you deal with these challenges?

Thank you for reading.

Day 225: Rookie Sports Writer

Daily Blog Challenge Day 225/365

Part of my duties as assigned as the Head Softball Coach is writing an article each week about our season.  I like writing, so it is not completely painful and I am glad I helped with writing articles for the local paper when I was in High School.

I find myself very far behind on my Blog Challenge, so I figured posting these articles would be a way to help me catch up.  I also hope to get feedback and learn how to be a better writer.

AFC Softball:  Week of April 7th

The AFC Lady Raider Softball team started week two of their season with their first win of the season by defeating Durand 7-6 in the bottom of the 11th inning on a bases loaded walk. CK was the winning pitcher. On Thursday, the Lady Raiders traveled to Durand and were defeated 25-4.  On Friday, AFC traveled to Beardstown, Illinois for the Lady Tiger Showcase. They started the tournament by playing Quincy Notre Dame.  The Lady Raiders were limited to four hits and were defeated by Notre Dame 18-3.  In their second game of the night, the Lady Raiders took on Triopia.  Despite 2 home runs, one by CK and one by LM and twelve team hits the Lady Raiders were defeated 20-8. Saturday morning the Lady Raiders took on New Berlin and were defeated 11-3.  In their final game of the tournament, AFC fell to Beardstown 2 by a score of 18-3.  "Overall it was a great experience for our team and we would like to thank all of the parents for their help and support over the weekend" said Coach Wren. The Lady Raiders finished week two of their season with an overall record of 1-8.

Day 224: Positives

Daily Blog Challenge Day 224/365

I am in the midst of my first season as a Varsity Head Coach at the High School level.  It has been an adventure to say the least.  I imagined how this season would go many times and none of them are close to any of my possibilities.  I have learned a ton in a short amount of time.  This weekend we took sixteen girls on a trip to southern Illinois to play in a four game softball tournament.  We lost all four games by run rules and it was a frustrating experience in terms of softball.  Even with all of the negatives and frustrations, there were lots of positives and as the head coach I believe it is my job to help my players focus on the good things.  It is far too easy to focus on all the bad things.

1.  We never gave up.
2.  Overall, we did a great job of not fighting without teammates and not yelling.
3.  We had good at-bats.
4.  We hit 2 home runs.
5.  We successfully ran 1st-3rd situations many times.
6.  We played with good sportsmanship.
7.  We showed grace and dignity in defeat.
8.  We got runners on base.
9.  At times, we hit the ball very well.
10.  We ended the tournament with our best defensive game in five games.

How do you help your students/players/children stay positive in challenging situations?  Thank you for reading.

Day 223: Weekly Reflection 4/11/14

Daily Blog Challenge Day 223/365

One of my third grade classes has been a struggle so far this semester.  I use Recorder Karate with my 4th graders and I decided to try giving "belts" to students in third grade who demonstrate mastery of certain skills.  I hate the idea of dangling a carrot for my students, but the whole class will actually participate if they think they can earn something.

In third grade we focus on the notes B, A and G and we start with a lot of simple rhythm exercises.  I keep a pile of string on my desk and students earn one "belt" once they show mastery of reading rhythms/playing them correctly on their recorder.  They are able to earn multiple belts of the same color (I picked bright colors that I don't use as Recorder Karate Belts.)

I am a strong believer in intrinsic motivation, but I find that some students need a balance of extrinsic before they can truly motivate themselves.

How do you help your students learn how to be internally motivated?  Thank you for reading.

Day 222: It Is Just a Game

Daily Blog Challenge Day 222/365

I love sports and athletics are something I have been involved in since I was young.  It is easy to fall into the trap of describing ourselves by what we do, but this can be dangerous.  When I see my identity as an athlete/musician/teacher and those areas start to be a challenge, what happens to my self-esteem and identity?  Teaching is something I do, but it should not be me.  This is something I struggle with often.  I wrap my identity as a person into my ability to teach or coach, so when I have a rough class/day/week, I feel like a  bad person.  This is dangerous, especially when we start judging ourselves based on factors we cannot control.  In the end, I can control my effort and attitude; I cannot control my results during athletics.

I am in the midst of another softball season.  This time, the first as a head coach.  Softball is a game, it is a great game in my opinion, but it is still just a game.  My ultimate goal as a coach is to teach my players life lessons through the wonderful game of softball.  Softball is something we play, something we do.  It is not who we are as people.  The same is true for any sport, activity or trait.  When I start identifying myself as a smart person, what happens when I no longer feel smart?

I want my players to identify themselves by their hard work, honesty, dedication, sportsmanship, attitude, focus and responsibility; not by their ability to throw or catch a ball.  The same goes for my students.

How do we help our youth realize that what they do is not who they are?  Thank you for reading.