Last year about this time Julie was so surprised and excited because she threw the discus almost 90 feet (about 30 feet better than she started the year at) and qualified for State competition (a feat she hadn't particularly considered). Although she never viewed herself as an "athlete", her coaches did.
This year she is disappointed and "had a bad day" if she throws it less than 90.
(ps: that still places her 2nd in most meets, behind her own teammate Kayla who typically throws 110-120)
Julie has gotten accustomed to throwing 95-100 feet, but now she has another teammate Mari who is challenging her. Once this year Mari had her best throw while Julie had an off day, slipping Julie into 3rd place - and Julie didn't like it! (who knew she IS competitive after all?)
Still, League competition has proven to be little competition with Carver generally sweeping the discus event - Kayla, Julie, Mari. Now on to Districts and States where the real challenges will be found (against kids from the BIG schools like Brockton and Fall River and Springfield, where there are dozens of girls statewide who throw over 100 ft).
GOOOOOOOO JULIE!!!!!!!!
================================
PS: Julie called to let us know she threw a personal best 103' 6" today for second place. Way to go Julie!!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Why can't anything be easy?
The plan for the day was skip church (I went yesterday, played for Confirmation Mass) re-install the garden pond, set some patio blocks that are going where the pond used to be, and try to fix Sue's bikes brakes.
9:00am - Skip church - done (funny side note: I know a referee who's name is Skip Church. I wonder how many Sunday morning games he does?)
9:30 am - Fix Sue's bike - the rear brake cable is rusted solid so I have to buy a new one and I didn't get as far as testing out the gear shifter which also isn't working, so - NOT done.
10:00am - there is a big root smack dab in the middle of where the pond is being located. The bow saw is too flimsy, the reciprocal saw blade isn't big enough, but the chain saw surprisingly started up easy and did the job so the hole is dug. Unfortunately, there is a crack in the plastic pond so I have to get some sealant at the hardware store.
11:00am - at the hardware store and Sue calls. She is at the high school and the truck won't start.
11:30am - can't get the truck restarted. Mr Rezendez the school janitor give a jump start. I need to go get a new battery. I leave Sue the van and take the truck home. The stupid clamp that holds the battery in place won't let go, so I fix the leak in the pond and set it in place and back-filling it. - Pond done (well, not filled, but it's in place).
1:30PM - BOY do I wish I had told Joe "no" to the friends birthday party (30 minutes away) but I drive Corey to work, pick up a card for the birthday boy, and drive Joe to The Charlie Horse restaurant and arcade in West Bridgewater. After meeting the mother (new people we don't know) and seeing which of Joes rowdy friends are there, I figure I can run over to K-Mart in Brockton and get a new battery. The handy vehicle year/model chart tells me which battery I need - of course the one they are out of. I do manage to get a package of new bike cables.
4:30pm - pick up Joe, manage to get him out of the arcade by 5:00 and home at 5:30pm to cook supper.
6:00pm - finally find the the ratchett wrench I needed to un-screww the battery clamp
6:15pm - discover that Sears is open until 7:00pm
6:30pm - arrive at Sears, but the Auto Department guy says he's closed. But when he discovers I only need a battery, he determines it can be rung in at a different register. He looks up the battery I need, but it doesn't match the size that K-Mart determined. The one Sears says looks too small and doesn't have the same "650 cold cranking amperage" as the one currently in the truck. The clerk snootily offers to show me what his computer says, so because the "bring your final selections to the register" announcement is being made - I go for it.
7:15pm - battery installed and the truck starts, the pond is in but not filled, the patio bricks that Joe put down for me will need to be re-done, Sue's bike seat is raised and I have new cables but when I get back to it is anybodies guess.
9:00am - Skip church - done (funny side note: I know a referee who's name is Skip Church. I wonder how many Sunday morning games he does?)
9:30 am - Fix Sue's bike - the rear brake cable is rusted solid so I have to buy a new one and I didn't get as far as testing out the gear shifter which also isn't working, so - NOT done.
10:00am - there is a big root smack dab in the middle of where the pond is being located. The bow saw is too flimsy, the reciprocal saw blade isn't big enough, but the chain saw surprisingly started up easy and did the job so the hole is dug. Unfortunately, there is a crack in the plastic pond so I have to get some sealant at the hardware store.
11:00am - at the hardware store and Sue calls. She is at the high school and the truck won't start.
11:30am - can't get the truck restarted. Mr Rezendez the school janitor give a jump start. I need to go get a new battery. I leave Sue the van and take the truck home. The stupid clamp that holds the battery in place won't let go, so I fix the leak in the pond and set it in place and back-filling it. - Pond done (well, not filled, but it's in place).
1:30PM - BOY do I wish I had told Joe "no" to the friends birthday party (30 minutes away) but I drive Corey to work, pick up a card for the birthday boy, and drive Joe to The Charlie Horse restaurant and arcade in West Bridgewater. After meeting the mother (new people we don't know) and seeing which of Joes rowdy friends are there, I figure I can run over to K-Mart in Brockton and get a new battery. The handy vehicle year/model chart tells me which battery I need - of course the one they are out of. I do manage to get a package of new bike cables.
4:30pm - pick up Joe, manage to get him out of the arcade by 5:00 and home at 5:30pm to cook supper.
6:00pm - finally find the the ratchett wrench I needed to un-screww the battery clamp
6:15pm - discover that Sears is open until 7:00pm
6:30pm - arrive at Sears, but the Auto Department guy says he's closed. But when he discovers I only need a battery, he determines it can be rung in at a different register. He looks up the battery I need, but it doesn't match the size that K-Mart determined. The one Sears says looks too small and doesn't have the same "650 cold cranking amperage" as the one currently in the truck. The clerk snootily offers to show me what his computer says, so because the "bring your final selections to the register" announcement is being made - I go for it.
7:15pm - battery installed and the truck starts, the pond is in but not filled, the patio bricks that Joe put down for me will need to be re-done, Sue's bike seat is raised and I have new cables but when I get back to it is anybodies guess.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mothers Day - A Walk in the Park
Fenway Park, that is!
The Red Sox do a cool thing on Mothers Day - they open up Fenway from 11:00am through 2:00pm for free. You get to enter at gate "C" (under the center field bleachers), go out onto the warning track next to the visiting teams bullpen, and -staying only on the dirt "warning track" - walk the entire perimeter of the field. It was beautiful weather, the crowd numbered in the thousands (bigger than at some teams games!), and parking was free. We (me, Sue, Corey, Julie, Jamie, Nikki, and Joe) happily checked out the dents make from fly balls, practiced making imaginary leaping catches against the padded outfield wall, inspected the "green monster", the dugouts and the bullpens. Various family members imagined themselves actually playing on the field (Sue, Corey, Nikki & Joe) and Joe scooped a pocket-full of Fenway dirt from center field. Just before leaving the building, Sue bought a raffle ticket for an authentic 2007 Championship Ring (valued at aprox. $20,000 - nine rings being offered) or a special edition "Red Sox Audi 30" (valued at aprox. $30,000). Joe spent a moment in awe at the 5-piece jazz band (drummer, trumpet, sax, trombone & tuba) playing just outside of the mens room in the concourse. All in all, it was a fun adventure for everybody - especially the Red Sox Fan Mom who still has her "Bill Lee scrap book" in her hope chest. The people she loves the most (although missing Mary & Tim), good behavior, great weather, and St. Ted's Cathedral - doesn't get much better than that!
Happy Mothers Day, Sue
(Soon you should be able to see a video-ography edition of our trip on Sue's blog, once she edits and adds a musical score and graphics)
The Red Sox do a cool thing on Mothers Day - they open up Fenway from 11:00am through 2:00pm for free. You get to enter at gate "C" (under the center field bleachers), go out onto the warning track next to the visiting teams bullpen, and -staying only on the dirt "warning track" - walk the entire perimeter of the field. It was beautiful weather, the crowd numbered in the thousands (bigger than at some teams games!), and parking was free. We (me, Sue, Corey, Julie, Jamie, Nikki, and Joe) happily checked out the dents make from fly balls, practiced making imaginary leaping catches against the padded outfield wall, inspected the "green monster", the dugouts and the bullpens. Various family members imagined themselves actually playing on the field (Sue, Corey, Nikki & Joe) and Joe scooped a pocket-full of Fenway dirt from center field. Just before leaving the building, Sue bought a raffle ticket for an authentic 2007 Championship Ring (valued at aprox. $20,000 - nine rings being offered) or a special edition "Red Sox Audi 30" (valued at aprox. $30,000). Joe spent a moment in awe at the 5-piece jazz band (drummer, trumpet, sax, trombone & tuba) playing just outside of the mens room in the concourse. All in all, it was a fun adventure for everybody - especially the Red Sox Fan Mom who still has her "Bill Lee scrap book" in her hope chest. The people she loves the most (although missing Mary & Tim), good behavior, great weather, and St. Ted's Cathedral - doesn't get much better than that!
Happy Mothers Day, Sue
(Soon you should be able to see a video-ography edition of our trip on Sue's blog, once she edits and adds a musical score and graphics)
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