Sears,+Danielle


 * Winter/Spring 2011 Mr. Dunne **

** A Pre-Game Warm-up **

What do sports mean to you as an athlete and as a fan? Sports mean everything to me and they have played a huge role in my life. My parents made sure that I tried just about every sport before I decided which one I would devote most of my time to. I did ballet, Irish step dancing, gymnastics, tennis, sailing, golf, horseback riding, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball. However, now I just play soccer and lacrosse for Thayer and I own my own horse. I still play tennis and I sail but those are just for fun. It might be an understatement saying that sports are my life. Sports have given me a stress reliever, friends, unforgettable memories, and competitiveness. Surprisingly enough, I do not watch a lot of sports on TV. I prefer to play than to watch. Although, I enjoy watching sports that I play myself because I am a visual learner and watching some of the best athletes in the country has taught me a lot. I do watch the occasional Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots game with my family and friends but I am not a true fan. I am more a fan to my friends and family who play sports.

What has been your with youth sports? Describe your best and worst experiences. Like I said in the previous question, I have given almost every sport a shot and I discovered that I am better at some sports that other. For example, I am not very good at the more feminine sports like dancing and gymnastics. My worst experience happened during a gymnastics meet. I was doing my floor routine and it was going really well until I got to the back-walk-over. That movement I had practiced a billion times before but for some reason that day I could not do it. My coach had to run out onto the floor and spot me. It was horrifying. I loved playing sports as a kid. I think that it really helped me improve my coordination because for a while I was very clumsy and it helped me make new friends and be a teammate. It is hard to pick my best experience. My two favorite sports are soccer and horseback riding but I think my best experience happened when I was riding. After several months of horseback riding lessons, learning the proper way to sit, hold the reins, post, and steer; I was finally allowed off the lead line. Being off the lead line was the best feeling. I felt like I was graduating. I had a new sense of freedom, authority, and independence. I finally got to control something in my life.

Do athletes make good role models? Identify one or two professional athletes to make your case. I would like to believe that athletes make good role models but in reality there are far too many bad role models in the sports world than good. For example, Barry Bonds and his use of steroids, Tiger Woods and his infidelity, and O.J. Simpson and his conviction of murder. Unfortunately the list goes on and on. This topic is something that I am sure researchers have looked into. Why are most athletes bad role models? Athletes have high expectations put on them. They cannot make a wrong move or mistake without the public finding out about it. I admire many athletes for the perseverance and their dedication to their sport but I do not have an athlete as a role model.

What sports/teams do you pay attention to the most? How much time do sports occupy in your life? How do you spend that time (attending, watching, reading, talking, participating)? I do not watch sports on TV. I only pay attention to the sports that I play and that means actually playing them. Sports occupy a lot of my time. I horseback ride all year even if it means going before or after practices and games. I have had to wake up ridiculously early to ride before soccer and lacrosse and I have stayed at the barn until very late at night after practice. In the fall and summer I play soccer and in the spring I play lacrosse. Although I don’t have a winter sport other than horseback riding, I spend a great deal of my time working out. I have to make sure that I am in the best shape I can be for lacrosse season. Because I play sports all year, I don’t get a break from them but that’s the way I like it.

What sports-related issues would you be disappointed //not// to cover in this class? Why? I would be disappointed if we did not cover the issue that took place this fall in our own football league. I am very curious as to how that school got away with recruiting so many good athletes and whether or not that is allowed. The recruiting process in high school is something that I am very eager to learn about.