Today's track meet definitely wasn't my best. I finished first in all my events, but I didn't improve any of my times or distances (save in the relay).
I don't even want to reveal my long jump distance. It was pitiful, but bear in mind that I haven't practiced in over a week and I was starting much too close to the board.
Nathan, of course, did awesome. He's only a few seconds away from breaking the school record for the mile run, 4 minutes 58 seconds (wow).
Hopefully I can return to my former domination in long jump (I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty darn good).
GO CRUSADERS!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Choir Tour 2010
We all have been looking forward to the choir tour all year. The trip finally came around on Tuesday!
We toured with a choir from St. John in Fraser, Michigan, and they arrived at Holy Cross Monday afternoon. After school, we met in the music room and went outside (I, however, being the responsible student that I am, did homework during the recess). Then we went back inside to warm up. We warmed up our voices for about an hour, and then we went to the cafeteria for dinner.
After our dinner of nachos, grapes, corn, and ice cream, we sang for the Monday night church service. We were probably singing for 60% of the service. We sang O Filii Et Filliae, an echo song written by Volckmar Leisring, God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Cantate Domino, an extremely difficult song by Hans Leo Hassler, Jesu, Jesu, a traditional Ghana spiritual, Siyahumba, another traditional spiritual, Angels and Saints, a combination of Angels Watching Over Me and When the Saints Go Marching In, Sing Aloud to God, Our Strength, and Clap Your Hands, a song where which includes - obviously - hand clapping. Finally, we headed home and started packing!
I got up at 5:45 on Tuesday, and at 6:30, I arrived at Holy Cross to hop on the tour bus. We took off at 7:00, and for the first hour we mostly slept. After we livened up, the yelling, listening of iPods, movie-watching, and eating began.
Jessica, Alison, Myrthe, Michaela, Sydney, and I were lucky enough to have the only seats with tables. This was very convenient, because everyone else had to put their snacks, iPods, books, etc. on the floor or on their laps. The table also served as exceptional footrests (The only bad thing about our seats was the unenviable location right in front of the bathroom, which stunk. We quickly found this out, and nobody dared to use it again).
Our first stop on the trip was Valparaiso, Indiana - the place where I was born - at Immanuel Lutheran - the place where I went to preschool and where my grandparents and cousins attend church and school. After we performed, I visited with my cousin Sarah, my grandparents, and my Aunt Judy. I didn't get to talk for very long, because we were on the road again in a few minutes.
Next we sang for St. John Lutheran in La Grange, Illinois, where we also ate lunch. The church was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed singing there (at this point I started to lose my voice: I still can't sing). We hit the road again and stopped at St. Paul in Brookfield, Illinois, in the Chicago area.
By this point in the day, we were all very tired and most of us had headaches. We were relieved when we finished our final concert of the day and headed for our hotel. The hotel was really nice, and hardly anyone was there. After we settled into our rooms (I stayed with Jessica, Alison, and Ashley), we put our bathing suits on and went swimming. The pools were indoor, and there was an Olympic-sized pool, a 3-foot, warmer pool, and two large hot tubs. There was also a small arcade room, pool and ping pong tables, an exercise room, and a sauna.
We ate our pizza dinner poolside, and afterward we changed, grabbed our school books, and went to the "Atrium", a huge hall booked for our study hall. Thankfully, I got all my work done. For the remainder of the study hall, I drew James, Robiati, and Meron (by the way, the drawings were atrocious).
After devotions, we had free time for the rest of the night. Free time was pretty wild, with much running around, pop-drinking, yelling, and visiting other people's rooms. I'm surprised nobody complained, since it was 10:30 at night.
Our curfew was 10:30, but nobody actually went to sleep. We could hear the eighth graders on either side of our room bouncing off the walls until at least 1:00 (not to mention the seventh grade girls called us three times in the dead of night because, apparently, they were bored). We, on the other hand, got in bed at about 10:45.
The night was a long one, but day finally dawned, bringing us a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline.
This picture has nothing to do with the choir tour, but I thought it was a cool picture, and I took it, too!
We got downstairs to the breakfast bar at 6:00 sharp. Breakfast included delicious biscuits, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. After everyone had eaten and packed, we hopped on the bus and arrived at Grace Lutheran to sing for their chapel service. After that, we went down the street to Concordia University Chicago, the place where my choir director went to college.
Unfortunately, the chapel floors were carpet, which is a cardinal sin for singing. The vibration didn't reverberate well, so our sound wasn't the best. It did reverberate well in Trinity Lutheran, where we performed our very last concert of the tour.
For no reason, we went on a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, and then drove to Navy Pier in Chicago!
We began our time by going on the famous Ferris wheel, a very enjoyable experience.
Next we went on possibly the most fun ride ever! It was one of those huge rides with seats hanging from it, that swings you around high above the ground. We went on it three times. At the end, we agreed that, if we could, we would spend our entire day on the ride. It would totally be worth it.
Next we ate lunch at the gigantic food court. Meron and I had Chinese. Ashley had Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Matt simply had McDonald's.
After our lunch, we explored the indoor section of Navy Pier, which included the coolest restaurant ever, Harry Caray's, named for the famous Chicago Cubs' broadcaster. They had hundred of autographed baseballs, bats, and jerseys.
Game-worn, autographed Bobby Hull jersey.
Game-worn, autographed Patrick Kane jersey, skate, and helmet.
A real Lombardi Trophy!
Game-worn, autographed Walter Payton jersey.
We toured with a choir from St. John in Fraser, Michigan, and they arrived at Holy Cross Monday afternoon. After school, we met in the music room and went outside (I, however, being the responsible student that I am, did homework during the recess). Then we went back inside to warm up. We warmed up our voices for about an hour, and then we went to the cafeteria for dinner.
After our dinner of nachos, grapes, corn, and ice cream, we sang for the Monday night church service. We were probably singing for 60% of the service. We sang O Filii Et Filliae, an echo song written by Volckmar Leisring, God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Cantate Domino, an extremely difficult song by Hans Leo Hassler, Jesu, Jesu, a traditional Ghana spiritual, Siyahumba, another traditional spiritual, Angels and Saints, a combination of Angels Watching Over Me and When the Saints Go Marching In, Sing Aloud to God, Our Strength, and Clap Your Hands, a song where which includes - obviously - hand clapping. Finally, we headed home and started packing!
I got up at 5:45 on Tuesday, and at 6:30, I arrived at Holy Cross to hop on the tour bus. We took off at 7:00, and for the first hour we mostly slept. After we livened up, the yelling, listening of iPods, movie-watching, and eating began.
Jessica, Alison, Myrthe, Michaela, Sydney, and I were lucky enough to have the only seats with tables. This was very convenient, because everyone else had to put their snacks, iPods, books, etc. on the floor or on their laps. The table also served as exceptional footrests (The only bad thing about our seats was the unenviable location right in front of the bathroom, which stunk. We quickly found this out, and nobody dared to use it again).
Our first stop on the trip was Valparaiso, Indiana - the place where I was born - at Immanuel Lutheran - the place where I went to preschool and where my grandparents and cousins attend church and school. After we performed, I visited with my cousin Sarah, my grandparents, and my Aunt Judy. I didn't get to talk for very long, because we were on the road again in a few minutes.
Next we sang for St. John Lutheran in La Grange, Illinois, where we also ate lunch. The church was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed singing there (at this point I started to lose my voice: I still can't sing). We hit the road again and stopped at St. Paul in Brookfield, Illinois, in the Chicago area.
By this point in the day, we were all very tired and most of us had headaches. We were relieved when we finished our final concert of the day and headed for our hotel. The hotel was really nice, and hardly anyone was there. After we settled into our rooms (I stayed with Jessica, Alison, and Ashley), we put our bathing suits on and went swimming. The pools were indoor, and there was an Olympic-sized pool, a 3-foot, warmer pool, and two large hot tubs. There was also a small arcade room, pool and ping pong tables, an exercise room, and a sauna.
We ate our pizza dinner poolside, and afterward we changed, grabbed our school books, and went to the "Atrium", a huge hall booked for our study hall. Thankfully, I got all my work done. For the remainder of the study hall, I drew James, Robiati, and Meron (by the way, the drawings were atrocious).
After devotions, we had free time for the rest of the night. Free time was pretty wild, with much running around, pop-drinking, yelling, and visiting other people's rooms. I'm surprised nobody complained, since it was 10:30 at night.
Our curfew was 10:30, but nobody actually went to sleep. We could hear the eighth graders on either side of our room bouncing off the walls until at least 1:00 (not to mention the seventh grade girls called us three times in the dead of night because, apparently, they were bored). We, on the other hand, got in bed at about 10:45.
The night was a long one, but day finally dawned, bringing us a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline.
This picture has nothing to do with the choir tour, but I thought it was a cool picture, and I took it, too!
We got downstairs to the breakfast bar at 6:00 sharp. Breakfast included delicious biscuits, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. After everyone had eaten and packed, we hopped on the bus and arrived at Grace Lutheran to sing for their chapel service. After that, we went down the street to Concordia University Chicago, the place where my choir director went to college.
Unfortunately, the chapel floors were carpet, which is a cardinal sin for singing. The vibration didn't reverberate well, so our sound wasn't the best. It did reverberate well in Trinity Lutheran, where we performed our very last concert of the tour.
For no reason, we went on a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, and then drove to Navy Pier in Chicago!
We began our time by going on the famous Ferris wheel, a very enjoyable experience.
Next we went on possibly the most fun ride ever! It was one of those huge rides with seats hanging from it, that swings you around high above the ground. We went on it three times. At the end, we agreed that, if we could, we would spend our entire day on the ride. It would totally be worth it.
Next we ate lunch at the gigantic food court. Meron and I had Chinese. Ashley had Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Matt simply had McDonald's.
After our lunch, we explored the indoor section of Navy Pier, which included the coolest restaurant ever, Harry Caray's, named for the famous Chicago Cubs' broadcaster. They had hundred of autographed baseballs, bats, and jerseys.
Game-worn, autographed Bobby Hull jersey.
Game-worn, autographed Patrick Kane jersey, skate, and helmet.
A real Lombardi Trophy!
Game-worn, autographed Walter Payton jersey.After this excursion, we browsed the numerous shops of Navy Pier. There were a lot of awesome places, like the hat shop, which sold hats that could actually light up! They also sold wigs.
Another store sold T-shirts with hilarious phrases and sayings. While at the Fudge Shoppe, Jessica couldn't resist the mouth-watering chocolates, and bought a caramel/chocolate apple.
At the end of our fun day, we got into the bus and left Chicago. We arrived at Valparaiso once more in about an hour, and the St. John Fraser singers hopped on a new bus that took them to Michigan. The Junior Choir visited the stunning Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University. The church is absolutely beautiful, with a 4,500 pipe-organ, a giant, unique baptismal font, many dazzling stain glass windows, and an underground altar that serves as a prayer room. The ceiling is vaulted, so the sound bounces around really well, and there's a five second echo at least.
After touring the church, we hopped on the bus to finally head home. . . where we learned that the bus was having break problems. Because of this, we had to switch buses. We didn't switch onto any ordinary bus, though. It was the bus that the Fort Wayne Komets use.
When we got home, we were tired, hungry, and hoarse. I felt better once I bragged to my family about the awesome time I had. It was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life, and the ride in the Komets bus made it even better.
I'm already looking forward to next year's choir tour to Cleveland (not quite as exciting as Chicago, but it's still a choir tour)!
At the end of our fun day, we got into the bus and left Chicago. We arrived at Valparaiso once more in about an hour, and the St. John Fraser singers hopped on a new bus that took them to Michigan. The Junior Choir visited the stunning Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University. The church is absolutely beautiful, with a 4,500 pipe-organ, a giant, unique baptismal font, many dazzling stain glass windows, and an underground altar that serves as a prayer room. The ceiling is vaulted, so the sound bounces around really well, and there's a five second echo at least.
After touring the church, we hopped on the bus to finally head home. . . where we learned that the bus was having break problems. Because of this, we had to switch buses. We didn't switch onto any ordinary bus, though. It was the bus that the Fort Wayne Komets use.
When we got home, we were tired, hungry, and hoarse. I felt better once I bragged to my family about the awesome time I had. It was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life, and the ride in the Komets bus made it even better.
I'm already looking forward to next year's choir tour to Cleveland (not quite as exciting as Chicago, but it's still a choir tour)!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Second Track Meet
In our meet against Concordia and St. Paul today, I ran for JV. In my first event, the 100 meter dash, I finished 2nd in a photo finish race (my coach said that I should've been in 1st, but they marked me wrong). After the long distance running finished (Nathan finished 1st in the mile again), I lined up for the 200, which I finished 1st in.
We didn't get much rest before the relay started. Natalie started, Megan was second leg, Olivia was third leg, and I finished. Unfortunately, we didn't get off to a good start, and by the time I got the baton we were in last place. Somehow, I pulled ahead, and Holy Cross finished in third.
I waited for about an hour, and then my best event started, long jump. Regrettably, the measuring tape we use to line up was off about two feet, so I didn't know where to start. I scratched my first jump, then jumped 13 feet 1 inch, then scratched my last two. I was extremely disappointed, because my best jump ever was 13 feet 3 inches. I think the reason I didn't beat this length was because I couldn't get my timing right.
At least I improved all my other events! Last meet, I finished the 100 in 15. 2 seconds, and this time I got a 14.5! I also improved in the 200, and I finished in 31.2, much better than last time.
GO CRUSADERS!
We didn't get much rest before the relay started. Natalie started, Megan was second leg, Olivia was third leg, and I finished. Unfortunately, we didn't get off to a good start, and by the time I got the baton we were in last place. Somehow, I pulled ahead, and Holy Cross finished in third.
I waited for about an hour, and then my best event started, long jump. Regrettably, the measuring tape we use to line up was off about two feet, so I didn't know where to start. I scratched my first jump, then jumped 13 feet 1 inch, then scratched my last two. I was extremely disappointed, because my best jump ever was 13 feet 3 inches. I think the reason I didn't beat this length was because I couldn't get my timing right.
At least I improved all my other events! Last meet, I finished the 100 in 15. 2 seconds, and this time I got a 14.5! I also improved in the 200, and I finished in 31.2, much better than last time.
GO CRUSADERS!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
2010 NFL Draft
I don't usually keep up with the NFL Drafts, but I can't help but hear a few things about it from the radio, Internet, and TV (doubtless you've already heard everything I'm about to tell you).
Not surprisingly, quarterback Sam Bradford from Oklahoma was the first pick, and he went to the St. Louis Rams. In my opinion, this wasn't the smartest move by the Rams. Their old quarterback was a perfectly capable (he wasn't great, but he was certainly capable) center. They have an excellent running back in Stephen Jackson. All they really need is a good wide receiver, because their passing play is virtually nonexistent.
Another dumb move, in my opinion, was the drafting of Tim Tebow by the Denver Broncos. I've always thought that Tebow was a bit overrated. He can't get rid of the ball fast enough, and he can't even throw a spiral. Sure, he won the Heisman Trophy, but that's only because he can run the ball extremely well. It's nice if an NFL quarterback can run, but it's certainly not necessary as long as he can throw the ball well, which Tebow cannot. Now, Tebow could have some success if he was at a different position, such as half back or running back, because he's pretty big (6 foot 3, 240 pounds, to be exact).
The other two college quarterback superpowers were Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen. McCoy was drafted to the Cleveland Browns as the 85th overall pick, and Jimmy Clausen went to Carolina as the 48th overall pick (my dad thinks that Clausen has a slow release).
Other notable drafts include the #2 pick, Ndamukong Suh, who dominated in college at Nebraska. Rolando McClain, famous for his amazing field goal block against Tennessee, went to the Oakland Raiders as the 8th pick. The Stanford running back Toby Gerhart went to the Minnesota Vikings (even though the Vikings have one of the best running backs in the league already).
The Packers chose Brian Buluga, an offenseive tackle from Iowa (phew), Andrew Quarless, a tight end from Penn State, Marshall Newhouse, another offensive tackle from TCU, James Starks, a running back from Buffalo, and C.J. Wilson, a defensive end from East Carolina. All in all I think we made very good picks.
GO PACK GO
Not surprisingly, quarterback Sam Bradford from Oklahoma was the first pick, and he went to the St. Louis Rams. In my opinion, this wasn't the smartest move by the Rams. Their old quarterback was a perfectly capable (he wasn't great, but he was certainly capable) center. They have an excellent running back in Stephen Jackson. All they really need is a good wide receiver, because their passing play is virtually nonexistent.
Another dumb move, in my opinion, was the drafting of Tim Tebow by the Denver Broncos. I've always thought that Tebow was a bit overrated. He can't get rid of the ball fast enough, and he can't even throw a spiral. Sure, he won the Heisman Trophy, but that's only because he can run the ball extremely well. It's nice if an NFL quarterback can run, but it's certainly not necessary as long as he can throw the ball well, which Tebow cannot. Now, Tebow could have some success if he was at a different position, such as half back or running back, because he's pretty big (6 foot 3, 240 pounds, to be exact).
The other two college quarterback superpowers were Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen. McCoy was drafted to the Cleveland Browns as the 85th overall pick, and Jimmy Clausen went to Carolina as the 48th overall pick (my dad thinks that Clausen has a slow release).
Other notable drafts include the #2 pick, Ndamukong Suh, who dominated in college at Nebraska. Rolando McClain, famous for his amazing field goal block against Tennessee, went to the Oakland Raiders as the 8th pick. The Stanford running back Toby Gerhart went to the Minnesota Vikings (even though the Vikings have one of the best running backs in the league already).
The Packers chose Brian Buluga, an offenseive tackle from Iowa (phew), Andrew Quarless, a tight end from Penn State, Marshall Newhouse, another offensive tackle from TCU, James Starks, a running back from Buffalo, and C.J. Wilson, a defensive end from East Carolina. All in all I think we made very good picks.
GO PACK GO
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Holy Cross Carnival 2010
This Friday was the Holy Cross Carnival, which is always loads of fun (except for last year, when the cotton candy machine caught fire and we all had to go outside for an hour). Sydney and her family always come, and we went around the school playing various games with some of my other friends.
In Mr. Albertin's room was the famous Pop Toss, which is always the most crowded room. I took home a Sunkist, and Sydney got a 7 Up (which I won for her). Unfortunately, my friend Meron did not win any pop, even though she spent at least half her punches playing the game.
Another fun game was the Penny Drop, where you dropped a penny into a tank full of water, aiming for a small cup. I, being the skilled penny-dropper that I am, plunked all three of my pennies into the cup.
In the gym was a moon walk, a giant Velcro wall that you could jump on and stick to while wearing a Velcro suit, and a baseball simulator. Another popular activity was the balloon artist, who could shape you a bracelet, a hat. . . he even made my friend a hockey stick!
It was a really fun time. Plus, the cotton candy machine didn't catch fire! The Holy Cross Carnival was a huge success, and I'm glad that Sydney and her family got to go.
In Mr. Albertin's room was the famous Pop Toss, which is always the most crowded room. I took home a Sunkist, and Sydney got a 7 Up (which I won for her). Unfortunately, my friend Meron did not win any pop, even though she spent at least half her punches playing the game.
Another fun game was the Penny Drop, where you dropped a penny into a tank full of water, aiming for a small cup. I, being the skilled penny-dropper that I am, plunked all three of my pennies into the cup.
In the gym was a moon walk, a giant Velcro wall that you could jump on and stick to while wearing a Velcro suit, and a baseball simulator. Another popular activity was the balloon artist, who could shape you a bracelet, a hat. . . he even made my friend a hockey stick!
It was a really fun time. Plus, the cotton candy machine didn't catch fire! The Holy Cross Carnival was a huge success, and I'm glad that Sydney and her family got to go.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Last AAU Basketball Games
Sadly, my AAU season has come to an end. We could've won our very last game, but since we played twice immediately prior to it, we were pooped (especially me, since I didn't get a single rest in the previous game). On top of that, my ankle was killing me and I couldn't swallow because my throat hurt (it still does).
Our first two games were great, and we easily finished off both of our opposing teams. In our last game, we played the best team in the tournament. I'm pretty sure that we would've won the game if we all weren't so tired. My coach said that they simply out-hustled us.
Can't wait for next season! Go Cadets!
Our first two games were great, and we easily finished off both of our opposing teams. In our last game, we played the best team in the tournament. I'm pretty sure that we would've won the game if we all weren't so tired. My coach said that they simply out-hustled us.
Can't wait for next season! Go Cadets!
First Track Meet
A few days ago was Holy Cross' first track meet of the season, and unfortunately, we didn't do so great.
Now, the only reason I didn't win every single event (excuse my not-so-humbleness) was that I was racing against varsity runners. I finished 6th in the 100, 5th in the 200, dead last in the relay, and, surprisingly, 2nd in long jump (my longest jump was 13 feet 3 inches)!
Logically, I should be racing against girls my own age, since winning is the point of the sport. My friend and I are going to write a petition so that I can, hopefully, run for JV instead of varsity.
The other Holy Cross runners did pretty good overall, and Nathan finished first in the 800 and 1600.
Wish us luck for the rest of the season! Go Crusaders!
Now, the only reason I didn't win every single event (excuse my not-so-humbleness) was that I was racing against varsity runners. I finished 6th in the 100, 5th in the 200, dead last in the relay, and, surprisingly, 2nd in long jump (my longest jump was 13 feet 3 inches)!
Logically, I should be racing against girls my own age, since winning is the point of the sport. My friend and I are going to write a petition so that I can, hopefully, run for JV instead of varsity.
The other Holy Cross runners did pretty good overall, and Nathan finished first in the 800 and 1600.
Wish us luck for the rest of the season! Go Crusaders!
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