Growing Pains

I feel that when you’re going through adolescence you feel like you have to fit in with everyone, and change who you really are.  I know in elementary school, when I first moved to Gainesville, I wanted to make friends right away, and hang out with all the “cool” kids.  In order to do this I felt that I needed to change really my whole personality, when I really didn’t.  I would sometimes do really stupid things to try and impress kids so that I could fit in.  Yes, I did embarrass myself many times, but in the end I did get what I wanted, to make friends right away, but there was a much easier way.  If I had just been myself, instead of doing stupid things to impress people.

                Then moving on into middle school, I felt that I was really pressured by my parents to make good grades.  That’s why in sixth grade, ended up not playing any sports.  I ended up doing worse in school than I did when I played sports.  So, in seventh grade I played a sport for every season, and I ended up doing much better in school.  I also ended up enjoying school a lot more.  I feel that playing sports helps me not to get lazy at home and with having to have certain grades to play the sport, pushed me to do well in school.

                Now in high school, not only am I pressured by my parents to get good grades, but myself as well.  I realize that I need to earn good grades, in order to be able to go to a good college.  I put a lot of pressure on myself at times to make good grades, but at times I feel like I get to distracted with other things outside of school, such as my friends, sports, etc.  My parents now, unlike in middle school help motivate me in getting good grades, and as same in middle school, getting good grades allows me to keep playing the sports I enjoy.  Now that I am getting my license soon, that’s just another reason to motivate me to get good grades so that I can keep my car, and getting good grades helps cut down on the price of insurance.

Area of Expertise

Free Throw

The free throw is one of the biggest shams in the game of basketball today.  People may think the free throw is one of the easiest shots in basketball, but it's really not. Even one of the greatest scorers in NBA history had trouble making free throws.  Wilt Chamberlin went to the free throw line a "NBA record 11,862 times and only shot thirty eight percent".  Mastering the free throw takes a lot of practice and patience.  First, you need to have a consistent rhythm every time you go to the line.  Then you also need the confidence to know you’re going to make it. If you lack the confidence, then it gives you a lesser chance to make the free throw.

            This basketball season I took seventeen free throws and made fifteen.  Even though I shot really well from the free throw line, I would still say it’s one of the harder shots in basketball.  I feel as if there is more pressure on me to make a free throw late in the game than to get any other kind of basket.  I believe it’s harder because the crowd is all focused in on you, and all you can see in front of you is the basket.  Making a free throw late game is also extremely difficult in away games where the opponent’s crowd is making a bunch of noises, and trying to distract you.  Concentration is key in making a free throw!
             Free throws are crucial in games, they can decide whether you win or lose.  For example in one of our games this year we missed nine free throws, now if we had made five of those nine free throws we would have won the game.  People may think free throws are over rated, but that example just goes to show that all points are important in a game! When I shoot around I always shoot about thirty or forty free throws.  I use the same rhythm every time, and I make sure I concentrate on every shot.  So my area of expertise is shooting free throws.

Post #1 "Stranger In a Strange Land"

Post #1 "Stranger In a Strange Land"

  I haven't had many experiences with being a "stranger in a strange land", but one expeirence I've had was on a trip to Boston with my family.  Having lived in Gainesville for almost all my life, I'm used to traveling everwhere in town by car.  While in Boston traffic can be a little heavier than it is here in Gainesville.  So car was not always the best option.  So my family and I would end up taking the subway, or just walk to a lot of places around town. I remember walking around town with my cousin and we had to get home by taking the subway. To me the subway system was so confusing, having to look at the maps to make sure you know which train to get on, and where you need to get off.  My cousin and I had successfully gotten on the right train, but, however, we did not get off at the correct stop.  Me not wanting to embarrass myself and ask for directions, we ended up spending an extra amount of time walking around until we decided to go wait back at the station.  So we ended up having to wait about another twenty minutes or so for the train to finally come back so we could go home.

Also on our trip to Boston I started to notice their accent a lot more.  For example, we went to a restaurant right off the beach and I remember the waitress saying something that they had a special on "lobsta" that day. I couldn't restrain myself from laughing, becuase for some reason I found their accent to be hysterical.  I would tease my cousins about their accents all the time! 

Being "stranger in a strange land", doesn't always have to apply to moving and living in another country, but like in my you can have the feeling in your own country.  Also this could occur even in the same town you've lived in for your whole life.  Another good example of a "stranger in a strange land" would be changing schools.