Rough Start!!!

Sorry guys, I know it’s been a while but the season has gotten off to a rough start and I’ve just been all over the place. The Peahens are out to a rough start with a 1-3 record. They have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday against University of New Hampshire.

The Peahens have a young team and still are working out the kinks. They have a lot to learn about finishing games. It’s still early and they have plenty of time to turn it around.

Sophomore Jynae Judson shows a lot of promise with her style of play. She is the team’s leading scorer and hasn’t even reached her peak yet. She is a sight to see.

I hope to see you guys on Saturday  at the Yanitelli Center at 2 pm.

Rankings Dont Mean Jack!!!

Wassup guys? I know you guys are excited that basketball season is right around the corner. Yay lol !!! Today was MAAC Media day. Basically it’s when the conference reveals the pre-season rankings, like predictions of what place the teams will finish in. They picked us to finish 5th. It’s not bad but it isn’t the greatest. The important thing is how we actually finish at the end of the season. Rankings really don’t mean anything. A team could be ranked 10th and finish 1st, rare but possible.

I know that this will serve as motivation for my teammates and I especially since we where ranked 4th last season. We have out first scrimmage this saturday and this will be a test to see where we stand. Im pretty confident though, and I know that we’ll be ok. We’re a young team but we are stacked with talent and passion. Mix that in with some hard work and determination and that’s all you need. We are undersized and young but we can and will go a long way.

This season should be interesting and of course yours truly will be keeping you guys posted. If you want to follow( cough cough you should lol) the peahens and peacocks visit http://www.spc.edu/athletics.

See you guys next time!

Men’s or Women’s?

What’s up guys!? So you know that the season officially started on Friday and it’s going great. Practice is going well and is very competitive. Games are right around the corner, and with games starting I’m hearing some buzz about whose going to the men’s or women’s games at my school. When it comes to sports in general, people aren’t really interested in women’s sports. At any level, whether it be at the high school, collegiate level, or professional, people rather watch men, unless the women are half naked, but that’s neither here or there.

When it comes to basketball, men’s teams get way more praise and support than women. NBA players get paid way more, have a longer season, more teams, and better endorsements that WNBA players. At the college level, a school’s women’s team can have a way better record than the men’s team, but the men’s team will have a better crowd turn out and more gear than a woman’s team.

People just don’t support women’s sport’s as much as they should and it’s a shame. Women can do any and everything a man can do physically. Yes! that means dunk. Women can dunk and jump as high as men.

I hope that if you are a fan of basketball that you support both women and men’s basketball. Us women need support too just as much as men. You never know, your sister, cousin, or girlfriend could be the next superstar. See you guys later.

Fueling The Body

The season is right around the corner and even though we’ve been training and preparing during pre-season, we have to get our bodies right. When I say get our bodies right I mean eating and drinking the right things that will help us practice for long hours and play games to the best of our capabilities.

Today all the athletes at my school had to attend a nutrition workshop to inform us of some of the foods that should and shouldn’t be in our diets. It was very informative and useful, because let’s be honest most athletes don’t eat right. With everything that is demanded of us, we usually go for the quickest and easiest things in reach to eat and of course most of the time they aren’t the best choices, like the chips, sodas, candy, cookies, etc. This shouldn’t be an excuse, just as easily as we can pick up a bag of chips we can pick up a piece of fruit.

I’m not even going to lie, my diet is terrible. The speaker informed us that the average athlete burns between 3500 to 5000 calories in an average of a two to three hours of practice a day. So we have to eat the same amount daily to fuel our bodies and compete and the max without our bodies shutting down on us.

This information made a lot of sense to me because I would wonder why my bod would be extremely tired and I would suffer little nagging injuries. It was because I wasn’t eating right or skipping meals and since we demand so much of our bodies on a daily basis, we need to give it the right amount carbs, proteins, and fats.

This workshop definitely helped me and I hope that all the athletes that attended change up their diet so they can perform to the best of their abilities. If you want to learn more on the foods that athletes should be consuming, click on the link below. It’s been real guys, I have to go and finish my homework lol, see ya later.

http://www.fitwise.com/Healthy_Diet.asp

Season Time!!!!

Hey guys! So basketball season officially starts next week Friday, the 16th of October at 7 pm. I’m so excited, I can’t wait. That means that we can start to practice, play games, and of course PRE-SEASON IS OVER!!!! lol. No, but seriously the season is here and all our hard work during pre-season is going to pay off. This is the best time of the year! Who wouldn’t want to come to a basketball game?

My fellow teammates are also very excited for the season to start. I think it’s just our competitive nature that makes us hungry to play. We want to go out and show everybody all the hard work that we put in each and everyday.

I think it’s funny how the same people who criticize us and say we don’t deserve this or that, are the same people who come to the games and cheer. You can’t help but love us.

I sat down with one of my fellow student athletes how they felt about the upcoming season and overall, they feel the same way. We had a little Q&A session, so I could get a feel on his feelings and expectations.

Q: Will you be attending any basketball games this year?

A: Of course, I love going to the games.

Q: Would you say this is the best time of the school year?

A: I would say it’s one of them, I feel like it brings the school together.

See, there you have it, us athletes bringing the school together and also, helping with school spirit. When the season starts, it brings the campus to life. I feel we bring the best out of people, even though sometimes fans can get a little too into it, but it’s all in fun.

I hope to see you guys at the games and you guys already know I’ll keep you updated with all the cool and interesting things that happen!!!

Can I Live? Can I Breathe?

Hey guys I’m back! Did you miss me? I know you guys are dying to know some of the do’s and don’ts, limitations and restrictions of us college athletes. I won’t tease you guys any longer.

If you guys don’t know, as athletes we represent our school on and off the court. We have to present ourselves in a civilized manner all the time, not to say we aren’t civilized but we like to have a good time just like the everybody else.

When it comes to social networks like facebook, twitter and myspace, there aren’t certain things we cant post, like pictures and comments. Even if the player is 21, they are not allowed to have pictures up with any signs of alcoholic beverages in them. Even if the athlete isn’t partaking in the festivities. We are still liable and can get in a lot of trouble. I won’t even go into if we have clothing with a school logo on in one of them. The consequence’s can be severe. If someone catches you and reports you, in can result in suspensions from games, or even worse a season.

There are certain things that we can’t speak about on twitter or facebook, like predictions of games, other schools and things of that nature. It’s amazing how people are out to get us and get us in trouble. I wonder sometimes are people really that bored? They really don’t have anything better to do with their time, then to follow us and wait until we slip up. Smh!

In a previous entry I said that basketball is a all year round sport. Even though we don’t compete against other teams in the summer, we still play to work on our game and to stay in shape. You would think that we would be allowed to just play in tournaments. You know it’s just basketball, and we just want to play. WRONG!!! We cant play in the tournaments that we want. Also, we’re limited to how many games we can play in and it has to be sanctioned. I have already witnessed two athletes that have been suspended from a couple games for the upcoming season.

I asked an athlete how she felt about the rule and suspensions she said, “Honestly, I feel like it shouldn’t matter where and how many games I play during the summer. I’m playing to make myself and my team better. It’s just a game that I love to play, what’s the big deal?” I totally agree.

As athletes we are expected to carry ourselves a certain way and sometimes it can take a toll on our social lives. S people don’t understand, it’s like when you have a job you are expected to behave a certain way when you’re at work and if everyone knows who you work for, you represent your job outside of work as well. Its the same thing when you’re a student athlete.

I can’t tell you guys everything but I hope that this gave you a little insight of our restrictions and limitations.

If you want to learn more of the technical eligibility rules and regulations for NCAA athletes click on the link below.

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?key=/ncaa/ncaa/legislation+and+governance/eligibility+and+recruiting

We Deserve What We Get And Then Some!!!

Ever since I got to college on a full-ride(scholarship), the haters came from every which way you could think of. It’s amazing how many people feel that athletes shouldn’t get full rides. People just don’t get what we go through on the court, on the field, the track, etc. All the hard work and dedication that’s put in. I’ve heard that people say “why should they get full rides for playing a sport for fun?” Yes, it is for fun, we are doing something that we love, something that we probably worked hard at most of our lives, but it is also a reward. Just like if you work hard in school and get good grades, you could most likely get academic scholarships. What’s the difference? There is none!

I remember when I was a freshman I went to a communications meeting which consisted of students and professors. We were asked what could be done so that we could have more money in the department to sponsor certain events and one girl suggested that they should take money away from athletes and give it to non- athletes. She said that ” the athletes at our school, especially basketball players get to much stuff.” I felt like she just smacked me right across my face. My teammate felt the same way and ripped her a new one. She said ” Are you crazy!? You don’t understand what we go through everyday. When we’re running up and down the court during games, you’re sitting there eating popcorn and drinking soda. While we practice for hours everyday, you’re sitting on your butt watching t.v. While you get to go home whenever you want and see your family, we can’t because of practice and games. You get a vacation from school, but we have to train all year, we don’t get breaks, we don’t get a month off for winter break. Some of us can’t even go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You have the nerve to say we get to much stuff?” She shut up real quick.

That just shows you how many people don’t truly understand what it takes to be a college athlete and all the sacrifices we make. Not only do we make sacrifices, we have so many requirements to follow, and also are held to certain standards. We have so many limitations and restrictions that other students don’t have to worry about. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication. I know I say hard work and dedication a lot, but I’m going to keep on saying it until I drill it into your heads and you guys start to get an understanding of what it truly takes. We deserve everything we get and then some. I just think its sad that some of our fellow classmates and professors don’t get it.

I can’t tell you guys everything all in one entry but next entry I’ll let you guys know about some of the do’s and dont’s, restrictions, and limitations that athletes have to deal with. Until next time, See you guys later!

Pre-Season…yiikes

So we’ve been in school for a couple weeks now and I’m already tired of it. It’s a struggle to get out of bed every morning, my body is sore, it hurts to walk, especially up and down stairs. Sometimes the only reason I can put up with it is that I get to see that basketball everyday. Pre-season started the first week of school and doesn’t end till the middle of October. Pre-season consists of conditioning, weight-lifting, individual skill work, and pick-up games.

My day usually starts at 6 30 in the morning and ends around 6 in the evening, but then I have to study and do homework. I have a full schedule and I have 5 classes. I’m one of the lucky one who doesn’t have to do mandatory studyhall. People’s schedule’s can be different depending on your situation. For example, I am just coming back from shoulder surgery, so everyday I have to go to rehab and sometimes I have pool workouts.

Some people might think this sounds easy or might even say it’s hard, but you really can’t say unless your the one on that baseline waiting for the whistle to blow so you can run as fast as you can.

For those of you who think this sounds like a lot now, the season hasn’t even started yet. But don’t worry, I’ll take you along with me every step of the way.

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