Spain Team

This weekend my team and I had a game to qualify for the finals. Since the other team scored one goal last weekend, it counted today. So we had to score 2 or more goals to qualify. We couldn't leave it at a draw because that would make or opponents win with a extra point they had from last Sunday's game. It was a tough game but my team managed. We won 3-0. Yaaay!!!!

Spain team:)

going to start our stretching.

Before heading out to the field

Team Huddle. Made a master plan on how to win
(which worked)

About to give my credential to the Ref.
He just makes sure we are registered and aren't
 using a false ID

My forward buddy! She scored two goals. So proud!
We did really good today that the coach
even bought us a torta.

The assistant coach, her daughters and I. Great
people and soccer players

Family came to support! Can't wait till Gohan is
out on the field with me

 

 

Post-game smiles. 

My team played really good! We went past our limits. Even though we were winning 2-0,we just wanted to keep scoring more. In our eyes it was still a 0-0 game. We were all determined to win. Unfortunately there was 3 direct red cards because my teammate and a girl from the other team got in a fight and the third card was because another girl from the opposing team didn't like what the ref was calling as fouls. She was tried of the Ref and cussed him out. Which really is unfortunate to loss a player like that, but we had to keep playing. A lot of our parents came to support us. There was like two rows of parents just cheering for us the entire game. It was amazing! NOW OFF THE THE FINALS!!

                              

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:


1.What are the most important factors in winning a girls soccer competition?

2.

• Nutrition because for example you need carbohydrates for your muscles because it is the most essential fast fuel for energy production and nutrition helps you do well in soccer games or training. Your performance is the result of nutrition.

• Practice makes perfect! You won't get better with or without your team if you don't practice. It is practice that gives you both the skill and the confidence to be able to make passes and the shots that make all the difference in the games. Also practice focuses on developing your skills and techniques.

3. The most important source is "Creatine, Carbs, and Fluids: How important in soccer nutrition?" by Donald T. Kirkendall. It gave me a better understanding of what to eat and what is the importance of soccer nutrition.

4. My mentor is Jaime Fuentes from my Spain team and I'm trying to get another which would be Marissa Tipton, coach of the Southlands girls soccer team. What I do at my practices relates to my EQ because we are trying to win a competition and we are practicing to get better with ball control, speed and conditioning. Everything that is needed to win a competition. 

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. For my independent component I intend to do 30 hours of mentorship by attending all my soccer games, which I have started going to in the past two months. I also wanted to try coaching my soccer team during practices or games. Showing them different soccer drills and strategies to the win games.

2. How I intend to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence would be taking pictures in the process. For example showing the different soccer drills they will have to do. I also want to post videos of the team doing specific drills and the during games. It would help my team and I improve and be the champions in our league.

3.I think this will help me know my topic more in depth by showing me soccer drills that will help you with your touches on the ball, speed, agility etc. Basically everything you need to become a better soccer player and knowing what drills are good to strengthen you legs or other muscles you need for soccer. Anything that will help you improve by what you need to eat before and after the game. What foods are better than others.

Additional Post:2 Soccer Wednesday

"The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching." -Anson Dorrance  

(In the picture to the left: I made my break away from the defender. I had already passed her up and the only way she would be able to stop me would've been a slide tackle, to regain possession of the ball. As I ran passed her she slid and was only able to get my feet causing me to trip and fall badly. The ref called it a foul because the defender did not go for the ball but for my feet instead. As a result I was full of dirt.)

Two weeks ago, my team (Spain) and I had a game, if we won we would make it to the finals. It was a tough battle as you can see in the picture to the left. We all had the determination to win. My team and I had so many chances to score, but as the minutes grew less and less, we finally scored a goal......winning the game!! 

Last Sunday we lost to the top team on our league, Chelsea. It was unfortunate, but we have to learn from our mistakes. We know what we have to work on coming into the finals, like finalizing or first and last touches and practice goal scoring plays.

               

    On Wednesday I had soccer practice with the Southlands Girls and Boys Soccer Team. We train together. In our practices we focus on training and conditioning. We started practice running to an adjecent soccer park from Southlands a couple of miles away.(but it felt like a 3 mile run.) As we arrived to our destination ( the soccer field) we did 5 sets of sprints, back and forth from the width of the field. To top it off we had to run back to Southlands and continued our exercise. We did 3 sets of suicides, which are sprinting as fast as you can from cone A  to Cone B, then back to cone A to cone C. All the way to the furthest cone. That's a set. We had to do about 3 sets.We then did lunges from the closest cone to the farthest cone. My mentor Coach Tipton, wants us to be fit and able to last all 90 minutes on the field. We will be doing conditioning/sprinting exercises for practice this month, before we get touches on the ball. I have learned the types of exercises I could do to become faster and being able to last 90 minutes in a soccer game. I will use it to my advantage and keep practicing for my team.                      

          

We practice with the guys...it makes us more aggressive

That same Wednesday, I had soccer practice with my other soccer team Spain. We practiced on changing direction quickly with and without a ball. Then we had a scrimmage with the guys. It was a challenge! My team ended up winning, I scored one of the goals. Every Wednesday my day will consist of two soccer practices for mentorship that will help my team and I improve.

Now on to the finals...(:

Blog 6: Second Interview

Content:

1. I'm still looking for a mentor. I wanted to adjust my topic a little bit, instead of doing athletic training I was thinking of changing it to improving or becoming a better soccer team. My mentor would be my soccer coach Jaime Fuentes. He has a team named Spain in the Pomona United League that plays every Sunday.

2. Questions I would ask for my interview 2 would be:

• What got you interested in coaching an all-girls soccer team?
• What process did you take to become a certified soccer coach?
• What do you like best of coaching a soccer team? What would you change, if you could?
• What is your coaching philosophy? How does it differ from other soccer coaches?
• What is your most rewarding moment as a soccer coach?
• What lessons do you try and teach your players to take off the field?

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

Content:

1. One of the most positive things that happened was that I am now have some knowledge of what ligaments my sister tore from her injury and how that injury happened. She torn a little bit of her ACL and her meniscus which causes her knee to be locked when trying to straighten it. Everything I have learned is really interesting and I want to know more about my topic. The research I have found has helped me know the different types of injuries a soccer player can get.

2. One piece of research that has really helped is the book by Ronald P. Pfeiffer called Concepts of Athletic Training. It has helped me because it's everything you need to know about an athletic trainer, for example knowing the human anatomy, the laws of sports injury and evaluation. I haven't finished reading the book, but so far it's a good book.

3. What has worked for me so far in the senior project is finding good research every week and my topic in general because it is something I am planning on doing as a career.

4. Unfortunately what hasn't worked for me is finding an athletic trainer as a mentor. Also it's slightly hard to find research that doesn't involve trials or just reports. I have to go more in depth with my research which is good so it evens out.

5. Working EQ

•  What is the best way for an athletic trainer to treat soccer injuries among athletes?
• For mentorship I am trying to contact the athletic trainer from Diamond Ranch High School. Mr. Paulson also holds classes for students that are interested in Athletic Training or Sports Medicine, so it wouldn't be too impossible to volunteer there. If that doesn't work out as planned then I would ask the Athletic Trainer of Ganesha High School if it would be possible.

The Life of A Recovering Athlete

As I was researching about my topic, Gohan showed me this video about how Stuart Holden, U.S. MNT midfielder, starts his recovery from an ACL injury against Manchester United. I thought these videos were really helpful because it showed me that you have to be in a positive mind set to recover and just the process in general of rehabilitation. This video also showed me some of the machines and exercises he had to use on a regular basis in order to regain strength in his knee. The process may take a long time but it's not impossible to overcome. #NOHOLDENBACK!