Hiking Club 3/20/10

Last Saturday we had the first sunny hiking trip of the year. Although it was technically not even spring yet, the weather was very warm, around 70-80 degrees. We hiked a variety of locations (3 in total) in one session, a nice change of pace from long treks.

Hiking Club Winter hike 1/9/10

Yesterday we went on a 10 mile across Falmouth. Because of the cold weather I wore a t-shirt, long sleeve over it, and a coat over it. This is also the first hike that I got to use my new hiking sneakers. The improved traction proved useful, as much of the trail was covered with ice. I also brought much less equipment on this trip to lighten the load on my back. Besides what I what wearing, I was able narrow down the contents of my pack to lunch, one quart of water, and a cell phone. I also took a camera and tried to get shots that got a good feel of the trip. Our next hike will most likely be in the spring, so I will have to dress appropriately.

Ultimate Frisbee 11/16/09

This past Friday I was once again unable to make it to Ultimate Frisbee. However this quarter I have kept better scheduling and will hopefully be able to to more meetings. Cross country season just ended so that will also help.

Ultimate Frisbee 11/06/09

This week we were unable to have practice due to bad weather conditions. We will work twice as hard this Friday.

Ultimate Frisbee 11/2/09

This week I was not able to make it to Ultimate Frisbee because I was helping clean up from Spirit day. I hope to be able to make it this upcoming Friday.

Cross Country 11/2/09

Over the last week we have had two races, and three practices. During the meet against Pope John Paul and Cape Cod Academy, I was only able to run about 40-50% of the time due to a cramp that lasted throughout about half of the race. Despite this, I posted a decent time of about 28 minutes and managed to pass the person ahead of me in the final stretch. Our team managed to overcome the stormy weather and beat both PJP and CCA. I had to miss the meet on Friday due to our school's "Spirit day" activities. During the next week we will be training hard for our upcoming "weekend" state meets.

Cross Country 10/23/09

Over the past two weeks, we have run a few races. We had one at Southeast Regional High School and one at Nauset. At both races I have seen my improvement soar compared to earlier endeavors. On each course I have been able to jog or run the whole course, and my current "running rate" is about 40-60%. I have also been able to keep up during practices, and my mile times are nearing 8 minutes. I've also found that I run better in the cold weather, since the running keeps me warm. Next week we have two games: a tri-meet with Pope John Paul and CCA, and another meet against Southeastern.

Ultimate Frisbee 10/23/09

Today we did not have Ultimate Frisbee as the result of a half day.

Cross Country 10/9/09

These past two weeks, I have been able to be at more practices. However, I had to miss the last meeting and today's meeting in order to make up work and because of scheduling reasons. My times have been better overall, and I'm now able to run a consistent three miles without walking. During one practice, after running the 2.1 mile "triangle" and four double-quarter mile laps, everyone had to run the triangle again. However, many people did not finish, and were sent back. I was one of the two people who did finish. This past Wednesday, we ran against Cape Cod Academy and Pope John Paul II on our home course, our last home course game of the season. Although my placement was worse, coming in 25th, my time was better by nearly two minutes, and only 13 seconds from my best pace on any course. Next week, I will try to run for longer distances and push myself for better times.

Ultimate Frisbee Club 9/27/09

Last Saturday we had our normal Ultimate Frisbee Club game. This week, however, we had to play a "short" field as a tent was erected in one half of our normal field. With this short field, plays were made right or left more often, as to allow for the dimensions of the field. We had about 8 players per team and played for around 20 minutes. The goals were not tallied but it was around 5 to 2 at the end. I found that in a shorter field, quick, short passes are better because it becomes too easy to block a long pass (or too hard to catch it). This time around I felt myself not getting as tired, due to my cross country trying. Next time I will attempt to use short passes.

Cross Country 9/26/09

Last week we had two meets: One against Mashpee, the other against both Upper Cape and Harwich. Unfortunately I did not run Sunday, was feeling sick Monday and was home sick on Tuesday, making three days without running before the Mashpee race. However the course was quite short (at 2.9 miles instead of 3.1) and almost completely flat. As a result my time was respectable, being about the same as my time on the Upper Cape Tech course. I placed 22nd, one better than last race, however the girls were not counted in this race so in reality I probably did a little worse. I was able to run nearly the whole course due to the relative ease of the course. The next day, I again had to miss practice to do an HL math test, and then there was another race day. This time, the race was in Bayberry, a much harder course with hills and sand. This time I was only able to run 85% of the time, and my time was just under 30 minutes. I only placed 25th by two seconds, having to try and sprint along with another runner for the last portion of the race. During the next week I will try for better times, and to come to all practices.

Cross Country 9/20/09

This past week we did not have any meets. Because of this, on Tuesday we ran 3 miles straight and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we ran for 50 minutes each day. During the runs on Tuesday and Wednesday, I ran about 70-80% of the time. On Thursday, however, it was up to a solid 80%, and by Friday it was about 85%. This week we also had an unfortunate announcement. Our top runner, Sebastian Jakaus, had decided to retire from the team. However, the coach said that we should not be training harder or making ourselves feel like we need to make up for a lost teammate. On my part, I will continue to run even though we may not win as many games. We have a few games coming up next week.

Sturgis Ultimate Frisbee Club

Last Friday we had our first Ultimate Frisbee club meeting. We played with six players on each team for around 20 minutes. During that time, my team scored three goals and the other team also scored three. I found that running back and forth constantly quickly tires you out, so that pacing is needed even with short games. However, a good speed should be kept up in order to be in position to defend or to catch and throw the Frisbee. At the next meeting I will attempt to find a better pace.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #7

This past Saturday, I completed the 7th portion of the Cross-Cape hike, traveling about 10 miles from Wellfleet to Providencetown. I use the word "about" because on this trip, we did not have our guide. We instead had to rely solely on a map and compass. This caused us to get lost quite a few times, resulting in a longer distance than planned. I also learned about having the right gear, as I brought hiking sneakers that I forgot were cut up in the back heel, causing them to constantly cut my right heel/Achilles tendon. I also brought a poncho, which was torn to shreds during the bushwhacking portion of our trip. Our next trip is Sept 25-27, a backpacking trip that I will be much better prepared for.

Cross Country #1 (9/15/09)

Last Tuesday we raced against Cape Cod Technical School. This was my first race, and I was able to attain a time of about 28 minutes, coming in 23rd place of 32 people. Although I was not able to maintain a steady jog or run, I was able to run or jog about 80-90% of the time, a good pace. I was also able to sprint at the end of the race, meaning that I still had energy left. This means that I should use more energy throughout the race, just enough so that it is all used up by the end.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #6

About a week ago, we finished the sixth part of our journey around the Cape. Unlike the majority of the other trips, that day's was very warm and sunny with only a few scattered showers. I wore a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, normal pants, and sneakers. I only brought my lunch, a water bottle, and a long-sleeve shirt in my backpack, making it very light. Most of the hike was in forest or on paved roads, although the last section was in sand. There, having sandals may have been a good idea, as having sneakers made it very difficult to walk at a normal pace. This hike went from Eastham to Wellfleet, spanning about 10-15 miles. We only have about 18 miles to go until our overall trip is completed. Our next hike may be a week after the end of school.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #5

Three weeks ago, we finished the fifth part of our journey across the Cape. Unlike on our other trips, the weather was quite warm. I wore a sweatshirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath, and regular pants. I also had to bring sandals, as we had to wade through water on a portion of our hike. This hike was the most varied, including woods, beach, water, "swamp", roads and a bike path. I therefore used my regular sneakers, as they were better all-around. On the beach, however, I wore the sandals. This hike was not quite as long as the others, only stretching about 11 miles. Our next hike may not be during this school year, but I look forward to continuing with the hiking club next school year.