Here in Boston i have had to get use to riding the train or "T" as it is referred to here. I do not like riding the T but if I am going into the city I would rather ride the T than drive. I don't like the T because of all the people. It isn't so bad when it isn't really busy but when it gets busy I feel very claustrophobic. I really don't like riding the T by myself because I always feel very anxious with all these people I don't know and I feel a bit uncomfortable being crammed into a train car with all of these strangers. I am still getting use to the system and it still confuses me for which train to get on to go to the right place. All in time. So I think I will take you on a train ride with me through my life of sports.
First Stop:History
As many of you know, I have no brothers therefore sports and me don't really mix. However thanks to some great friends I am becoming more sports oriented and cultured in the sporting world. In High School I went to the games as a social aspect not to actually watch the games. I never knew what has really happening because they were never explained to me. My dad played sports in High School but never followed it past that. I never saw my dad watching a sporting event on TV. I didn't really have a reason to learn about sports. I never did any type of sport at all in High School. Outside of what was required for P.E. I didn't participate. When I graduated high school I felt very uncoordinated.
Next Stop:Volleyball
My love and appreciation for sports all started my first year in College. I made friends with Ginger Lueken an avid volleyball player. She had a tremendous amount of patience in teaching me how to play the game. How to hold my hands correctly and how to hit the ball. She taught me enough about the rules that I could understand and enjoy playing. I am sure there is a lot i still don't know but I probably understand Volleyball the most since I have been playing it now for 9 years. I don't play as often as I did when I use to play with Ginger but I love playing it. I have received a few injuries while playing volleyball but they have only made the experiences more memorable.
Next Stop:Volleyball
My love and appreciation for sports all started my first year in College. I made friends with Ginger Lueken an avid volleyball player. She had a tremendous amount of patience in teaching me how to play the game. How to hold my hands correctly and how to hit the ball. She taught me enough about the rules that I could understand and enjoy playing. I am sure there is a lot i still don't know but I probably understand Volleyball the most since I have been playing it now for 9 years. I don't play as often as I did when I use to play with Ginger but I love playing it. I have received a few injuries while playing volleyball but they have only made the experiences more memorable.
Next stop: Tennis
I played Tennis once on my mission and I really did bad. A few years ago ok probably 5 years ago my friend Ramon took it upon himself to teach me tennis. We played for a few times the first year and then it was a while again before I got to play. Then my co-worker Amy Giles and Chris Peterson began teaching me more about Tennis and technique. I gained a love for tennis. Last year I had the privilege of playing tennis every week for months with my friend Nathan. He helped me a lot in fine tuning my technique and learning some tricks. However I still am not very good. Out of all of the months that we played every week together I only beat him one night, two matches in a row. I was so excited it was such a victory. Those are the only two matches I have ever won in my time in playing.
Next Stop: Ultimate Frisbee
Yes Ultimate Frisbee is a sport. Not one you probably hear a lot about but it is really fun. The summer I played tennis with Nathan he also taught me how to better control the Frisbee. He even taught me how to throw the Frisbee under my leg. I did it a couple of times but haven't done it for a while so I can't remember really how to do it any more. But his lessons in how to control the Frisbee (which I haven't totally mastered yet) have come in handy in playing Ultimate Frisbee. There is quit the challenge of trying to catch the Frisbee and throw the Frisbee and getting it to your team mates and not letting your opponents knock it out of your hand. Anyone who has played Volleyball or Ultimate Frisbee with me knows I am not afraid to sacrifice myself for the good of the team. It makes the game more fun to really get involved. I will dive and jump and leap and do whatever is necessary to catch the Frisbee. It helps provide an adrenaline rush.
Next Stop: Running
My entire life I have hated running for two reasons, first and most of all because it would kill my knees and second because I probably, alright, no probably about it I was not in the best of shape. When I moved to Boston I was really lonely and didn't have any friends yet and didn't live close to people in my ward. I would go to work and come home from work and sit at my house. Talk about getting depressed. The one thing that got me through that dark period of my life was running. I decided that I was going to train my knees into running. I got a book on running and talked with my good friend Lindsay Arnett about running because I knew she had been doing it and she had trained for some runs so I got some great advice from her. This was probably the best thing I could have done. My knees were super sore when I first started for the first few months, gradually they started feeling better and eventually it got to the point that I didn't need to wear my knee braces or ice my knees after my runs. I was so excited when I got to the point of running and not having pain afterwards. Before my knees were so bad that I couldn't go up very many stairs without them aching. This was a great break through. Talk about excitement. Running is what got me out of the house every day and to enjoy nature around me. I am fortunate enough to live in an area that is surrounded by ponds and a forest, so it makes me not feel like I am in the city as much more like I am in Wyoming in open spaces. :) I am still running after 6 months and I have just registered for my first 5K. I am excited for it. I will be running in the 5K on October 3, my birthday. I couldn't think of a better way to start off my birthday than to complete a great accomplishment that has taken me 6 months to prepare for. And on top of that I feel great physically. Yahoooo for running.
Next Stop: Baseball
Red Sox vs Yankee at Fenway
(sorry the picture isn't any better. Joanna got some good close ups but they were all of the Yankee players and that would give her to much of a thrill to post one of those pictures)
As a kid I remember playing baseball in the back yard. Oh alright, it wasn't really baseball it was Indian baseball or we would throw the ball up ourselves and see if we could get it to the other side of the yard. Which sometimes I did and that was always exciting. We have huge back yard so if we could hit it from the garage past the ditch it was an accomplishment. I have always enjoyed hitting the ball but that is all the more I really knew about baseball besides the fact there are 3 bases and you have to pass each one and make it home to score, and 3 strikes and your out! That was the extent of my knowledge. I have never followed a sporting team in my entire life. I don't know where one team ranks up against another. But New Englanders are fanatics about their sports. So it is kind of hard not to get involved. Last year I went to my first MLB game in Baltimore, I saw the Oriels play and I enjoyed it. Most of all I enjoyed the amazingly delicious hot-dog. Best hot-dogs ever at the Camden Yards, have had some since at other stadiums and they don't compare. The baseball team here is the Boston Red Sox and their biggest rival is the New York Yankees. My friend Joanna is a die hard Yankee fan and she decided she was going to come and see me here in Boston even though it is Red Sox country which she hates. Part of her deciding to come was that the Red Sox and Yankees were playing each other that week here in Boston. We decided to get tickets and go to the game. I had about a month to prepare for this game. At the beginning of the season the Red Sox were doing really good. They were knocking the socks off of the Yankees. It was fun to follow the Red Sox and see the battle between them and the Yankees. I learned a lot about baseball from friends and co-workers helping me prepare for the game. I wanted to go knowing somewhat about baseball and the Red Sox. Knowing how much Joanna loves the Yankees I knew I had to give her a run for her money. I didn't realize how lucky we were to get tickets to such a game till I was talking with my friend Jake who told me I was the luckiest person to be in Boston less than 6 months and already going to a Red Sox/Yankee game. I did an alright job in harassing Joanna about how bad the Yankees were doing before this particular game but Jake did a much better job than I did. He came with us and he and Joanna had a constant battle with each other. It was quit entertaining. Joanna said it was one of the best games she has ever been to because Jake gave her a run for her money in harassing her about the Yankees. She told me that she could have said the same things to me and I wouldn't have cared as much. Jake, thanks for making it such a great game. Joanna wore her Yankee shirt and the Red Sox fans were kind to her probably because we won. We all had a great time, and what I learned from this experience is that the fun of the game is having a team to cheer for. Sorry Joanna but I am cheering for the Red Sox.
Jake, Martha, Joanna
Next Stop: Football
Patriots vs Giants at Gillette Stadium (Pre-Season)
When I lived in Utah I went to a few BYU games and I enjoyed them. But I never once paid for the tickets they were always given to me. One time my landlord gave me some tickets to go when they played Wyoming and another time my friend Ramon (different from the one who I played Tennis with) took me to a game with him, and I won some tickets from one of my Jobs. I brother-in-law Steve was super excited when I came home from work saying I won tickets to the game the following night. He said such sort notice you probably can't find someone to go with you to the game so he thought I should take him with me. Part of the catch to me taking those tickets was I had to be the one to go otherwise I would have given them to my sister Sarah and Steve and I would have stayed home to watch the kids. I remember sitting in the game and having a real good time but then something would happen and I wasn't sure and I would ask Steve and more times than not he didn't know what had happened either. This is almost as bad as the blind leading the blind. But none the less it was a great time. I realized I can have a good time and be completely clueless. I decided I wanted to go to a Patriots game a professional football game, but this time I wasn't going to go with the blind. I asked Jake to come with me who knows everything there is to know about football, he use to play on the BYU football team for 3 years. This sport is not as easy as baseball to research and become knowledgeable on. There is a lot more involved with football. I had prior conversations with Jake about different parts of football but this is something that really isn't sinking in. I think it is going to take me a while and many games down the road to understand better. While we were watching the game Jake would explain to me what was happening and what each of the different players are suppose to do. I asked a lot and he was very patient with answering my questions and re-explaining what he had just explained because it flew way over my head. Just to give you an idea to know what Jake had to work with is my prior knowledge of football consisted of knowing a touch down is 6 points and a they could get an extra point by kicking it and making it through the goal posts. I now know that there are other ways to make points there is field goal that is worth 3 points. They will attempt a field goal usually on a fourth down rather than a punt. Especially if there isn't enough time left on the clock or they are really close to the opponent's goal line. They can also get 2 points but I can't remember how or what it is called. I think that is about all the information I retained. Poor Jake, he was so kind to help me understand and I walked away with not remembering to much but thanks anyways for making it more enjoyable by understanding in the moment. I promise it wasn't a waste of his time maybe if I was watching a game it might come back to me. Julie and Pete also joined us for the game we didn't end up getting any pictures of the four of us so two separate ones will have to do.
Martha and Jake
Pete and Julie
In my own opinion I prefer to watch college football rather than professional football. I do need to remember that this was a pre-season game but I think the college football is more entertaining. The conclusion I have come to for this reason is because the guys playing college football are playing with their hearts and have a true love of the sport. That is why they play or I would think that is why they play. Professional players already have the pay check and it didn't seem like they played as hard as the college football players. I may be wrong but that is the only thing I could come up with. Maybe I will spend time watching college football this year to help me retain this information that is somewhere in my brain I just have to find it. It has been placed there and I just need to find a spot for it.
Last Stop: Enjoyment
I have really enjoyed learning about sports and participating in them. I never knew how much I was missing out of them and I never thought I would have actually been the one to buy a sporting event ticket. But I am really glad that I have tried something new that I wouldn't have before. I have enjoyed becoming a Red Sox and Patriots fan. Who knows maybe I will even make it to a Celtics and Bruins game. I am always up for a new adventure and I am finding many new adventures here in my life in New England. I look forward to continuing my quest in learning more about sports. Thanks for riding my sports train with me please exit the train and remember to take all of your personal belongings with you.
Jake, Martha, JoannaNext Stop: Football
Patriots vs Giants at Gillette Stadium (Pre-Season)When I lived in Utah I went to a few BYU games and I enjoyed them. But I never once paid for the tickets they were always given to me. One time my landlord gave me some tickets to go when they played Wyoming and another time my friend Ramon (different from the one who I played Tennis with) took me to a game with him, and I won some tickets from one of my Jobs. I brother-in-law Steve was super excited when I came home from work saying I won tickets to the game the following night. He said such sort notice you probably can't find someone to go with you to the game so he thought I should take him with me. Part of the catch to me taking those tickets was I had to be the one to go otherwise I would have given them to my sister Sarah and Steve and I would have stayed home to watch the kids. I remember sitting in the game and having a real good time but then something would happen and I wasn't sure and I would ask Steve and more times than not he didn't know what had happened either. This is almost as bad as the blind leading the blind. But none the less it was a great time. I realized I can have a good time and be completely clueless. I decided I wanted to go to a Patriots game a professional football game, but this time I wasn't going to go with the blind. I asked Jake to come with me who knows everything there is to know about football, he use to play on the BYU football team for 3 years. This sport is not as easy as baseball to research and become knowledgeable on. There is a lot more involved with football. I had prior conversations with Jake about different parts of football but this is something that really isn't sinking in. I think it is going to take me a while and many games down the road to understand better. While we were watching the game Jake would explain to me what was happening and what each of the different players are suppose to do. I asked a lot and he was very patient with answering my questions and re-explaining what he had just explained because it flew way over my head. Just to give you an idea to know what Jake had to work with is my prior knowledge of football consisted of knowing a touch down is 6 points and a they could get an extra point by kicking it and making it through the goal posts. I now know that there are other ways to make points there is field goal that is worth 3 points. They will attempt a field goal usually on a fourth down rather than a punt. Especially if there isn't enough time left on the clock or they are really close to the opponent's goal line. They can also get 2 points but I can't remember how or what it is called. I think that is about all the information I retained. Poor Jake, he was so kind to help me understand and I walked away with not remembering to much but thanks anyways for making it more enjoyable by understanding in the moment. I promise it wasn't a waste of his time maybe if I was watching a game it might come back to me. Julie and Pete also joined us for the game we didn't end up getting any pictures of the four of us so two separate ones will have to do.
Martha and Jake
Pete and JulieIn my own opinion I prefer to watch college football rather than professional football. I do need to remember that this was a pre-season game but I think the college football is more entertaining. The conclusion I have come to for this reason is because the guys playing college football are playing with their hearts and have a true love of the sport. That is why they play or I would think that is why they play. Professional players already have the pay check and it didn't seem like they played as hard as the college football players. I may be wrong but that is the only thing I could come up with. Maybe I will spend time watching college football this year to help me retain this information that is somewhere in my brain I just have to find it. It has been placed there and I just need to find a spot for it.
Last Stop: Enjoyment
I have really enjoyed learning about sports and participating in them. I never knew how much I was missing out of them and I never thought I would have actually been the one to buy a sporting event ticket. But I am really glad that I have tried something new that I wouldn't have before. I have enjoyed becoming a Red Sox and Patriots fan. Who knows maybe I will even make it to a Celtics and Bruins game. I am always up for a new adventure and I am finding many new adventures here in my life in New England. I look forward to continuing my quest in learning more about sports. Thanks for riding my sports train with me please exit the train and remember to take all of your personal belongings with you.
