Blog post #4: Hoop Dreams

In the film Hoop Dreams it depicts how student basketball players in the city face a lot of adversity. Two ordinary African American boys were chasing the dream of playing professional basketball. This documentary was filmed over a five year period following Author Agee and William Gates. Throughout the film the boys faced the complexities of being a student athlete. As a freshman, William and Author went to St. Joseph's High School. William Gates was the starting point guard, Author had made the freshmen team and started at point guard as well. William played a phenomenal year leading his team to win the sectional title game and then became the runner up in the city. Only as a freshman Will has already started to receive letters from division one colleges. On the other hand, Author lead his freshmen team to be second in their conference.The schools payment went up in the boys sophomore year, though the head coach has seen the amount of potential in William the school gave him a full ride to St. Joseph's, but on the other hand Author had not got any money off of the schools payment. This had put Author in a very depressed stage not letting him stay at a very good school. The school would not transfer all of his credits for the work he has completed to Marshall where he is attending now. In the boys sophomore year William lead his team to another sectional title, where Author did not play. William has received many letters from schools in Division 1, but with a heartbreaking knee injury where he damaged ligaments. His ligaments are fine, but he has to get surgery to fix the cartilage in his knee. Going in to their junior season Author made Marshall's varsity team and William is getting prepared for the season. At home Author is having family problems where is parents get divorced and his mother falls into welfare. His dad has gotten arrested for robbery where he needed money for his drugs. Also William had more to handle when him and his girlfriend have a child together. In the sectional championship game William is at the line in the last seconds to put St. Joseph's ahead and clinch the title, but on the line with two free throws he missed both of them, St. Joseph's had lost the sectional title. Schools like DePaul, Indiana, Marquette, and Michigan are all interested in William Gates. Going into their final year of their High School Career the boys look to have a huge year for their teams. William hurts his knee again at a Nike camp during the offseason that kept him from being on the court for most of the season. But Author started his year off 4-0 where Marshall upsets a big city team pushing them to 5-0. During William's senior season he averaged 16.0 points a game and St. Joseph's season record was 20-3. Going into the offseason people do not expect Marshall to make a lot of noise in the tournament. In the second playoff game William does not start because he showed up late to a team meeting, this is where his senior season ends. St. Joseph's had lost in the second round of playoffs, but not Marshall. Marshall rally through to the city playoffs pushing them to the semifinals. In the semifinals Author goes up against Howard Nathan a great point guard who is compared to Isaiah Thomas. Marshall lost in the last seconds but have picked up third in the city the best Marshall has ever done. William commits to Marquette where he drops out after one season of basketball to spend time with his family and married his girlfriend Christina. A week before graduation Author was    Held at gunpoint. Author has committed to Mineral Area Junior College where he plays and starts in his Junior and senior year. He then goes on with his life and becomes a pastor in the church. Both of the boys did not pursue their dreams of making it to the professionals but they gave it everything they could.

Blog Post #3: Culture of sports

     Sports in America and all over the world impact the culture majorly. No matter what the sport it is brings the population closer. No matter your race, religion, sexual preference every one comes together over sporting events. People rally in good and bad ways over sports, when a team loses main team fans riot and ruin cities. When the team wins people flood the streets with joy and they have large parades through the entire city. Bars are filled with people, houses are lit up with screams of fans, food being cooked every second, and friendships being created that can last a long time. 

       Sports also pull countries together in international sports. The World Cup pulls fans from all over the world together. People bond over the same liking of teams or players. Another event is the NCAA College Wrestling Tournament, it pulls people from all over the place together to bond over the love of the sport. All for the athletes the sport makes them create bonds with teammates and opponents that can not be broken. Athletics has a large impact on society and culture of countries, but it also effects student-athletes in a good way.

        As a high school student-athlete life is very busy and stressful, but in a good way. Sports keeps me busy and helps me stay out of trouble and make better decisions. I am more motivated doing my school work and studying because I have to keep my grades up to stay on my sport teams. All the coaches and games I have played has made me a better person, taught me to have a better attitude, and made me be more mature. Sports has shaped me to the man that I am today. Even though I do not have a lot of free time due to all my sporting events it has only effected my life in a good positive way. Sports are a great way to escape all the pain and fear in life, this is the only way I can be happy and relieve stress. For me sports is an outlet to life where I can just go in my own world and see my self as a king. Sports have had a huge impact on my life and in the culture all around me.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

        The Lancers of Norton have six in-league match up that all lead up to the championship meet. We first faced AMSA-Assabet at home who we killed, only lost one match the whole meet. Next we faced Ashland-Keefe Tech another team we had no trouble with, and finally we faced Holliston who we rolled over on the night we appreciate our senior class. That last big meet was the Hopkinton versus Norton TVL matchup, both of these teams are in the run for the championship. In 2014 the Lancers of Norton faced the Hillers of Hopkinton for the TVL title where the Lancers pulled out a huge victory. Now it is all a repeat, Norton had to travel to Hopkinton on a Thursday night due to snow fall and days off of school to face off for the championship. The whole meet was back to back, where one point the lancers fell back by 9 points. The Lancers only got louder and came back with a big boom to take the lead of 27-21, with only four matches left. Lucas Lavallee a junior at 195 pounds won by a minor decision giving the lancers a lead of 30-21. With only three bouts left the 220, Heavyweight, and 106 the lancers faced two of Hopkinton's best wrestlers at 220 pounds and Heavy weight. Adam Marcon and Alek Donovan took two heartbreaking minor decisions losses to give the lancers only a 3 point lead, 30-27. It all comes down to Andy Murphy at 106 pounds against a very tough and physical kid, Murphy has to win this match to clinch the victory. The whole first period the Hillers wrestler was out working Andy and almost turned him multiple times, but then in the second period Murphy took down the Hiller and turned him to take a one point lead 4-3. Coming down to the last period, where Murphy was able to hold his opponent and win. The Lancers crowded the mat and jumped in triumph to defeat the rivals. The Lancers clinched the TVL title with this win where they face the incomplete Bellingham-Medway on February 11 to win the title. The Lancers the prepare for the D-3 Dual Team State Championship on Saturday February 7.
       The atmosphere in the wrestling room where the Lancers practice is filled with joy and excitement over the Hillers of Hopkinton. The Lancers are now focusing on the tournament on Saturday, where they are defending Team State champions. We were disappointed that we came out with third place and no trophy, we had wrestled two very thought matches. In the opening round, a talented Sabis Springfield team took an early 17-4 lead before Justin Lunn's pin got Norton on back track and we won four straight matches to go ahead and stay ahead, finishing the meet with a 37-17 final score.  In the process Anthony Cardone avenged a loss by pin from earlier in the season with an 8-2 decision loss. Other winners included Aidan Kahn, Zach Scarpetti, Jordan Dowdy, Jake Burgess, Lucas Lavallee, Adam Marcon and Alek Donovan. Elliott Johnson lost a hard fought battle to the number one ranked guy in D-3, who beat Kyle Pereira 7-1 in the previous meeting. Next they went to wrestle in the quarterfinals against a very tough battle with Dean Tech. With the mean coming down to the last match, after a very devastating loss of Alek Donovan to Fernades. Andy Murphy was Norton's knight in shining armor getting the victory and being an underdog, leading the Lancers to the semifinals against Sumerset-Berkly. The Norton Lancers are faced with high adversities during this meet wrestling with out key guys such as Alek Donovan, Russell Hansen, Jake Burgess, Anthony Cardone, and Jordan Dowdy who all suffered injuries in the matchup against Dean Tech. Kyle Pereira had to bump up a weigh class and pinned his opponent to give the Lancers 6 more team points. We knew we would not be able to win the meet but we tried our hardest, looking forward to the matchup with Bellingham-Medway on Wednesday night. The Lancers are now 23-4 on the season looking to be D-3 Sout Sectional Champions and D-3 State Chanpions in the following weeks to come!

The most intense game.

         The super bowl is the most intense and emotional game in all of football. Every year all year round every guy works his butt of to help his team get to the super bowl. Super bowl XLIX is between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Both teams have great skills and abilities to make it to the highest level of football. The Seahawks offense is led by an elite third year Quarterback, Russell Wilson leading the team to the second super bowl in three years. They are up against a strong defense led by Chandler Jones, Deven McCourtry, and Jamie Collins. My prediction before the game was that the Seahawks will come out with a 28-24 victory over the Patriots. The whole game my house was almost as loud as the stadium, with all the amazing plays. As the first quarter with no score I though the patriots were going to win because the Seahawks were playing very bad. Tom Brady threw his first interception and I was hoping for Wilson to take advantage of this but they had another three and out. Both teams were not playing there best game, in the most intense game there is. The Patriots went to take a 14-7 lead with about 30 seconds left in the first half, where the Seahawks drove down eighty yards on the Pats defense and scored a last second touch down to tie the game.
        With the third quarter coming up the emotions were high in the locker room with a lot of mixed emotions by the crowd. With not many Patriots fans in Glendale, Arizona at the game the third quarter was about to start. Seattle chose to kick at the beginning of the game giving them the ball in the start of the second half. With the game tied at 14 the Seahawks started the third quarter with a field goal to extend the lead by three points. The Patriots then had no answer to the field goal and they had a three and out on the following drive. The Seahawks then got a touchdown to take the lead by ten making it 24 to 14. The house got dead silent and everyone was in sudden doubt, the third quarter ended and the Seahawks had a ten point lead. The Patriots then answer with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead by 4, 28-24. The Seahawks have almost a minute left in the game and then you see Russell Wilson connected to Curse for an insane catch to put them on the four yard line. Everyone thought it was going to be just like the finally of the "helmet catch" game against the Giants. Then the Free Agent Butler intercepted a pass by Russell Wilson to clinch the victory. Everyone in the house erupted with joy and the Patriots have won the Super bowl for the forth time in history. I was disappointed because I wanted the Seattle Seahawks to win because i am not a Patriots fan.