Ball Is Life

Basketball and Why I Love It

I love basketball because ever since I was three I have loved to play. I love the fast paced action on the court and off the court. I love the way the ball moves fast and swiftly gliding throughout the air when somebody shoots. I also love the style of shoes that are produced for basketball. Some of the shoe styles are so exotic that they excite me and I wish I had them. I love playing in the games and getting that satisfaction of getting the ball into the hoop. Basketball is more than a sport to me. It is a part of me. I started watching basketball when I was about 5 years old. I still remember when I saw Jason Kidd making a three pointer and yelling to my dad “OH MY GOSH THAT WAS SO FAR!!!”. Basketball has created so many great memories in my life and has become a significant part of me. I have always wanted to be a pro even if I played in euro leagues I would be satisfied. I have always liked sports and watched everything that was on ESPN or CBS Sports Network but, basketball is definitely the sport that has had the biggest impact in my life. Early in my life I focused on the NBA but, I later found interest in NCAA Basketball and discovered the excitement of March Madness that featured so many upsets. Later in my life I started playing basketball for teams named Just Ice and All In One. So basketball is what I focus on a lot and it will continue to be won of my main focus’s. I think that I have improved majorly this year after I went to a basketball camp created by Damian Lillard. When the game is close  I actually hate getting the ball because there is so much pressure to score and I know that I not all the time can make it. When I shoot free throws I make a lot of them because I have good confidence that even if the ball doesn't look like it will go in it will get a lucky bounce.  I also like playing the point guard position because I get to control the pace of the game.

One Note at a Time

One Note at a Time

I started playing piano when I was six. I remember my mother asking me if I wanted to play an instrument, and back then piano was the only instrument I had heard of, so of course I chose it. When I had my first lesson I thought it was going to be easy, with my hands magically knowing the keys and I would play a whole song just like that, but no, that was not the case.

After a few weeks, I thought I had made a mistake choosing the piano. Instead of making music I had to learn notes, scales and chords which seemed unrelated to a song. This wasn’t how I imagined it to be, and it wasn’t any fun. This wasn’t music, this was something else. Where was the music? Where was the beautiful singing? Later I realized that these building blocks formed music.

Throughout my journey, the hardest part was probably when I was competing in my first piano festival. I practiced long and hard, and I got sick of the piece. When the day finally came, I was so nervous, my hands shook. Looking back, I realized I didn’t have to be so nervous. Playing piano was not for winning the competition, it was for having fun and expressing yourself.

Sometimes I hated the piano because of the hours of practicing, my fingers getting tired, my brain getting tired, and my whole body wanting to collapse. I wished I didn’t have to practice, but there are so many challenges in playing the piano: having the skill to have your hands play different things, memorizing pieces, articulation of notes, and playing without making a mistake. I know that practice does make perfect. Without practice you can’t get better, and you can’t finish. If you do practice, you can succeed, and you can achieve. All of these challenges have to be overcome to become a pianist. Though it is challenging, the truth is, life is hard, nothing is easy unless you practice.

Now that I’ve been playing for more than six years, I’ve realized my passion for piano. Though I do sometimes dislike practicing, piano is a part of my life and I can’t just give it up now. While I’m playing I can express my feelings, sad or happy. It gives me a way into another world. In everything I do, not just piano, I use this lesson I’ve learned, to not give up when something is hard, to keep going, and to keep practicing.

The Water Is My Second Home

My hands shoot forward through the water with a fast splash. I can see the wall just a mere 5 meters away. This is it, the final last strokes that will determine my fate for a race. As my hands touch the wall, I look up at the scoreboard where I can be satisfied or not. This is what it feels like to be a swimmer.

Harder Than It Looks

When you see a drummer playing a drum set, online or live, you may think, because of the relatively simple beat, "I can do that", but in fact, drumming is much harder than it looks.

I started drumming because I wanted to play an instrument,  and because drumming looked easy and very cool. When I had my first drumming lesson, I thought I could be able to play the music given to me the very first day, because it was a simple beat. However, I was mistaken. It took me the whole lesson to begin to grasp the piece, and I was humbled. After getting that first piece, I had moved on to much more complex things, but I will always remember my first drumming lesson, and the knowledge that no instrument is easy to play.  If you decide to play an instrument, be aware of the long road to proficiency that you will walk. That said, as a drummer right now I am having a great time, and doing a good job.

Right now, I am just finishing up a piece of music by Led Zeppelin, called "Good Times Bad Times" I think that the name of the piece is a good metaphor for what the piece has been like for me. There have been good parts, like the first two lines, where I just get the beat immediately, but also very hard parts, mainly the third and fourth lines, where I have to use the bass drum in very quick secession. Just for this piece, I had to do a lot of practice with footwork on this piece. In each piece, there is one  main thing I have to work on to conquer it.

After I became a drummer, about 3 or 3 1/2 years ago, I have discovered a few important things about my self as a learner. I discovered that I learn best when I hear/see someone do something, than try it myself a little bit each day for about a week. I also realized that I can relax by drumming, so I can be in a better mood.

My Goal as a drummer is simple. Keep playing, keep improving, and have fun!


-Focus on what your teacher has showed you: it has helped me a lot to hear and see the piece before I play it.

-If you start to get frustrated, take a break and come back later. I once stopped drumming for a whole summer because I was busy, and when I came back, the piece I had been having trouble with I could play perfectly.

- If a sequence of snare drum hits, try saying something while you play to help yourself concentrait. (3 hits=strawberry, 4 hits=watermelon)

-And, last but not least, have fun!!!

CC Or Caitriona?

Sometimes being one of the only people in the class who has an extremely hard to pronounce first name can get boring after a couple months. Try seven years of constant misspellings, mispronunciations, strange nicknames, and overall confusion about your first name. My name is Caitriona (ka-3-in-ah) Grainne Mulholland Cobb. When I was little, I went to a summer camp, and there was this really nice counselor. I don't really remember her name, so let's just call her Katie. Anyhow, Katie must have asked me, this tiny, slightly awkward, introverted five year old kid, about 15 times for my name. Back then, CC didn't exist so I would have to go by my first name. So for a week or two, I was called many different names, some close to my name, some so far off, I didn't even respond to them because I didn't know they were directed towards me. So, as you can tell, I have very bad name problems. When I grow up, and if I ever have a kid, that kid would be named something really normal, and easy to pronounce. Like Anna or Jake, or Kelly or something. I love my name, don't get me wrong, but I much prefer to be called CC, it takes out any possibility for confusion.

From Seattle to Portland

About four years ago, I was living in Seattle, and attending the third grade. Life was great, I had many friends, and school was fun! I loved everything there for it was just right. My friends and I all played on the same sports teams, lived super close to each other, and enjoyed having play-dates together. My whole life up to the end of third grade was like this.

Music

Music is a large part of my life, outside and inside of school. I play drums and piano, and I have been in bands for both. Every week, I have a 30 minute piano lesson on Mondays, a 45 minute drum lesson on Tuesdays, and a three hour band practice on Wednesdays. Playing music takes a lot of dedication if you want to get good at them.

Soccer Is Life

I love playing soccer. Soccer is my life. I have so much fun going to travel tournaments with my team in California, Seattle, and Denver. I am flying to a tournament in Las Vegas for Spring Break and playing in the National Premier League Finals in Indianapolis this summer.

Bump, Set, Spike

My passion is volleyball. I started volleyball last year. I first thought that volleyball would just be a sport for fun. I would only play for the short school season, and maybe play basketball in Winter. I started on the lowest team, learning the skills involved in volleyball. I still felt like it wasn’t a passion, until the first game.

Pavo--Not just a dog

Pavo

        When I was in first grade, my family and I used to dog-sit Pavo. At that time, he was just a dog of a friend of my moms, but now he is so much more. The man who owned Pavo, who told us he got Pavo to attract people, was moving to China. He told us that we could keep him or give him to another home, but he didn't think it was fair to take Pavo somewhere that he couldn't get the attention he needed. Since we got him, he has proven to be a loud, mischievous, grumpy, and crazy dog. Even though he has many little quirks, I love him to the moon and back again.

Why I wrote a story that is over 450 pages long

If someone had told me two years ago that I would write a story so long and complicated as I did, I would have probably laughed. Then I would have immediately gone home and try to write a story that would one day be over 450 pages long. Truth be told, I started writing to take my mind off of everything that surrounded me. It all started in May, 2013.
By October, 2013, I had a story that was ten pages long. 2014 is when I started actually writing. My writing improved a lot and it became something to look forward to. After school everyday I would end up writing at the very least a half an hour a day. One time I ended up writing for about two and a half hours before remembering I had homework. My stories involve multiple heroes’ who overcome challenges. In a part of my story, the two main heroes’ are tricked into fighting each other in a battle to the death. They all are extremely bloody and are really fun to write! They mean a whole lot to me so if these stories ever deleted I'd probably throw my computer out the window and never write again. It’s all fantasy and medieval. I chose to place the story in the land of Tamriel, where the video game Elder Scrolls take place, and created an entire story that I would say is better then the story of the video game itself. I just ended writing the end of it about a day ago, and it became more violent then I thought it ever could.

I just don't like ending stories because its hard to find new ideas. The main problem with my writing is that I can't write a good ending to a story. Whenever I try to end it, my story becomes a cliff hanger. I’m currently trying to end it, but I just left another cliff hanger with another threat that is more realistic. More realistic being less magic and more weapons. I know it’s probably bad that the writing can be a huge distraction to my school work, but I honestly don’t care as long as I can keep writing my story.

A new school

from kassblog.com

     I moved to Catlin Gabel in 2014.  I had just left a Montessori school so Catlin was very different.  In Montessori there is no homework and you choose what you would like to learn about.  The teacher gives lessons on various subjects and to small groups at a time.  Often the class will contain about 30-45 students.

Committed to a Commitment

    Basketball is a sport I have played since I was about 8. I was never a dream player, yet I still keep playing, and even this year I play for two teams. I'm a nerd, but one of the least nerdy things in life has become really special to me. I am focused on this commitment of mine, although I don't play a lot of basketball in the off-season. I go into each year of basketball hoping for improvement.