There was 15 minutes left in the second half, we were beating the Mercy Mustangs by a score of 7-1. Michelle, our head coach, looked at me and said,”Sara, go warm-up.” I put my helmet on and had a pass with the Deb, the goalie coach. Then, I was ready to play in the game. Michelle then told me to go in at the 11 minute mark. For the next two minutes all I did was stare at the clock, waiting for my time. The ref blew his whistle and said “goalie sub.” I then stepped on the field during a game for the first time all season. As I ran onto the field I felt the butterflies in my stomach.
During the first minute I was on the field a ball came rolling into the circle and I cleared it out wide to the other defensemen. Stockton then drove the ball up the field and got a corner. On the corner, we passed the ball to the top of the circle and took a quick shot on goal, which was deflected by Cassie into the corner of the goal and the score was now 8-1. Mercy then took the ball down the field and found an opening in the defense. It was then a one-on-one, and I ran out to meet their left wing at the top of the circle, she hit the ball ahead of herself, and I used that as my chance to dive and clear the ball back out to the 25 yard line. After that play, I got up and ran back to the net. It felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders and the butterflies started to go away. Stockton then took the ball into the offensive circle where Sierra took a rocket of a shot and scored to make it 9-1. For the last couple minutes I only had one more shot, which I cleared wide.
After the game, I was very excited and could not take the smile off of my face. It felt so good to finally play in an actual game. Everyone came up to me and said nice job or way to go. The only thing that would have made that day better was if I shared this moment with my mom. My mom has gone to every home game to watch the game and wait for the time I was going to play. Unfortunately, that time came at the only home game she could not make. After the game, while I was sitting in my car ready to leave, I called my mom and told her about it. She was very happy for my and she wished she was there to see it.
Daily Archives: November 21, 2011
Ospreys vs. Griffins
On Thursday, September 15, the Stockton Ospreys Field Hockey team had a home game versus the Gwynedd-Mercy Griffins. We arrived at the field a little over an hour before the game and met as a team in the trailer. Once Coach Andre came in and gave us our pre-game speech, we knew we were ready to play.
A couple minutes later we took the field for warm-ups. Warm-ups take about 40 minutes and once that buzzer went off, we were ready to take the field. We get in line and follow the refs out to the center of the field. Then, they announce the starting line-ups for both teams. While they play the National Anthem, we stand front to back holding the hand of the person in front and behind us, to demonstrate that we are one team. Then we run back to the bench and it was time to start the game.
The first half was a battle; both teams had multiple opportunities to score. Unfortunately, the Griffins were first to get a point on the board. We never gave up because we are a team full of heart. We kept pounding on their doorstep, but the ball couldn’t find their cage. Gwynedd-Mercy scored again to make it a two goal deficit going into the second half. They outshot us 17-5 through the first half. During halftime, Coach talked to us about what we were doing wrong and how to fix it. We knew the game wasn’t over and we could still win.
At the start of the second half the Griffins were playing more physical, but it didn’t bother us. About 10 minutes into the second half, Jenny scored to make it 2-1. At that moment we knew we were going to win this game. We were dominating this half, and with two minutes left in the game one of their players received a yellow card, which means she had to sit out for eight minutes and her team was a man down. Less than a minute later, we scored to tie up the game. Then the buzzer sounded and we were heading into overtime. A week before this, we also had a game that went into overtime and we won it less than two minutes in and we knew this game was going to end the same way. We scored only 2 minutes in. As soon as we heard the ball hit the back of the cage, we charged onto the field and congratulated Suzie, the goal scorer.
After the game, we knew that nothing could stop us and if we keep our head in the game we can and will do anything.
Ed Asner as FDR
On October 22nd, the Richard Stockton College Performing Arts Center hosted Ed Asner as he portrayed one of America’s most beloved presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During the performance, the audience traveled back in time to the Great Depression and World War II. The audience had the opportunity to watch some of the most important events and decisions of FDR’s presidency unfold, as if given complete access to the Oval Office. Asner’s impressive acting ability truly made history come alive in this memorable performance.
Ed Asner became famous during the 1980s, when he played Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Since that time, he has acted in many films and television shows. Although, my generation may not be familiar with some of his early work, Asner is certainly recognizable in the recent film, Up, in which he was the voice of Carl Fredericksen. Asner’s years of acting experience were truly present in his performance as FDR.
In this performance, Asner depicted the presidency of Roosevelt from his first election in 1932 to his death in 1945. The performance began with Asner rolling out on stage in a wheel chair because FDR was paralyzed from the waist down. FDR became paralyzed from the waist down, and in one powerful scene, FDR stood for the first time without the support of any object. It was a powerful scene because of the determination FDR exhibited, and it set the stage for how he would conduct himself throughout the rest of his presidency.
For the majority of the performance, Asner was busy portraying FDR as being busy talking to people or making plans at his desk in the Oval Office. FDR spoke with a variety of people including his trusted advisors, world leaders, and family members. One of the challenges Asner had was in letting the audience know who he was talking to. Since he was the only actor on stage, he had to work extremely hard and be very creative to make it seem as though he was speaking with another person on stage. The telephone on FDR’s desk served as a tool to introduce new people. Before a new person would come into the Oval Office, Asner would make a call asking for so-and-so to be sent in. This kept the audience informed to what was happening during the performance.
The conversations that Asner had reflected the important decisions and events that FDR faced during his presidency. Asner displayed the wide range of emotions that FDR exhibited from his cunning in packing the Supreme Court with new justices, to the charisma of campaigning in elections, to the indignation following Pearl Harbor. The success of the performance rested on Asner’s acting ability. His ability to effectively convey the mannerisms, decisions, and speeches that defined FDR’s presidency truly this performance feel like a trip back in time.
Preserving Local History on Stockton’s 8th Annual Day of Service
Atlantic City has had a rich and varied history for the past 150 years. From its beginning as a small seaside community, to the glitzy gambling and shopping destination it is today, the city has been reinvented and reimagined many times over. Since 1857, one constant has remained. The Absecon Lighthouse quietly stands on Pacific and Rhode Island Avenues, keeping an ever watchful eye on the sea. For Stockton’s 8th Annual Day of Service, a group of students including myself had the opportunity to learn about and preserve this historic structure.
The Day of Service started on the morning of September 10th with a gathering of participants to listen to an opening address by President Saatkamp, and a speech by Charles Uhl, an EMS responder on September 11, 2001. Their remarks set the tone of the day by focusing on the 10th Anniversary of 9-11, and the meaning of service. After this, everyone was dismissed to their various projects. Roughly 25 students boarded a school bus that took us to the Absecon Lighthouse.
Upon arriving, we were greeted by Alice Stryker, a member of the museum staff, who split us into several groups and assigned each group different tasks. Our first job was picking any weeds that had grown around the base of the tower. Next, we worked on cleaning the windows of the tower and their sills. After this was completed, we climbed to the top of the lighthouse and took in the impressive views of Atlantic City and the ocean. Our final job was sweeping and wiping down the walls of the Oil House. The Oil House had to be cleaned with extra care. We wore gloves because the oils from our hands could damage the mortar of the walls. That day, I learned that the Absecon Lighthouse was built in the 1850s and was used until 1933. It is the tallest lighthouse ever be constructed in New Jersey, and it is the third tallest lighthouse in the United States.
Volunteering at the Absecon Lighthouse gave me an appreciation for the local history near Stockton. Structures likes this deserve the attention of the local community. I am especially grateful to the Office of Student Development for making this day possible. It is important for college students to give back to their community, and I look forward to next semester’s Day of Service.
Blog 8: Campus Clean Up
On October 25 the Water Watch club held a campus clean up. We were divided into teams and cleaned up different areas of the college campus. My group had to clean the trails in the woods that run around Lake Fred. We found tons of glass bottles and aluminum cans to recycle. We found a lot of cigarette butts too. We also found tons of weird things. We found a deer antler separate from the rest of the deer. We found some socks and a hat. We found a plastic sand bucket by the side of the lake. We found a razor blade. We even found a truck’s mud flap! We also found a metal sign pulled out of the ground. We found so many interesting things and had so much fun while cleaning up the campus. It was a fun and easy way to help make our beautiful campus look even more beautiful. I would love to help out the next time a campus clean up is held.