Dear Diary,
I'm so glad this quarter is over. Even though Spring quarter starts in about a week, I need somewhat of a break from school. This quarter, finals were a whole lot more stressful than winter quarter. These past couple of days have been a little weird too. Ever since we came back from Seattle , we finally get to see what it's like to be a regular student. IT'S BORING!!!!!!!! Aside from essays that had to be written, I've been bored out of my mind. I only have two more finals left. One on Thursday and one on Friday. I haven't eaten all day. Unique and I have been hibernating in our room for the past two days. let me go eat... I'll get back to you a little later. Maybe I can focus better when I get some food in my system. PEACE!
Dear Diary,
It's Monday, March 7th and things are about to get real busy. There's only two weeks of winter quarter left so that means finals are coming soon. Aside from the preparation of finals, the team is also getting ready for the west regional's. They're being held in Seattle , Washington and we depart from Cal Poly on Wednesday, March 9th. Yesterday at Scoreboards Sports Bar and Grill, both the Men's and Women's teams found out where we were ranked and who we played. We are sixth so we play Chico State and the guys are third, so they play Seattle Pacific University .
While we're out there, finals will be starting here so we had to reschedule the finals we were supposed to take next Monday and Tuesday. Trying to get as much work in as possible before we go is what is taking most of my time. The more I get done before we go, the less I have to do when we get back. Speaking of.... let me go do some more of this math homework before practice. See you later!!!
Dear Diary,
Today's a rare day where I get to just go to class. Other than film, we don't have practice and it feels a little weird. I couldn't be just a regular student. All you do is wake-up, go to class, wait around, and go to class again if you have another one. If I wasn't playing basketball, I'd have to join a club or something because otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I also would've never met my new family.
Yesterday some of us went to the movies to see "The Diary of a Mad Black Woman." It was good but the beginning might want to make you "hurt" some men. Once we left there, we all went to Coach Tasha's house. We watched TV. and danced to some music. It was funny watching Coach Tasha and Coach Jaida dance. After all the fun died down a little, it was time for everybody to go home. As soon as I got back to my room, I went straight to sleep.
I guess that's it... I'm going to go find something else to do. Ghost!
Dear Diary,
Why is it raining? I'm tired of waking up and going to class wet. I have to put on extra clothes to stay warm which means that at the end of the week, I have to do extra laundry. I don't have a bunch of money to keep putting on my laundry card. Anyways...
Yesterday, Rachel Gatdula nd I went to the mall for a little while. I got some 'Love Spell' from Victoria 's Secret, two hats from Lids, and some T-shirts from Champs. I love the hats that I bought. One is a black on black A's hat and the other is gray, white, and navy blue New York Yankees hat. When the weather gets clearer I'm going to wear them. I can't let the rain mess them up.
Last week I also hung out with some of the women's soccer players. I met Kamiko, Karen, and Jackie. They're all freshmen too. I found out yesterday that Karen works in Victoria 's Secret. She caught me off guard when I turned around and she was right behind me. It was cool though. Later when she got off work, I visited her and Kamiko for a minute. After that, I turned in for the night. Now I'm beginning a new week. I wonder what's in store for me. I guess we'll see. Bye!!!
Dear Diary,
Happy Valentines Day! Today's the day when people get gifts from a secret admirer or even from someone they admire. To me... it's just another day. Another year gone by and still no valentine. I think the last time I had a valentine was the 4th grade and that was because the whole class had to bring something for everybody. Don't get me wrong... I'm happy for those fortunate enough to spend time with that special someone, but can someone show me some love too. Tonight will just be another night of homework and music. Maybe next year will be different. I don't really have anything else to say. Peace!
Dear Diary,
How's it going? Yesterday ended a busy weekend on a good note. We traveled up north to play San Francisco and Sonoma State . I had my career high of eleven points 'Frisco and didn't know it until later that night. I couldn't stop smiling because I actually felt like a contributor to the team. Saturday we played Sonoma and beat them by three. I really feel that the team is stepping it up as a whole. Plus... we have really great fans. A couple of new fans to see us play were Natasha Reed's family and Ernie and Jill Simpson. Natasha's family is so funny. When we arrived Thursday night, we went to her mom's house where there was a ton of food waiting on us. After we finished eating, we all sat in the living room listening to Tasha's mom tell stories about her. The food was great and we had fun hearing about how Tasha was when she was younger.
Our other fans, Ernie and Jill Simpson, came along with us also. They're so sweet and lively. Everywhere we went, they went and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Jill even volunteered to replace someone if they got sick. She was ready and willing to get her ankles taped too. We were glad that they could hang-out with us to see how we act off the court. maybe we could do it again some other time.
When we got back Sunday, everybody went to Coach Tasha's house to watch the super bowl. Towards the end of the game, we played Taboo. Coach Jaida couldn't play though because the night before she got hurt.
Well I have to get back to reading so I'll see you later... Peace!
Dear Diary,
What a week this has been. Our match-up against Cal State Dominguez Hills was one of the most heart stopping games of my life. Though we had a big lead, Dominguez came back to tie the game at 66. Overtime meant... 5 more minutes of battle. The score went back and forth between the teams. We were up, they were up, we were tied, they were up, then we tied. BAAAA!!!! There's no more time left but the score is still tied. We're going into double overtime. There weren't really any score changes but we closed the game with a win.
From the gym we went to Tasha Reed's grandmother's house where there was home cooked food waiting for us. We ate fried chicken, fried fish, macaroni and cheese, beans, string beans, cabbage, rice, biscuits, hot water cornbread, and salad. The food was so good but it wouldn't be complete without a slice of peach cobbler. As we ate, we joked and laughed about the American Idol auditions in Las Vegas . We all had a great time. That night I took a shower and fell straight to sleep.
That following Saturday, we played Monterey Bay at their home. We chartered a bus with the Men's Basketball Team for six hours. It wasn't that bad because we had movies to watch and CD's to listen to. After about four hours though, especially on the way back, people started getting delirious. Or maybe Unique and I are just crazy. We were so bored after awhile that any little thing made us laugh. We still can't figure out why we were laughing so hard. Whatever it was, it was really funny. We arrived back at the school around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, put our stuff in the team room, went to the dorms and was knocked out until about 12:00 p.m.
Later that day, Unique and I went over Coach Jaida's house to watch movies and hang-out. We kept messing with her so finally we just started fighting. It was two on one so naturally NiNi and I won. I will give Coach Jaida her props though. She is strong. We got her though.
Anyways, we play San Francisco and Sonoma State this weekend. It's the last big road trip of the season. I hope it's a good one. I have to finish an English essay though so I'll talk to you later. Peace!
Dear Diary,
During the week of January 21st, I participated in my first "pack the gym night" when we played against Cal State San Bernardino. That night we had the best crowd of the year so far and the louder they got, the more we came alive. Every time we did something, the crowd roared and it made you want to just do it over and over again. I wish the crowd was like that every time we played at home. The game is more fun when you know people are watching.
Now that we beat CSSB and UCSD, we play Dominguez at their home. We still have a shot at first place in conference and a spot in the NCAA tournament. This Wednesday at Dominguez is going to be like playing against family because I grew up around some of them but I see it as an argument with a family member. You may suit up to battle it out, but in the end, the love is still there.
Anyways, I have to go get ready for practice. Don't want to be late! L8R... PEACE!
Dear Diary,
We're back at good ole Cal Poly after returning from the worst trip ever!!! There were a few good moments, but not enough.
It all started Tuesday, December 28th. The plan was to practice in the afternoon, leave the school at about 2:30 p.m., then fly to Seattle , Washington at 4 p.m. Everything went as planned until we reached the airport. As soon as we got there, Candice had her nail ripped of by the Cal Poly Van and while we waited in the baggage check-in line we realized that our flight had been cancelled. No one knew what we were going to do.
After hanging out in the airport for a minute, Coach Thomas informed us of the new traveling plans. Now we were to drive to Orange County from the Ontario airport, fly from there to Portland Oregon , then, finally, we were to ride in a charter bus for thee hours all the way to Seattle Washington. We arrived at about 1:00 a.m. and everyone went straight to sleep.
The next day we played Western Washington at Seattle Pacific University . We played with a little bit of effort but didn't come out on top. Our most memorable highlight though was when Coach Thomas knocked the referee out with his championship ring. The referee took two steps then dropped to the floor. It wasn't funny at first but even the ref had to laugh later.
Once we left the game, we ate at Jillian's. You could watch T.V., play pool, or even play in their arcade. The food was ok but it took FOREVER to get it. To make matters worse there was a piece of glass in my lemonade. I didn't know it was a piece of glass until I bit down on it and realized that it was not a piece of ice. (Thanks waitress)
From there, Natasha , Unique, and I went to visit some of Natasha 's family. They kept trying to feed us. They were really nice. When it was time to go back, the three of us were so scared we weren't going to make it back in time for our team meeting. I felt bad for Natasha 's aunt because she was telling us about Seattle 's history but all I could think about was how many lines we were going to run for being late. When we got to the hotel and ran to Coach Thomas' room, we found out we still had 20 minutes before the meeting started.
During the meeting, Coach told us how if we would just follow what he says and do it when he says it, we would win some games. he said that he noticed the energy and effort but we didn't follow what he said and that's why we didn't win. As we took that in, he began preparing tape for us to watch. After a few minutes had gone by, we realized that there was something wrong...neither teams on the screen were the ones we were supposed to be watching. Coach Thomas had put in the wrong tape. That kind of lightened the air a little. Once we popped the right tape in and wrote down the information for out scouting reports, it was straight to the showers, and into bed...
Thursday, December 30th. The team is up bright and early for breakfast and shoot around before the game. Everyone seems like they're ready to play... unfortunately we were not. We ended up losing by twenty-five. To top it off, we had a set of 5 in 35's for each put back they got. We ended the game with a total of twenty-five 5 in 35's. I never wanted to get as far away from a place as possible in my life.
The next day we flew back to Orange County but not without our plane being delayed first, then we drove back to Pomona . A little later Coach Tasha took Unique, Natasha and I to my house to spend New Years with my family. We came back Sunday afternoon to prepare for the first day of winter quarter on Monday.
That's all for this week. I wonder what's in store for us next week. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see. Until then. Peace!
Dear Diary,
First I'd like to say Merry Christmas to all of you who have been following my journey as a college freshman student-athlete. The fall quarter is now over and stressing about finals has subsided. The good news is that I passed all of my classes, but I only have a GPA of a 2.6. Although I'm eligible to play, I had a personal goal of getting a 3.0 GPA. Don't worry though, I plan to work even harder next quarter.
For right now, since the winter quarter has not started yet, the team and I get to focus on the tough games coming ahead. Hold on... let me back up. Last weekend we played two games at Bakersfield . Friday we played and beat Northwest Nazarine and Saturday we played and beat Glenville State . On the way there and on the way back we had too much fun. The van driven by Coach Tasha was full of laughs because we sang with the radio off and played all kinds of games. We played the alphabet game where you say a letter along with a word that begins with that letter, but before you can move on to the next one, you have to repeat all the letters and words before it. If you messed up, you had to put a quarter in. Coach Jaida lost.
Once we got to the hotel, everyone mixed well with their room mates. My room mate was Lex ( Alexis ), but I would also include Cali ( Candice ) and Tasha ( Natasha ) because our rooms were connected by a door and we went in and out each others room the whole trip. Other than that, the trip to Bakersfield was a "business trip." Thanks not only to teamwork and aggression on the court, but to the fans who came and supported, we left Bakersfield with two wins. So with that said, thank you to all the fans who drove all the way out there to show your support. We really appreciate it.
Right now I have to get ready to pack my stuff for home but I'll be sure to check back in later. Love ya'll. Peace!
Dear Diary,
What's up? I'm so hyped today. Our first conference game is today, at home, against Sonoma State. My goals for tonight are to shut whoever I am guarding down, to keep talking, and to give my teammates energy. When we talk as a team in practice, we get the job done right the first time, so if we keep talking during the game we can't do anything but take care of business.
Before shoot around I plan on hanging around the gym and the team to stay focused and mentally prepared to bring it tonight. After we play Sonoma tonight we have to be ready to play San Francisco tomorrow. One day at a time...
With that said, I'll talk to you later. I'm about to get ready for the game. Come check us out. We'd really appreciate it. The game starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Kellogg gym on both days. Peace!
Dear Diary,
I am so happy tomorrow is Thanksgiving. After our game tonight I'm riding with Unique Anderson, my roommate, back home. I love having Nini as my roommate because we always make any situation funny or we start acting really goofy. When it gets late at night and it's just us in the room, any little thing makes us laugh. Somebody could say, "chicken and grits" and we'd start cracking up. A couple of weeks ago we decided to get skateboards just to be different from those who had scooters and bought them yesterday from Target.
Today when Nini and I were outside the gym we tried to ride on the same skateboard at the same time but we weren't going anywhere because we both had two feet on the board. We tried rocking at the same time but it didn't work.
Anyways...last night we all went to the Men's game to support them and then we went to Cold Stones. We looked stupid because we were all eating ice cream outside and it was freezing. Everyone was shaking and their noses were cold. From there we just went home.
It's about 5:30 CPT time (Coach Paul Thomas) so I have to go now. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Peace.
Dear Diary,
Our first double header is here and we play Azusa Pacific for the first game which is today. Coach stresses the importance of playing well against this team so I hope we do more right things than wrong. I believe our team is capable of following through and finishing. If we do what we are told we will win, if not, well...
Last Saturday was our scrimmage against La Sierra, than we had meet the Broncos. Most of us had our families there and for those who did not, the team was their family. I was happy to see my family at the game. Lately I've been missing my whole family. Especially because I can't stop thinking about my cousin who lost his life in a drowning accident. he was only 15 but he could hang with me and other people my age. When we got a chance to hang-out with each other we would crack jokes, play sports, and just have fun together. After he passed away, I was so busy trying to make sure the rest of my family was okay that I didn't really get a chance to grieve. I try to act like we're just too busy to see each other but now that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up it's going to be hard to pretend he's not gone. I just miss him so much. It's like there's a gap in the line-up of grandchildren now.
Well...I gotta get ready for my game tonight. Talk to you later. I LOVE YOU BARRON. R.I.P. little cousin.
Dear Diary,
How's it going? Things are going alright for me. I'm happy to be able to participate with the team again and we have a scrimmage on Saturday at 6 o'clock. For most of the team it's their second game but for me it will only be my first. I'm nervous about the game for two reasons. One is because it's my first game at the college level with a new team and a new coaching staff so naturally a person is going to be a little nervous. I think once the game gets going though I should be fine.
The second reason I'm nervous is because I've only been practicing for about a week while everybody else has been practicing for about a month now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'll talk to you later...
It's now Friday so you know what that means. Tomorrow is game day. Practice today should be pretty light because the team had two consecutive good practices. I'm anxious to see what Coach Thomas considers a light practice. Anyways...that's all for this week. I'll tell you how the game turns out next week. Peace.
It's November 5th and I've got some great news for you. For the past two days I have been participating in the practice and loving every minute of it. I now feel like I have a chance to help my teammates out in games. Don't get me wrong, I can't go full speed yet but by the time our first game rolls around in about two weeks, I'll be able to do something. I know I mess up during practice but I hope the team is happy to have me back. I missed being out there with them.
Other than that, school is going good and the quarter is almost over. That's all for this week... I guess I'll see you later. Peace.
Dear Diary,
Happy Halloween! The day for everyone to look their worst has finally come. Students all around campus are getting their costumes ready and making time for parties. I decided to just keep it simple and dress up as a vampire gone gangster. It's not a lot but it will be enough for the guests at the party I'm attending.
Instead of going to the same boring Halloween parties thrown by college students, I made plans to go to my cousin's 13th birthday bash. I know you're probably thinking, "why pass up an opportunity to hang-out with your friends to go to a little kid's birthday party?" but to be honest... I love hanging out with my family. I'm one of the older cousins so it should be fun to see the look on her face when I show up in a costume.
Other than the party, I'm pretty much free for this weekend. I might come back to Cal Poly and just relax. Talk to you next week. Oh yeah! Don't forget to vote! Let your voice be heard November 2nd. Peace
Dear Diary,
It is now October 25 and it has been 3 weeks since I last talked to you. I'm so sorry but I've been really busy and I've had a lot on my mind. Things were going just fine until Monday, October 11th. The weekend was over and the team only had three more days of conditioning left so I was determined to push myself until my legs died...be careful what you ask for 'cause you might just get it.'
From the beginning of practice I wanted to show my coaches that I could handle the hard work they wanted out of me. I was even having fun racing Brit Sumida up and down the court. Well all of that came to a sudden stop when we finished the sevens going up the mountain. I turned around to step back onto the line and suddenly dropped to the floor. As I laid there like a fish out of water trying to figure out why I could not stand up, the team took off down the court. All I could do was lay there and watch.
A few seconds later, Rachel and Alexis helped me up but could not let go of me, because I would drop again. After about a half an hour, I could finally wiggle my toes but I still did not have enough strength to stand.
Three hours later I was being set up in the hospital and scheduled to have a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) performed. Since that day, I have been feeling like I've been left behind because my team has been practicing and developing while I have to sit back and cheer them on from the side line.
Doctor Styles told me that the nerves in my spine are not getting enough blood when I exercise so my legs give out. Right now I am scared because no one is sure when I will be able to join my teammates and our first game is a week from Wednesday. Not being able to play basketball has really gotten me down. I try to hide it by just supporting and being there for my team. If I can not help them physically on the court, I will help them keep their heads into the game. Until next time....peace!
Dear Diary,
It's Friday, October 1st and I have survived my first week of being a college student and an athlete. Along with going to class like all real students, I've also been gettin' the energy sucked out of me during women's basketball conditioning. I now know the true meaning of HELL week, only conditioning is two and a half weeks.
One good side to the extreme work outs was going camping last weekend. I got to know everybody on the team and the vibe I get from them is so much like a loving family. It's crazy when I realize that I just met these people one week ago. I truly have love for EVERY one the team. I know the coaches aren't impressed with my performance but I still got love for them too. To help you understand where I am coming from, the team is like my family and the coaches are like my parents. You might not always get along or agree with them but it's still your family and you never give up on them no matter what.
Right now though, imma get in the shower and relax a little before the women's volleyball game tonight. I'll see yall next week.
Dear Diary,
Today is the 22nd of September and I'm finally moving out of my parents' house. You know, as much as I celebrated leaving this place, I already miss it. Just knowing that my kitchen, bedroom, office, and living-room are all gonna be in the same room suddenly makes my house look huge! I hope no one starts crying when it's time to say good-bye. Until later...
It's now about 10:30 pm and everyone is settled into their rooms. The stairways were busy with people going up and down all day but now it's kinda quiet. My roommate and I get along great and I'm ready to start college life. The only thing I'm nervous about is proving myself to the team. We start conditioning Friday morning with a mile run. If I don't make it under 8 minutes I have to do it again until I do. Wish me good luck and I'll holla tomorrow. Good night...
Well it's now 10 o'clock am on September 23rd and I have just returned from class. Although I was sleepy, I managed to stay awake to focus and take notes. The professor makes you want to learn so I don't think I'll have a problem in there. Right now I gotta go see one of my coaches so I'll end it here...for now.
Join Ashley Moody as she goes through her first year of college. Fans and supporters are now able to get an inside view on the life of one of our student-athletes.
