2011

With 2010 coming to an end, I have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for in 2011. First of all, I would like to finish off my high school career by making the most of it. I want to have fun with my friends and enjoy every minute of it because I know that this is one time in your life that you will never be able to have back. Plus, half these people I have been going to school with for the past twelve years, I may never see again. So I really plan on enjoying my time with them and making as many memories as possible. During this time, I plan on selecting a college that I feel confident with and that I really like. I want to go somewhere that has a good feel to it, and has something to offer me that will help me be successful. I also want to go somewhere that I can play football and contribute to the team. I hope to make the right decision and hopefully figure out where I will be going within the next couple of months. When the summer comes, I plan on spending as much time as my family and friends as possible before it is time for me to leave. I also plan to continue to work out and get in the best shape possible before it is time for football to start. When it comes time for me to leave, I plan on going to college and making the best of it. I hope that I will be able to maintain a high GPA and play well on the field. Not to mention, I hope to have a good social life and keep in close touch with my family and friends. I hope that all goes well and that I will wrap up the year 2011 at home celebrating with my family on break.

2010

In the year 2010, I had many fond memories. It started off in basketball season with our team losing to Lackawanna in the sectionals. We were one game away from making it to Buffalo State and it was a very fun season. I had a great time playing with my friends and winning as many games as we did. Next came baseball season. We had a very successful season in this sport to and I really hope to do the same this season. In March, I was lucky enough to get tickets to the March Madness, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. I went both days and got to see some of the best men’s basketball teams in the country. This was a thrilling experience and one that I will never forget. In May, I went to my junior prom. I had a great time at prom and was sad when it ended. When the weather got nicer, I played summer baseball with a Lockport team. This was a lot of fun and got me in summer mode. I often spent many of my days at the beach during this time too. Over summer, I would work out every morning and then we go to work in Akron. At work, I would help guys carry and deliver boxes to different stores. This was a very fun job and I had a great time doing it. After work, I would usually go home and hang around with my friends. I also visited a lot of colleges over the summer. I went to Toledo, Bowling Green, New Hampshire, Albany and Holy Cross. In the football, my football season went extremely well. We won the section and were ranked number two in the state. It was a spectacular year and it is one that I’ll never forget.

Christmas Movies

Each year around this time, you start to see an assortment of the different Christmas movies being aired on the television. You see classics such as The Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life. You also see the more recent films like The Grinch and Fred Clause. When I see these movies, they always remind me of the times when I was younger and always get me into the Christmas spirit. When I was real little, I remember watching the Christmas Story and always being amused by the young man who got his wish when he got his bb-gun. Then I always remember when the boy goes out to shoot his new toy and end up hurting his eye, just like everyone said he would if he got that gun. I was able to relate to this movie quite well because I too always wanted a bb-gun when I was younger. I can recall several Christmas’s, that after I got finished with all of my gifts, I would search around the house in hopes of finding the gift that was hidden like his was in the movie. Unfortunately, I never found my hidden bb-gun. This was probably a good thing though because, I would have probably followed up just like the movie did and ended up shooting myself in the eye. Another movie that is more recent for me is The Grinch. This movie is one of my all-time favorites. I love this movie because it was more modern and just always makes me laugh with all of the dry humor. One movie that we as a family always watch is Christmas Vacation. This movie makes me and my family laughs every year. It seems that every year we watch it; it just gets funnier and funnier. Chevy Chase is a terrific actor and does an excellent job portraying what the average family man goes through during the holiday season. These movies always put me in a great mood and that is one of the great things about Christmas.

Buffalo Bills Comeback

The Buffalo Bills have been in a slump for the last ten years. In 1999, the bills made the playoffs, since then, they have yet to return. After 1999, the bills have gone through five different coaches and a hand full of different styles. People have had a difficult time finding a way to win in Buffalo. Growing up, I have only known the bills to be, at best, a five hundred team. I missed the glory days with Kelly and Reed and Tasker and Smith when the bills were the team to beat. I have missed the days when fans would actually be excited to go to the game because those games meant something, and they knew that they would be in for an exciting thriller. These days, it hurts to say but the attitude in the stadium is just not the same. Each year at the season opener, a glimpse of that excitement comes back in the stadium but quickly fizzes out. The attitude that I receive when I enter the game now is that it is a pre-season game and fans are just waiting for next year. It is said to think that a great football town like Buffalo has had so much difficulty winning. Each year, games continue to sell out here which tells me one thing. That one thing is that there is still hope in this town. I have faith that one day, the Bills will turn things around and when that day comes, the fans will be here, ready to go. And when the Bills become the top team again, all the bills haters will begin to jump on the band wagon and all the true fans will laugh as these people try and convince us that their heart was always with the team. We will always know who the true fans are. The Bills Will Be Back!

NFL Draft

I often think about what it would be like to be a professional athlete. Every year I watch the NFL draft where college athletes are selected by teams in the NFL. Each year, ESPN does a background story on a number of the players involved. When I watch these stories, I see a lot of similarities between the average kid and these young men who are starting their careers as professionals. They start these stories off by beginning from their childhood. They show what these young men went through when they were kids and what their lives were like. Some of these men were blesses to be in a great situation where they had a great family who was supportive and dedicated. An example of this type of player would be like Peyton or Eli Manning. When they were kids, their father was a quarterback in the NFL and for them; it was easy to see what their future could be like. When they were in high school, they had a lot of connections from their father and they were easily acknowledged for who they were. The other half of the players that you hear about were not as fortunate. Often times, these young men were brought up in violent neighborhoods where they had hardly any family support at all. Sometimes, you hear about young men who got caught up in the gang life, and were fortunate enough to be touched by someone and were able to change their lives around. An example of this would be Tyrone Wheatley. Tyrone Wheatley grew up in Michigan and lived with his mother. His father was not in the picture and he lived in a bad neighborhood. He was forced to grow up at a quick age and learned to be a man. Tyrone became a tremendous football player and was also a 3-time track and field state champion. He earned a full scholarship to the University of Michigan and was a first round draft pick in the NFL. When I watch these stories, I see how much these men went through in their lives and it inspires me to be the best I can be.

Poem

Friday Night Lights

14 to nothing,
Before the half
All the games, but one, have passed
Seasons ending early, due to injury
Compares nothing to the loss of a brotherhood; a family.
Friday night lights
So many dog-fights
In the end, we all sacrificed
To me football is a thing of the past
Just one more thing I wish would last

Stepping out on the field one last time,
Brings a tear to my eye
A half-hour past nine
Time to pack up, and head back home
Never again will I touch that end zone
The big hits are gone
No more players of the week
No more happy valleys
Or Thursdays to eat; before the game
No more fame

I’m proud to have played football for this team,
For that I’m not ashamed.

Donnie Brush

When I first read this poem, I immediately was able to relate to it. For the past 18 years of my life, high school football has always been a part of it. Growing up, I started my football days on the sidelines, acting as the ball boy for his high school team at Akron. When I was old enough to play, I remember my first practice at AJF football. I remember going home after practice and talking to my dad about how it went. I remember numerous Friday nights when I would finish my practice at little league and my mom would drive me out to Akron, making it just in time for kick off. I remember watching the games from the sidelines and watching how the players acted. These guys became my role models and from that time on, I dreamed of the day that I was the big high school football player, wearing his school colors. That day came before I knew it and now when I think about those days, it is nothing but memories. As I got older, I started to learn the bond that a football team develops. Football is like no other sport in the aspect of teamwork. To be successful, you need to be working hard throughout the entire summer. Every day at 8 am, high school football brings young adolescent men together in the weight room, when a majority of the other students are still in bed. Football is a demanding game and it teaches people a lot about life. You’re going to get knocked down in football and things aren’t always going to go your way, but if you get back up and try it again, that’s what is important. Football teaches young boys to become men and I could not become more thankful for this great game. With my high school days over, it is sad to think that it has gone by this quick. Walking out onto that field under the shining lights is something that I will never forget and will always cherish.

Beauty

What is beauty? Beauty for me is something that a person takes a great deal of pleasure in. Sometimes when people look at something, they instantly see the beauty in it. By this, I mean that they see something that is spectacular for them. They see something that is flawless and it just captures their attention. Every time they look at it, they are swept away by what they are looking at and are always amazed. They see it as something spectacular and it always sticks with them. When somebody sees someone who they believe is beautiful, they are intrigued by what they are looking at. They can’t help but admire what they are looking at. Also, beauty can come in other things rather than appearance. Some people may be considered to be beautiful on the inside. If a person has a great personality and has great moral beliefs, one may consider this to be beautiful. People also find beauty in nature and the outdoors. Often times, images a person sees in the outdoors are just extremely captivating and steal the viewers’ attention. These images can often be described as breathe taking and always stay with that person. Beauty is often times compared to ugliness. Ugliness is defined as being unpleasant to look at. Ugliness is told to be the opposite of beauty and is often times compared with beauty. Ugly can also be described as awful or horrific. For example, if a basketball team loses a game that they should have won or are expected to win and lose; people may describe this as an ugly game. Everybody has their own definition for beauty and ugliness. This is what I think of when I hear these two terms. There are many things in the world that consist of a lot of beauty.