My Last Blog!

It is a great feeling that this semester is coming to an end because of all the hard work and time that was dedicated from all of us. This semester really was a challenge balancing my teaching, refereeing and classes. I had to effectively utilize my time management and stay on a strict schedule to ensure that I stayed on top of my game for all of my priorities. I am so excited about this winter vacation because I can finally let loose and enjoy some free time. This is such a great time of the year because everyone is so excited and joyful during the holidays. I love going out and partying during this time of the year, because everyone is in a good mood because everyone is looking forward to Christmas. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, and also a happy and safe new year! Lastly, I will like to thank everyone for all of your hard efforts and your part of my learning in this class!

-Nick

Will Indy go undefeated?

The Indianapolis Colts are still undefeated this season under the reigns of Peyton Manning. They have squeezed out many close games this year against many formidable opponents, including Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. We actually kind of gave that game to them, with some coaching blunders from the "best coach" in the NFL. But nobody is perfect... does that mean that Indy will lose this year..........YES!

You can find this picture at: www.patriots.com

They are going to receive their first loss of the year in the AFC championship against... yes, you know.... theeeee New England Patriots! Come on Tommy, I hope your wife is taking care of the baby and letting you sleep. I would actually like to see Tom reside at a local 5 star hotel and not be distracted from the baby and her. Personally, I think Giselle needs to let Tom be on his own from here on out into the playoffs, to let him focus and get his head in the zone. He cannot put himself in the position of sleepless nights and fatigue in his mental game, because that is his strongest attribute to the team. Come on Tommy, lets get some momentum today against the Buffalo Bills going into the end of the season for the playoffs!

Teaching Presentation

I am very excited to present my lesson to everyone this week on the last day of class. I take a quick tour of my gymnasium so everyone can see my "classroom" at Selser School! Everyone last week did such a great job and it gave me great ideas to use in my presentation. I really have enjoyed my first semester here at Springfield College. I have met so many great people and created many friendships. I really enjoyed class and learned so much from everyone and their presentations. I have used many of the new strategies that I learned this semester and have created a more effective lesson that I taught to my students. Thank you Dr. Lorenzo for your efforts in creating such an effective class and your creation in the projects that we have presented. I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season, and celebrate this New Years Eve because we all deserve it with all of our hard work!

Nick's view from the Couch

Hello sports fans and welcome to this weeks blog of my recap of sporting events that are too important NOT to talk about!

First up, I would like to congratulate the Dallas Cowboys on their huge upset over the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints. I must say Dallas did play well, and Tony Romo had a productive game for his inconsistent self. I think Romo played to his potential last night, but when I watch the Cowboys I am never certain of the performance I will see from him. He is very up and down, and on any given Sunday, he could throw 4 touchdowns, or 4 interceptions.... you never know. Dallas played very well, but New Orleans definitely didn't play their best game. Drew Brees did not look good at all, very inaccurate and not looking like the Drew Brees I watched against the Pats. Drew Brees, just the opposite of Tony Romo is very consistent. He has played very well all season, and last night he played very poorly.

You can find this picture at: http://www.espn.com/

Next lets move onto a different subject in College Football. The past two seasons we have been incredibly spoiled with the competition that has identified collegiate football. I strongly believe that we have witnessed the best college football player in NCAA history. His name is Tim Tebow, and was, in my mind, the greatest college football player to ever play. His desire, maturity, leadership, faith, and competitiveness really put a stamp on the game. He has been the college football poster boy for the last few years, and really became a great role model for all the younger fans. I will surely miss watching him, and really hope he can improve his game to be an NFL quarterback.

You can find this picture at: www.espn.com

2009 coming to an end!

January 1, 2010 is upon us! Celebrating a new year, and all of the great times, memories and accomplishments. 2009 was a great year with many new beginnings. I started the second year of my new job, I started graduate school at Springfield College, I became a soccer referee and also a basketball official. I am looking forward to a new year and many new challenges that I will face. It is incredible how fast time really flies by. It seemed like this year went by so fast, and everyone needs to remember to enjoy the ride, because once we get to our destination, it will all be over! You can find this picture at: www.elektroaddict.com

2009 WAS A GREAT YEAR, BUT 2010 WILL BE EVEN BETTER!

The Power of Mental Imagery

You can find this picture at: www.eruptingmind.com

In my opinion, I believe that mental imagery is one of the most important parts of a performers success. The ability of a person to see themselves performing a skill, and then executing it exactly how they imagined, is a very powerful skill. Lets take the golf swing for example, before you take that swing, stand behind the ball, and close your eyes. Picture yourself from a birds eye view and watch yourself produce a nice and fluid swing. Watch your arms and what they are doing in the back swing, and then how you come down and contact the ball with the follow through. This cognitive tactic is extremely effective while performing different types of motor skills. This a very important skill to practice and use as a physical educator. I have used this skill in my classes this week as I teach new discrete skills and the students take time before and after in mental imagery watching themselves perform. The students find it to be very effective and enjoy participating in the activities.

Nick's view from the Couch

The New England Patriots (10-6) are going into this Sundays game on a 2 game losing streak. The Carolina Panthers are coming to Gillette Stadium for a much needed win for the Pats. The simple fact that the Patriots are not playing well, and need to step it up for a much needed win coming down to the end of the regular season. Being a die hard Patriots fan it is very hard for me to watch my teams mediocre play this season. Tom Brady is now a little beat up and may not be 100%. He is not playing like the old Tom Brady of the super bowl seasons. He has stated that he needs to play better, and I'm not sure we will see that this season. I think that his knee surgery and minor injuries this year have slowed Tom down, but I also believe that he will be back next season, and look like his old 1997 self!

You can find this picture at www.patriots.com

Tiger taking hiatus from Golf

After much soul searching, Tiger Woods is taking an indefinite leave of absence from professional golf. He has apologized to the PGA tour and all of his sponsors for his mistakes and the embarrassment he has caused all of them. He states that he wants to completely focus on his family and the personal healing that needs to happen in the privacy of their home. Will Tiger and his wife stay together or will she file for a divorce? Kobe and his wife stayed together, and they remain together still to this day. This will be interesting to see what Elin will do, and where will she go if she decides to leave. Rumors are surfacing that she has purchased property back in her home country of Sweden. Will she take the kids? Find picture at: www.tigerwoods.com

One thing that upsets me now after the fact, after everyone knows that he has cheated on his wife, with multiple women, is the idea that he is so sorry for his mistakes and now asks for every ones respect when he now has to deal with this private matter. It is almost like he is trying to get people to feel sorry for him, that he was caught and now has to put his family through this awful time. In my personal opinion, I believe Tiger is a sociopath, and he doesn't really care much about anyone except himself. If he really loved his wife and children, he wouldn't put them through this, or even think about it. I think Tigers mind frame when he is on the course, being unstoppable, untouchable, the best.... carries off the course of play and into real life, because he didn't put much effort into keeping these women private, with text messages and emails directly from his account and cell phones. I will miss watching Tiger during his leave, and will look forward to seeing him return after he handles his business.

The importance of maintaining your routine

During this time of the year, it is crazy with different holiday events and programs that are going on in school. The students are practicing for the holiday concert and are very excited about Christmas and winter vacation. We also have a lot of time off in November and December, just having thanksgiving and now winter vacation in two weeks. The students still need to continue to learn and work hard during these exciting times. For this to best be possible it is vitally important that the teachers keep their regular routine during the day. Even though the kids will be taken out of class for special events and activities, we need to keep it as normal as possible. The excitement can bring certain behavior issues from students who are normally on their best behavior. We need to remember that they are young children, who get very excited about the thoughts of Santa and presents. Just think back when you were a small child, and how excited you were when the holidays came around. We need to plan in our schedule how we are going to incorporate the holiday season into our lessons and make sure that you are being respectful to all religions, beliefs and customs. This is a beautiful time of the year to spread joy and be cheerful. Lets make it a great holiday season for not only our family but also our students when they are in school!
This picture can be found at: www.poofcat.com/christmas.html

1st week of Officiating

This was the first weekend of officiating Suburban basketball games for the 2009-2010 season. I first had to complete my floor training on Friday night as I refereed 3 games in a row. I learned so much from the other officials that were there, as they helped me during time outs and the halftimes. After my first game I became much more comfortable and it started to come more naturally to me. So on Saturday I was ready for my first paying games. I did 2 games in Granby with my father, who is also a referee. They went really well and we had a lot of fun with the kids. Today I did 2 games with my uncle in Amherst, and I learned a lot from him who is a veteran referee who does High School games. This a perfect side job for me during the different seasons, but I can tell you that refereeing soccer is much, much easier than basketball! I am slowly learning the proper mechanics and hope that by the end of this season, I will have had plenty of experience and have great confidence to do High School games next year. I still have a lot to learn but I hope to learn quick and be a good and fair official!

You can find this picture at http://www.callitinc.com/

Nick's view from the Couch

The New England Patriots have now fallen on the road in Miami and fall to 7-5. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense could not come back late in the 4th quarter for the win. The Colts and Saints move to 12-0 and remain undefeated. Brady jogged to the locker room after his 58 yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss and it was later reported that it was an arm injury. He already was coming into the game with a swollen finger that was black and blue. The Patriots now can only do one thing to justify these loses. The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts need to go undefeated into the playoffs, then the Patriots will beat the Colts in the AFC championship game, then beat the undefeated New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl! Only this sequence of games and wins will make this a successful season! I still strongly believe that they can win the big one if they get stronger on defense and Brady steps his game into All Star mode!

You can find these pictures at: www.patriots.com

Tiger apologizes to media for personal indiscretions

The Tiger Woods car accident has grown from a mysterious late night crash in his driveway, to public confessions of personal indiscretions. Tiger apologized for his "personal sins" and hoped that the public will grant his privacy on this family matter. It is evident that Tiger has cheated on his wife, Elin Nordegran, who is a former Swedish model. It has been reported that she has started to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement, and her payout is huge. There have been rumors ranging that the payout is close to 80 million dollars, if she decided to file for a divorce.

You can find this picture at: www.examiner.com

I have to give credit to Tiger at least for admitting his wrong doings. He could have tried to hide his problems but he came out to the public and apologized. I hope that Tiger and his family can work this out, and they do not damage their relationship with their daughter. I am extremely disappointed in Tiger, because he is a popular role model for many young people. Hopefully Tiger can learn from this and be a better person in the future.