Lacrosse season

I really want the season to start! Spring is so far away from now, it needs to hurry up. Tryouts start in the beginning of the spring and then the season goes on. I really hope I do good. I know that this year we will have a really good team with lots of skill. I hope that I can do some different camps to improve my skills so I can do good this season. I have many goals that I hope I can achieve this season.

10 and Under Tennis

I remember when I was 9 years old.  I loved tennis, but i played with a full size racquet, heavy sized ball, and full sized court. I noticed that my wrist started to hurt because I was playing with adult equipment as a 9 year old. One day at practice we were practicing volleys and the coach was feeding them to me.  I hit 2 really good shots but my wrist was still hurting a lot.  Once the 3rd ball came at me really fast I put my adult racquet out and hit the ball. "Ouch!" My racquet flew out of my hand and I felt a crack.  I ended up fracturing my wrist.  Today, for tennis and under tennis they have smaller and lighter racquets, smaller sized courts, and a lighter/squishier ball. Embrace it!

Volleyball

The season of JV Volleyball 2014 is coming to an end, with only one tournament, one Tri, and two practices left. I have grown so close to everyone on my team and I am so sad to see it end. Since I am at the freshman campus at BHHS I won't be able to see the friends I have on my team because I am the only freshman and everyone else is sophomores or juniors. We ended the season with some loses, to Lake Orion and Clarkston but we did manage to win one tournament and get second in two others. This season has been my favorite season of volleyball ever and I am so glad I got to share it with the teammates I have!

-Olivia Smith

Cross Country Leagues

This upcoming Friday, the Bloomfield Hills Cross Country team has their league championship meet.  This meet is taking place at Oakland University.  Our team has traveled twice to OU, and practiced to try and understand the course.  The course, in my opinion, is not very fun.  You run around in the same loop three times and then there's a down hill shoot the finish line.    I'm excited for this meet, but i'm also very nervous.  Last year, the Black Hawks became league champs, so hopefully we can do it again this year.

-Claire Hendeson

All American Lacrosse

Outside of your schools lacrosse team, you can do a bunch of other teams.  All American Lacrosse is the team that I do.  It's usually on the weekends and it's mostly for practice.  You show up, get a jersey, and then you practice with a bunch of people your age.  At the end of each practice, you scrimmage.  I have done All American my self, and I think they do a really good job.  They help you a lot and they make you a better player.  You work on everything; you work on defense, attack, shooting, and a bunch of different other skills.  You also meet a bunch of new people, and make a lot of new friends.  I usually do it in the Winter, right before my schools team starts.  I do it with a few of my other friends and on the weekends we go.  We really enjoy it and will most likely do it again this year.

-Claire Henderson

Lacrosse rules

The rules of lacrosse are simple. Theres not much you need to know. There are 12 players on the field for each team. Theres one goalie, 5 attackers and 6 defenders. The game starts with a draw in the beginning of the game where one player from each side races to get the ball first. You cannot check in women's lacrosse like you can in Men's. Also you cannot check cross someones body with your stick and you cannot come into contact with someone. The only legal check you can make is checking someone's stick below the shoulder. Women's lacrosse is very different from Men's and has different rules.
-Mackenzi Michael

Volleyball Origination

Volleyball was invented in 1895, with the name "mintonette". It was created by a man named William G. Morgan, it was a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. Setting and spiking came into play in the Philippines in 1916. Then, in 1928 the USVBA (United States Volleyball Association) was created for standard rules. Two years later, the first mens beach volleyball game was played. Much later, 1965, the first beach volleyball association appeared in California. It wasnt until 1983 when the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals) came about. Its basically just where pros unite. In 1984 the first US Olympic volleyball gold and silver medal was won. Finally, in 1996 two person beach volleyball was created as an Olympic sport. In conclusion, I thought that this was very interesting and cool to know as a volleyball player.
-Olivia Smith-

Cross Country Meet

On Friday, I had a cross country meet, that was taking place in Waterford.  Our whole team got out of school early, hopped on a bus, and headed to the meet.  It was a chilly day, and it was raining.  By the time we got there, it was pouring rain.  I did not want to run, and neither did many of my teammates.  We started to walk the course, and at one part of the first mile, there was a gigantic hill.  Great, I thought.  There was no way I was going to make it up this hill, twice.  We continued to walk to course, and I noticed that there was a bunch of hills.  This was going to be one long meet.  The JV boys ran first, then JV girls.  After them, Varsity boys ran, and then Varsity girls.  I and 6 others were the last ones to run.  Some JV boys said it wasn't that bad, while other girls said it was the worst course. So, I went into it not really knowing what to expect.  The announcer called all the Varsity girls to the starting line.  I was getting a little nervous, but knew that in 23 minutes, it would all be over.  Boom.  The gun went off, and we all started running.  The big hill was coming up.  Then, it was right in front of me.  I started climbing it, and by the time I was at the top, I felt like I was parallel to the ground.  My legs felt like jello, but I kept running.  Sooner or later, the next big hill arrived.  It wasn't as bad as the first one, but I was still in pain.  I went up those hills one more time, praying that this race would be over.  I was nearing the end of the race, I kept telling myself that it was almost over.  The finish line was finally in sight.  I saw the colorful flags, and I started my final sprint.  Just as I was sprinting, some girl came up and shoved me to the side.  By then, I was tired, in pain, irritated, and sore.  I elbowed her back and we went neck and neck all the way to the finish line.  After I passed the line, I fell to the ground and tried to catch my breath.  My final time was, 22:40.  It was a hard course, but I felt like I got something out of it.  I was happy that I got through it and didn't give up.

-Claire Henderson

History of Tennis

Tennis is a very well known sport that has been played for many years bringing joy and competition upon others.  Many people do not know where the sport has came from.  The sport tennis was first called handball, in the 11th and 12th century is when they first created the origins of this sport. They used their hands as "racquets" and a clay ball.  The sport was mainly played in France and by the 13th century they had nearly 1,800 courts in the area.  By the year of 1500, they had invented the wooden stick, known now as a racquet.  In the 1850s, they had created a standardized tennis court and used a rubber ball with racquets.  An indoor game of tennis was played again a wall, known now as racquet ball. In the year of 1874, it was the birth of modern tennis.  The All England Club, started its construction for their project to hold the prestigious Wimbledon Grand Slam grass event.  In 1877, the club had the first Grand Slam.  From then the game of tennis has evolved to where and how the game has became today.  -Caroline A.

History of Lacrosse

 Lacrosse began in 1890. In St. Andrews, Scotland St. Leonards school that was claimed to be the first girls school to play lacrosse. Indians where the first people who started the game of lacrosse. They played with a stick and a small basket on the top which was made to catch the ball. There ball was wooden but then was replaced with dear skin balls covered in the dears fur. The game began to develop in Canada. The game of lacrosse has been carried out ever since 1890 and has became very popular. Mens lacrosse is a lot more popular than women's tho. Overall lacrosse has been very popular ever since then!

-Mackenzi Michael

Swimming

I started to swim in the summer of 2008 at Bloomfield Open Hunt (BOH). It was so much fun and instantly fell in love it it. I continued to swim that year (2008-2009) with the Birmingham Blue Dolphins (BBD). This is a very competitive and well know team around the Midwest. In the summer of 2009 I started to really get into swimming, I got moved up to the 11-12s, 13-14s, and 15 ups practice. This was a great point for me because I really improved over the season, with my main strokes of breaststroke and freestyle. I once again did BBD and that was also a great season for being nine. Continuing, I did BOH and improved by breaking a record that still stands today for the 50 breaststroke. Then BBD once again in 2010-2011. This was the best year. My season when I was 10 was when I broke times and did very well. The 2011 summer was the last summer I belonged to BOH. Then in the winter I did BBD (2011-2012) but quit after two practices because I just didnt love it anymore. In 7th grade though i decided to do BBD again but ending up quitting again. I did school swim (2013) though and had a lot of fun. Then next year in 8th grade, was my last year of swimming. I swam for my middle school breaking two relay records and getting my final 50 free time at 26 seconds.

-Olivia Smith-

USTA Tennis

Are you a competitive person? Are you a person that likes athletic activities such as sports and want some healthy competition? USTA tennis might be right for you! The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is an organization across the United States that supports tennis from young childhood and adulthood. From amateur tennis players to professional tennis players, USTA will always be the option when looking for some heathy tennis competition.  The United States Tennis Association has many things to offer for tennis players such as tournaments, lessons, team tennis tournaments and opportunites to improve the game of tennis. USTA has more than 700,000 members and also invests 100% of its money/proceeds to development of the game and the grand slam event, The US Open.  It is only $25 to join USTA.  If you are looking for some healthy competition at any type of level for beginner to professional level, please consider joining.  I joined the USTA at the age of 8 and it was the best thing that I have ever done in my life. -Caroline A.

Cross Country

Ever since 6th grade, I have done cross country.  I decided to try it, and I fell in love with it.  In middle school, you only ran 2 miles.  Some practices were harder than others, but it was fun.  But, half way through my season in 6th grade, I got really, really sick.  I got pneumonia.  I was out for 2 and a half weeks and missed half of my cross country season.  I missed counties and was really upset.  I did cross country throughout 7th and 8th grade too, and now i'm doing it in  high school.  High school cross country is so much harder than middle school cross country.  Instead of 2 miles, we run 5k's, or 3.1 miles.  That's a huge difference.  On average we run 5-6 miles a day, sometimes more.   Even though its tough, it's great training, and the end results are amazing at meets.  I will continue to run, because I love running.

"When your legs get tired, run with your heart"

-Claire Henderson

LAX JAM

My favorite part of every season is, Lax Jam.  Lax Jam is a big tournament, where a ton of teams come to Cranbrook to play.  The team that you're on, plays a bunch of different teams and you try and win as many games as you can.  The tough part about it is, it goes til about 6 in the morning to 6 at night.  So, you can imagine it's pretty tiring.  Everything's upbeat though, there's music and clothes you can buy and a lot of food.  Last year it was super hot.  Our whole team was tired and sore.  But, we kept fighting and playing.  I remember we didn't do that great, but we still tried our hardest.  A few years ago, our team did amazing.  We won almost every game, and worked so well as a team.  That was probably one of our best Lax Jams for Bloomfield Lacrosse.  Even though I'm too old to play at Lax Jam anymore, I will always remember how fun it was and all the memories we made as a team.

-Claire Henderson   

  

What You Need For Volleyball

When you're a volleyball player, you will need equipment and certain things just for your sport. First, you practice in spandex and you play games in them too. For practice you can you any kind you want but for games you may have to wear all black, a certain brand, or if they give you a new pair thats a different color, those. Next, you need shoes. Mainly you will see people wearing Mizuno volleyball shoes. They help you not slip, jump, and stability. Then, you need jerseys. If you play for a school team they will give them to you. They usually are either short sleeve or long sleeve. Also they will have your number and school name. If you play for a club team you will have to buy them. A whole uniform package for club can cost up to $250.  Next, which is optional, ankle braces. I have ankle braces because two years ago I broke my ankle playing volleyball. Finally, kneepads. You will need these because they attempt to protect you knees when you slide on the floor and dive.

-Olivia Smith-

Reasons to Love Tennis

Anyone who’s ever met me will know: I love tennis. It gets a little more complicated when I think about why I love it though, and what it really comes down to is not explainable in one simple sentence.  Tennis relieves stress.  I feel that if I am very stressed out over something school related or outside of school when I go play tennis it takes my mind off of everything in the "outside world" and its all about tennis.  When I step onto the tennis court I am basically stepping into a new world.  Also, whenever I step on to a tennis court its just me and the ball. It does not even matter who is on the other side playing.  I love this because if you win you're the reason why and if you loose, its also your fault.  They are no teammates to blame for this action.  Finally, I have learned from tennis that "Love Means Nothing."

I love Lacrosse. My passion for the sport keeps growing and growing. I never really enjoyed a sport like I enjoy Lacrosse. The sport is just really fun and you can always learn new things. Your skills improve and improve every time you play. I usually don't like learning new things but with Lacrosse I love it. I love it because I know that every time you learn something new you just get better. The excitement is great. I love Lacrosse and I think I always will. I really hope I can go far with the sport.
-Mackenzi Michael

When I started Lacrosse

I became interested in lacrosse when I was in fourth or fifth grade. My neighbors played it and there older brother was really good and played for Brother Rice. So I always got good practice when I went over there. I did a few camps in fourth and fifth grade but I wasn't really good so I stopped doing camps and clinics. Back in seventh grade I started playing again. I forgot all of my skills that I learned so I was not really good. About 2-3 weeks into the season I got the hang of the game again. After my first season of playing again I wasn't so bad. Before the season started in the Spring of eighth grade I did All American Lacrosse. All American Lacrosse was a month camp where we learned new skills and scrimmaged against each other. After that month I felt pretty confident with myself and the game. When the season started up I was really excited. We had our first game and won. I could tell that this season would be great and it was. Now this year I hope to make JV lacrosse. I am gonna be involved in as many camps and clinics that I can be in to improve my skills!
-Mackenzi Michael

Volleyball Timeline

   In the fifth grade at St. Hugo you could start playing sports. My two best friends had decided they wanted to play volleyball so I decided to try out. One of my friends made the A team, the other made the B team, and I made the C team. The C team is basically where they put the kids who should get cut, but they don't cut them. I was not good. In my white Nike kneepads and my white Mizuno shoes with pink and green laces, I was ready to play. Everyone played all around so you could decide what you would want to play in the future. I thought I wanted to set, but that obviously changed.
   After the season was over, I did camps with my two friends so I could improve. Then, in sixth grade I made the A Team! I wanted to be an outside hitter at this point but since I wasn't the best hitter on first string, I had to hit right side. I never got set and it wasn't fun. During this season I kept trying to tell my coach to let me overhand serve because I could do it over the big net, but she still wouldn't let me.
   I did travel that year at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy (MEVBA). I was an outside hitter here and my coach actually let me overhand and found it ridiculous that I wasn't allowed to in school. This season was so much fun and I loved my coach so much.
   Next, I played St. Hugo volleyball in the fall of seventh grade (Even though I switched schools I played here still). I was on the B team because I was in the younger grade. This season was very fun and we had a great team. Also in seventh grade, I played fro the East Hills team in the winter. This was fun too because I was with all my new friends and got elected captain of the team.
    Then, after that season was over I played travel at SuperNOVA. This was fun too because I got to meet so many new people and have a fun spring. When that was over I played eighth grade volleyball at East Hills and was elected captain again. This season was even better than the last. I loved it so much and couldn't wait for high school. I didn't play travel that year but I did do open gyms during the summer.
    Now high school is here and I am planning on playing on JV as a freshman. I am planning on playing travel this year and maybe even doing beach in the summer!
-Olivia Smith-

Tennis Basics

     If you are thinking about being a tennis player, I highly suggest that you do so.  It is very easy to start getting into tennis lessons and groups at a beginning level for fun.  If you are thinking about this, their are some basics that you need to know.  When you start a game against someone you spin the racquet to see who serves.  For example, on a Wilson racquet on the cap (bottom) there is an W or M.  If you call M and  when the opponent spins it and it lands on W then they get to decide if they would like to serve or receive.  If your opponent wins the call then you decide which side you go on. In most women matches you play 2 out of  3 sets to 6 and if you switch sets determining on the tournament, you either play a third set or a tiebreaker to ten points.  Also, to win a game you need to win four points. You start from love meaning zero then it goes 15-30-40-game.  Nobody knows why tennis score is kept like that but it can become confusing if you do not confirm that you know the score.  So therefore, 40-40 is deuce and from there you need to win two more points in a row to win that game.  Every game that you play you switch off serves, you get two serves, if you miss the first serve you get a second serve then if you miss the second serve it is considered a "double fault" which confirms that you have lost the point. 

     Always remember to display good sportsmanship during a match. As there are most likely many parents, other tennis players, and coaches watching you.  In addition, there are also officials walking around and can call points on you if you are not displaying good sportsmanship. It is always important to remember this because even if you do not win the match, you can still win the sportsmanship award for that tournament which is still considered winning!  Its always good to keep a good reputation when it comes to your sportsmanship in tennis. Lastly, remember to always shake your opponents hand when you're done with your match and keep a smile on your face no matter what the results! Tennis is all about the fun.