Blog 12

5 People 5 Things

People:
1. John and Lisa Spears -parents
2. Ryan Marsh -friend
3. Bob Ferraro -uncle
4. Erik Johnson -friend/mentor
5. Joanna Spears -grandmother
6. Karl Janousek

Things:
1. No fielding errors
2. Hit 500
3. Take ground balls at least two times a week
4. Spend more time with my family
5. Be responsible on the weekends

blog 10

Blog #9

This next semester I would like to accomplish many things but the most important to me and something that has not been done at SRV in a long time is win NCS.  Our baseball team this year is going to have a ton of fun and I want to do everything I can to be in the big game at the end.  The actions I am going to take in order to better mine and my teams chances of achieving that great feat will be related to baseball and the amount of work I put into the game.  I know that clearly winning NCS is not a personal goal it obviously takes a team effort but there is nothing more I would rather strive to accomplish at this point of my life.  One major interruption that could get in the way of my goal is injury.  That is why I am going to dedicate myself to be in the best shape I can be in and still party at the same time.  There is nothing that i need in order to accomplish this goal everything is already set for me and my teammates to accomplish it.  I am exited to get started!

Final

This semester has gone by so quickly it scares me. I think partially due to the fact that I am in IQUEST and I get out of school at 12:35 helps but still time flies. One thing that I love about the IQUEST class is the opportunity it gives me to do the things I love everyday. Baseball is what I love doing and by having that extra 2-3 hours during the day makes a huge impact. I spent over 6 hours on average a week working on my game and getting better. IQUEST has allowed me to become a better baseball player and that is awesome. I try to take 100 swings a day and take 100 ground balls a day. I don't always reach that goal everyday but I try my best to make up for it on days when I have more time. There are so many positive aspects about the class. I get the freedom to do what I love and there is nothing better than that. It's hard for me to think about the negatives because there is none. I get high school credit for not being at school. There is not much more that a senior could ask for to be honest. All the time I have people coming up to me and telling me how lucky I am and I just laugh and tell them that they are the stupid ones for not taking the class. It's a no brainer. If you have a passion IQUEST is the class for you. One thing I have learned about myself is that hard work really does pay off and I've been able to really see that due to the time given to me through IQUEST. I plan on making little to no change in my routine for the second semester. The baseball season is right around the corner and I can not wait! 

Blog # 7 Ted Talk

Richard St. John
8 Secrets of Success
Monterey California 2005

I enjoyed this Ted talk because it showed me how to become successful from a different point of view.  Everyone has their own ways of reaching success but hearing a new way of how to obtain it is always a good thing in my mind.  There is no such thing as bad motivational information.  Anything that has the possibility to help you is something that should be noted.  Recently in my life I have begun to actually listen to people who are trying to help me and it has made a huge difference in the way I look at the world.  Being open minded can truly have a positive impact on your life.  I would recommend this Ted Talk to anyone who is willing to gain knowledge on success because of the way Richard St. John presents the information.

Blog 6

So far this experience I have had with IQUEST has been nothing but great.  The fact that I get out of school at 12:35 is such a great advantage.  I have been improving on everything I have set my mind to and I don't have to go to school!  How great is that?! I get to do the thing I love everyday and I get school credit for it.  There is not a better class I have ever taken in my life.  I thought maybe I would get lazy and sometimes not strive to complete my goals but so far I have not let anything stop me.

There are challenges along the way and I have come across some.  Sometimes I just "do not feel like doing anything" but I just remember that everyone else is still at school.  I figure if they are going to be at school, I might as well be doing something productive.  One of the most gratifying part of my journey was last week.  Signing my National Letter of Intent was one of the most satisfying moments of my life.  My hard work finally paid off and now its time to keep doing what got me to this place.

The people that have helped me out the most throughout this journey deserve a lot of credit.  My coach Erik Johnson is the one person that has helped me more than anyone else and I wouldn't be where I am without him.  My family obviously have been there the whole time by my side and without them as well I would not be where I am but that goes without saying.  Nick Moroney is with me everyday and I like it sometimes because he is great friend and a great workout partner.  Sometimes he is annoying but I get over it.  I love this class and I am thankful for the opportunities it gives me!

Pete Rose

I chose to do my project on Pete Rose.  He was a major league baseball player and is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game.  The way he played the game earned him the nickname "Charlie Hustle".  Without even doing any research I think anyone would be interested in learning more about someone with that kind of nickname.  My uncle who played minor league baseball loved Pete Rose and would always talk about him to me when I was growing up about how he played the game at such a high level at all times and that I should also do the same if I ever want to be good.  I have tried to take that advice my entire life and so far it has payed off extremely well.

I have an idea of who Pete Rose is as a player but what I am more interested is who he is off the field and how he became so great.  I want to learn about his early life and see if it compares at all to mine.  If it does great, if not then so be it! One thing I do know off the top of my head about Pete Rose is that he is the all time leader in hits in the major leagues.  He got more hits than anyone has ever got in the history of the game.  A game that has been played for over one hundred years!  There is clearly a lot I still need to learn but I feel that it will be easy because of my genuine interest on the topic.  I can't wait to get started.