As the title states, I have opened my new and improved site at:
Please come visit me.
Thanks.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Cierra Gaudet - Being A Female Athlete
Being
a Female Athlete
For
the earlier part of my childhood, being a female athlete wasn’t something I had
on my mind or even cared about. I spent most of my days riding my bike, running
freely in the grass and climbing trees.
Grade
2 was when I started understanding what being a female athlete was all about
and the differences between boys and girls natural athletic abilities. I had finally
befriended a group of guys to play with during recess (yay friends!) and was
stoked to just, well, play. The only real thing we did was play tag, but man,
it was intense! My guy friends decided to make it a spectacle and so every
lunch hour a group of them would line up on this little bridge by the
playground and start challenging each other to races up and down this pathway
that was probably 50 metres (so 100m if you went both ways).
At
first it was so exciting watching them all run full speed down the path. I
would always cheer them all on and yell and scream like a wild child. However,
I soon became bored from watching and I desperately wanted to join in on the
fun! I remember when I first asked if I could race, the guys all seemed very
skeptical. I mean, what girl would want to race a guy right? This one did.
Anyways, I finally got my shot and when they yelled “go”, I was ready. I burst
away from the bridge, full steam ahead, like someone had lit my butt on fire. I
was flying down the path. I could feel myself breathing faster and faster and
adrenaline was surging through my tiny body frame. What was even more spectacular
was that I was winning! I remember looking back as I crossed the finish line
first and realized I had just beaten a guy. I was grinning from ear to ear.
That day marked a very important day in my life. That was the day that I
realized, I could hold my own with the opposite sex.
I
went on to win many more lunch time races and in the end was undefeated on the
playground. It really helped me build some confidence in myself as I was really
shy beforehand and now I even had won the respect of most of the guys in my
elementary class. I carried that positive energy forward and made a commitment
to always be the quickest of the girls and to keep up (or beat) the boys. I
became VERY competitive and this is where my days of wearing frilly clothes and
dresses disappeared and instead I rocked those coveralls like any proud tomboy
chick would. It became a game; to be the best. If we were having relay races in
gym class, I had to be first. If we were climbing ropes in gym class, I had to
be first. If we were changing in the locker room, I had to finish first. If we
were running laps around the school at lunch time, I wanted to run the most. I
wanted everyone to know, but mostly the guys, that I meant serious business.
Yes, I was a scrawny little girl on the outside, but I was a force to be
reckoned with if someone tried to tease me.
I
carried this mindset with me right through junior high and high school. It was
a bit harder now as puberty began to set in and the guys were getting bigger
and stronger. Some of them began to surpass me in certain areas, but I always
tried to keep up and be a competitor. If I couldn’t beat them, I at least
wanted their respect. However, I still had high expectations to be one of the
best female athletes and so I began training 5-6 days a week. I began to notice
that I was putting on some muscle which was a nice change. I was getting
stronger and this meant that I could keep up with both sexes. If there was a
pick-up game of basketball going on in the gym, I could join in and the team
wouldn’t be “at a disadvantage”…that was always the goal, not to be looked at
as a nuisance, but to be looked at as a threat. 
For
the most part, I am very happy with who I am today as a female athlete.
Obviously, there comes a point when I had to realize that genetics plays a bit
of a role in my ability versus my male counterpart and so I had to settle with
not necessarily being the best, but being respectable. However, this also
presents a problem, because as females, we shouldn’t have to “impress” anyone,
especially not males when it comes to our natural athletic ability. When I’m in
the gym doing squats, I sometimes see other men glancing at the weight I have
up on the bar and looking slightly puzzled, as if they are questioning my
ability to perform the action. When I successfully complete the set and re-rack
the bar, it feels amazing. But even if they weren’t there to witness me do
that, it would still feel amazing.
My
main point is simply this; I won’t judge you, so why bother judging me? I mean,
we’re all athletes, of various ages and abilities; we should respect one
another for reaching new accomplishments and for taking the initiative to
better our health. We don’t need to put one another down; we need to build each
other up. When I workout now, I always carry respect with me, whether it’s a
smile, a nod or a high-five, it’s important to pass along positive vibes and
not negative ones. Women have come a long way in sport and I think that’s
something that should be recognized. In the end, all I want as a female is
respect, from everyone.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Basic Softball Game Plan
It is always important for a coach to come to the diamond ahead of time and prepared. By extension, it is also important for the players to have an idea what the coach expects out of them each and every game. I have embedded a basic game plan below that goes through basic pre-game prep (e.g. dynamic stretching), concepts to help guide you throughout the game (e.g. positive encouragement and feedback), and finally the post-game which includes a debrief and cool down.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
2014 Stittsville Minor Softball Association Midget Girls Selects Team Announced
The Stittsville Minor Softball Association is proud to introduce its 2014 Midget Girls Selects Team
Welcome to the 2014 Midget Girls Selects team, and congratulations on your hard work. The coaches had an extremely difficult time choosing the team from such an excellent group of young ladies!
The coaches are happy to announce the roster which was finalized late Tuesday evening.
Jenny David
Sara Entwistle
Erika Geoffrion
Taylor Kotuba
Brooklyn McIntyre
Darian Peeling
Kylie Phanenhour
Kayla Prebinski
Sara Prebinski
Ryann Seiler
Bryanna Tisch
The girls are starting their ball season early by joining in the CCFL (Canada's Capital Women's Fastball League) - This is how the schedule looks right now (exact times and locations TBD):
May 26 vs Flyers
June 2 vs Young Gun
June 9 vs Orleans Selects
June 16 vs Young Gunz
July 7 vs Sharks
July 14 vs Orleans Rep
July 16 vs Sharks
July 23 vs Flyers
July 28 vs Orleans Rep
Tournaments:
July 25-27 - Can-Am Softball Shootout (Watertown)
Aug 23-24 - PWSA Provincials (Location TBD)
Now let's hope we can get on the diamonds soon!
Looking forward to a great season.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Citizen of the Capital - The Dream Catchers
Guest blogger: Lena Boyd- Head of TDC’s Photography Team
NEW PROJECT
The Dream Catchers are proud to bring you ‘Citizen of the Capital,’ an on-going project geared to get the Ottawa community more engaged with one another. Our goal with this new segment is emphasize that everyone contributes in their own way to turn a city into a community. Whether it is your local barista, mail man, colleague or a new face, our aim is to document and capture what Ottawa has to offer through the story of our citizens.
Right from the beginning we saw the positive impact that it had, as we experienced firsthand what it was like to become more involved and a part of our community through this project. As the Dream Catchers started to grow and gain momentum, so did our Citizen of the Capital segment. Originally it was done by each executive member of TDC but now we are beyond excited to announce that we have a photography team of 10+ members.
Here are a few examples of profiles we have done!
“I think that respect and integrity are key. But respect among the people of different cultures and communities contributes towards a successful community.
We
asked: “Tell us about a time when someone has done something for you that you
feel you can never repay them for.”
“I want to say thank-you to my dad and my mum for teaching me how to be so polite, always saying please and thank-you. That has always taken me far in life, just small things. Everyone should do the same and I won’t be able to repay my parents for that but hopefully I can pay it forward with other people.”
“I want to say thank-you to my dad and my mum for teaching me how to be so polite, always saying please and thank-you. That has always taken me far in life, just small things. Everyone should do the same and I won’t be able to repay my parents for that but hopefully I can pay it forward with other people.”
In this day and age, as young adults, TDC members are aware of what technology can do not only for us but to us. With smart phones and tablets many of us are plugged into this online world 24/7. We have the ability to connect to anyone at anytime and as this may open doors for new possibilities, if not used correctly, it immediately closes the doors to community right in front of us.
Through this project TDC encourages you to unplug and to use that time to get more involved in your community.
“How to Build Community,” by
Karen Kerney
IDEAS
Get to know your neighbours Greet people
Get to know your neighbours Greet people
Use
your library Organize
a block party
Leave your house Sit on your stoop
Check out Ottawa’s events pages to learn more about different events going on in the city!
PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM
Leave your house Sit on your stoop
Check out Ottawa’s events pages to learn more about different events going on in the city!
PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM
As
head of the photography team, my job is to oversee the profiles for Citizen of
the Capital. TDC’s photography team of
10+ photographers hit the streets of Ottawa, Monday- Friday to have consistent
profiles up on our website. So, get out
there and get involved. Check out our
website to see previous Citizen of the Capital posts and keep an eye out for
future ones to come. Who knows, we may
be sharing your story next!
http://thedreamcatchersinc.wordpress.com/
Friday, May 9, 2014
Softball Canada: Teams announced for 2014 ISF Junior Men’s World Championship
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Mental Health Awareness Week - Happy and Healthy Infographics
•Take
the ‘How To’ Quiz to get your
family eating
healthier, exercising more and living better at healthyandhappy.com.
•Get
tools and techniques from SickKids to take on the challenge of improving
children’s health today at healthyandhappy.com.
•Prevention
plays a critical role in
providing children with the best possible opportunities to lead longer,
healthier and happier lives.
•Children
today may be the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their
parents.
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