Change Is Inevitable

I've talked to multiple people and most of them say the year has gone by sooooo slowwwwwwwww. Personally, I think this year has been one of the fastest. It is crazy to say that we have less than one month left. Over my freshman year a lot has happened, which causes change.
At the beginning of the year all of my focus was on football and... Preston. I met Preston and we started dating mid August. Football games also started mid August so all of my time was taken up. If I wasn't at football practice or a game I was with Preston or watching him play, and I was totally fine with that. This obviously changed some friendships and made new ones. Unfortunately I stopped talking to some of my friends because I was so hung up on other things, but everything happens for a reason, right?

Preston and I at one of his games at the beginning of the year

Once football ended I had a time chunk before lacrosse. This left me time for homework and overthinking. I made problems with people that weren't even there in the first place. I've changed now by not thinking of billions of scenarios that will most likely never happen. I've also learned to express how I feel and talk about it, it's a lot easier than sending mixed signals and having everyone become confused.
Then lacrosse started. This took up, and still takes up a TON of my time. Throughout the season I've learned to be open minded and talk to new people. From this I've met some of the most amazing friends that I know will be apart of my life for a while. I've also improved and have had the chance to play at a higher level, which I am very thankful for. From this I've learned that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
While I had a lot of stuff going on outside of school, it was always and still is a big priority. I've learned that studying actually helps your GPA and creating relationships with teachers makes school more enjoyable. I've changed my ways of thinking and I am more appreciate of the things I am learning. I know now that I am very lucky for my education and most kids don't get one.
Finally, my personality. I feel like I'm still a happy person, but unfortunately my temper has gotten very short. I've also become a lot more emotional, probably because of Preston. I'm a lot more sensitive, but don't worry I haven't lost my annoying sarcastic side.
Me. Morgan. I'm still the same person. I still like eating until I feel like I'm going to throw up, playing night games during summer, staying up late for no reason at all, playing lacrosse and football, and hanging out with friends. But I have changed. I've changed, some good some bad. Most importantly, I'm happy with the person I am and excited to see what change is to come.

My grandpa and I yesterday having fun in the rain

As you can see I look the same. I've changed on the inside, not the outside ;)

Playoffs: Quarterfinals

Today, May 8, marks the first day of the 2015 season playoffs. This is where all the hard work starts to pay off. Throughout the season we've worked extremely hard. We started tryouts in December and have been practicing almost every day since. We've done multiple team bonding activities and I feel like I've been accepted into a second family. All of our hard work has put us in a very good position for playoffs, first seed. This means we are hosting the game on our home turf and get to play a much lower seed, Juan Diego. While they don't have the best seed they are still a VERY good team. We had the opportunity to place them in Vegas. They are a very aggressive team and have a lot of heart. Juan Diego has a couple girls that played on the National Team with some of our girls and they play very hard. In Vegas we did beat them, but that was three months ago and anyone can improve in three months.
Last night we had practice and tried to emphasize on the small details for the upcoming game. We worked a lot on stick work, ground balls, and 7 v 7. While we were doing a full-field passing drill Kate, on of our defenders, landed hard on her already hurt ankle. She was in a lot of pain and our coach had to help her off the field. She is a starter which means we are all going to have to adjust and work as a unit. Also, it's been raining this past week which can make passing and catching a little more difficult, but that's not an excuse. It's supposed to rain tonight for the game so I am very glad that we practiced in it prior because now we know what to do to fix our mistakes. We also had the chance to do some team bonding after practice and watch the boys play Jordan!

Some of us after our first practice in the rain.

A couple of us watching the boys game looking thrilled.

Looking over the season it's crazy to think that tonight might be our last game with all of us playing together (I don't think it will because I have complete confidence that we will do great, but still). I know that the underclassmen are going to be playing for the seniors and the seniors are going to be playing as hard as they can. We just need to focus on the little details and let Juan Diego make the mistakes.
Come out and support tonight at 7 @ Dozier to watch the Park City girls take on Juan Diego! It'll be an intense and fun game. Wear red!
If girls advance we will being playing the winner of American Fork and Jordan @ Corner Canyon on Thursday at 5. The next game will then be state @ Corner Canyon at 12.
Also, the Park City boys take on Spanish Fork at 5 @ Quinns!

The boys playing on Dozier this past Wednesday, go support tonight!

Both girls and boys are going to try to being back two State Championships again!

Brighton Round 2

This past Tuesday we played against the Brighton girls lacrosse team. We've been preparing for this game for months. When we played them in Vegas we were sloppy and ended up going into overtime. Our coaches told us that we would have to take care of the ball and be smart about every decision.
The morning of, we all wore our PC bleached shirts that our seniors made. Once the school day ended we went to the locker room to get change and waiting for the bus. Most girls were on the bus by three, but we had a little dilemma. We realized that the JV girls and brought snacks, but there weren't any for varsity. Fortunately, one of the moms hurried to the store and got some food. I hadn't eaten earlier to I kind of went a little overboard on the baguettes, rice cakes, and rice crackers.
After what seemed like forever, we got to the field. Most girls went to the bathroom and others warmed up their sticks. We started warmups a little later than usual which slightly panicked most of us. Warmups were rushed which made them sloppy. To get our minds back on track we had a quick powwow with the captains to calm us down and remind us to just have fun.
The game started and I wasn't in the starting lineup. Brighton scored the first two goals and then my coach put me in on defense rotating Ellie Meyer (captain) to midfield. Defense started talking more, stopped multiple crease rolls, picked up ground balls, and got clean clears. Attack also started to settle, focus on our plays, and place their shots. By the end of the half we were up 4-3.
During halftime we had time to catch our breath and talk about what we needed to improve on. The refs blew the whistle a couple minutes later and it was time to play the second half of the game. Our coaches decided to put on the players that came off during halftime, which meant I was going to play.
The second half was crazy. Defense played the best we ever have and only allowed one goal by Brighton. Attack picked up their pace and scored six more goals making the final score 10-4 Park City.

Ellie Meyer passing the ball down field
photo courtesy to: utahlaxnews

Our JV girls also played an awesome game. Being 3-3 at half they knew they would have to pick up the pace in the second half. Their transitions, shots, ground balls, and saves all increased. The team only allowed two goals in the second half and ended up winning 9-5. To hear a more in depth and different viewpoint from the JV game check out Bridey's blog.
Playoffs are coming up soon and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up playing Brighton for a third time.
Make sure to come out and support your Park City Lacrosse girls seniors on Tuesday for senior night! Dozier @ 6:15.

Team Bonding/Sleepover

A couple weeks ago the seniors on my lacrosse team set up a night of bowling and a team sleepover. We had practice on Friday like usual and then carpooled down to the bowling alley in Heber. I'm glad they chose to go down there because it is a lot more layer back and the food is super yummy. We all got there and immediately ordered our food because that was the first priority at the time. Our coaches showed up a little later with our ski goggles. Weird right? Well, it was actually super funny and fun. They thought it would be a good team bonding exercise to make us each have visual impairments when it was our turn to bowl. Some of the goggles were completely blacked out and some partially.

Kate and I getting ready to bowl

Amanda, Ellie, and I left a little early so we could get Dairy Keen (I got an oreo shake which is literally the best thing in the entire world) and feed Amanda's dog. We then took a little pit stop (by little I mean it took half an hour) at Ellie's house to grab a few things. After what seemed like forever we finally showed up at one of our captain's house. They had mattresses and pillows set out in the basement and a big variety of junk food (my favorite). Once everyone got to the house we all sat in a circle and started playing 'never have I ever'. If you've ever played this game you know it can get very raunchy very quick. Most of the upperclassmen  aimed the things they were saying towards the underclassmen to see what we've done for "team bonding". Some of the things we found out were really surprising and funny. We played it for a good hour and the first one to get out was one of our captains, Ellie. We finished a little while after that and everyone swore to keep what had been said at the house, but there are also those people who can't keep things to themselves.
Most of us were pretty tired after, taken that we did have practice earlier. We decided to put a movie on. I got twenty minutes through and ended up passing out.
The next morning we slept in and then went upstairs to eat. Breakfast consisted of doughnuts, fruit, tea, pancakes, and quiche. The food was consumed abnormally fast and everyone hit a wall of being stuffed and tired. One of the seniors, Hannah, took me home after we cleaned up. It was super fun being with the team for a night, we've gotten a lot closer over the past couple of months and I think we're ready to kick some Brighton butt tomorrow!

It All Starts With Someone

When I was little I always watched football with my family. It would be our Sunday routine. We would go to the store and stock up on junk food, put our jerseys on, and watch the game. I always admired the guys that played on the big screen. I looked up to them, not only as athletes, but as people. I always wanted to play football and I strived to be as good as them. Whenever I went to practice I would think about how hard they hit and I always thought I could do the same. You're probably thinking, where are you going with this?
A couple weeks ago I had a girl approach me who wanted to interview me for a school project. I gladly said yes. She wanted to know everything about football. She told me she was inspired by me and that she was thinking of playing.
Also, about a month ago my boyfriend's little sister told me she was so excited because her parents finally said she was allowed to play football.
It's crazy to my knowing that I'm the reason some girls want to play the sport. I'm the guy on the big screen for them.
During the summer I'm excited because I will be able to help coach my boyfriend's little sister, Ella. She will be playing on my little brother's team, who is 44-0. It's nice because my dad coaches the line for their team and that's the position she will be playing and coincidentally the position that I play. I'm so excited to see her progression throughout the year and hopefully she has as much of a blast as I do when I play.
Another exciting thing this summer is GOAT Camp, where I also have the opportunity to coach. GOAT Camp stands for greatest of all time, it is in memory of Aaron Alford (former athletic director that passed away). This is a camp where over 150 kids come from the ages of 8-14 to learn and play the game of football. This past summer there was one girl in the midst of all the boys. She was confident and it was awesome to watch her. It's an easy and fun camp for girls to get the feel of playing with the boys without any contact. I'm encouraging more girls to go and hopefully I get to have the privilege of coaching some of them.

Coaches and high school players at the Goat Camp this past summer

Seeing these girls looking up to me has inspired me to do better. Knowing that I'm a role model to even one person is mind blowing to me. You never know these girls might start varsity some day, more girls might start playing, a girls league may form. It all starts with someone. One motivational person can give someone the last push to do what they've always wanted.

Regular Season

The regular season has finally started for lacrosse. Although this adds on to everyones already busy schedule, it's honestly on of the best times of the year. We have had two home games and two away games so far.
For away games we wear Park City Lacrosse attire to school to be comfy. For the past two games we have left right away school on a Charter bus. While the bus is very nice, it makes me so so nauseous. Whenever I'm on it I have the urge to jump out a window. The bus rides usually consist of our pump up playlist blasting, eating, gossiping, putting cleats on, and more eating. The rides have only been about an hour which isn't bad at all. Once we get to the school we usually take a quick bathroom break and then get warmed up. Warm ups go by really fast and before I know it it's time for stick checks. Our coaches give us a pep talk, we do our cheer, and then the game is in full blow. The past two away games we have had have been against Riverton and Bingham. The games have ended being a lot to a little with us winning both.

Me at one of our away games

Our schedule is a little different when we have home games. It starts at the beginning of the day when we dress up. Most people wear dresses or skirts. It's a hassle to find something cute, but the team ends up looking really good. Home games don't start until 6:15, so our warmups start at around 5:15. We usually go out and grab some food and hang out until we have to get tapped or start icing. Right before warmups some of the seniors go up to the booth and turn on our "pump up" playlist. This consists of Britney Spears, Eminem, Sean Kingston, Jack Johnson, and a ton more (we like to be diverse). We then do our warmups (4 v 3, 2 v 3, shuttles, and stretch), dance a little, do stick check, and finally the game begins.
I've played quite a bit the past two games which is good because my parents got to watch! I also got to start last night against Viewmont because they are a Division II team.
Once the game ends we do a cheer and shake hands with the other team. When the games are home we have a talk about the game on the track and hand out Karen (a stuffed animal for the MVP of the game). We also have the privilege of watching a half of the JV game!
So far both Park City team are undefeated and hopefully it continues! Check out Bridey's blog to hear more about the JV team.

Retirement and Trades

It has been an extremely sad week in the football world. Many teams have been gaining amazing players, while the Niners have lost what seems to be their entire team. To start off, the Niners did not re-sign Frank Gore. The Indianapolis Colts saw that as a great opportunity to snatch him up. He will probably be their starting running back which will definitely be a threat to many teams. Gore was one of the core offensive players, the team could always count on him to gain a couple yards, convert third downs, and score touchdowns. He is an amazing football player and it was really sad to see him go.
One of my all-time favorite football players will also not be playing for the Niners this year, or any team to be exact. Patrick Willis, a six time All Pro and seven time Pro Bowl linebacker. One of the greatest linebackers ever to play in the NFL, in my opinion. He was one of the reasons I wanted to play football so badly. I grew up watching him and my entire family would root for him every Sunday. He has a big heart and love for football. At the age of thirty he decided it was time to retire from the NFL. Football, while it is very fun, it is extremely hard on the body. The biggest concern of his was getting any sort of head injuries. Many players have brain damage from the sport and he knew he did not want to risk it. I respect his decision. His legend will live on for a long time. He will definitely be missed.

Patrick Willis announcing his retirement
photo from: http://www.mercurynews.com

Chris Borland also will be leaving the Niners and the NFL as a whole. At the young age of twenty-four Chris Borland decided he didn't want to play football anymore. This ties back to the ongoing injuries many have to endure while playing the sport. This past season was his first with the Niners. He was one of the main defensive players and was Willis's "fill in" when he had his toe injury. Borland surprised many with his hard hits and impressive field awareness. You could count on him to fill any hole and cover any and every part of the field. His retirement was unexpected, but he left with a good year behind him.
Last and finally not least, the Niners lost their head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was having arguments with the franchise and transferred to be the head coach at Michigan. While many though Harbaugh was crazy, I really enjoyed him. He had a winning record and loved the guys. This year will not be the same without him and the team will definitely have to adjust to the new coaching of Jim Tomsula.
Many changes were made, but hopefully there will be improvement made. I'm looking forward to see how next year goes. Leave a comment and tell me who you think will win next year's Superbowl!