Beach Clean UP

So there was this international beach clean up event that happened during Saturday. A lot of schools and people went and obviously our school was a part of it also. The tiring thing was that we had to wake up so early and be there by 6 am, and to find out the cleaning up event started around 7 am. Well it was still nice to see the early sun, so I guess that's something positive about it.

This is I think the first time I've joined a cleaning up service event like this, and honestly saying it was pretty fun. We grouped ourselves into groups of 4 or 5 and each had a few trash bags to clean up. I didn't think that the beach here would be this dirty. There were so many kinds of trash like slippers, bottles etc. Seriously, how hard is it to throw these things in the trash can when we're done with them. I don't think the beach should be treated as a trash dumping place for people to throw whatever they want. That's why I think this event is helpful for us to learn to take care of our environment. The beach is a public area, so we should think about other people that might be using it also.

After the event, I saw a lot of trash bags in the main area and that felt pretty nice. Some parts of the beach became much cleanier, and it feels a lot better to walk on now. I'm glad I was of some sort of help in this event, but I got tired quite fast... - - Oh well this might actually be some good morning exercise. Community Service like this might not be as bad as I thought afterall.

So... It's Been a While...

Been quite a while since I posted something on this blog. Last Friday was a holiday, so we took the chance to invite some outside teams in to our school to play. I was feeling a bit sick on Friday, and I was mostly in bed during Saturday and Sunday. Friday's game was a pretty good experience even if we lost a lot of the sets, but we learned quite a few things. We were learning how to block by watching the spiker now, and how to receive. We shouldn't really be feeling bad about our lost because by failure, we learn. Well, I admit that I was getting frustrated because of my performance on that day, and I felt headaches and vomiting.

Moving on to practice today. It was basically the same practice like before, but we did a little game simulation towards the end of practice. One skill I didn't really get to do today was setting. Even though I was setting a little during practice, during the game simulation, I was playing a spot I played 2 years ago... open! Didn't do as well since now I'm not used to receiving the "first ball". Tells me that I got to be a more well-rounded player. I do like spiking at open though, it's actually quite fun.

*New skill we're practice this week.... umm. sprawling? It's something like diving, and the main objective is to prevent us from falling hard when trying to save the ball. Training for that is Definitely HARD because we have to be low all the time. Legs get sore and loses its usual fast movement, so leg power is something I should work with for the week.

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

Andy Chen

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Boys Volleyball Team

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake:

Volleyball is actually one of my favorite sports, and I really enjoy playing it even though I don't play it really well. It makes me work with other team members, and by that I can gather different skills and make friends. Interaction with team members is very important in Volleyball because this sport cannot be done with only one person. Personal skills may be important, but without teamwork, nothing will work out.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Learning Outcomes *Which Learning Outcomes will this activity touch on? (Check all that apply.)

•  Increase my awareness of my strengths & areas for growth
•  Undertake new challenges
•  Plan & Initiate activities
•  Work collaboratively with others
•  Show perseverance & commitment
•  Engage in issues of global importance
•  Consider the ethical implications of my actions
•  Develop new skills

Goals *What are your personal goals for this activity? How do these goals relate to the Learning Outcomes you selected above?

I would like to develop new skills in Volleyball this year such as being a setter. This is something new that I wanted to try out. Also being in the Team means that I will have to work with my fellow teammates and develop teamwork. Being a senior in the team makes me think that I should be a model and work hard, so that the younger players can follow. This might be hard at first, but I hope to be a better player by the end of the season.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

I hope I can show to the younger players that by working hard every year, they can also play as well as the better players. Basically, I will be the one getting benefits from this activity because it can make me learn how to work with other people and how to deal with situations. I can also learn from the opposing team when we have competitions.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

Volleyball Practice started August 11 and might end around middle of October so roughly 2 months. Practices are monday to friday, 4 to 5:30 pm. We practice in the big gym at school.

Name of Supervisor *

Enrico Tolentino

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)

*Edited Activity Description & Goals

Back up and Spike

Thursdays... normally we were supposed to have a volleyball competition at our gym, however, today we just had normal practice. That's most likely because we're gonna have a lot of games on the next day. We're trying to get prepared for the strong teams that are going to come tomorrow. They seem to be of the same level as the team we played last week... :( got to work hard to win.

Practice today was pretty much ok. We did the same drills and worked on blocking and spiking more. I was feeling a bit feverish and had a soar throat, so I don't think I was in my best condition. During practice though I did some pretty good spikes and sets and hopefully I can put that during competition also. I can finally push my sets a bit now and be more consistant, however, I still got to work on the height of my push.

Something new we actually tried today was the back quick at position 4 on the net. Our coach said this technique is good so we can trick the other team. It was pretty hard to get the feeling since back setting is one of the hardest skills as a setter. We can't see behind us, so it's all up to our feeling. I hope I can use this in the games we have tomorrow.

I'm feeling having a slight fever so this is it for today's practice. Got to work hard tomorrow!

Another Monday Practice & Goals for this week

It's finally been one month since we started practice for Volleyball. During this whole month I think I've improved quite a bit in areas I wasn't that good with, such as setting and spiking. Practices everyday also helped me gained stamina, and now I don't get as tired easily since I'm more fit... Teamwork for our team is coming along pretty well, but as always, it can get better. If everyone could talk on the court and communicate more, then we can play as a much better team, and help people that might be lost.. hitting 2 birds with 1 stone!

Ok, so for the training today, we practically did the same thing we did last friday. Our team members suggested that it was a pretty good way of training, by doing more ball handling on the court and simulation of game situations. It is more interesting because it feels like we are actually in a game, so we can get used to it and play better in real competitions. I started off with setting practice and tried setting to various positions on the net. At first it was a bit hard since my fingers were a bit slippery.. (excuse.. -.-), but I got a lot better later into the practice.

Something that I was happy that I could actually try today was the quick, and the middle not so high set. I could finally try to use it in game situations, and I hope I can use it in the real competition also. I should practice more on quicks, so that our attacks can have more variations. Therefore my goals for this week will be to apply quicks and fast sets in the game we have on Thursday, and Friday (probably). Hopefully... we could win this time and let the team gain some confidence because we'll need enthusiasm for those 2 days. I guess this wraps up for today :D

CAS Proposal : Volleyball Varsity

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

Andy Chen

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Boys Volleyball Team

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake:

Volleyball is actually one of my favorite sports, so I really enjoy it when I can work together with other people and develop skills. It also helps me develop teamwork and learning how to collaborate with other team members. Volleyball is a sport that cannot be played alone and wherein teamwork is essential in playing. This way it gets people to interact with each other and work together as a team.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Learning Outcomes *Which Learning Outcomes will this activity touch on? (Check all that apply.)

•  Increase my awareness of my strengths & areas for growth
•  Undertake new challenges
•  Plan & Initiate activities
•  Work collaboratively with others
•  Show perseverance & commitment
•  Engage in issues of global importance
•  Consider the ethical implications of my actions
•  Develop new skills

Goals *What are your personal goals for this activity? How do these goals relate to the Learning Outcomes you selected above?

I would like to develop new skills in Volleyball this year such as being a setter. This is something new that I wanted to try out. Also being in the Team means that I will have to work with my fellow teammates and develop teamwork. Being a senior in the team makes me think that I should be a model and work hard, so that the younger players can follow. This might be hard at first, but I hope to be a better player by the end of the season.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

I hope I can show to the younger players that by working hard every year, they can also play as well as the better players. Basically, I will be the one getting benefits from this activity because it can make me learn how to work with other people and how to deal with situations.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

Volleyball Practice started August 11 and might end around middle of October so roughly 2 months. Practices are monday to friday, 4 to 5:30 pm. We practice in the big gym at school.

Name of Supervisor *

Enrico Tolentino

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Time sure flies... our 3rd Volleyball Game already!

Today was our 3rd Volleyball Game already after school started. To be honest, I was actually a bit excited after hearing that our opponents today will be a "selected team" coming from Olongapo. I came to the gym quite early to see how they played. When I saw them practicing on the court, it was quite shocking because everyone in their team could hit hard. I could see that they had very good teamwork, so it's going to be a tough match for us.

Our coach told us that the main skill we need today is blocking. Since they have such strong hitters,  blocking will be a skill that we must use against them. I played as setter for the first two sets, and for both we were very close to taking the set from them. We were pretty nervous at first and made a few mistakes, but it is from mistakes we learn. Even though we didn't win any of the sets, we still worked well as a team.

I didn't really use the new skill I learned in practice in our game today because it is still unstable for me. I've got to master on how to set quicks, so it can add to our attacks. I think I did a satisfactory job on setting today because I'm gaining more control, however, my spike approaches today didn't work as well. I'll need to work on that next time during practice... hopefully.

After a Long Weekend... Volleyball Practice

Today we finally had a formal practice/training after the game on Thursday last week. We didn't have a lot of practice last week, so today wasn't a good day for me since it's been quite a while I last played. It took a while for me to get my feeling back.

The drills we did in training today were half on conditioning and half on court playing. I don't think I did as well as I could've today mainly because I was having quite a big stomach ache. During the first half when we were just doing slow exercises it was pretty much ok, but when we got to jumping and spiking, it was getting hard for me because of my stomach ache. My legs and body weren't really functioning as well due to that reason. Many people are getting sick, so I should take care of my health also.

The thing I want to talk about today is, the talk at the end of the practice actually inspired me in some ways. The coach was telling the team about how we do not have enough time left, so we should start working together as a team, and enthusiasm is the thing we need in practice. It let me feel that I should work hard for my place in the team, and also that volleyball cannot be done without 6 players. Teamwork is essential in this sport. The quote of the day for me might be, "Don't wait for tomorrow. Make the most out of today."

2nd Volleyball Competition

Well... Today was our 2nd Volleyball Competition held here in the Brent Gym. I'd say the result of the games was not the best we got. The team came from somewhere around Gordon College if I'm not mistaken, and they were playing very well. They had pretty good players, so it was quite a challenge for our team.

Something I did not do as well today was controlling my temper. Somehow today my mood was all over the place. I threw the ball due to anger and was scolded after : ( . I knew that anger wasn't the best way to deal with that current situation, so I should probably improve on that next time. The other teammates might be affected and not play as well, so I should reflect on that.

I learned quite a lot of things today from the other team also, so maybe I should try out new things in practice tomorrow. I hurt my finger though... -.- but I'm still going to work hard since I can't afford to make the same mistakes in our next competition!