Reflection #8

I have finished all of my interviews. The last person I interviewed was my dad. I never interviewed my other sister, because I didn't need her answers. But I got a perspective from a coach (my dad) and a player (my oldest sister). I'm working on the bibliography the most. It's due tomorrow, and I'll most likely finish it by then. I met with my mentor recently. He's probably one of the best mentors to ask for. Mr. Terhar (my mentor) will make sure we fully understand how to do something. And will ask us questions frequently so we don't feel to shy to not ask. I'm thinking of different ideas for my display of my 8th grade project. I know I want a poster board with pictures, and the interviews. But I don't know what else I want on the poster board. I will be able to display a softball, jersey, and some softball gear. I'm trying to find out if I can bring a bat to display, which I'll most likely be able too. But I'm not fully sure on that. There's more to the 8th grade project then you think. The reflections are the best part. I know no one else will agree with me, because the people I talk to really don't like the reflections. But I love typing so I really like the reflections.

Reflection 7#

I have almost finished all of my interviews. I just have to interview my sister and I think I will be done interviewing. Other then the interviews I haven't done that much. But what I did was I emailed my dad the interview, because it was easier to copy and paste what he said other then writing it down. I'm not that great of a writer anyways. I asked my sister in person because she was driving and we were on the ferry and we got bored, so I interviewed her. My dads answers are the longest no doubt. My sisters might be longer, but most likely not. But i'm not sure. I haven't talked to my mentor about my project. But I have no need too. I have it pretty much dialed in now. And I know what to do. I'm thinking about finding pictures of me playing softball and printing those out sometime. I'm also thinking of ways to try and make my project the best. But none have come to mind. I'll probably talk to girls I know who are into fastpitch and no the game for ideas of what to make my project better. I learned that if you do your reflections on time, instead of waiting last minute, the reflections are easy to get done. But I know a lot of people who haven't done a lot of their reflections. I'm glad I've gotten them all done and in on time.

interviews

Amanda Cochran
Age: 16
School: South Whidbey High School
Relation: Sister

How old were you when you first started playing softball?
i was around eight or nine years old.

Who got you into softball?
I'm pretty sure it was dad.

How old were you when you started playing select?
I was ten years old.

What do you think the hardest position in softball is and why?
Probably, catcher and pitcher because they require stamina and strength.

Who has been your favorite coach?
Frank Para, he's a local who lives on whidbey.

How many teams have you played for?
I think ten teams, but I'm not for sure.



Clayton Cochran
Age: 49
Relation: Father

Do you like coaching softball, explain?
I enjoy coaching softball for a number of reasons. It has allowed me to spend a lot of time with my daughters as they are growing up, and it has allowed me to teach them about sports and the lessons that it can teach them about life.

Why did you get me and amanda into playing softball?
Amanda and Phalen both wanted to play baseball and softball when they were 5 years old. After learning the sport by playing baseball, they transitioned to softball. I wanted them to play because I think it will help make them well-rounded adults.

Is softball time comsuming?
Softball has been very time consuming, especially given the fact that we live on an Island and have to take the ferry to practices and games. Tournaments last from 8 a.m. Saturday morning until 8 p.m. Sunday night.


What's the best part about coaching softball?
The best part about coaching softball is seeing the players mature and learn to win and lose with respect for their opponents.

What do you believe is the hardest position in softball is?
The hardest position in baseball or softball is catcher. They are the "quarterback" of the team and run the defense. Both Phalen and Amanda were originally trained as catchers before they learned to play other positions.

Do you think getting a division 1 college scholarship for softball is hard to get?
Obtaining a Division 1 College Scholarship is extremely difficult. Only a handful of softball players from the Northwest will get that offer. Once at college on a softball scholarship, the student/athlete has to work extremely hard to keep her grades up while practicing for hours each day and traveling all over the country to play during the season.

Do you think baseball is harder then softball?
Baseball and Softball are two very different games. The two primary differences are that the dimensions of a baseball field are much larger than those of a softball field, and in softball, the pitchers throw underhand rather than overhand like in baseball. Softball is a much faster game and requires excellent reflexes.

Reflection 6#

I started my interviews already. I got to interview one out of three people. I interviewed my oldest sister first. I gave her six questions to answer, and she answered them honestly. The next person I will probably end up interviewing is my dad because my other sister has been busy lately. But I'm most likely going to give my dad a few more questions then I would my sisters because he doesn't play softball but he teaches it. Which is a different view on softball. I haven't had a meeting with Mr. Terhar (my mentor) in awhile. This Wednesday, I will most likely go see him and talk to him about my project. He is a really cool mentor and gives me good ideas about what I should do. I'm glad I picked softball for my 8th grade project, I can't really see me doing anything else. I think if I couldn't do softball I probably would have ended up doing photography. I don't get the chance to do photography, but I think it'd be cool to learn about and explain what you have to go through to do photography. I can't wait to set up my project, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do to display it.

Reflecton 5

I haven't started yet. But I know exactly who I'm going to interview. I was going to interview Wayne Miller, but I don't get the chance to talk to him because he's really busy all the time. I know a few things about him, but not enough to do the interview with him. I'm going to interview three people. The three people are my two older sisters, because they've played for awhile and both play high school softball. Also, I'm for sure going to interview my dad because he's been a coach a billion times now, and he's the one who got me into softball. I haven't done much on the learning of softball history. But I understand the game well. I'm going too learn more about the history, and even research how softball has changed over the years. I'm planning to learn about the first girls who got into softball when it started, and maybe put that into a bibliography. I'm not one-hundred percent for sure on anything just yet. But I have a pretty clear idea what I'm going to do.

Reflection 4#

I didn't start anything yet. I know exactly who I'm going to interview though. I'm going to interview Wayne Miller. I was planning on emailing him and asking him multiple questions about him and how he got involved with softball. Wayne is very experienced with softball. He's been a coach for years now and took his teams to nationals almost every year. He is an amazing coach and is a great person in general. Another person I'm going to interview is going to be my dad. He was the main reason I started softball and loved it. He knows me the best and would be easy to interview. Another person to interview is both of my sisters. Amanda is the oldest and has been playing the longest. Taylor is older then me but younger then Amanda. They both play softball at the High School. Amanda goes to South Whidbey and Taylor goes to Coupeville. So they're archrivals. My mentor is Mr. Terhar. He is a very good mentor. I know I can talk to him about the project whenever I need too. And he gives great advice.

Reflecion #3

I haven't exactly started my project yet. But I know exactly what I'm going to do. I plan on emailing Wayne Miller. Wayne is a gold fast pitch coach for select. I've met him before and he knows me. He is going to be one of the people I interview. If I have time I will most likely interview my sisters or my dad, because they've had experience with fast pitch and know all about it. I haven't accomplished anything yet on my project. I plan on emailing Wayne. And I plan on talking in person with my family members. The three most important things I hope to learn are, one I want to learn about what it takes to get into a division 1 college like UCLA. Another thing I want to learn is how long it takes to get a scholarship. And last, I want to learn the youngest age your allowed to get a scholarship. I haven't done any research recently. But I've been playing in tournaments. Also, I'm playing this weekend. On a 1-10 scale I would say I'm a 3 on progress with work as 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. I picked 3 because I haven't started but I know exactly what I'm going to do. I do not have any questions so far yet. And I do not have any concerns yet, but I am just starting so you never know.