Apology

This is an apology for treating my elders with no respect. I am sorry that I back talked some people on here because I did not appreciate what they said and did even after I had already fixed the problem. I shouldn't have done anything and should have just let it go.

Oh my...

Yesterday was probably the worst games practice we have ever had, at least on the guys side.

We practice basketball and we actually did well on that. I am getting slightly better on my bounce passes, but I really need to practice them. Then we switched to balloon and.... I can't tell you how large a disaster it was. We were AWFUL. A couple of people were pretty much perfect, with one, maybe two mistakes. But some people were ramming balloons into the ground, throwing them up in the air, not getting them far enough back, not in position, dropping the balloon when it was passed to them. It was just embarrassing. I think at one point, we were at 18 seconds. Our best time was 11.02 and even that is not good... it is better than I had hoped for, but not nearly good enough. After we couldn't get it perfect three times in a row, I said "We have to stop, this is going no where fast." So we did tug. I actually did pretty well. Ben and I won the first round against Andy and Brian and Jonathan and Jeff. Then I lost the second time because someone slid half way to the other person's side and gave them an easy win. After this, we did bean bag and I couldn't do what I had been hoping despite doing it perfectly the first time. I was really disappointed in myself.

When I got there, I was expecting to get mad easily because I was having a really bad day. Then I decided to hope that practice would help block it out, which it did somewhat, but it was still affecting my play a little.

I don't know... things, from my perspective, don't look so good

Tryout day!

It took long enough, but the day finally came and we had tryouts.
So we only have six guys, but we had nine girls, so the girls were really the ones trying out. Everyone was completely nervous, and the only ones who did well were the ones who knew they were on the team, whether by default or by the fact that they know they are better athletes.
Because you have all been faithful reader (more or less?), I have decided to post the names of the people who made it onto the Summit team. I'm not going to post who didn't make it to save them from any embarrassment they might feel.

Girls
Arielle
Rose
Shannon
Shaney
Rachel W
Rachel B
Rebecca

So there is your 2008 Grace Covenant Summit Games Team.

In other news, last night was the worst I have ever played. I'm not discounting the fact that I was having and off night in general, but if you were watching me, it is safe to blame the majority of my failures on my footwear. I was on tug. I was on the outside of the circle, I sit down. I SLIDE forward like I was wearing rollerblades on asphalt, as opposed to rubber on carpet. I looked like I was watersking the second time in tug. My feet started slipping out from under me and I reached my hand back to get my balance and the rope left my hand. In agility, I keep slipping around the corners. I really want some running shoes.

That's all I've got fro now

Catching Up To Where We Are

I have not had extended internet access since Sunday, so I am going to catch the few people who read this blog up on what has happened this week.

MONDAY: NOVEMBER 26, 2007
Mondays at 5:30, we have Summit Games Practice. Some people decided to eat Tacos, literally, five minutes before we started running, so they spent half the night in the bathroom. The girls didn't practice a whole lot. Seeing as there were only five or six of them anyway and two of them spent half the night ready to throw up, they didn't get a whole lot done. Even if they had, I wouldn't be reporting it because I wasn't really watching what they were doing. I can, however, tell you how the guys did.
We started out with a game that improves agility, speed, and endurance. It would have gone well except for people started walking instead of running.
Then we started playing balloon relay. Brian (best friend for those who don't remember) and I were wondering who was faster at the beginning so we tested it. Brian had told me Shaney thought that he was much faster than me. We lined up on the line and Everett judged. He said that we were the same and that there was no difference. We had already determined that I am faster off the back line so I am going to end up being 1st in balloon relay and Brian is going to be 5th.
We moved on to basketball relay and I threw a lot of passes. I don't even remember what happened next (If anything.)
The night ended.

THURSDAY: NOVEMBER 29, 2007
I got there and there was barely anyone there. When people started showing up, we worked on handoffs. After that, we did warmups and stretches. We moved on to tug.
We did two on two on two and I got paired with a guy who had never tugged and frequently let go of the rope. So I was basically pulling by myself. I surprised myself and did really well. I came with in about three inches of getting my beanbag. When I reached back, we lost it and got pulled forward. I planted and we held for about 30 seconds until another team got it. Everyone was shocked because two of the people who are doing tug at Summit got beat by people who aren't going. I didn't believe it and I measured it. Sure enough. Their beanbag was two feet closer than ours. When tugging, the back person is usually right on the white circle line. From that spot, the bean bag is ten feet back. So ours being 10 feet and the other team being 8 feet is a BIG difference. There beanbag was only 4/5 of the way to where it was supposed to be. But no matter, I shocked myself when I found out I could be really good at tug when I wanted to be.
We played some basketball relay and my arms hurt really badly from tug so I was in center one round, the Brian, then we just kept passing it off and everyone took a turn or two in the center. We worked on this and my bounce passes weren't very good.
We played bean bag bonanza after this. I had a pretty good idea and it worked. It apparently looked pretty amazing. The second time I tried it, I tripped and it didn't work like it did the first time. But I'm going to keep practicing and work on it for locals and if it works well there, I am going to do it at Summit.
That is really all I have to report as far as practices.

My co-captain and I got in a fight about her being biased and how I apparently do everything Brian tells me to do. I don't do what Brian tells me to do but, because we are best friends, we almost always have the same ideas and opinions. That being said, I take into account what he thinks and he is usually happy with what I decide to do. So ya, Arielle (co-captain) and I aren't too happy with each other at this point.

National Fatness Day

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I have come to a harsh conclusion

I am not doing so hot as a leader. I realized that last night. I need to work on not letting my personal feelings influence the way I handle the responsibilities I have been given. I also want to work on not being a hypocrite like other people.

Matthew 7:2
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Last night, someone said something to me about how I was acting. I knew that what they were saying wasn't true, and then I started thinking about that person and how they were throwing rocks in a glass house. I ended up thinking "You're one to talk, look at what you have done thus far." This led me to remember this verse and it got me thinking. As a leader, part of my job is to tell people if they are not doing something correctly. According to this verse, the only time I should do this is after I am sure I am not doing the thing that I am telling someone else to fix. If I am doing what I tell someone else not to do, I am putting ammunition in the empty guns pointed at me.

That is my super serious thought for the day. On to happier news! Last night we had our first "Summit Conditioning" meeting. I had eaten an entire jalapeño pizza two hours before I went because I forgot that we were having it. Needless to say, I was dying on the sprints. I was completely fine with everything else though. The lunges hurt, but the running while pushing a car wasn't too bad. There is always room for improvement though. I watched people practice and thought about which events they would be best in.

For the Fame of His Name

The Goings On of the Above Date

For the last three days, I have had a sore throat, multiple headaches, and a cough as a result of the sore throat. I wasn't planning on going to Games Practice tonight, but my mother came home and got me at 5 so I ended up going. On the way there, I was completely sick. The smell of my sister's barbecue sauce for her Wendy's french fries made me want to hurl. The pain reliever hadn't kicked in yet, so I my head was pounding. I had green tea for my throat, but it was hot so I couldn't drink it. By the time I got to AWANA, the pain reliever was working, my green tea was cooled down a little so I was perfectly fine 5 minutes after I arrived at Grace Covenant (amazing as it is).

All we worked on was basketball relay, which was sorely needed. I'm games captain so I pick who does what event. Somehow, I ended up in the middle for basketball relay? Not one time did I say that I was going to be in the center. I'm not sure how I ended up there, but apparently it was understood. Is it because people think I am that good at basketball relay, or because people think I am unfair, arrogant, and want to do everything myself? I don't know, nor do I care. Doesn't matter in this story. What matters is the fact that I threw over 200 passes in an hour, and that I am getting better.

We had a summit meeting tonight at Joe's Crab Shack (nay!) It was sort of a waste because we didn't do anything. But, apparently, I am supposed to be making summit games shirts. "uuummmmmmmm.... okay?"

Also, I was completely caught off guard tonight. I said something about someone breaking the rules during games and the person came over and SLAPPED me across the face! I got up and rushed said person, but I backed off. I am still livid, but I am sure that it will wear off. I am going to let God deal with it. And when he does, I am going to laugh my butt off twice over.

Games Practice 4

Today, we didn't practice any AWANA games during practice. Instead, Everett Timmons ran us through every exercise of which he thought. Lunges, shuffles, crunches, push ups, and everything else under the sun. This happened 4 1/2 hours ago and I am still sore. I took account of those who were not there without a reason. (For the record, if anyone was there who was wondering why Shaney, Arielle, and Brian weren't there: Shaney was flying to a funeral in California, Arielle had soccer practice and then drove all the way from San Marcos, and Brian was at a debate meeting which he was obligated to go to because he missed the last two meetings due to coming to AWANA.) If anyone else had a good reason NOT to be there, I suggest you tell me because it might end up costing you.

It was good though. I saw a lot of people just get up and quit. I was also very impressed with one girl (unfortunately, I don't know her name to give her full credit). She put a lot of effort into everything and she isn't even going to Summit. Too bad.

This was a much needed reality check for everyone, including myself. We have a long way to go before we are getting anywhere at Summit.

I am still upset with the hand that I have been dealt for the third straight year, but I am coming to grips with the fact that this is what I have and I need to make the best of it. I am also upset that I have to rework the entire strategy in the matter of a few weeks. I had worked on the old one for months.

And now I am upset with several leaders and their judgments of what I have to say (see below post), but they are entitled to their opinions.

That's all I have to say for for now.

Hopes Through a Paper Shredder

My mind is troubled and I don't even know where to begin.
I had high hopes for this year. I thought that we might actually have a chance to win the whole thing in games. All of this has changed since the knowledge that five people who I had been planning on for my "good" games team came to my attention. Not to mention that unless a miracle happens, I am not going to be picking anything more than who runs what events. At the beginning of the year, Brian and I had been trying to decided between the best of the best for out good games team. Now, we don't even get to pick the best of the worst. I am going to be stuck with the people I was not even going to consider putting on the games team.

I have been completely blown over two years in a row. First, we had enough people for two games team but they split up the talent and neither team got past the second round (not to mention, the other team was carried by two people and people who did not deserve to win ended up getting first place in locals.) Second year, we didn't have enough people for two teams and because it was based on seniority, my best friend didn't get to go, despite the fact that he was probably the fourth best athlete on the team. I am not at all fired up about being screwed all over again.

I am making some completely radical decisions at the moment (I don't mean radical in the sense that they are amazing, I mean to say that they are aggressive.) Quite frankly, I hate to go through with some of them, but at this point, it is nothing but eliminating the worst possible outcome and taking the one that is merely bad.

God, you never seem to listen to a word I have to say. Maybe it is because I have no faith, but put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel about asking the supreme ruler of the universe to orchestrate events so that you can have what you have wanted for the last three years? Wouldn't you feel small, not to mention arrogant, prideful, and selfish?

NOTE: I know that I am extremely frank in this post. I know that some people, if they read this, will get offended, but I think that everyone should know exactly where I stand and why I am where I am. If you are offended, you can quit reading.

Before My Eyes

My plan is falling apart. I have been planning this summit since May, and now I am watching it fall apart before my eyes. We had the guys almost completely planned out: Me, Brian, David, Ryan, Brennan, and Tres. The girls I had no idea about, but we were counting on a girl named Alex from Wisconsin to play with us.

Brennan will not be able to even go to AWANA anymore, let alone Summit. And in the space of 19 hours, I leanred that David, Ryan, and Alex are not going to be coming with us either.

What THIS means is that I have to go through and replan the entire scheme. I am not looking forward to this. I have a lot of work to do.

Games Practice 3 (My First)

Due to circumstances out of my control, I was unable to attend the first two practices. Last night was the first practice to which I have gone. I threw basketball relay for 30 minutes straight last night and my arms are now paying the price. It hurts to extend them.
I have a lot of areas that need work. Apparently, I slap the ball, my bounce passes aren't as accurate as I would like them to be, I need to get the ball out of my hands faster, and get a better jump out of the triangle.
I was not to impressed with the people there. There were some I thought were awful that surprised me by being adequate and some I assumed were good at basketball that were not quite there.
I am having a hard time with this thing. I know I am significantly better than just about everyone at AWANA when it comes to athletics and games and that sort of thing. Its not that I try to brag about it, I am sincerely trying not to do so. However, I am easily frustrated at the incompetencies of others and I often times let it show. I have two options, quit trying or start screaming. If I quit trying, it helps me to relax a little bit more, I don't feel angry at people because I am doing my part and they are messing it up, and I am able to shrug it off when somebody messes up. But when I do this I come across as a jerk who doesn't care. If I start to get angry, obvious what happens there, everyone and their moms (QUITE LITERALLY) get angry at me.

I'm not sure if I need patience because I sincerely doubt that waiting for people to stop messing up is going to help me. I guess I need peace to just deal with it without getting upset.

I have nothing to say so I am writing

I have nothing to say about AWANA last night because I was not impressed and I was not really let down. Although someone did say something that was pretty discouraging because I had them pegged for someone who actually cared about games and Summit and then they said it and it changed my view.

I tried to get this guy name Rae Toussaint to come play with us at Summit, but I found out yesterday that he lives in a dorm at St. Stephen's and can't. I was only slightly let down because I wasn't planning on him being able to come but it would have been a nice surprise.

Further news: I am still waiting to have tryouts. I wanted to start practicing as soon as possible, but that is definitely not happening :\ For now, we have to stick with informal practices. I don't like them, but at the moment, that is all we have so I have to live with it.

I wonder what it is like to be one of the people having to wonder and wait to see about making the A team vs making the B team. All I have to worry about is making people upset by not picking them over someone else, as bad as that is going to make me feel. At this point though, it is about the team and not about them or me. The best people will play, hopefully those people will be the ones that really care about Summit because if they aren't, I lose too. I don't get a second chance. This is it for me. Hourglass still running.

For the Fame of His Name...

Site Title and Signature

I am sure that everyone who reads this will be familiar with the term "Scholarship Camp" so I will not bother defining it.

My first year at camp I was 13 years old and going into my 8th grade year. My friend Michael and I were completely obsessed with ultimate frisbee and wanted to play badly. I know we were not the best out there at the time, but give us a break. We were 13 and 14 and we were playing with college freshmen. NO one would throw us the frisbee so we basically played defense the entire time. The people I looked up to were Ned AKA Superman, and Nathan. I wanted to be just like them. Ned was amazing and no one could touch him. Nathan Didlake actually let us play though. He would throw us the frisbee every chance he got. That made a big impression on me because he didn't have to do any such thing. I decided on the second to last day of camp that I was going to be like both of them when I was a senior in high school.

I am looking back at the moment and I have only done half of this. I have been picked first for ultimate frisbee in every game I have played since Junior year. No one I have met can defend me and no one can catch like me, or so I am told. I am every bit as good, if not better, than "Superman" ever was. This is only half of what I told myself I was going to be. I had said that I was going to be like Nathan and give the kids younger than me a chance. I am only remembering all this as I read it. Everett Timmons, on of our Summit leaders, gave the seniors a book called "Next Generation Leader" It is REALLLY good. But in the book, Andy Stanley says that a good leader is marked by the legacy he leaves behind and the people he helped to train to replace him. Well, I haven't been too good about that. I have been so busy for the last 5 years trying to get myself to the position that I am now in that I have completely blown off bringing anyone up with me. If Nathan had been like me, I would have become discouraged and, in all likely hood, would not have fallen in love with Ultimate and would not have the goal of scoring two hundred goals in my senior year alone. Nathan left a legacy AND had people he was helping to become like him. Ned, a year younger than Nathan, got up and joked one night about being the treasurer for the Nathan Didlake fan club because of what Nathan had told him one night in cabin devotionals. Basically, Nathan did everything right.

I have only talked to Nathan ONE time since then, and the other day I accidentally found my way onto his blog and I read it and he is having a tough time with some things. I don't know him hardly at all so all that I know is that he is not content with where he is at. That is all I know and I am not here to talk about him, I am talking about me. Nathan deleted his facebook and his blog two days ago for this reason. Because he wanted to be alone. So I basically have no way to talk to him or find out how he is doing. But I am praying for him just the same.

On his blog, Nathan always signed it off by saying "for the fame of His Name". This is extremely true and what I want to live by for the rest of my life, especially during Summit when it will be so easy for me to take credit for everything we do. That is the end of yet another very long post.


For the fame of His Name...

Introduction

I reside in Austin Texas and, for AWANA, I go to Grace Covenant Church. My name is Marcelo Gonzalez and, somehow, I ended up being the games team captain for our team. Two years ago I would have never thought that I would be in the position I am in now. But through different circumstances, change in leadership and rising interest in Summit, I ended up having a lot of responsibilities.

I don’t know how any of your churches have run things but this is the first time Grace Covenant has done this. We are taking a 25 passenger bus. One seat is for the driver, two for our leaders, and twenty two for participants. We are going to be taking two games team, eleven people on each team. The only time we ever took two teams, we split the talent up onto the two teams so that they were “evenly” matched. Since then, we have undergone a mass change in leadership. The new leadership is concerned about two things: doing well and enhancing the students’ abilities in life. They know that we aren’t going to do well if we split up the talent so this year, we are going to have one team that is full of the people who are best at games, and then another team for those who did not make it but still want to compete.

I, the youngest senior in our club, was chosen by the two leaders going to Summit, Frank and Everett, to be the games captain for the “stacked” team. When they told me this, I was excited and forgot to ask what exactly that entailed. I was assuming it would be to make sure everyone’s feet were behind the color line and that we were cheering our team on. I asked Frank what being “captain” meant. He told me that I would be in charge of the tryouts for which people made it on the good team and which ones did not. In addition, I am in charge of picking what people who make the team end up in what event.

At this point in time, it appears that I have unbridled reign over the good games team. It is exciting, terrifying, and upsetting all at the same time. Exciting because I will have the things I have wanted since I started Summit, terrifying because I want to do well and now that so much rests on me, if we don’t a lot of it is my responsibility, and upsetting because, from the looks of things, there won’t be a whole lot of seniors on the good team. I feel sorry for them because I know they want to do well, but they way I am going to end up setting up the team, they won’t fit in that plan. This is long enough for my first post. That gives you the basics of what my year of Summit will be about and where I am coming from.

…131 days until the first test…
…191 days until Summit…
…194 days until the finale…

My hourglass is running down…