Motivating news

Usually the current news bores me ... seems like the stories are the same old ones recycled from last year. If it's not lackluster then it's depressing; other child abuse case, another murder on the streets, another teenage hooligan was arrested. Maybe it's age that fuels my cynicism.

However this week was different. A commercial jet doesn't crash everyday, and never can I remember a large plane wreck that didn't have any casualities. I have to say that I have been encouraged hearing about the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River.

Watching news reports and recaps of Thursday's event amazes me at how 155 people on the plane had to work together beyond selflessness to get everyone out safely. With today's economy sinking and all the political conflict in the middle east this sends a message of hope to most.

Could it be that this event happened simply because the country needed an inspiring story to lift our spirits?

My 2009 Resolution

This is going to be a difficult one to tackle. I am going to reclaim the status of pack-leader of our house.

Seven years ago come April 1st (yes, can you believe it, April fools day) we adopted Buster. His name was Chuckie (should have been a clue) and he was a 3 1/2 yrs old miniature pinscher. Within the first week he had bit me several times and also a few neighbors who ventured into our yard. Within a month I established that I was the alpha but was still having a hard time controlling him so I got a remote-controlled shock collar. This little device did wonders, and by his 4th birthday he was a pretty obedient dog but still troubled by anxiety.

Fast forward 6 years and I guess I haven't been a very good pack-leader because I think he feels he needs to step up to the job. He is very territorial in our house and feels he needs to protect everything important to him, including me and Riley.
Maybe I've been watching too much Cesar Milan, but that guy is amazing with dogs. I've learned signs of Buster showing dominance that I previously thought were harmless affectionate gestures.

In conclusion, by the end of 2009 I'd like to have better control over my dog and to do this I'm going to adhere to Cesar's rules of giving Buster: Exercise before Discipline, and Discipline before Affection.

1. Exercise: I've started putting him on the treadmill but I think it just makes him more anxious. I'm pledging to take him on a bike ride of the temp is 20-85 degrees. I usually take him running outside with me outside but he wants to go faster than I can go. Last weekend we went for a 3 mile ride and he loved it averaging almost 8 mph! I think with a little conditioning he can go 12 mph.
2. Discipline: this will be more difficult and I have to get Riley to cooperate. I figure if he is physically worn out he will be more obedient.
3. Affection: this is the easy one!

Congrats to tournament champions SANDSHARKS! Riley's first tournament of the year was this past weekend and they won it all. Though Topeka is only 75 miles away the team decided to go early and have some fun in the local Holidome. The kids swam and played while the parents hung out and played some cards.

There are two 12-yr old teams in Riley's club this year with 16 girls in total. The "12-1" team which is similar to varsity and the "12-2" is the junior varisty. Riley is the only girl from last year to play on the 12-1 team. Four girls from last year's team play on 12-2 and another 4 went to different clubs. Last year's team had a lot of attitude and drama involved and Riley had a very difficult time dealing with and overcoming this.

Let me just say .... Riley's team this year is wonderful. They are all very supportive of each other and if one person is down the others do their best to bring them up. Over the winter school break Riley spent a lot of time with two of the new girls and I think she is considering them her best friends now. The team has a lot of talent but I think what helps them the most is that they are friends off the court.

The first part of a vball tournament is pool play. This is where the teams are broken into pools of 5 teams and they play round robin (all teams play the other 4 in their pool). After pool play, the three teams with the best records move onto a single elimination tournament. There were two pools (10 teams) in this tournament and this is a picture after Sandsharks 12-1 won their pool.

Since they received a bye in the first round of tournament play, they only had to win 2 matches (best 2 of 3 games) to win the whole thing. The first match was against a mediocre team with amazing paience that they beat 2-0 in pool play, but one game was a very close 27-25. A 3rd game was needed in the tournament match but they won 15-9 and moved onto the finals!

The final match was against a team that won most of the Topeka tournaments last year and finished the 11's season ranked #2. In pool play they split each winning a game 25-19 and they barely nudge them out of winning the pool. The girls were focused but tired. They won the first game and lost the 2nd requiring a 3rd game. The 3rd and final game was neck-and-neck all the way but the Sharks pulled it off and won 17-15!!

Another good thing about these youth tournaments is that there are no referees. Each team is responsible for reffing other games (with a little bit of coaches help at this age). This ensures the girls know the complete rules and teaches them that refs are only human and make mistakes. Riley has wanted to top ref forever and she finally got the chance.

And one more picture to share. Are these the cutest little 5-yr olds that you ever saw???? Thomas and Isabella are younger siblings of the team.