Tag: sports

Film Review — F1

StrawberryMushroomLeave a comment

On paper, F1 is a very standard and generic sports story filled with familiar narrative and character cliches. An old, grumpy veteran reluctantly working with a younger, cocky rookie, eventually growing to appreciate the people around him and rediscovering his love for a sport, is not groundbreaking storytelling for the sports genre. And yet, the cast and presentation elevate the viewing experience beyond this basic premise.

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris have such magnetic and charismatic chemistry that made their seemingly cliché dynamic a delight to watch unfold. Their acting and rapport were certainly a primary factor that contributed to the film’s enjoyability.

Furthermore, all audio and visual aspects of the film are breathtaking, amplifying the intensity and excitement of the racing sequences to their utmost limit. The cinematography and directing were particularly miraculous, leaving me questioning how they were able to pull off what they did with the camera.

However, my biggest issue is the romance subplot between Sonny and Kate. Much like Top Gun Maverick—another film directed by Joseph Kosinski—scenes that serve to explore the protagonist’s relationship with their love interest ultimately drag out the viewing experience without contributing much to the rest of the narrative. The bloated 2-hour 35-minute runtime could definitely be condensed if these scenes were reduced or even removed entirely.

Despite its flaws, F1 holds a special place in my heart. The movie came out during a time in my life when I, too, was questioning the worth of a sport that was once so important to me. I believe that this film played a significant role in restoring my fleeting passion for this sport. The “flying” scene and “it’s not about the money” quote stick out to me in particular; sometimes, we are drawn by a purpose beyond mere winning or recognition.

Five things we learned watching the first official F1 movie trailer | Top Gear

PC: Google

Baseball

Halos_击Leave a comment

I had recently joined the baseball team at the beginning of the sports season. I haven’t done a team sport since I was like… 7 or 8, and I’m just getting into sports now. I don’t know what drove me to join baseball, but, at the same time, I would think it would be fun anyway.

After losing a game 3-13 (ouch.) I wanted to get better. Sure, I haven’t had any sports experience prior, but… It’s the effort that counts. As soon as I got home, my dad and I played catch.

It was nice playing catch with him because I like playing baseball, and he’s a good person to play catch with.

We had a game today, and we won 4-3! My parents were so happy to find out that we won, even though I was benched the whole time. I strive to get better, though, no matter what. Even if I won’t be put out in play.

P.C. – Pinterest “smiling emoji funny”

Volleyball

brownbeansLeave a comment

The end of an era. I played volleyball for all four years of high school so knowing that it is over is like foreshadowing for the end that is near. This one season is one of the many things that will end this year. I am going to continue to play volleyball, but I will never get to play with this team again. I love playing volleyball, even if I am not that good at it. Freshman and sophomore years, I was so uncoordinated and unbalanced, but I still tried my best. It wasn’t until junior and senior years that I was on varsity and was able to play with the more experienced players. I improved so much from last year and I am still improving each day, I wish I had one more season to play. But, being a super senior isn’t that cool. Senior night was so bittersweet, it was such a fun time while I was playing, but the menacing prescence of it being the last game was always looming over my head. I almost cried so hard but I didn’t want to ruin my make up so I held it in. I am sad that I won’t ever play high school volleyball but I am excited to see where I play next!

credit: Pinterest

Volleyball

candystealer76Leave a comment

This year the volleyball team decided to do one big varsity team instead of varsity and junior varsity. I think it worked out okay because we all got closer to each other, and our team spirit was great. Every game, the players who weren’t playing would support by cheering loudly. Even though we didn’t win a game, I think we still tried our best and did the best we could. There were some downsides to having one big team. When we had away games, we couldn’t bring the whole team to travel with us, so we would have to leave some players behind. It set us off track a bit, but I think overall we worked well together. As the season went by, each one of us improved in one way or another, whether it was getting better at serving overhand, hitting, and even team spirit. A flaw we had this year was losing motivation when we had a bad play, but all it took was one motivational talk in our group huddle, and we were back at it. It was a fun season, and I think everyone tried their hardest to do well, even if we doubted ourselves.

“Volleyball blocking. September 2022“/ CC0 1.0

Heat, and trying not to get beat

thehebrewhammerLeave a comment

Baseball, America’s favorite pastime, is a sport normally played in the spring and summer. Through the sunshine, the little white ball is hit, thrown, and caught. But for me this fall, I had to beat the heat of Scottsdale, Arizona, and also try to pitch my way to not get beat by the #1 ranked team in Arizona.

It was Saturday, 8 am, the game was just about to start, and it was already a brisk 88 degrees in Scottsdale, and my coach had given me the nod to pitch against the #1 team in Arizona, Swarm Red Elite. With me already shaking in my boots and beaming with sweat, it was already an uphill climb. The game started out hot with me picking up a quick out on 3 pitches, but then giving up a 2-strike single to the next batter, but I came out with no runs.

The bottom of the first was a huge inning for my team as we put up 3 runs with only 1 out. The game progressed, and I only got better until I gave up a huge 2-run single to their 3rd hitter, who was a big lefty. In the 4th inning, it was 3-2 us, and we haven’t gotten a hit since the first inning. When I went out to pitch, missed calls from the umpires and a couple of mental mistakes put a runner on 2nd base with no outs. I got a huge flyout, which advanced the runner to third. Runner on third, 1 out, and a 3-0 count, the batter pops the ball up to right field. The right fielder catches, throws to the cutoff, who throws the ball away, letting the runner score with ease, tie game, 2 out. I strike the next batter out.

I went on to finish the entire game, throwing a great game against a very good team that scrapped together another run on a sacrifice fly to left field. They kept us hitless from innings 2-6, which ended the game when we got no hits in the last inning, which happened to be the 6th due to time.

What was a great game for me turned into a devastating loss for the team, which took us out of bracket play for the weekend.

pc – google

Golf

fastasianLeave a comment

Lately, I’ve been really focusing on my golf game, and I can feel the improvement! I picked up golf during my sophomore year and, although I’ve played on and off, I’ve really dedicated myself for almost a year now. When I first started, I was shooting around 120 with a 33 handicap. Fast forward to today, and I have managed to bring that down to a 23 handicap. It might not be pro-level, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. During my vacations, I’ve been training with my coach almost every day, working hard on my form. It’s made a huge difference, I’m also excited to be playing for my school again this Spring season. My next match is on April 2nd at Soule Park Golf Course. Hope my short game improves, especially chipping and putting. It will be crucial for me to at most 2-putt every hole to keep it under 100 in 18 holes. I will also need to be working with my driver on the slice it has gone better compare to the beginning but still got lots of space to work on.

pc: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nj.com%2Fsports%2F2024%2F04%2Fis-masters-champion-scottie-scheffler-from-new-jersey-well-sorta.html&psig=AOvVaw26kSAr2p0kneKlYjSstG6Z&ust=1742094982635000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCLDM2uCPi4wDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Clippers game

fastasianLeave a comment

On Saturday, I went to an LA Clippers game with my school, and it was an unforgettable experience. I think it was my sixth Clippers game, but this one felt different because I was surrounded by my friends and classmates. As we arrived at the arena, I could feel the excitement in the air. Our seats were not the greatest, but the view was actually way better than I expected. We were lucky that most of the Clippers’ players were not injured besides Ben Simmons. It was a neck-to-neck game against the Sacramento Kings. I think there were 12 ties in total in the game. Kawhi Leonard ended the game with a left hook buzzer beater. the crowd went crazy when he hit the left hooker and won the game for Clippers with score being 111-110. After the game, we all went down onto the court after the workers had cleared out the court for us. We were all able to shoot a free throw. It was an amazing experience even though we still had school the next day, and we got back to the dorms late too. But that day will be an unforgettable moment.

pc: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fsports%2Fnba-kawhi-leonard-trusts-his-work-after-sinking-ridiculous-left-handed-game-winner-for-la-clippers-watch-9256312.html&psig=AOvVaw2-TB8HV-1Qiq4KPXqPI5oE&ust=1742093875195000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBUQjRxqFwoTCKDszsiLi4wDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Spring sports

fastasianLeave a comment

As the winter sports season ends, the spring season has started. At first, the school allowed me to do both Golf and Track and field. However, they changed their mind and thought it would be unfair for the golfers since I would just be taking their spots in the league final while they work hard to earn the spots. Therefore, I have switched back to golf and left track since there will be a bigger chance to win the league final champion in golf. Last year, we took back home 2nd place, we were 1st place after the first 9 holes, but lost in the back 9. Track was great, with the new coach that broke multiple records for his college and coached many athletes to all-American and D1 offers. I was planning on running 100 meters since I was the fastest among the sprinters. There won’t be as many track meets this year, since the coaches have to go to a camping trip during the 2 track meets, so I preferred golf since I will be playing more.

pc: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2023%2F02%2F09%2Fsports%2Fgolf%2Fpga-phoenix-open-liv.html&psig=AOvVaw3EeHWn-gizr4c6M74jZkMx&ust=1741794090422000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCKjhk-WugowDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Basketball

fastasianLeave a comment

After the first league basketball game against Westmark, I wrapped up the match with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. It was a solid team effort, and we came out on top with a convincing victory, 46-27. The game started a bit slow for us in the first quarter, as we struggled to find our rhythm. However, the team stepped up together, and we tightened our defense significantly. One of the highlights was our incredible performance in the third quarter, where we managed to shut down Westmark completely, not allowing them to score any points. By the time we reached the fourth quarter, we had established a comfortable lead. This allowed our freshmen players to get their first playing time in the season, gaining experience and confidence. Overall, it was a satisfying start to the league with a record of 1-0, and I look forward to building on this momentum in our upcoming games since it is always great to start the season with a win.

PC:google

basketball

fastasianLeave a comment

For basketball this week, it was short. Since we had a game the week after we returned from Christmas break. The practices were painful since I hadn’t moved much during the break. However, we played against Highland Hall and Summit View School. After both games, we still remain undefeated. I didn’t get to start in the starting lineup because I forgot to wear a tie since the coach asked the team to wear it before the game. However, during the game, I still got some decent minutes, but they were limited due to the weak calls from one of the referees. I had 3 fouls in the first half, which is surprising since I usually was never in foul trouble when I started in the starting lineup. But now that I got benched that game, I started the game with 3 fouls and ended the game with 4 fouls and 1 more foul from being fouled out.

pc: Google