A New Road Trip Item

Road trips always include these essential items; snacks, drinks, and entertainment, more college students are adding Pillow Pets to the list of necessities.  Students are taking their furry friends with them as they travel near and far. Whether by bus, by car or by plane these stuffed animals are becoming a new travel companion. 

It's Sunny Outside!

The sun is shinning down on the students of Kean University.  The weather application on my computer reads a high of 45 degrees today and a high of 50 degrees tomorrow!  

and then after a few days the rain will set in, but for most of the weekend the weather will be great.  I guess that Sunday will be the day to go Christmas shopping, but as for today, it might be one of the better days to do a run outside.

In this great day of sunshine it has me reminiscing on spring break from last year when the KUWLAX team was down in Virginia.

Oh yea, remember when all the colleges and universities created videos to Call Me Maybe?  Here is our  video!!  I hope you like it!!!!

Holiday Presents: For the College Athlete

I get asked the same question every year.  "What do you want for Christmas"?  I answer it the same each time.  All I want for Christmas is Phillies Season's Tickets and every year they are never under the Christmas tree, or in my stocking, or laying on my pillow, or even in the mail box.  Knowing that I am not getting season ticket every year I always add a few other items to my list.  My list usually consists of some sort of athletic equipment or apperel. 

Here are a few suggestions of what to get your favorite athlete for the holiday season: 

 1. New gloves that can be used on the field are always a Christmas must.  After a season or two, gloves begin to smell or wear down.  I like the use Under Armor Gloves (in Navy Blue of course so they match my uniform) because they have a tight fit in the hands so your hands don't slip around when you play and they keep the moisture off your stick.  

 2. Workout equipment is always a good choice these days.  Medicine Balls (in 8lbs. and 10lbs) will help in completing a winter work out without having to spend a ton of money on a gym membership.  There are tons of exercises that can be completed with a few medicine balls.  

 3. A Yoga Mat can help in a lot of different ways, even if your athlete just uses it as a place to stretch it will come in handy.  The page linked above has a variety of colors to choose from!

 4. If your athlete has had their running shoes for more than one season it is time to invest in a new pair.  This website has great advice on which running shoe is best for your foot.  I personally love Nike shoes.  Just make sure you don't pick your shoes based on how pretty they are, that could end badly.  (And remember, always break your shoes in otherwise that could lead to blisters) 

 5. It might be colder this winter than it was last year so a new jacket would be nice.  North Face has great jackets that can be used walking to and from class or the field or anywhere in between. 

 6.  While Under Armor may be the biggest name in cold gear technology I believe that Nike makes an even better long sleeve.  Sports Authority  sells it as well as any other major sporting goods store.  This is a must have for any athlete's wardrobe.  

 Christmas is coming fast this year and I am telling everyone that I know that I am nowhere near prepared for it.  Not just the shopping aspect of the holidays but the emotional part as well.  I believe that everyone can agree with me and say that with finals (either here or coming soon) the holiday season is not in the forefront of anyone's thoughts.  Let's just remember that this time of year is about being around your friends and families, having a good time, and giving out little random acts of kindness to everyone.  I'm not talking about giving tons of gifts to toys-for-tots but give someone a hug if it looks like they are having a bad day.  (Preferably a friend or someone you know)  You can even smile at someone who is frowning if you don't like to the whole touchy feely thing.  This holiday season lets remember that it is not about getting but about giving back.      

Holiday Travel Tips

Well it's that time of year again, the one that all the drivers on the East Coast dread. Holiday commuting. With Thanksgiving not even a week behind us and Christmas coming fast there is no time to prepare. The roads of New Jersey are going to be packed no matter what time of day we sit in our cars. The Turnpike and Garden State Parkway will be turned into a parking lot for a few hours and everyone who didn't prepare for their adventures with snacks, drinks, and plenty of music will be going out of their minds. Be Calm and Carry On may be one of the biggest themes of the year but it will be on repeat in the minds of every driver.

What do you need to do to prepare in case you get stuck in traffic? Here are a couple useful tips to help get you to your destination.

1. Keep an extra bottle of water in your car in case of trust.

2. Grab a few of your favorite snacks and keep them with in an arm’s reach so you can munch on the go. I always recommend fruit snacks that have fun shapes so you can make a story out of your trip.

3. Invest in a phone charger for your car, sometimes "Subway Surfers" will be the only saving grace your passengers may have.

4. I always keep a pile of CDs in my car. This may sound so old school but my iPod connection in my car does not work and that is the only way to listen to music without commercials without paying for satellite radio.

5. If you are getting tired of listing to the same songs over and over again why not try listening to an audio book? Try this website that works with Amazon or this one if you have a library card. These books can be put on your smart phone and then connected to your car. Or you can go the old fashion way and go to your local library and rent one. The Alex Rider series are very exciting and fun for any age to listen to!

6. Make sure that you check the traffic before you leave your starting point! http://www.511nj.org/ has all of the traffic for New Jersey.

7. As tempting as it will be to text in the car, just don't do it! It's not worth it! Sign up for the X the Text campaign and keep yourself and others safe!

8. Do not forget to switch drivers every few hours if you are driving to a destination that is far away. And pack pillows so the ones who are not driving can sleep with a little more comfort.

Following these tips will not make traffic move faster, but it can make the ride not seem as endless. Trust me; I am not one for waiting around in traffic.

Oh I forgot one!

9. Have a good time and have fun! Remember time flies when you’re having fun!

And the season was officially over

Yesterday was uniform turn in day for the Kean Field Hockey team. The day no one ever looks forwards to. The day our backpacks go back as well as our new shooting shirts. The blue and white uniforms are taken from our lockers and you loose your number for a few months.

The day that uniforms are handed out in the summer feels like Christmas. New sweatshirts and pants, warm ups and shorts are sitting in your locker neatly folded. Today was the opposite of that. The locker room is covered with broken shoes and empty water bottles. This is the day everyone scrambles around to make sure everything is turned in. Every jacket, pair of pants and bag are handed in to the equipment manager. Even our name tag holders that hung on our lockers go back.

While the uniforms are being turned in the team always takes a look back on our favorite memories from the year. This year was a season that seemed to fly by. Every road trip is mentioned as well as the amazing memories from our 5 home games.

My favorite memories may be different from the others on the team. My top ten memories in no particular order are:
1. Sitting on the lawn in Roanoke, VA watching the Lorax with some of the girls from the team.
2. Friday night karaoke sessions in the cafe at school. Melly and friends always had a song to share even if no one else wanted to hear it.
3. When our team beat FDU this year we went out to eat. The food was awesome and the talk was great.
4. Seeing everyone "shake that thing" while playing Little Sally Walker before games and practices.
5. Dancing is a way to relieve stress and get ready for practice. The dance parties in the locker room totally got our blood pumping before our two warm up laps.
6. "Rain, rain go away" was a common theme in most away games. Especially playing in the pool, I mean, turf at Misericordia.
7. Everyone go and look up the field hockey team's Kean exchange videos...that's all I have to say on that.
8. Heart and Hustle, Score Score Score.
9. Singing songs whenever they were playing in your head (like the middle of a game)
And last but not least number 10. "Ain't no mountain high enough...
...to keep me from getting to you"!

We don't always remember the wins and the losses in a season, but we always remember the stupid things we do together. I will never forget the 2012 season or the girls on the team. They are my sisters and no matter how much you fight with each other a family sticks together. I love you girls!

I'm So Sorry!

I am so sorry that I have not been able to update for awhile.  Being a college student I have had to complete a lot of school work, and then being an athlete on top of that. KUFH just completed our field hockey season last saturday (10/27), right after the game we had to evacuate campus due to Hurricane Sandy.  I have been stuck at home because our school has not had power for the past week.

As soon as I complete the papers I had due this week, I'll write up a recap of the field hockey season!

Oh I forgot, the Kean Women's Lacrosse Team starts fall ball this week!!!!!!

It'a a Pink Night at Kean

Tonight at Kean University the field hockey team will be holding their pink game against Mercy College at 7:30 on the turf.  The team will be accepting donations that will go towards breast cancer research.  October is breast cancer awareness month and many teams hold pink games to raise money.  
Wear your pink and come out and support the cougars! 

On another note, the second Cougar Talk video from Kean Xchange is up on Youtube and other Kean websites.  Junior Steph Soares answers some questions on why she picked Kean and what she loves about field hockey.  There is a little surprise at the end so make sure you watch the whole thing!