Wrestling - my guilty pleasure

We meet Shawn Michaels at the airport in Texas.

Okay, I know everybody (or all five people who read this) must be thinking wrestling is fake and how can I watch it? Well it's not fake, the outcome of each match is pre-determined; there is a difference. The wrestlers actually get hit with  moves but it's obviously not with the type of force that it is intended to have. When I was younger I was obsessed with wrestling; I had wrestling sheets, curtains, blankets, and many different wrestling toys. Since then I have matured and I got rid of some of the wrestling toys. In 2005 I met a wrestler at an airport and little by little I started watching wrestling again. Every Monday night a small group of friends all meet up to watch. It is extremely entertaining and secretly, I think we all want to be wrestlers. Over the past year I have attended two different wrestling events and this June I will witness another one.

Word Bank
Outcome - The end result

Pre-determined -  When the future of something is decided before it actually happens

Obviously - Something that is very clear and apparent

Intended - To have in mind; aimed at something or somebody

Obsessed -  To be in awe of something but to the highest degree

Extremely - A high degree of very

Attended - Went to

Witness - Watch or see

Vocabulary Exercise: 
There are eight sentences listed below that explain each vocabulary word listed above. The sentence will not include the vocabulary word, but it will help explain what each word means. Your task is  to write the vocabulary word next to each sentence in order to show what each sentence means.

The Giants lost to the Raiders by a score of 24-17. _______________________
The quarterback attempted to throw the ball to his receiver but the defense made an interception and then scored a touchdown. ______________ 
Many people believe horse racing is not a true sport because you know who will win before the race even starts. ______________
That boy has such a crush on the girl that he bought her 100 roses. _____________________
It was more then just hot today, it was 113 degrees outside! __________________
I graduated from Valley Stream South High School in 2001. ________________________
My cousin saw the robber escape the store after taking all the money. ___________________
It snowed two feet last night meaning we will not have school today. _____________________

Grammar Assignment
Wrestling is a sport that I watch almost every week. Is there a sport that watch all the time? If not, is there another activity that you do all the time? I meet my friends every Monday night to watch, when do you watch your sport or participate in your activity? Write one paragraph about your activity and be sure to include how long you have been doing it for as well as any other important details.

Here's to the summer of 2012

Hayward Field, the site of the Track and Field Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Oregon.

Two years ago, I probably had the most amazing summer of my life. I accomplished many things that summer but still managed to have fun doing what I wanted. That summer I grew very close with three friends and we did  a lot that summer. We took two mini road trips as well as a lot of entertaining things locally. As great as that summer was, I have a feeling that this summer will be even better and here's a few reasons to help explain.
In the middle of June my brother will be getting married. I had a great time at his engagement party and can only guess that his wedding will be better. As a track coach and fan of the sport of track and field, the Olympics is the highest level you can get in the sport. The Olympic Trials will be showcased in Eugene, Oregon and I will be going there with two of my friends. The entire trip will last for about two weeks and it will kickoff the summer of 2012. Four years ago I lived in Eugene, so it will be fun for me to go back home.

Word Bank

Accomplished - Completed, finished
Managed - To handle or direct something
Entertaining- Something fun
Locally - Nearby; your current area or neighborhood
Engagement - An arrangement, usually with marriage
Showcased - To display something
Entire - All of something
Kickoff - To jump start or being




Using the word bank listed above, fill in the sentences with the correct word.
__________ there are 12 new restaurants near my house that I would like to try.
By the summer of 2014 I hope to have ________ the task  of earning my teaching degree.
When I receive my diploma, it will be __________ in a beautiful looking case. 
In (American) football, the game starts by having one team ___________ to the other team.
I can't believe you ate the __________ chocolate cake!
My brother's _________ took place in December of 2011.
Although running may be boring, watching track and field is very  __________ to me.
Yesterday I _______ to do all my school work before lunch. 

Grammar: Antonyms
Antonyms is a fancy way of saying opposites. Using the words in Column A, use them to match the antonyms listed in Column B. For example, if the word HOT is listed in Column A then it will match with the word COLD listed in Column B because these words are opposites.

Column A                                                                                Column B

Accomplished                                                                           Finale               

Managed                                                                                  Partial        
Entertaining                                                                               Hide          
Locally                                                                                     Far   
Engagement                                                                              Boring            
Showcased                                                                               Separate          
Entire                                                                                        Failure  
Kickoff                                                                                     Misguide   

The Cougar Invite is BACK!!

Last Thursday at JFK Bellmore High School, the boys and girls track team hosted a big invitational. There were 26 teams total that competed consisting of boys and girls. The last time the school hosted a meet was in the spring of 2006. We had a concession stand available as well as an area for people to sell t-shirts. The shirts were gray with a logo printed in the middle (logo is seen pictured above). The meet earned a reputation of being a medal galore meet. Although the weather was beautiful, there were many gusts of gale force wind. That's the tricky part about being at a school right near the water.

Word Bank
Hosted - To entertain people/teams
Consisting - Made up of
Concession stand -  Area where food and/or drinks can be sold
Earned - Something gained based on previous actions
Reputation - How something is seen or believed to be
Galore - Having many or a lot of something
Gale - Strong force

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Using the word bank listed above, fill in the sentences with the correct word.
Last year for my birthday, I _________ a big party with over 100 people.
Since there were so many people, the party ________ the name the Century Crowd.
My birthday cake was __________ of chocolate filling.
The cake was from Stella's Bakery which has the __________ of being the best bakery in New York.
I walked to my car yesterday and I almost was blown away in the _____ force winds.
They had to move the ______________ stand inside because it started to rain.
It was pigeon _______ in Central Park yesterday. 

 Free writing activity
As the person in charge for everything relating to the track meet, I was the meet director and definitely had a lot of tasks. As I spent weeks planning for this event, I realized that it was similar to planning a party. I had a list of invited teams, some teams told me they were coming while others didn't. Have you ever planned a party before? Have you ever been to a party before? In one paragraph, describe the tasks needed to be completed in order to have a successful party. A guest list and RSVP date are two ideas that I mentioned that can help you start. Good luck and be creative!!