Jesse Talaugon: Thanks.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

No particular rhyme or reason behind my blog this time, just have some time to kill as I sit here and watch my little sister at her indoor practice facility in downtown San Jose. She was just added to the roster for the 16U Lady Sharks, and watching her is making me reminisce on all the time I've spent doing the exact same thing.

It's so funny and mind boggling to me that the amount of time that I, myself, my parents and my family have invested in my softball career over the last sixteen years. The never ending carpools to and from practices, the weekend tournaments that occurred every single weekend of every single season, and all the money that was poured into tournament fees, uniforms, gear, travel, etc. What sticks out most to me out of all of the sacrifices made on my behalf, because I simply loved to play and could not get enough, is all the time and effort. I used to roll my eyes and mutter things under my breath when my parents and siblings would hold it over my head, how each summer was devoted to me and the tournaments, but now I'm not even mad, go ahead because I am so damn thankful that we did all of that, because had we not the likelihood that I would be in my final year of softball having damn near reached the finish line of what is ultimately the highest level at which a female softball player can compete at. I am so grateful.

I can't help but laugh to myself as I write this because there's so many times where I have seen my sister drag her feet about not wanting to trek downtown in the middle of the week after school, homework and other extracurricular activities just for a couple hours of hitting. Mind you, I am sure that I was guilty of something similar when I was younger. Really though, myself, my sister, all of my teammates and those that we compete against are so lucky to have had these opportunities and the support behind us to achieve great things. There's no framed picture of me in my uniform or team hoodie that I can give to my parents and my family as a token of thanks and appreciation for all that they have done in supporting me reach the ultimate level of competition. I am hoping that I can show a bit of that thanks this season by doing some things I have yet to accomplish in my career at Sonoma, my family, friends, and supporters can all look forward to an entertaining season filled with thick competition.

Like I said, not really sure where all of this came from but I figure there is never really a bad time to say thanks...so "thanks". Happy Holidays everyone!

Taylor Vigil: Bounce.

Hello Everyone! So if you’re reading this now, I am sure that you have heard/read about the tough two losses we were faced with this weekend against Stanislaus and Chico State, either on the web or by Olivia Larkin’s blog post. There were many factors that went into the losing aspect of the game; things within our control and things we wished we had in our control. Things such as decision making within our offense to certain calls the refs made. While they were losses that happened they are lessons to learn from. In the words of Oly directly, “if we wanted it to be easy, this isn’t the way, we should have tried out for intramurals,” is in fact the truth. It is what makes the word COMPETE such a powerful one. It is a particular word that seems to be of importance in the context of this team for this year.

While we were given the short end of the stick this weekend with things out of our control we have to face the truths when we say that we may have taken few little details for granted that were actually in our control during both games. Yet rather than carrying the burden of the losses with us collectively it has to be, more importantly the lessons from those losses that we take with us to build on and learn from.

By going 0-2 this weekend there is one of two ways to look at it. One, we can buy into what the next day’s website said about the previous games and point fingers to only burry ourselves deeper into the negative aspect or two, we can use those negative losses similar to how we used Oly’s accident as a spark of motivation and desire to push through it all to create a will and make a way to get better. The harsh reality of it is that when a loss occurs it isn’t one person singled out but instead, for example, "Seawolves Can’t Stop Warriors in OT", or "Seawolves Fall Cold in Loss at Chico." With that being said, what do you do about it? Do you get angry and take it out on each other not realizing by doing that you’re only headed down hill? Or do you allow yourself to get angry and remember that feeling during the final seconds counting down at the end of the final buzzer, seeing the other teams faces light up with excitement knowing at the end you had been defeated, and use it against your next opponent? Or are those feelings forgotten in a few hours, or a day or even a week? These are factors my team and I are faced with, but there is no doubt in my mind that I believe full heartedly that my teammates will remember, BUT remember for the better!

With everyone’s thoughts and mindset that happened within the aftermath of the losses, it is the true meaning of the word ‘bounce’ that will get us where we need to be in our near future. Bounce is defined as something that leaps away suddenly; refuses to accept and sends back; spring away, spring away from an impact. A word that became popular after both our losses back to back this weekend within the locker room, yet should be a word ALWAYS remembered. A word that when we hear we think of those specific feelings of the final buzzer counting down with just seconds to go, remembering we came up short. But by remembering the powerful feelings in retrospect to this word ‘bounce,’ it is a reminder of what we have been through as a team and what we shall use to instill in our next opponents to come. By using this anger we once felt in a positive way, we can take it out on teams in the future. Also meaning that we will be the team talked about in our opponents locker room in which THEY need to bounce back from.

Considering the weekend, we have gone off track- or shall I say, astray from where we have been in the previous weeks, although it is no one’s fault it is just how the cards were dealt out. It doesn’t have to be looked upon as something negative either. The week simply presents itself with a new day, a new chance and a new opportunity to seek improvement.

Now bear with me because the way I see it is you have the waves within the sea, a paddle boat, a group of hard working talented women and a shore they are all in search of finding. Therefore, with the week continuing on as the waves in the sea that cease to never stop, similar to a ticking clock that never pauses for even a moment, there are 14 of my fellow sisters that I look to beside me all impacted in a small paddle boat. Each person trying to handle the fact that everything we got we got the hard way, like the small paddle boat and each person I look to, myself included, realizes with everyone rowing the boat, the shore becomes something of easier possibility and within our reach. A possibility to be successful yet again and do so by taking five steps forward rather than three steps back. A possibility I believe in, a possibility that can become a reality for us all.

You better believe that you can count on hearing about our successes in the near future because I know and trust in all of my sisters that we will be back out on the practice ground finding and achieving a way to become better. We have decided to make our practices a more realistic and pressure filled environment similar to how the actual games are played. And with this week’s practices you already know we will have a game plan ready to destroy and deploy our upcoming opponent’s this weekend in our CCAA/GNAC tournament we are putting on here at Sonoma State. So come support and watch us in action this 12-10-10 (Friday) and 12-11-10 (Saturday) at 7pm!! And hear me when I say, we will be ready!!

Jesse Talaugon: YES.

A new post from me is extremely overdue, I am thinking that my lack of writing may be due to the madness that has come from applying for graduation, transferring units, appealing classes, trying to relocate for my job after graduation along with team related things like dealing with the loss of two players, readjusting to the smaller team, getting everyone on the same page, creating team goals, and assessing what actions need to take place this Christmas break to ensure success when we return in January.

We have come a long way since fall and our team is definitely making strides as far as strength and conditioning is concerned. The natural and raw talent that each girl on this team possesses is incredible and every single person is holding themselves accountable and putting in the extra work. This may be taking us a little longer than most teams or more time than we had anticipated coming in this past August but I feel that our primary concern and focus as a team right now is coming together and getting everyone on the same page. In our last sports psychology meeting we really discussed in depth how each person was feeling about the team, the program, and what is to come. We did an exercise where we were able to gauge each persons comfortability with certain topics and it opened up everyone's eyes and laid out on the table what we need to work on as a team and what areas we are excelling in.

My personal goals for this team is to increase the competitiveness with one another, between each position player, from infield to outfield, pitchers and catchers, middles to corners, and even between the team and our coaching staff. The playing field is very even and we worked a lot this fall on getting better, improving our skills, and being the best but now I would just like to see who exactly feels they are the best and deserves that starting spot. I feel that this will pull out the competitive edge that I might not have seen just yet in every single one of us and it inevitably brings out the best in each individual. We have recognized that we are not playing for ourselves but for the team and the program and we're no longer going to hold back because we know it could hinder our possible success.

This last weekend we had a team bonding event at coaches house where we ate lots, laughed even more, did some activities that had us open up even more with one another, and what seemed to be the most difficult for me was when we did our secret Santa gift exchange. The person giving the gift had to state something that they were proud of themselves for doing and then explain something that they were proud of their teammate for whom they were giving the gift to. We all kind of laughed it off and poked fun at the idea most likely because if felt awkward and uncomfortable but coach quickly assured us that this was a skill set we needed to acquire and be comfortable with. There is a great deal of things that I am proud of myself for but have never put it into words and shared it with a large number of people even if they are my teammates and close friends. I explained not very eloquently and rather emotionally that I am simply proud for still being here and doing what I am doing. With both athletics and academics when there were quite a few who doubted me and simply told me no and that I was not cut out for this caliber of play or when I endured what very well could have been a season ending injury, I am proud for sticking with this and fighting through it. I have never once regretted doing any of that because it has all been so worth it for me and I am so looking forward for whats to come from this team for my final season. I came across this quote and found that it was rather fitting and pretty inspiring, so enjoy and I'll catch all of you up on life over intersession....

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the No's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." -Nike

Happy Holidays :)

Taylor Vigil: The Lightning Bolt

Hi to all out there reading and supporting our Sonoma State Seawolves. My name is Taylor Vigil and on my behalf of the Sonoma State Women’s Basketball team, I am a little nervous when it comes to writing my first blog post, knowing that anyone can judge, read and comment on this post. I have decided to share with all of you. So please be gentle.

As I sit here at this business desk in the comfortable Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott before our big game against Stanislaus, I have come to realize many things before me. Such as the strength and empowerment my team has taken on within just a few previous weeks. Yet it is not what we are now that has gotten us here, but rather where we have been that created an opportunity for success.

My coach once told me along with my team that during season everything we got, we got the hard way. While I knew nothing was going to be easy, she went onto say that there will be times that a lightning bolt will strike upon us, yet it is the counter aspect of our reaction that will either make us or break us as a whole. If you were to look up the definition of a lightning bolt, you would find that it is defined as an abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth; accompanied by a loud thunder cap or a symbolic representation thereof. In its original usage, the word may also have been a description of meteors, or of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies.

Now switching gears just momentarily, for those of you who have been keeping up with the blogging and know my fellow team captain Oly Larkin, then you know that tragedy had struck our team with a significant injury on her behalf. She had been struck by a speeding taxi walking through the crosswalk and taken to the hospital immediately. As a team, when we were hit with the news not knowing the details of the situation and filled with worry by not being able to see her, we became lost without her. Speaking for my teammates as well as myself I can honestly say that I became frantic. Not knowing when the number one knowledgeable person who I look up to for advice, comfort and support as an all around teammate would be back and playing on the court yet again was mind boggling. Luckily, she had no broken bones, but needed time to heal her significant bruising and become stronger to walk again. All I could think about was her; a senior who put all her hard work in along with her talents she brought to this team now would have to come for a screeching halt. How was this fair to her? How could we continue to grow as a team and move forward in a positive direction with such a fatal negative impact that affected everyone? And yet, it hit me, and I thought back to what my coach told me about a particular lightning bolt that would strike down and I realized its time had come. Only I came to find that it was a lightning bolt for opportunity. Yes- it struck us off guard and affected everybody involved with our team, but it was a bolt that ignited a spark of hope. We were able to take the negative effects of the lightning bolt that knocked us down and turned it into something we could use as a flash or a glimpse of a positive mindset. If we could be the team to get through something so destructive as this, we could be the team to overcome it all.

My definition of a lightning bolt may be different from yours, but the way I see it is as an abrupt electric discharge that causes destruction to a specific person, place or thing that creates and impact upon those who all surround it. It is with that lightning bolt that may cause destruction, failure, or negativity to what it impacts, however, it is when you realize that without failure success cannot become possible that a real winner is born within. What is success without failure, really? I believe this was the lightning bolt that may have brought destruction upon us, yet we used it to our advantage to be successful. I can honestly say I am thankful for this lightning bolt because I look back and see Oly’s injury was a blessing in disguise for this team which helped us pull away with few phenomenal wins against not just Hawaii Pacific or Academy of Art but also, Humboldt State! Everybody throughout the team came alive and looked to the opportunity to step up as a chance to rise above the negative facts we were faced with and pulled away as a stronger, more together team-which goes without a shout out to them team to tell them how proud I am of them all! Oly may not be out there with us doing what she normally does best but it is the underlying impact she has had on all of us. I realize she might feel as though she has been doing nothing at all by not being out there but it is the “little details” she does and may not see that impacts us significantly. She is our eye’s and ear’s bench side and collectively as a team we are her leg’s court side.

It is the fact that we are a team with many parts but form one body. And although those parts are many each body part is important and matters because they all come together to form one. I found each role is important. The foot cannot say to the hand because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, nor can the eye say to the ear because I am not an ear I do not need you. It is because the body was made up with each part equal so there shall be no division. Without this family carrying this message there is no room for improvement. Our opportunity to get better lies within and is there for the taking to build on. Sitting here excited to see what the weekend brings with our games against Stanislaus and Chico are filled with high hopes. So for those of you reading this, keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck. With time we will see Oly in our, what we hope, near future back out there on the court again, but in the meantime I now have to leave you to get ready for my game. I hope this has impacted you as much as it has for me and helped you see things clearly in the aspect of what a team should stand for and maybe even a message to take with you into your future when life gives you the short end of the stick. Because one day everything you have you may have the hard way!

Oly Larkin: Stani and Chico Weekend

Hello To All,

I wanted to first start off with thanking everyone for being very supportive of me and just keeping me smile. I honestly couldn't get through this without my family, the team, coaches, and our parents. As you know, we traveled up to Stanislaus and Chico this weekend. Practice last week was planned out where the first two days we focused on Chico's stuff and then Wednesday and Thursday was Stani. After practice Thursday, we watched some film and had a hour or so down time to go home take a shower and get some food. Personally, I know your dying to hear this, I got a burrito from El Rancho =).

Thursday also marked the day that Dr. Aflac came to our training room to evaluate some of the student-athletes that needed further assessment on their injuries. I have never needed to meet Dr. Aflac so I was pretty anxious to hear what he had to say about my right knee. Along with me, Aly Henington had to see him as well for her foot. She seems to have a sharp pain on the bottom of her right heel that was to believed to be plantar fasciitis (sounds more like a fungus if you ask me!). Dr. Aflac turned out to be quite the comedian. He suggested for Aly to just amputate her foot and to never play basketball again! We both kinda laughed awkwardly, not familiar with his keen sense of humor. He gave her a few options to try when taping her foot, so hopefully one of them will work so the pain is minimized cause you need your foots, I mean feet, to run! As for I, it was all good news. It turned out nothing from the previous MRI or other doctors were that much different. I have a bone contusion in my anterior medial femoral condyle, which just is a fancy word for a deep bone bruise on the outside of my lower right knee. Dr. Aflac had jokingly said he could still see the "Buick" bumper mark on the side of my knee, that made me laugh. According to him, I can run, jump, and start cutting. So I started running this weekend while we were away and it felt pretty good. I can not wait til I practice. I don't think I have wanted to be able to practice in my whole life!

Now to the games. We played Stani first at their place. I felt that everyone was pretty excited for this game. We were ready to compete and to see if our hard work in practice paid off. The whole game was close. We exchanged leads seven times in the first half, and only was down by one at the half. In the locker room, we just re-iterated that we needed to make sure we were boxing and holding for the rebounds and valuing the ball. At the end of game with like 13 seconds to go, we had two great opportunities to win the game. We had good looks but the ball didn't fall for us so we went into overtime. Welcome to the CCAA. This was our first overtime and definitely not our last. In OT, we just didn't have the momentum to separate from Stani. We ended up losing by five points, but it wasn't the losing part that was the worst part. It was the kind of game where you are like man, if we did a few things a little different maybe we would have had a different outcome maybe we would of won or still lost. It just left a bad taste in our mouth. We couldn't dwell on this lost for much longer, because we had Chico the following night. Chico is a team that has a history of being a solid team so it was important that we took what we didn't do in the Stani game and got better/learned for the Chico game. It's always harder to play the Saturday games, take from a senior. Your mind is saying YES I can do it, but your body sometimes doesn't get that memo. We started kind of flat and stagnant only hitting only five field goals in the first. I think the Chico game was a game of mental lapses. We just couldn't take control of what we wanted to do. I know its hard to hear, and believe me its hard to write about losses but someone has to do it. Our coaches deal with all the time, and that's how we get better. We have all been there, that moment when you lose a game or didn't meet your expectations. It's like you have a bad feeling in your stomach, maybe you want to cry, maybe you are pissed, or maybe you just shut down. All these responses are quite typical and actually normal. There seems to be two paths to look at these loses. How do we effectively get over these defeats? The fact that we went 0-2 this weekend means nothing if we can't take it and grow. I know I don't want to feel like that again. Sitting on the bench, watching, listening, has helped me understand this. We all want to be successful, but success isn't necessarily measured in wins. If we did everything that we said we were going to do, and did it successfully the Chico game most likely would have been close or we might have went on a run on Stani in OT but that doesn't necessarily mean we would have won. "Success is the completion of anything intended." In other words, success is finishing what you planned to do. Notice how success isn't defined in wins or how much money you make. I think this is important. If we finish what we plan to do, we wouldn't get the short end of the stick we would get the whole BRANCH perhaps!

Next weekend we have our CCAA/GNAC tournament that we are hosting here at SSU. I am excited to play some of the top teams in the nation. It will be a good experience for us. I am going to continue doing rehab and all I can to get the team prepared. I hope to see you there!

Oly the SENIOR

Oly Larkin: COMPETE

I guess this blog couldn't come at more of a bittersweet time. I know it has been awhile since my first blog in which I was excited about our Midnight Madness event. Well, it might be too late to tell you that it was a complete success. We successfully filled the west wing of our gym with our student body, greeks, jocks, freshmen in all. I really enjoyed myself at the event and it was really motivating to see our peers cheer us on. Being the only senior, I haven't ever seen anything like that at SSU.

Now for the team, we had some eye opening exhibition games that sent us back to the drawing boards. We played Sac State, USF and Santa Clara. With each game, we did get better, but there was a lot of room for improvement. I guess I will just talk about the Santa Clara game since it was the last one. Last year, we lost to Santa Clara by something like 30 points. Hardly a loss that we could learn from, especially when you get blown out like that you think (as a player) you must have to did EVERYTHING wrong. That was not the case this year. The word of the night that coach Rigs started with at shoot around was COMPETE. The definition of compete according to dictionary.com, to compete is to for a prize, is being prepared for the task at hand, focusing on what it is you need to do to be successful, putting everything you got out on that court and feeling confident to do so because you know you have 14 other girls who feel the exact same way and willing to do the same. This word alone motivated us. For 40 minutes we competed and in doing so we left that game even though we lost by 13 (if I remember correctly) with our heads held high and as if we won. The locker room at the end of the game was filled with hoots and hollers!! "NOW that's how we need to come out LADIES!" It was that moment when I looked around and thought to myself, I wouldn't give this up for the world.

This weekend, we are up in Chico at their annual tournament. I don't know what it is about Chico, but I love this tourney and always seem to do pretty well. I was looking forward to compete (I guess you can say this is the theme of this blog haha) with my girls, getting our rooming assignments, even the long car ride on the very scenic I-5. This year we are scheduled to play Hawaii Pacific on Fri and Academy of Art on Sat. Unfortunately, this past Friday (Nov. 12), I was in a random freak accident in which I was crossing the street in San Francisco when I got struck by a speeding taxi. Luckily I have no broken bones, and at this time I am waiting for the results back from my MRI on my right knee and X-rays from my left ankle. I will know what the time constraints will be all today when I go to my doctor's appointment in the afternoon. My fingers are crossed that it isn't anything major. I can't say everything's all good, but I can't say everything's all bad. I have had my Grandma right by my side all week long while I have been recovering in my home town of San Jose and her optimistic-ism is contagious. I am truly hopeful that I will be able to finish this season on the court instead on the sidelines. One thing is for sure, either way I am grateful I am alive and you can bet your mama's old beat-up 1967 black mustang that I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP! =) But hey, I don't have to convince anyone, I know it already. Not only my injury, but the some girls on the team have had some also that has put a damper on our progress. It's a tough time right now, but I know this is something that will bring us closer.

I saw my team for the first time since the accident yesterday and man did I miss them. I didn't realize how much I rely on them for support and how much they rely on me, as a senior for support. Being away from them I think, was the hardest for me. With so many distractions that the team is presented with at this time, I think this will really test us on our ability to compete against all odds. Even though I am not with them now, I really felt that it was good for me to see them and to give them a peace of mind to see that I am okay and that I am smiling despite the situation. I do believe everything happens for a reason, and just how quickly something that your so used to doing (like basketball) can be taken away. All of this results in a greater appreciation of what I do have. My family, my team, my coaches, my friends, and basketball. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff (and I really thought that my breakup with my boyfriend was an end of my life moment) - I actually found this book under my sink in my bathroom when I was "taking care of business", same title and all. It was rather enlightening.

I will definitely be blogging more because I think this a good thing. It allows me to mind dump my thoughts on the team, life, and even myself. I hope you keep reading because I am going to really make an effort to start blogging once a week. As for my team, I gotta give a shout out. LET'S GO LADIES.... NOMA NOMA (WHO!) NOMA NOMA (WHAT!) I am right there with you girls and I am going to try to see if I can watch the game online. I love you guys.

Until next week. Adios!

the one and OLY!

ps... “You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.”

From The Desk of President Talaugon

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

Brand new baby blue sweatshirts from coach? Yayyy, that marks almost the end of the fall season as a gift from Coach. She clearly knows how much we love free stuff :)

Now it’s back to individuals where we get some more personalized time with the coaching staff as we are broken down into small hitting groups, groups based on our positions, and then of course the always exciting team conditioning and weights. I am really proud of where my team has came from considering we had the most difficult start this fall, out of all my seasons played here at Sonoma. Our fitness has improved tremendously and we are pushing ourselves every day in the weight room. Coach Mack really has us focusing on pushing the limits and reaching our full potential because we won’t know what that is if we don’t test our strength by pushing boundaries. On the field I am hoping to really see the competition between position players to increase because we have a great deal of depth to this squad with some hard working, and very experienced players along with some committed and very eager underclassmen. Unfortunately, our fall game schedule was somewhat short lived, but we make up for that with lots of practices where we get to see live pitching from our staff and off of Coach Bridges. I am incredibly eager to see how much more we will improve over Christmas break and let everyone know how ready we are for the traditional spring season to be here.

In SAAC, things have finally settled down just a little bit and I’m not mad one bit. We are currently working on supporting all of our teams that are making to the postseason. In the coming weeks, our game of the month to attend is going to be women’s volleyball vs. Cal State L.A. on November 11th at 7:00pm in The Wolves' Den. We’re also working on brainstorming some of our community events for next semester so we can start our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma County. We just had our bi-yearly SAAC Conference where legislative grids were reviewed and input was given on all things regarding the conference from apparel that’s sold to mandated time off during Christmas breaks.

Reality still has not set in for me that I am going to be graduating next Spring, but it will after I meet with my advisor tomorrow to get my graduation application signed off and I add up all my units completed thus far and determine what my next steps will be as my final semester approaches. I am enjoying writing for the sports section for the school paper more than I thought I could and I am holding A’s in all my classes and plan on doing so for the duration of the semester.

The NBA season could not have come at a better time since the Yankees choked in the post season. I am really looking forward to the addition of all the newbees on the Lakeshow roster, Blake and Barnes especially. Oh, and can’t forget to give credit to the 49er win in London last weekend, hopeful for a strong finish.

Until next time, farewell :)

Jesse Talaugon: Committed.

I'm not really even sure if there are people out there reading this other than my mom and Auntie, but I'll apologize to the world wide web for my lack of posts lately. My life these last two weeks has been incredibly hectic, due in large part to the planning of Midnight Madness in a record breaking eight days, with an immense amount of help from several other organizations on campus, and as always, SAAC. Midnight Madness is the traditional kick off of Basketball season for both our men's and women's teams. We filled the night with team introductions under the spotlight, performances from our dance and cheer team, giveaways, a live DJ, 2ball competition, dunk contest and the biggest crowd pleaser was the dance off to close the night. It was something I was unsure I was even going to be able to pull it off, but in my four years here, we had the largest number of people in attendance. From what I have been told, everyone had a great time and it was appreciated by all of the athletes who got some well deserved recognition from our peers. It was definitely well worth the stress and the lack of sleep. It got me real excited for this upcoming basketball season.

In SAAC, we have one of our projects underway which is gathering people to joining the "SSU BLUE CREW", which is our attempt at creating a rally crew, if you will, filled with spirited people in support of athletics. We have made shirts and are asking for an $8 donation to Breast Cancer Awareness, Make A Wish Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma County in exchange along with specialized seating at all sporting events. We are hoping this promotes more support school wide for athletics and we get more people out and attending these games.

As far as softball is concerned, things have not stopped or slowed down in the slightest bit. We started getting into goal setting, which is a big focus for our team, and individually, so we can really track our growth and focus on achieving something attainable. You focus on a long term goal, then your short term goal pertains to how you will achieve that goal, and then your operational goal is each step you will take in order to conduct your short term goal. My goals consist of one defensive, which I have made in order to improve my blocking. Offensively, my focus is staying linear to the ball, and my last goal is managing my stress of classes, softball, SAAC, graduating, life after graduating, etc. This weekend, we play William Jessup in a double header this Saturday which will be nice to get some live competition in and really enjoy the few games we get to squeeze in this fall.

School is going, with two successful Psychology and Media Law midterms under my belt, it's time to prepare for the next one this upcoming Tuesday. The PR/Ad team I was apart of in a trial run this semester is not working out as anyone had planned, so I guess I'll begin writing for the Sports section in the schools paper from here on out. I have no experience in writing for a publication, but I'm sure I'll find a way to get myself adjusted to this new avenue of writing. Lastly, my goals for this week are to file for graduation which is still unreal to me and meet with my advisor to choose my final classes of my college career here at Sonoma.

In case any of you were wondering I am 100% frustrated with the performance of my boys, the New York Yankees in this post season right now. If the offense doesn't improve and our bullpen can give up less bombs, we'll make it out of this series by the skin of our teeth. But, until that time, we're gonna have a hell of a time competing with the Rangers, who seem to be everyone's favorite team now that the post season has arrived, them and the Giants....sheeesh. I'm still hopeful so now it's time to cease the typing and let the biting my finger nails continue in hopes of a Yankee win at home tonight. Go Yanks!

Women's Basketball: Oly Larkin

Hello to all!!

My name is Olivia Larkin, but I am going to put you on to a little secret, you can just called me OLY (O-LEE). There, now we are friends. Whew glad to get that out of the way. I am a senior on the women's basketball team here at Sonoma State. It's sad to say that I am the lone ranger when it comes to being a senior on this team, but by all means I don't feel alone at all, I've got my girls. On the other hand, I don't mind the spotlight that comes with being one! Well I guess I can start off by telling you this is my first time blogging anything and in saying that I was nervous to even get started. I mean, are people really going to read what I write?...Welp, I got you didn't I?!

I decided to start blogging on this very day because tonight is our traditional Midnight Madness, a pep rally to kickoff the 2010-2011 basketball season and the rest of the fall sports here on campus. I am a member of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and have been extremely invovled in tonight's preparation for this event. Ultimately, we are doing this event for our athletes. Together, our athletes are the biggest, most influential club on campus and we would like to show them our appreciation and support. I am anticipating a great turnout. For a sneak peak, our heart-throbbing Auzzi's from the men's basketball team are going to be our MC's for the night. Oh, how I wonder what they are going to wear... Probably spiffy suits with gator boots? Who knows but one thing is for sure, they are going to dress to impress. There is a dunk contest, too, in which I am sad to tell you I won't be doing this year, tough to hear I know. That's all I can say for now, you'll have to read my next blog in order to get the details. (** hint hint, I am trying to create a fan base here people so tune in!)

Now on to something involving our team specifically. Tomorrow marks our FIRST OFFICIAL PRACTICE OF THE SEASON! It's finally here people!! Lace up the hyperdunks and roll the basketballs out, it's BASKETBALL TIME BABY (in a Dick Vitale voice)! I can't tell you how excited I am for this basketball season to get underway. Our team had a excellent preseason. We constantly creating good habits (hobbits for those on the team) followed by positive attitudes. The dynamic of our team has changed durastically. We have added eight new players to our already eight returning roster, three of which are JC transfers. Our talented group of five freshmen have tremendous potential to make an positive impact for this team. Being that this is my last year playing collegiate basketball, I know understand what the seniors before me meant when they said, "cherish it while it lasts, because there is a world outside of basketball that isn't so forgiving." I really feel like I can cherish this year, I am no longer "wide-eyed and bushy tailed" as what my coach used to say to me when I was a freshman, trying to figure out where I fitted in. I am aware of what's going on, I am in control. I think this team has helped me with that. This past six weeks of training, we have gotten after it, worked it, ran it, lifted it, pushed it to our limits and now the time is here, what we all been waiting for. All this work has to pay off, mind you that it might not be immediate but the harder we work, the luckier we get. Its funny how things work out that way.

Well, don't tell my coach this but I am writing this in study hall (just the last 15 minutes though) so I probably need to open up a book or something. Adios until next time! And there will be a next time so help me out here and read my blogs! Leave comments , opinions, likes, or what ever. Thanks for hearing me out!

-Oly THE SENIOR

Bill Fusco: Bookend Events Saturday Leave Lasting Impression

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first post of the 2010-11 school year by Bill Fusco, Senior Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Sonoma State University.)

I knew Saturday, October 2 was going to be a long day.

SSU CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL
Up at 5:40 a.m. without the help of an alarm, I was off to Spring Lake for
SSU's first invitational cross country meet in two decades. The minute I
arrived at the Boat Dock area of Spring Lake, I could sense the great wave of energy that was taking place before me. Our student-athletes were out in force with SAAC members leading the way offering "Blue Crew" T-shirts (for a donation of course) and also providing the tailgate buffet of juice, fruit, coffee and bagels for all of us brave enough to venture out on a foggy, wet morning. (Lobo T. Seawolf must have slept in).

As our Women's Cross Country team was warming up, I tried to imagine how exciting it must be for them to run in a real "home" event. Student-athletes from many of our teams came out in force to cheer them on and offer their support. Our Seawolf runners did not disappoint dominating the women's race and posting a perfect team score of 15 ahead of NCAA Division II and III opponents CSU Monterey Bay, Mills College and Dominican University. Every SSU runner posted a personal best time in the meet which was an impressive feat in itself.

Our coaching staff (Mark and Chandra) did a wonderful job hosting the meet. The SSU Admin staff (Yvonne, Megan, Michael, Tyler and Bo) were also in top form carrying out all the details necessary to make this race a reality. This was important for our intercollegiate athletics program as we are scheduled to host the CCAA Cross Country Championships in 2011 here at Spring Lake. This was a test run for next year and everything went exceptionally well giving us the confidence and enthusiasm to host next year's big event.

Pulling away from Spring Lake after the event, I couldn't help but feel this was a great start to a long Saturday.

Back to the office for some work time then home for the requisite Saturday yard work, I found myself (after a shower)heading back to SSU for the next event on the agenda.

11th ANNUAL SSU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION DINNER
If you haven't been inside the Green Music Hospitality Center, you need to make it a priority to stop in and check it out. The restaurant and bar area where we were hosting our 11th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner is an elegant, five star environment. This was a perfect setting to honor our
four inductees in the class of 2010.

Three of the four inductees, Ed Beaulac (Football), Fehlandt Lentini (Baseball) and Patricia Carrillo (Women's Soccer) were there to celebrate with friends and family. The fourth inductee, Tim Walsh, SSU's former head football coach was busy coaching the Cal Poly SLO Mustangs against Fresno State on ESPN at the same time our dinner was taking place.

Each of the four inductees (Walsh via DVD), in their own unique way spoke emotionally of their experiences as a student-athlete (and coach) at SSU. They all described how much their teammates, coaches and friends still made an impact in their lives today and how much they cherished the experience of being a student-athlete. This event never ceases to amaze me hearing the inspirational and sincere messages from some of the greatest student-athletes in the history of our program. Next year, when we induct our class of 2011, I hope we will be able to invite some of our current student-athletes to attend and experience a very special evening. Thanks to our great administrative staff of Megan, Nancy and Tyler, the dinner was a huge success and was one of the best ones I have attended since we started in 1998.

By the way, while we were enjoying the Hall of Fame Dinner, across campus, our Women's Volleyball team was dismantling the #21 nationally-ranked CSU Monterey Bay Otters 3-0. I was following the match during dinner via iPhone Live Stats and was impressed how quickly the Seawolves took care of business at The Wolves' Den.

By 10:00 p.m., the last of the rowdy Hall of Fame Dinner crowd was on it's way out the door. I headed back to the office to make some notes from this year's Hall of Fame Dinner and the Cross Country meet to make sure I remembered all the great things that were accomplished by hosting these two significant events.

Driving home, I reflected the events of this long day and how fortunate I am to be associated with our exceptional student-athletes and coaches (past and present). It is a privilege to have an administrative support staff that is dedicated daily to making our intercollegiate athletic program the best it possibly can be. I look forward to more days like this one.

Fall Ball is hereeee!

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

Sorry for the delay on posting, this post will make up for the last two weeks, which were pretty eventful.

Two weeks ago marked the beginning of our traditional fall season and also the conclusion of self-conducted morning conditioning, because as a team, we have reached a point where we can practice more efficiently, because our fitness is up and we are now holding ourselves more personally accountable. I love the traditional fall season because it means more time on the field, more freedom to work outside of practice, because there are less restrictions, intrasquad scrimmages on Saturdays, and this upcoming weekend, we face Solano JC and San Francisco State in doubleheaders to start our preseason play. Although very new still, our defense looks pretty strong. We've got a roster full of just raw talent and we literally don't take a day off from improving that with lots of repetition, live defense drills, and "game time".

Offensively, we are still getting into the swing of things (no pun intended) with hitting circuits and trying to get as much live hitting as possible. It's nice to have four pitchers who are really making us earn it, but it's hard to handle that with only two catchers and a somewhat short-handed coaching staff, but we're making the most out of what we have. This year I think it is really going to be a goal of ours to prove that we are capable of using short game to our advantage. Last year, we were known for our big bats, power hitting, and record breaking stats in home runs, but this year we want to use all the speed that we have and attack the defense with changing things up by perfecting our short game and mixing that in with our powerful offense. I look forward to what the rest of this fall season brings and am excited for the preseason play starting this week with Solano.

SAAC has been super busy in preparing for Sonoma State's second annual Homecoming Week. It is really in efforts to create more school spirit and gain some more support of athletics. We have collected money and are sending it off to the American Cancer Society in order to help fund the Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco next month while also brainstorming some ideas of how we can aide in the disaster relief in San Bruno. We are really excited about hosting the first ever home meet for our Cross Country girls this week in Santa Rosa and are going to show that via a breakfast tailgate this Saturday and representing Sonoma State proudly by wearing our "SSU BLUE CREW" shirts. We're hoping these shorts will spread and students, families, and fans can wear them to all of our school's sporting events.

School is really underway with a midterm approaching and deadlines coming out of nowhere, at least that's how I feel. I have a media law midterm this week where I have to memorize a million cases about the first amendment, libel, privacy law, etc. So it looks like the library is where my next few evenings will be spent while trying to sell some ads to local businesses for the schools newspaper which hasn't been that successful this far, but hopefully things will turn around for me in that avenue.

In other unrelated news I'm so disappointed in the 49ers and their performance lately, after that great showing against the Saints. I was hopeful, but I had to change the channel yesterday because I couldn't take it much longer. On the brighter side of sports, the Yankees pulled it off and clinched their spot for playoffs, ARod coming super clutch with the two run jack and the reserves coming in and stepping up to the plate with runners on base is exactly what I like to see.

Byeeee :)

Women's Soccer: Katie Parucha, Part II

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This blog was written before the soccer games against Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State this past weekend.)

Since the last time I wrote, we have had four games and are about to compete in two more this weekend! Our first game against Cal Poly Pomona went pretty well considering the fact that we were playing with one man down for most of the second half and two ten minutes overtimes. In the end, we tied 0-0. Taylor Colacion was awarded a red card in the beginning of the second half. When the card was pulled out we thought he mistakenly had pulled out a red. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Because of this call by the ref, Taylor was unable to play in Sunday's game against San Bernadino.

Our game on Sunday was a little rough, the final score being 4-0 San Bernadino. I felt that our team made San Bernadino look better than they actually were. I do give credit to them because they were able to finish their opportunities and come out hard. Unfortunately, most of their goals resulted off of our own mistakes leading to a breakdown in our defensive third. After this game our team had a somewhat wake up call to what was in store for us the rest of the season. Each game is a battle and just because you play well one day doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to play well the next time.

After the weekend ended our team had to move on and focus on the next weekend for the games against East Bay and UCSD. On Friday, we ended up losing 1-0 and unfortunately I tore my MCL in the first half of the game resulting in the end of my season. Again, a lot of the chances we had were not put in the back of the net. We have been playing really well, it’s just we have not been able to score. On Sunday, the game was a complete turn-around. We came out extremely hard and were passing the ball extremely well. It felt as if everyone was in sync and we had all committed to working hard for each other. We ended up tying 0-0 and I was extremely proud of the way that we had played!

Our next games are away against Stanislaus who is in first place in the North and Chico which is always a tough team to play. I will keep you guys posted about those games after the weekend! Until then have a good week!

Week 3 with President Talaugon

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

This week was really focused around personal improvement because we are almost certain that this fourth week, we will be tested once again on the 12 gassers. We have to make them within the allowed time frame or the coaches will take our improving fitness into their own hands and this is something we as a team we feel we can handle on our own. We are still going out there twice a week at 7 a.m. doing our own self-conditioning along with optional conditioning on Sunday's, where those who need it attend. Practices are becoming a lot more engaging and instead of spending a great deal of time on actual skills, we handle that during our individual sessions with the coaches. It is there that we are split into groups based on positions -- corners, middles, outfield, pitchers/catchers. This allows us to spend our time wisely and efficiently on the field and we've been able to work on things like cuts, run downs, pick offs, live defense, and "game time". Game time is basically a game-like situation where Coach Bridges is the pitcher and Coach Mack (McCormick) gives signs and rotates players in and out of defense and offense. This allows for everyone to get time on the field, whether it be offensively and defensively. It is definitely one of the more fun components of our practices. Things are looking up and I am confident that this Friday, we will get the job done and satisfy the coaches.

School is in full swing right now and for one of my Communications classes, I work as a Public Relations specialist for the school newspaper and sell ad space. It's a really cool opportunity to take on real life responsibilities in a somewhat controlled setting. My goal is to sell four ads each week, so I'm definitely going to need to network myself throughout Rohnert Park and Cotati if I plan to meet that quota each week. My media law class is pretty tedious and four hours of late night class after hitting, weights, and conditioning isn't the most lively of times, but I'm hopeful the agenda will start to have some variety and I'll dread that class less.

I'm really excited about what we have planned for SAAC, we are currently working with the American Cancer Society and contributing to their annual Breast Cancer Walk because with all of the teams conflicting schedules with games and practices, we cannot physically attend, but we are gathering funds to donate. We are also planning on partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma County this semester and seeing how we can contribute to their cause. Also, with the recent disaster in San Bruno we would like to see how we can donate their and help with those relief efforts.

Wish me and the team luck this week!

One week down, 7,341,535 more to go...

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

Gosh, never thought week one was going to end. Unfortunately, the team didn't come back in the best of shape and everyone noticed and the coaches clearly not pleased. The first day of conditioning we were to run 12 "gassers" which consists of 12, 100-yard sprints; fast people finish in under 17 seconds, medium speed people finish in under 18 and slower people finish in under 20. Sadly, we didn't even get that far because in the middle of the 90+ degree weather, people were dry-heaving, dropping, pulling muscles, and puking. Needless to say we have our work cut out for us this fall and are going to have to work twice as hard to get back into shape so we don't waste our valuable time on the field.

Myself along with my fellow seniors came up with a plan where we now condition twice a week on the days we don't already condition and lift with the coaches, we head to the track at 6:45 a.m. and create and conduct our own conditioning for an hour. We also do optional, but "recommended", conditioning on Sunday evenings. Since we set this in place, gassers are less of a struggle for the team as a whole and hope to complete all in the allowed time in the coming weeks. Though it's a minor set back, I'm hoping that some good will come of this and we will come together as a team sooner than anticipated and some leadership roles will emerge in the process.

Conditioning and weight lifting aside, we have a talented group of girls out there and there is going to be thick competition at just about every position. I am flip flopping from catching to outfield and enjoy both, but my arm isn't enjoying the double time because of the strain it puts on my arm is tremendous. But nothing lots of hours rehabbing and strengthening in the training room can't help. Ice baths have become a common thread among my teammates and I to help ease the hurt of this strenuous fall season.

As far as SAAC is concerned we were very pleased with the turnout of our first event of the year and earned a good chunk of money that will help dig us out the financial hole that we are currently in. After doing that our next plan is to join the American Cancer Society in their Breast Cancer Walk in Golden Gate Park toward the end of October. Another side project that we are attempting to embark on is to create shirts that we can sell to the school and the community that read "Blue Crew" and it essentially will be a shirt you can wear in support of athletics at any of the games, races, matches, tournaments, etc. While that is currently a work in progress, our current focus is raising the money for Breast Cancer and getting all of our teams out there to support the fall sports which are currently in season.

Senior year is not exactly what I expected it to be or maybe I was unsure of what to expect from the get go. I am taking four classes this semester -- Media Law, Life Span Development (Psychology), Public Relations Team for The Star, and Senior Internship. This only leaves one more upper division GE, Senior Seminar, and taking the WEPT for second semester and then I'll graduate? Well, seems like I need to narrow my focus and just live in the moment and with that said my current goal academically is to get a 4.0 this semester. For SAAC, I want to earn $300 for the Breast Cancer Walk among the student athletes and for softball, I want to attack the outside pitch and learn to love it as much as I do the up and in pitch.

With week one being done and now apart of my past, I'm hopeful for the future. Buh Bye :)

Women's Soccer: Katie Parucha

Hey fellow Seawolves! My name is Katie Parucha, or KP, and I am a junior on the women's soccer team.

Although we are three weeks into school, it feels like a good amount of time since our team has been up in Ropo (Rohnert Park). Our first day of double days was August 16th and started out with the infamous "doggies" fitness test. Going into summer, our whole team knows that this grueling test needs to be prepared for, but once it is completed, an attitude of relief and a feeling of accomplishment sets in. During double days, we did a lot of scrimmaging and small sided games in order to get our touch back, along with get a feel for how the new players perform.

After only two days of double days, the whole team was able to travel to Lake Tahoe and stay at Allison Kern's house. We were "roughing it" when it came to the location of the two story house seeing as it was on the lake. The clear blue Tahoe water and soft sand is her family's backyard and I don't see how it could get much better than that! Training in Tahoe was difficult, but I feel that it added to our work ethic and team unity. The toughest challenge was for our team to run up Mount Heavenly ,which is usually covered in snow and used for snowboarding... luckily for us it was a clear path and gave our coach the great idea of giving us the task to race up it. Although it was an extremely hard run, it was one of the most beautiful sceneries I have ever witnessed. As our team made its way through the finish line, we were gasping for air and wanted to collapse, but after we had collected ourselves, we knew that it was "all down hill from here"... literally. Overall, Tahoe was an amazing trip and I really felt that our team grew much closer not just as teammates, but also as friends.

Once we came back from Tahoe, the reality of season had begun to set it. We played UC Santa Cruz the Sunday after we arrived back from Tahoe. The end result was a draw of 1-1 after three 45 minute halves. We played a longer game because it gave everyone a chance to get some playing time and show the coaches what they had to offer. We came out playing a 3-5-2 formation which is what we played in the spring. Since then, we have gone back to a 4-4-2 which has worked out for the better as we have created more offensive opportunities and tightened up our defense.

Since then, we have played Santa Rosa JC, Domnican University, and Western Oregon. We successfully have beaten all three which gives us some confidence going into season. The game against Western Oregon was our first match that counted towards our overall record and was a close one. Although we had possession of the ball the majority of the time, we couldn't finish our many opportunites to score. Jaci Davey scored with 30 seconds left in the first half, which gave us a positive attitude going into the second half. Unfortunately, Western Oregon came back and scored tying up the game at 1-1. Our team kept pressing and continued to have a little trouble finding the back of the net, but within the last 28 seconds of the game, junior Taylor Colacion scored a header off of a cross from freshman Lauren Fryer. GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!

Last year our team was on the other side of the spectrum seeing as many of our games resulted in losses within the last five minutes in the game. This was a great way to start off our season! I would like to thank all of the fellow athletic teams that came out and supported us during that game! It was awesome having some fans at our games!

Our first CCAA game is against Cal Poly Pomona this Friday at home at 4:00 p.m. and we couldn't be more excited. Everyone on our team is going into this season with a positive attitude and I feel that in doing this we are setting ourselves up for success! The next time you hear from me will be after our first two games. Until then have a good week!

The beginning of the end...

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sonoma State softball senior and 2010-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Jesse Talaugon will keep her own blog this year at http://jessetalaugon.blogspot.com/, but we will keep this page up to date with any new blog posts she creates as well.)

After 3 days of living life as an "average student" since school started, all of that ends starting Monday when we break out into softball class, individual sessions, weight lifting, and conditioning. We have almost 30 girls working out in the fall consisting of five returning seniors, one returning junior, and bunch of returning underclassmen, as well as four committed incoming freshman, and a handful of walk on's that will be trying out. I am anticipating a lot of circuit type work outs, pushing weight, and increasing our endurance as a team to set ourselves up for success this spring.

I also have a couple personal goals in mind where my main focus will be to get 100% healthy by the time spring rolls around as I continue to recover from a severe strain to my Ulnar Collateral Ligament in my throwing arm. In addition, I will be trying out some other positions on the field to determine where I will become the biggest asset to my team. I came into this program as a left-handed catcher, played some outfield, tried out the role as a designated player and I have come to realize that I will be willing to play wherever is best for my team, personal feelings aside.

Academically, much to my surprise I will be graduating on time in only four years this upcoming spring. Looks like the 20+ units these last few semesters is going to pay off and now I need to apply for graduation and sooner rather than later to determine what my next step is.

As SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) President, we are beginning to determine what organizations we would like to work with this year while preparing to kick off the fall sports seasons with homecoming week and other festivities. Until next week, peace!