Abby's blog

Growth In Numbers        This is an infographic that shows the projected growth of lacrosse in the United States. I really liked this infographic because it statistically showed how much the sport really has grown throughout the recent years. It's amazing seeing how far this sport has come in such a short amount of time and it also speaks loud for those who have been a big part of the change in growth. Not only were the women I named in the blog about "The Moment" were a huge part in the change but so many others who's names aren't as known also had a huge part and I want to make sure they are thanked as well because their actions shouldn't go unnoticed. 

It's Our Time Now        This is my favorite video at the moment and I think it tells the story perfectly of what it takes to be a female athlete and how far we have come as a community. It's taken hard work, dedication, perseverance, grit, confidence and strength from every single women in the sport of lacrosse to make it known as it is today. This video tells a story of the little girls all around the world who have dreams and aspirations to become like their idols in the future.

The Moment I chose to include this picture because these are the women that were behind the scenes of the launch of WLL (Women's Lacrosse League). These phenomenal lacrosse players names are Izzy Scane, Lizzie Colson, Charlotte North, and Alex Holman. They weren't the only ones behind the scenes, everyone apart of the women's lacrosse community in a way has contributed to the debut of WLL. Without the constant and continued growth of the sport within women and young girls, the sport wouldn't be where it is today. With the help of all women simply loving the sport of lacrosse and what it brings, new possibilities are endless and now greater than ever.

 Change Through the Years        I went deep diving, trying to find more about the growth of lacrosse and how we as a community made it possible for lacrosse to become a professional sport. One article I found was one written by Kylie Ohlmiller, who was a phenomenal lacrosse player who played four years at Stony Brook and went onto founding a Lacrosse training brand named KO17 Lacrosse. She talks about the growth she went through as a player and the dreams she continued pursuing. This article was published before there was ever talk about women's lacrosse going pro, so it's amazing seeing her dreams now come to life. The second article talks about the lead up to the announcement of the WLL and how it will be such an important change for the players but also little girls around the country who can now have dreams to play professional women's lacrosse. The Growth of Women's Lacrosse is Limitless: https://laxallstars.com/the-growth-of-womens-lacrosse-is-limitless/ ...

 The beginning I was ten years old when I first picked up a Lacrosse stick. The moment I passed the bright yellow rubber ball  to the stringing of my dads stick that was perfectly placed and ready to be passed to, I fell in love. Ever since the moment my dad began passing with me, to my sister also playing lacrosse with me, I never wanted to stop. I was obsessed with the satisfying sounds the net would make when I would shoot the ball, the way it felt to pass and catch the ball, and I will never forget the way the sport brought me and my family so close together. Looking back now, little me would never had believed that women's Lacrosse was going to become a professional sport. Thinking about the little aspiring girls today and how they can now have dreams to play professional lacrosse, it makes me so happy. I am 17 years old and have committed to playing division one Lacrosse at Rutgers University. I started playing the sport competitively in sixth grade and I am now about to...

The War of Natural Disasters          One day the world was calm and content, everyone was happy and living their best lives. Until one day the president of the United States made an announcement that changed the country forever. The president shared that each quarter of the U.S. has now become one nation. The first was the Eastern nation named the Loyals, then the southern nation was named the Saints, soon followed by the western nation called the Wings, and lastly, the Midwest nation which was named the Wells. Each nation's purpose was to fight for power over the other nations, leaving only one in victory. These are the sectors of the U.S.      The president watched alongside his government as the U.S. went to war, but little did the sectors know they had a lot more coming for them than just war. As the fighting began, all hell broke loose. A fourth of each nation was wiped out in a matter of hours leaving the rest unaware of what was happe...

  Quote 1: “does it still make sense to teach kids about the way things were”(Mandel 269)?  I liked this quote because it showed the different opinions people had on the matter of the past life and if it was good enough to talk about or if it wasn’t worth bringing up the past. I understood why Jeevan was hesitant because it was a very upsetting topic that isn’t easy to remember for many and it’s especially hard on Jeevan since he witnessed one of the first deaths of the flu. But I also think it’s important because the next generation should know what reality they could live in and that the possibilities are endless.  Quote 2: “but I hope you’ll agree this was worth the climb”(Mandel 311).  This quote stuck to me because in a few moments Kirsten was going to be overfilled with hope and joy as she sees the electricity fill the town. It was kind of funny because it made me think it was definitely worth it and I know Kirsten definitely thought it was worth it too so in t...

  “You must be immune,” Jeevan said. “Yes.” Ben stared fixedly into the flames. “I’m the luckiest man alive, aren't I”(192)? I found this quote very sad because I couldn’t even imagine what this man went through. He had to watch everyday as his loved ones died and all he could do was sit there and watch, waiting for himself to eventually to die but then he never did. I wonder when he finally realized he was immune and wasn’t going to die? It made me think about what I would do in that situation. If I watched my loved ones die one by one, I don’t think I would be able to live another day knowing they wouldn’t be there for me or anyone for that fact. I would literally be alone and I’m sure Ben thought about this too. But I find Ben to be the strongest person in the book because he had the strength to fight through and keep walking like Jeevan did. “Keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking”(Mandel 194) I use this quote in one of the next questions but I really found this quote super i...

  If I were to create a perfect community I would name it Little Grove. It would be a small little community where there is a mayor running the town with others always helping. There would be a centerpiece of the town where all celebrations would be held and everyone would come together and enjoy themselves. There would be a small high school where everyone knew each other and there would never be arguments because everyone was friendly and kind. There would be a restaurant that everyone would go to to eat and have fun. There would also be a community of cats that everyone would feed and take care of while letting them roam around carefree. The town would make the shape of a circle that builds around this centerpiece as said before, where neighborhoods, stores, the school, etc, all surrounded this one thing. A garden. But not a simple flower garden, a garden with a grand gazebo where festivities and celebrations take place while also used for simple gatherings of the town's people....

  In what ways do you think the motto "Survival is Insufficient" fits for the Traveling Troupe? They perform A Midsummer's Night Dream, a play that it turns out Shakespeare wrote during the great plague in Europe. Are there other parallels you see between the play and the story?  I think the quote fits because not only surviving is going to help the group keep pushing through these hard times but enjoying their time and having fun with each other for example the performances and the acting. I think it is a big reason why they have made it so far and long. I’m not entirely familiar with the play A Midsummer’s Night dream but from the book I can tell there is much change in emotions and perspectives throughout the story and that connects with station eleven because people have gone through such a life changing moment and have had to learn how to change their beliefs and ways of living.  In section two, the novel leaps ahead twenty years following the Georgian Flu. How has l...

   “Jeevan was crushed by a sudden certainty that this was it, that this illness Hua was describing was going to be the divide between a before and an after, a line drawn through his life”(Mandel 19).  This passage surprised me because I understood what Jeevan meant when he said the line of life before and after, it was like life before the COVID-19 pandemic and after it—the sudden shift the world goes through is like something you've never experienced until it happens, like Jeevan said in the beginning about being crushed by a sudden certainty. Every person who lived through the coronavirus pandemic can fully describe what life was for them before, during, and now after the pandemic. Jeevan mentioned the division of time and it really is like a line in our lives that just all of a sudden split the moment in history. “In response, there was only a muffled sound. Hua was coughing. “‘Are you sick ?’” Jeevan was pushing the cart towards the door. “‘Good night, Jeevan’”(Mande...

  Why do you feel dystopian novels (which envision a future where the world has gone wrong) are a trending genre in fiction? What are some other dystopian books you have read? In this short article found on NPR, what are some of the reasons teenagers find the dystopian genre captivating and what do brain experts have to say about it? https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/18/536007249/why-teens-find-the-end-of-the-world-so-appealing At first I honestly really didn’t know why the dystopian novels amd genres were so popular. I did know why I really liked them and I realized I think it's because we as teenagers, who are usually casted or illustrated in the books as also teenagers are able to envision a different life and new fantasy where we are able to live during those times and go through these different life changing catastrophes. For example Divergent. Divergent is about a world where the people are split up into four different factions.  And each of those fractions are uni...

  Pollan’s essay is as much about the problem of problem-solving as it is a proposal for dealing with climate change. What do we do with the feeling that as individuals there is little we can do to influence really big issues such as homelessness, hunger, war, or climate change? Who wants to be just a drop in the bucket? Explore this dilemma by having a conversation in writing with an imaginary companion on a big issue you care about. First explain in writing what problem you think needs to be solved and why. (You might want to write about your potential research topic, if you want.) And then respond to your companion’s first question: You don’t think you could ever really do anything about it, do you? Carry on the conversation with your skeptical companion as long as you can. For most people when they hear about the issues going on in the world the most they do is fund charities, share awareness or most of the time nothing. Most people just feel bad about what’s happening but stil...