Piacentini

** A Pre-Game Warm-up **
 * Winter/Spring 2012 Mr. Dunne **

What do sports mean to you as an athlete and as a fan? Sports have a large impact on my life as an athlete and also as a fan. I play three sports--field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse. I've always participated in sports growing up, and I think it shapes who I am. Sports have taught me lessons about life in general, like responsibility, leadership, teamwork, the importance of being prompt, etc. I constantly watch sports on tv. My favorite sport to watch is football and ice hockey. I think you can learn a lot from watching the professional athletes.

What has been your experience with youth sports? Describe your best and worst experiences. Youth sports are a great way to get introduced to the sports world. When I was younger, I played ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, and gymnastics. Playing these sports helped me realize what I truly liked. When I entered middle school, I started focusing more on ice hockey, lacrosse, and baseball. When I came to Thayer, I picked up field hockey and dropped baseball. My best experiences have been with ice hockey. I play on a club team called Assabet Valley. In 2009, we won the National Championship which was an awesome feeling to experience. My worst experience with sports was probably in basketball. I'm not a firm believer in height playing an impact with sports, but I do think that in basketball the taller player has more of an advantage. I would always get out jumped on the rebounds, which would make my basketball experience frustrating at times.

Do athletes make good role models? Identify one or two professional athletes to make your case. Athletes tend to make good role models. Kids look up to them for their athletic performance, and very little view them for their personal life. One athlete that stands out to me as a strong idol is Tom Brady. He is a great role model because of his hard work, good morals, and leadership.

What sports/teams do you pay attention to the most? How much time do sports occupy in your life? How do you spend that time (attending, watching, reading, talking, participating)? Sports occupy a large part of my life. My family has always been surrounded by a variety of sports. My dad and two brothers also play ice hockey, so I spend a lot of time at their games. I spend the most time paying attention to profession sports, especially ice hockey, football, basketball. I don't really watch baseball because of how long and slow it can be (my personal opinion), but I do look at scores from time to time.

What sports-related issues would you be disappointed //not// to cover in this class? Why? Athletes and the relationship with drugs because I find that to be interesting.