ONeil

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

What do sports mean to you as an athlete and as a fan? As a competitive athlete, sports are very important to me. When I was younger I played sports mainly for the social aspect however they quickly became more and more important to me as a grew up. Sports provide a way for me to push myself and to compete and perhaps they are the reason for that I am able to attend such a great high school and will be able to go to a great college to continue playing.

What has been your experience with youth sports? Describe your best and worst experiences. My experiences with youth sports have been great. As a young kid it was my goal to try every sport in the book even if that meant playing for the boys baseball team until 6th grade. This marks one of my favorite youth sport experiences. Although I was one of the only girls playing in the boys little league, I found that this was the most fun and competitive activities I had participated in. One of my worst experiences as a young athlete was when I was asked to quit the girls 8th grade basketball team because of my stronger commitment to soccer, gymnastics, and other sports. I loved the sport however after joining club teams I became very serious with soccer and therefore my attendance to basketball games and practices was affected. I wanted to play all sports and was devastated when I was told it wouldn't be possible.

Do athletes make good role models? Identify one or two professional athletes to make your case. In my opinion athletes do make good role models. As a young athlete I always looked up to professional athletes. Having an older brother and dad who are sports fanatics, ESPN was constantly on the kitchen television. I have watched many videos on athletes like Tim Tebow and Ted Bruschi that inspired me to be determined, work hard, and be competitve. However, there have been cases in which professional athletes do not make good role models. Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps are both examples of infamous athletes.

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)? Living in Boston it is hard not to be a sports fan. The Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots have all won major titles during my life time. I pay most attention to the Patriots mainly because of family tradition. My family has had season tickets for the Patriots since before I was born and it seems as though my family has never missed a game in their lives. Sports occupy a great deal of time in my life and I wouldn't be the person I am without them.

What sports-related issues would you be disappointed //not// to cover in this class? Why? I would be disappointed to not cover the money aspect of sports. I am very interested the extremely large amounts of money that professional athletes are paid and wonder if others also believe that they are being absurdly overpaid.