Now with us all scattering across the country, hopefully we will all still be able to keep in touch and up to date on all the great things happening in each others lives.
This was Jocelyn's fourth year playing soccer and had a great season. She played a combination of offense, defense and keeper. It's obvious that offense is her favorite position. As her coach for the first time, it was a joy to watch her develop throughout the season: in her confidence, her aggessivness, her skills, her teamwork and her leadership. I am very proud of her. At the end of the season I gave each girl a special award, to make it fair, the other coach decided on Jocelyn's award. She was given the "most heart/best spirit" award. I think it was a perfect for Jocelyn. Although there were other girls on the field who may have developed better skills already as a soccer player, she never backed down, never quit and always gave her best.
The team went undefeated in the round robin tournament. In three games, they only allowed two goals! But since we only scored 2 goals in one of those games, we fell one point shy of qualifying for the semi finals. This is the same team who lost the first three games of the season! It was amazing to see how much the girls improved throughout the season. On top of that, our Golden Eagles were awarded the league's top award, the "Sportsmanship Award". This award was voted on by all the officials who ranked the players, the coaches and the fans for each team after each game. As you can see below, every girl received a big trophy for this accomplishment (this trophy was twice the size of the first place trophy).
Our Gracie turns 7! Following a fun hike up and down Emerald Bay with uncle Nick, we enjoyed a fun dinner at the scenic Sunny Side restaurant on Lake Tahoe.
Yeah, it's taken me forever, but below are videos from our trip to Santa Cruz, CA....I think most of them are from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Hopefully I will post some pics from this trip later this week.....
This last one scared me. Seriously. Jill thought it was a great idea, I did not not. You can see who won. I was so nervous I emptied my pockets, took off my sun glasses and hat, had one hand on the camera and one hand on the railing. I was ready to jump over the railing if Addi fell off this ride. I thought she was too small...if you listen close enough, you can even hear Jill tell me to not "make a face" (I guess I looked that scared)
Jocelyn did a great job in Second grade! Like McKailyn, she had to adjust to a new school and if you watch the videos below, she had to adjust to an entire new curriculum and teaching style as well!
Jocelyn and her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Parker
Jocelyn and her friend, Zera
Jocelyn and her friend, Mackenzie
Mrs. Parker mentions this in the below video, but Jocelyn had a tough time when the school year started, especially with having to learn Phonics and a new style of cursive hand writing. Through her tears of frustration, Jocelyn pressed on with extra homework and did exceptionally well. Jill & I are very proud of her for never giving up and always giving her best effort.
Jocelyn went from being very frustrated early in the year to being recognized as the second highest grade in the entire class. She missed 1st place by a tenth of a point!!! We are so proud.
Jocelyn received a special discipline award since she was the only kid in second grade who didn't get their name written on the board all year! Before the video started, Mrs. Parker mentions that she usually doesn't give out this award, because normally there isn't a student w/o their name on the board all year. It was also very neat because Mrs. Parker paused before saying Jocelyn's name and then all the other students yelled out Jocelyn's name and were very happy for her.
McKailyn did incredible in Kindergarten this year, but of course we knew she would! We are very proud of her, especially with starting at a new school, she did exceptionally well in her learning, never "changed her color" for disciplinary reasons and was also one of only two students who had perfect attendance all year!!
Jill also got recognized for being one of the parents who helped out extra in the classroom throughout the year.
You'll have to watch the videos below to understand this one.....
Steph came to visit me in Guelph, which was excellent and we had a great time. Although we did a lot of fun things such as hiking the gorge, I only remembered my camera for our trip to the 'Kissing Bridge' near Guelph. Built in 1881, the Kissing Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario.
In case anyone has been wondering, the western tier of the Schuckman girls is alive and well.....and I have videos to prove it! As far as a quick update, McKailyn is getting over pink eye this weekend and potty training is going very well with Addison. It's been several days since she's had an accident and is getting very good at telling us when she has to go. As you can imagine, this is making Jill very happy. Of course, she should get the credit for being such a great mom.
Jocelyn practicing for her school Easter program
McKailyn & Jocelyn lip syncing to the Chipmunk's version Justin Bieber
And the best for last...my cowgirl (attempting) to ride a mechanical bull. The funny thing is that she did better than me, but I was smart enough to not let her video my lame attempt :-)
Nick's high school athletic career on the Varsity level actually began in two sports during his freshman year. Over the course of this first season in the wrestling program, he was able to produce a memorable (2-8) record against Varsity competition. He followed that performance in the spring, as he served as a Co-Captain on the first ever men's Volleyball team.
As a sophomore, he played a key role on the varsity football team. He saw action as a two-way performer at both Offensive Center and Defensive End.
When the Wrestling season got underway, he welcomed the opportunity to put to use the "lessons learned" during the previous season. His results would clearly illustrate that he had learned his lessons well. An overall record of (21-9) included a fourth place finish in the GCL. The placement earned him First Team GCL (North) All Star recognition. He was a Champion at the Sycamore Invitational. He was also a Sectional Chamption.
That spring, Nick abandoned Volleyball to pursue the outdoor option of Track & Field. He predictably tried his hand at the Shot-Put and Discus.
His junior season in Football saw Nick continue to build upon the success he had established the previous season. He was an equally effective force on either side of the ball both in his performance and his leadership. He received numerous honors in both the GCL and the All City All Star balloting.
The dominance of this fine athlete's efforts proved to be even more dramatic under the watchful eyes of Coach Meinking throughout the Wrestling season. His third varsity season produced an overall record of 36-4. He claimed individual weight class championships at the Coach's Classic, the Sycamore Invitational (his second in a row), the Carrol Patriot Invitational and most importantly the GCL Championships. He was rewarded for his performance in the GCL by being named to the First Team ALL GCL North All Star Unit. He was also named as the GCL North CoWrestler of the Year.
During the State Championship sequence, Nick placed 2nd @ the Sectional, 3rd @ Districts and 5th @ State. The Post named him as its Division II "Wrestler of the Year".
As impressive as the credentials are for his junior year, the resume' following his final year is even more so. In Football, Nick earned First Team All City recognition from both newspapers. He was First Team All GCL North, First Team All District and Honorable Mention All State.
When any athlete has achieved the types of goals that Nick did during his junior year in Wrestling, it is extremely challenging to duplicate that feat as a senior. This young man relished the chance and turned in a remarkable final season. Serving as a team captain, he led by example, as he turned in a record of 38-5. He repeated as the individual champion as the Coaches Classic, Sycamore Invitational and in the GCL Championship. Once again, he was a First team all GCL honoree. This time, he was named as the outright GCL North Wrestler of the Year.
He began the State Tournament by winning the Sectional for the second time in three years. At the District, he finished as a runner up for a second consecutive year. In the final match of his high school career, Nick placed 6th at the State Championships.
Upon graduation from Purcell Marian, he accepted a grant in aid offer to play football at Wittenberg University. There he placed two years, receiving All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors as a center as a sophomore.
Addison turns three next month, so Jill & I have been trying to lead her towards using the toilet instead of her diapers. Friday night while getting the girls ready for bed, Addison walked up to Jill and said, "You give me one dollar and I go on potty." We made her repeat herself, afterwards we weren't sure if we should be proud or concerned.
After playing in the snow for a while today, the girls asked for hot chocolate. We didn't have any left so McKailyn asked for bacon. Makes sense. Sort of. Not really. Oh well, she was happy.
Jocelyn is turning into quite the inquisitive young lady. No matter where Jocelyn is, whenever Jill and I have a conversation among the two of us, Jocelyn magically appears and starts asking questions...."what does that mean?", "why do you think that dad?", "so what you are saying is....", "are you sure mom?" etc...... I find it funny.
