Life Lived, Quizzes Quizzed, and Lessons Learned

3/3/2012

1 Comment

 
Well, I finally got around to creating the blog about the Vauxhall meet.  The drive was, like, 6 hours so that's naturally where I'm going to start this blog.
We watched, according to my request, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat (I got it on DVD for Christmas), Star Trek, Kung Fu Panda 2... We were watching movies for almost the entire ride, if we weren't sitting around making odd noises at each other.  I'm serious.  Braeden and I were definitely talking weird almost the entire time we were in the van.  We stopped at Scott's Parable where I got 4 CD's for 8 bucks (W00T!) and we continued on to Lindon where we stopped for some amazing lunch and the best pie in the world, and it was generally an awesome ride down.
Quizzing starts, not a great first quiz.  I don't remember if I erred out or just didn't do very well but we weren't too happy with that quiz.  -shrug- 
The hotel was fun... We went to Boston Pizza despite our experience with the wait times there at the last meet, and headed back to the hotel to enjoy it while watching the last 20 minutes or so of the King's Speech.  It was interesting from what I remember but I don't remember much... I had melatonin in my system and I was doing flashcards (let me know about any typos... I am sure that there are several)
I woke up against my better judgement at 5 in the morning and tried to focus on my studying as I couldn't get back to sleep.  Patricia insisted that 7 was the best time to meet for breakfast so that's when Lana and I went down, eventually no longer making any resemblance to zombies and getting pumped for the rest of the meet.
The rest of the meet was kind of a blur.  NEXT 1 was either really tired or just not prepared enough... We ended up in consolation in the afternoon despite a WXYZ quiz that went a thousand times better than the rest of the morning.  Didn't do too well in consolation either, though, so I guess it was a good thing that we didn't end up in championships... we would've gotten crushed.  As Jon said, it was a lesson in humility if anything...  A reminder that even if we had a good meet last meet and a good year last year doesn't mean we can study less or not try as hard.  I think it was also a reminder that getting into championships, doing well... They're things to be proud of.  Puts things into perspective.
NEXT 2, however, rocked the socks off of the meet, winning the Rookie Division finals!  (They were amazing.  Seriously.  NEXT 1 could learn a few things from them).
The drive home was filled with G.I. Joe and studying... Chapter 8.  You'd think that I'd give myself a bit of review time after that meet... Heh.  It probably would've been a really good idea.  But at least I'm really good at chapter 8.  Its an easier chapter but I'm good at it now.
From the ride home I went straight to LAJ with Lana... It was an extremely surreal weekend, to be completely honest.
NEXT 2 has been keeping up the good work at practices and seem to be getting better every work, and NEXT 1 has, with renewed focus, gotten back on track and are ready for anything next weekend at the Southgate meet.  Well, almost anyways.
Once again, I am studying for my Highland theory and realizing how much my Quizzing is helping my Highland and vice-versa.  For example:  one thing my teacher told me at my private lesson once that has become my motto for the rest of the year: "They're not neccessarily better than you... You're just not trying as hard as they are."  I feel like I haven't been trying as hard this year, and I feel like keeping that in the forefront of my mind will remind me that it isn't an issue of being a 'good quizzer'... It's a matter of effort and trying hard.
Anyways, I'll blog about the upcoming meet another time.  I only have up to chapter 5 in flashcards done and I really need those things...
Question of the blog:  How was the last meet for you guys?  Learn anything new?
Quizzers Unite!

Maegan
1 Comment

It's Been So Long!

5/22/2011

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

It's Been So Long!

5/22/2011

0 Comments

 
Do you miss me? ... I know I shouldn't ask these questions. Oh well. Since its been such a lonng time, I guess I should start with Great West, hey?

So... The Englers were kind enough to take me with them in their vehicle to Chamisall... Thanks Englers! We sang songs all the way from Cochrine to camp... it was awesome! The first night we tried to watch a movie but half way through it stopped working. We also tried to play a game, but it was IMPOSSIBLE!!! You try to balance a ball on a board with STRINGS, walk across the room, and put the ball through a hole in the board into a basket. I think that one tea got one in, but that was luck...
On the Friday we did some practice quizzes, and I did well, I'm not gonna lie. I was on a team with Tomi, Kyle, April, and Heather... And even though we didn't get into championships (which was probably my fault... heh heh) we won consolation! WOOT!!!!!! Snowmen were built, jokes were made, we nicknamed Ben (he is now Kutchmababins... if thats how its spelled), and it was an all-around great weekend. Personally, I came in 35th or something crazy like that, with an average of about 9 (I'm rounding to make myself feel better) and 15 errors.

After that, I resolved to copy out the material 15 times. I tried... but it didn't happen. :o(

Nakamun came pretty fast after that, and with only Love According to John and study week between GW and Nak... it was insane! NEXT went in head first though, and we rocked it. Our cabin was awesome, as we all respected each other's needs to sleep, studied together, made up really stupid moose and monkey stories with watermelon... but nobody's gonna understand that...

NEXT 1 decided to take the long road to championships, placing 4th in the morning, and starting the afternoon with a 2nd and 3rd. So... we had a LOT of quizzes after that. BUT! Even though my mom was sweating bullets and each quiz came down to the last question (literally, out last 4 quizzes of the afternoon were all either tie-breakers or last-question-makes-or-breaks-this quizzes), in the end we made it to finals, and we were all ecstatic, especially since it was Jon's last quiz meet, and probably Troy's last time coaching us.
Nat's qualifiers went well, I got, like, 5 right or something, and I was awful proud of myself. Didn't make the team, but I'll admit, I wasn't quizzing very well this year anyways, and would've brought the team down anyways.
Finals finally came around, and it was an intense quiz, and we came in second to Foothills 2... which wasn't a bad thing, because, as Troy would say, it's not that bad when you lose to a team thats genuinely better than you.
Jon went out with a bang... he placed 9th! Sadly, Jon graduated at Nakamun, and I think I speak for everyone at Next when I say, we're gonna miss him. Not only cause he's extremely good at quizzing, cause he is, but because practices are going to be really boring without his puns. well, that is if we don't somehow convince him to coach... Keep your fingers crossed for our convincing skills!
While I'm being emotional here, Troy is probably leaving us, too. Its not gonna be the same... Troy got NEXT 1 to where we are... He is the best coach EVER! I'll admit, I cried when we had to leave, knowing that Jon and Laura wouldn't be on the benches with us, and Troy probably wasn't going to be coaching, but I'm trying to look ahead. I'm trying to get Lana and Patricia all psyched up for next year, I don't know whether its successful or not, but I hope so.
anyways, enough with the sentimental stuff. In the end of it all, I've learned a LOT this year, and all good things have to end eventually, right? I mean, I'm leaving town after I graduate, so I can't blame other people for not coming back and coaching, right?
So... now that its all over, what are YOU guys doing with your life? What have you learned this year? I learned that work ethic DOES need to be renewed, that team dynamic is just as important as individual scores, and all good quizzers make errors... you just have to learn from them and keep going.
Well, see ya in August for the countdown, maybe earlier if I find some tips or study methods... I'll try to update you on studying over the Summer, I've already started Hebrews... Last year I took a long break and regretted it, like< REALLY regretted it. Are you guys taking a break? Who's graduating?

QUIZZERS UNITE!!!!

Maegan


0 Comments

Highland Theory... Quizzing Life Lessons?

2/8/2011

4 Comments

 
Skip the first paragraph if you're not just bored.
So, guys, I posted this literally minutes after posting the blog about the meet, because it was a draft before and I hadn't finished it when I wanted to post it so if you want to read about how the meet went, read the blog.
Yeah... you have to read to blog to find out how NEXT did. I'm not spoiling ANYTHING for those who actually care.
Too bad everyone who actually cares probably already knows.
BUT the blog post has the STORY... *nobody moves* FINE! Don't read my blog.

Anyways, the purpose of this blog is to let you all know that I think I just found a place where being an obsessive quizzer is a good thing. I was just talking to my friend from dancing (If you're reading this, I hope you don't mind that I'm talking about you on my blog, you know who you are...) about theory and she said something about using flash cards for Highland theory... memorizing definiteions and stuff... and I, myself using flashcard machine for my Highland theory, directed her to the website that I use. Then it kind of clicked in my head... Quizzing... theory... Quizzing... theory... WOAH!!!!! IT WORKS! It is terribly pathetic that it took me THIS LONG to figure it out...

So, I was going over my study methods and I realized just how obsessive they all sound when all you're trying to do is memorize a few, or a few hundred (or so it seems) definitions of movements you can execute no problem. I mean, the flashcards with push-ups... that'd work fine... I think I'm gonna use that one with steps of a dance for my theory since I have to up my pracitce time anyways, but most of them are totally... like, unrelated! No key words, although you oculd try to find words that you constantly forget, so that takes out a chunk of them. No verse numbers, so that takes out high lighting. Trouble spots... those I can maybe use but most of the study methods would SUCK for Highland theory.

The tips, too, I just realized how obsessive I am! "Make sure you eat while you're studying" "If your eyes are closing on their own, take a nap" "Schedule study times with friends!" And the new one I just posted "Make a schedule with when you're going to do each method that you use to study"... WHAT? I laughed SO HARD comparing how much I study Quizzing with how much I study theory... I mean, I don't think I've touched my theory book since last week, and its a MIRACLE if I can keep my hands off of my quizzing work for more than an hour or two.

BUT! As different as the two are, from the work ethic I learned from Quizzing, listening to my body when I'm studying for a long time and learning what works best for me, to working as a team, calming myself down and eating the right 'brain foods'... its all thanks to Quizzing, and without it, I probably would've failed my last few theory exams. Badly. So, Quizzing is pretty cool that way. And many other ways but don't get me started.

Questions: Where do you see skills obtained in Quizzing reflect in real life? (Yes, there IS a world out there for all you study-a-holics) And... was this too much of an essay for you to bother reading this far? *sigh* Oh well.

Quizzers... UNITE!

Maegan
4 Comments