Sept. 19, 2006
This fall quarter, Northwestern senior Katie Logan will keep on online journal describing fall softball practice and life as a student-athlete. Continue to check this page for the next entry in Logan's journal!
Entry One (Sept. 18, 2006)
Entry Two (Sept. 19, 2006)
Entry Three (Sept. 21, 2006)
Entry Four (Sept. 25, 2006)
Entry Five (Sept. 28, 2006)
Entry Six (Sept. 29, 2006)
Entry Seven (Oct. 2, 2006)
Entry Eight (Oct. 4, 2006)
Entry Nine (Oct. 6, 2006)
Entry 10 (Oct. 9, 2006)
Entry 11 (Oct. 12, 2006)
Entry 12 (Oct. 13, 2006)
Entry 13 (Oct. 17, 2006)
Entry 14 (Oct. 19, 2006)
Entry 15 (Oct. 23, 2006)
Entry 16 (Oct. 26, 2006)
Entry 17 (Oct. 27, 2006)
Entry 18 (Oct. 31, 2006)
Entry 19 (Nov. 2, 2006)
Entry 20 (Nov. 3, 2006)
Entry 21 (Nov. 6, 2006)
Entry 22 (Nov. 8, 2006)
Entry 23 (Nov. 13, 2006)
Entry 24 (Nov. 16, 2006)
Sept. 18, 2006 (Entry 1)
My name is Katie Logan and I am a senior on the varsity softball team. Today is my first day working at Anderson Hall as an intern in the Media Services office. I can't believe that this already is my last year of college. I'm very excited to be working in the media office this fall.
I have no idea what I would like to do after I graduate and this internship gives me my first experience at what a "real job" would be like, plus I am super excited to work with Doug Meffley, who has been our softball SID the last three years. I am also a little nervous to think that in June I will be graduating from college. I never thought that day would come. It seems so long ago when I was a freshman, and yet it went by so fast.
I have grown up so much since my freshman year living in Lincoln dorm. Freshman year was quite an experience. I did not have the best freshman year, but my mom encouraged me and I moved into a house with four other teammates: Courtnay Foster and Jamie Dotson (they are both one year older than me, 2006 graduates) lived downstairs for two years and Garland Cooper, Eileen Canney and I lived upstairs; they are both in my class and are my best friends. Sophomore year was better than freshman, junior year better than sophomore and now I am eager to see how senior year will be. I know senior year will be the best.
I have a very optimistic outlook on this season. I get a very good vibe from the team. The team has very big shoes to fill but we already are working hard and I think we will be able to fill those shoes and more! Last season the softball team placed the best it ever has in the history of the University, taking second place at the Women's College World Series. Being at the WCWS was an amazing experience. It was so exciting and draining at the same time. Every game was so close and intense that by the end of the tournament I was both physically and mentally exhausted. I was so glad to have been a part of the unique group of individuals who accomplished that amazing goal.
Since being back from the Series, we have gotten so much support and recognition. So many random people, friends and other athletes have given us praise and compliments about our finish. It feels really good to know so many people were supporting and rooting for us. Still, even almost four months after the Series, people still compliment me on how well we finished. But that is neither here nor there, because this fall means a new team and a new mountain to climb.
Sept. 19, 2006 (Entry 2)
Now that I have filled you in on my complete life story, I can talk about how this year is beginning for me as a student-athlete. This is my second day of work, so far I really like it and I really enjoy my other co-workers.
Softball is going well, too. We are currently in "Phase I" of the season. My head coach devises different phases for the year all titled differently to emphasize different goals that our team needs to focus on. This phase is entitled "Dovetail." It consists of our fall ball games and practices, which will last about another two weeks.
Getting back into the swing of things can be rather challenging, especially when there are a lot of new people who we are assimilating into our team work ethic. Yesterday the team had defensive and offensive practice out on the field then we went into the turf room to have a nice little run with Jason Pullara, our strength and conditioning coach. Running was a little difficult yesterday but it's ok because I need to get into better shape before "Phase 2", which is much more intense running and lifting.
After the run yesterday we headed into the weight room to lift. The lift was primarily arms and it felt great to get back in there, but I'm not going to lie, I'm a little sore today! It will all be worth it when I hit another home run this season :).
Sept. 21, 2006 (Entry 3)
So far work has been rather delightful thanks to my fantastic tasks I am given. Currently I am working on an all-time series record list for the softball media guide. It is very interesting because I am learning about the history of my sport and team.
The work isn't too difficult but it is a little time consuming. Yesterday I also put together the men's basketball schedule for the Web site. That was a fun job. My next task will be scanning and editing headlines from the Women's College World Series to put in our media guide. Also today I have to go to my one class -- it's a math class I have to take because I need one more for my requirements.
I have to leave the stadium and then come back after class for practice this afternoon, but at least there is no lifting today, woohoo! Yesterday we lifted after practice and surprisingly I am not as sore as last week. I'm sure it's because I am already getting stronger, yes!
We actually have two fall ball games already this weekend. We are playing Wisconsin and UW-Green Bay at Wisconsin. I'm really looking forward to this weekend and am anxious to see how we play. It will be interesting to see how our team meshes together in a game this early in the fall.
On the way home we are stopping at Kristen Salamon's (one of the players) parents' house for some scrumptious dinner. I can't wait for an awesome home cooked meal! Most of all I can't wait to sleep in on Sunday!
Sept. 25, 2006 (Entry 4)
After a short but successful weekend, I am back in the office. This Saturday we were supposed to have two games at Wisconsin but ended up playing only one because the second game got rained out. I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to make it to the stadium by 5 a.m. so that we could leave at 5:30 a.m., but the bus ended up being an hour late.
I pretty much passed out for the entire ride, waking up just as we pulled up to some bread shop to get breakfast. Everyone ate quickly and we made it to the field in just enough time to put on our cleats and begin warm ups. We began with hitting, then did agilities and then a little infield/outfield and then it was time for the game! Our first opponent was UW-Green Bay. We had a great start, scoring six runs in the first inning. We didn't score again until the bottom of the fifth when we scored two to end it in a run rule, 8-0.
Defensively the team played well. Some new people were playing in the field and freshman pitcher Lauren Delaney had her first college appearance. She did awesome; she had 12 strikeouts and shut them down. Looks like the twin towers (Delaney and senior Eileen Canney) are going to be quite the pitching staff. Personally, I had a successful outing. I was 2-for-3 with one walk, had two RBIs and scored twice.
After the first game we had a game break. Our second game was scheduled for 3 p.m. against Wisconsin but that game got rained out. We waited around for about 30 minutes and then called it quits and got back on the road. On the way home we stopped at Kristen Salamon's house for dinner. Delicious! They had Mexican food and it was so scrumptious. We hung out at the house for a couple hours. The team sat around and watched Project Runway, what a great show. It was nice team bonding. So all in all even though we spent about six hours of the day in a bus just to play one game it was a successful weekend.
Sept. 28, 2006 (Entry 5)
So besides filling you in on the cool world of softball, which I will get to in a minute, let me update you on my work progress. I have been given some pretty nifty tasks. For the past few days, I have been working on cropping/editing headlines from the Women's College World Series last year. These headlines will be added into the softball media guide for next season, so look for them because they are going to be pretty cool and you won't want to miss my excellent stylage.
Also I went through a whole CD full of women's volleyball action pictures from previous matches. I got to sort through and pick out ones righteous enough to make it in the media guide and to use on NUsports.com. I have a lot of friends on the team so I tried to find some pretty cool ones for them.
That pretty much filled my day yesterday. Today I will be looking at and cropping softball headshots. I can't wait to make fun of my teammates' pictures, haha just kidding.
Now onto the softball world: Tuesday's practice was eventful. There was no lifting, but definitely a run after defensive and offensive practice. I feel like the hard work starts earlier every year, but if you want to be the best you, have to work the hardest, so it's all good. After doing some warm ups, we did ladder drills with 10-yard sprints incorporated after finishing the ladder. Then we broke up into groups of five and did a conditioning drill. The first person ran five yards out, then the next person went and so on. When all five had gone then the first person ran five yards out, back, then 10 yards out, next person. We continued this format all the way up to 15 yards and then back down to 10 and finally to five.
After that fun drill we divided into partners. We did two sets of ten squats while interlocking arms with our partners. This exercise was a little tricky to get the hang of because our feet were supposed to be about a foot apart yet our backs were supposed to be touching. Then we did lunges the whole width of the field and back. Then, what better way is there to finish up an awesome workout than with abs?!
I felt pretty good after that workout, let me tell you. Today we will have another run and you know what, I will be ready, so go ahead and bring it!
Sept. 29, 2006 (Entry 6)
Note: Logan's sixth entry was delayed due to Northwestern's server outage on Friday, Sept. 29. It was posted to this page on Monday, Oct. 2
TGIF! We have practice today, but here is a short little preview of the weekend. Tomorrow we play DePaul and Loyola at home for the NU Fall Classic. They should be pretty good games, but it is the fall so we are always trying out new things and working on skills a lot, too.
We also have two recruits in this weekend. Even though I will never play with either of them I am anxious to meet them and show them what it would be like to be a member of the 'Cat family. It truly is a great experience to be apart of something much bigger than just softball. Everyone that has ever been apart of Northwestern Softball is forever a member of the family, and I will continue to be invested in the program long after I graduate.
I am excited to play some ball tomorrow and I am anxious to see how many people are going to ask me to braid their hair (not to brag or anything but I am kind of the best hair braider on the team, its true ask anyone). I'm sure some of the 'Cat parents are even more excited to tailgate and watch the games. I will return to you avid readers as soon as the weekend is over. GO CATS!
Oct. 2, 2006 (Entry 7)
Back in the office, it is storming outside which means a case of the Mondays! The games this weekend went alright. We beat DePaul 6-3 in the first game. Leenie (Eileen Canney) pitched awesome and was throwing a no-hitter until the bottom of the 7th when DePaul broke through for three runs. We felt bad for Leenie, but at least we still won. Halfway through the game a gigantic storm showed up and we were delayed, but our awesome grounds crew (coaches and parents!) got the tarp on quickly so we could play after the rain.
After that we lost to Loyola, 4-3. We didn't really play our best and some things just didn't go our way. Our freshman pitcher (Lauren) Delaney pitched well but Loyola just got some good hits at the right time. By the spring we are a completely different team, the fall is just practice and getting back into a groove after taking the summer off. So this loss was a good wake up call.
I mentioned earlier that we had recruits in this weekend, and we had a very good time. They were both really great and I feel like they would fit in with our program fantastically. It was really good spending time with them and getting to know them and I am sad that I won't get to play with them. But anyways hopefully they enjoyed their weekend here and decide to become a 'Cat.
As for this `Cat, back to work!
Oct. 4, 2006 (Entry 8)
Good morning! I am a little sore today after a really good workout yesterday. Phase One, Dovetail, is steadily becoming Phase Two, which involves a lot more running and lifting. It is like a combination of the two Phases because we are still practicing outside for the remainder of this week.
Yesterday's practice was broken up into outfield and infield drills. The infield worked on defense while outfielders hit and then we switched. Outfield started off a little rough in the first round of reps, but after the warm-up round we focused more and had way better rounds. After we were done on the field, we went into the turf room where we warmed up the legs a little and then we did some plyos. Plyos can be kind of fun because they are just stationary jumping work, no running (but that doesn't mean they aren't tricky!). Then we worked on our running forms, did some sprints with some resistance from a partner and lastly we strapped on ankle shackles and worked on being explosive in our first few steps. I am happy to say that the freshmen are really catching on. Everyone was talking and doing the drills right, I'm definitely very pleased.
After our run, we went and lifted. The lift yesterday included hang cleans (my absolute FAVorite lift) and primarily arms: inverted pull-ups, push-ups, preacher curls and some lunges thrown in there, too. We finished up the workout with some abs. We had to do 50 sit-ups in a minute. It was difficult but I managed to make it with 51! The people who didn't make 50 were obligated to do it again but the whole team did it again with them, you know, for the moral support.
P.S. The bottom of the stairs entering into our locker room flooded Monday night. Yeah, there was a HUGE storm. I have never seen/heard it rain so hard for so long. There was lightening, thunder, hail...it was rather exciting! I mean heck I don't even know what rain is (growing up in the desert of Tempe, Ariz.).
So my point being, the bottom of the stairs flooded (along with the NU library and other important buildings on campus) which just happened to be the storage place of our bat bags. And guess whose bag was on the ABSOLUTE bottom? MINE! Of course, my cleats were soaked yesterday for practice. But, there was one really good thing about my bag getting drenched: I was complaining about my old glove (Rekcid, we name our gloves) losing the pocket but actually the water reshaped the pocket better because I left a ball in it. So that is neat. I always try to look for the positives in a difficult situation!
Oct. 6, 2006 (Entry 9)
I'm so glad its Friday; I am ready for the weekend! This weekend we get the WHOLE weekend off because we are now entering Phase Two. I will be sad to leave Phase One. We won't play a game until our season starts in early February, instead we will just be working on adjusting and finessing individual skills.
I think that Phase One overall was successful. We ended up playing a total of three games with a 2-1 record. Of course we would have liked to be 3-0, but it is alright because fall ball is the time to work and test things out. By spring we will accept no losses.
It was really good to have one traveling weekend and one home weekend (our first time hosting any fall ball games!). The traveling weekend brought our team closer together, which is an important part of being a member of the 'Cat family. We really emphasize team chemistry and I think that is a big part of our success. Phase One is crucial in developing the base of our core unity. The team is finally beginning to feel like one, and Phase Two will only help build strength and character.
Phase Two, like I mentioned previously, is primarily running, lifting and individual work. Now we are in an eight-hour rule, so that means we get FULL weekends off! I am super stoked that I get to sleep in tomorrow! This week has been very productive for me. I felt like I got a lot of work done in the office and a lot of work done on the field! Yesterday we split practice up again (our last time on the field until spring, tear, tear) and then we ran and lifted. The run wasn't too bad, I think Jason was just introducing the freshmen to some of the neat exercises and drills we will be running here in the very near future. The lift was fine, much better than Tuesday's lift.
Today we are just lifting and it is squat and pull-up day, I can't wait! I can't believe I am going to say this, but I am a little excited to begin Phase Two (my last Phase Two). This Phase is so necessary in bonding the team and building mental and physical toughness. I am excited to show the freshman how the 'Cats work and I know they will be ready.
Oct. 9, 2006 (Entry 10)
I am back in the office from a nice extended weekend. We had the weekend off to recover from squats on Friday. I do a little different lift than everyone, for squats I do less weight and twice the amounts of reps. So everyone does six reps and I do twelve, but don't let it fool you, even though I am doing less weight it is still really hard!
I was really happy that I had the time to go into the city this weekend. It was very adventurous. Saturday night the roomies and I went to eat dinner at ESPNZone because our good friend and alumnus Courtnay Foster is working there. It was really fun to see her and have her be our server.
ESPNZone is really cool. I had never been there before and it is HUGE. There are TVs everywhere and on the second floor there are tons of games. There really is any game you could think of, but one thing they are lacking is a batting cage! There was this one pitching game, though, where you throw balls at a screen for an at-bat. It keeps count of balls and strikes and the speed of your pitch. Tammy (Williams) got in there and totally blew away this guy that was in there before! It was pretty funny. I wanted Leenie (senior pitcher Eileen Canney) to get in there and throw underhand but apparently she didn't feel like pitching that night.
Then Sunday for lunch the house went to Huey's, a little hot dog restaurant in Andersonville. There are so many cool little places in Chicago to discover, and Huey's is one of ours. We go to Huey's almost every Sunday, it's been a tradition for us for quite a while.
So this weekend was fun, I am glad I had time to go into the city. I love going into the city and I wish I knew my way around a lot better. The goal for this year: go downtown as much as I can so I can explore. It is my last year to do it!
Oct. 12, 2006 (Entry 11)
How exciting! Today is the FIRST snowfall of the year! It is really coming down right now, but it won't stick and I know it will warm up again, but still it looks so pretty. I am dressed in honor of the snowflakes today, all white. Yea I know I'm not supposed to be wearing white after Labor Day but a.) I don't follow the rules of fashion and b.) there is a little thing called laundry and I have A LOT of it to do, therefore limiting my choice of clothing.
Tuesday was our first day of Phase Two and let me tell you, it was gnarly! Why ease into things when you can just jump in with both feet, right? First we lifted, then we went out to the stadium and had to scale the WHOLE stadium. Scaling the stadium means that you run up the first set of stairs, run across, run down and then run across and up again. You continue to do this the whole way until you finish on the other end of the stadium.
Personally I think this is one of the most challenging runs we do. I will admit that at times some of us were walking, but the goal was to go hard on the up-stairs and I did just that.
Yesterday we had spinning, which is new this year. On Wednesday we have alternate spinning and yoga. The main reason behind incorporating these into this year's workout is to help stretch out our muscles. Believe it or not, although spinning was difficult, I think it actually helped keep me from being sore from Tuesday.
So that is the most recent news. We have a run and lift again today, but I am not that worried about it because we won't be outside and that means no stadiums today!
Oct. 13, 2006 (Entry 12)
Here's a preview of another FANTASSSSTIC weekend! We have a total of four recruits coming in this weekend and there are alot of Northwestern HOME games to go see. Tonight we are taking two recruits who are in to the BIG volleyball match against second-ranked Penn State. It is going to be televised and will be very exciting so there should be a good crowd out tonight.
It is also volleyball's BIG GAME for the year, so a lot of student-athletes will be there. Every year, all of our teams choose one home game as the BIG GAME, and the rest of the student-athletes try to make sure they can be at that game to cheer each other on.
We try to support the rest of our student-athletes as much as we can. Many other student-athletes, like people from baseball and women's soccer, came all the way down to Oklahoma City for the World Series. When we returned we got so much recognition from all the other athletes, like football, field hockey, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, pretty much every team on campus. It was great and pretty amazing.
We received so much support from the rest of the student-athlete community during the WCWS we are just trying to give some of it back with a little bit of support. I wish the volleyball team the best of luck tonight! GO CATS!
There is also a home football game on Saturday against Purdue. Home football games are always a good time. I have to sell programs so I can't hang out at the tailgates before but I will definitely stop by after the game, hopefully we will be celebrating a victory! Selling programs at football is a way for our softball program to make money so we can afford to go on trips and play places closer to alot of the west coast parents. We've been doing it for a couple of years now. All of us don't have to sell at every game, so we still get to have some Saturday's where we can go in and cheer the entire game.
Later Saturday night I have to work the volleyball game. They are playing Ohio State, so it will be another good match. I think the rest of my team is going to go downtown maybe to a haunted house. I will meet up with them when I finish with the volleyball game, I'm sure. It will be a fun time, I mean my team pretty much rocks at life!!
Oct. 17, 2006 (Entry 13)
I am so excited to say that it is Tuesday. We are outside again running, my guess would be ramps. Whatever it is, I know that it will be challenging and make me stronger.
It is a little warmer today but also rainy. I walked to work today in a short-sleeve shirt. I started my journey wearing a jacket because I thought it was rainy and cold but within a few short blocks I was way too hot wearing that jacket. I can honestly say, now having been here to witness all the seasons, Chicago weather is unpredictable. It snowed last week, and now I'm back in short-sleeves. It seriously pulls trick plays on you all the time; it pulls trick plays on itself even! I was here this summer and it was unusual to me to be staying in my house in Chicago and have to use AC because it was sooo hot! That's what I'm used to back home in Arizona!
But the summer was so fun and truly an awesome experience. The city is so different in the summer. There are music and food festivals all the time. There seriously is something going on basically every day. I stayed in Evanston this summer with my roommate Leenie (Eileen Canney) because we were both taking summer courses. A lot of our days consisted of going to our classes (which met twice a week) and then lying out at the beach.
At night we would go into the city. I was a little apprehensive about staying in Chicago for a summer, because I have always been home (in Arizona) for summer but I can honestly say that I had a wonderful time here and I am so glad that I stayed. It was great fun with Leenie; it would have been even better if our other roomie Garland (Cooper) stayed too. But Garland was studying abroad in Mexico City. She was there for almost two whole months. Mexico City can be real dangerous and I think she got sick once but I know that she also made some great new friends out of it. Sad to say, but I don't think Garland will be returning to Mexico City ever. One of those once in a lifetime things, ya know?
I, on the other hand, had a great time in Mexico with my family this summer. At the end of the summer my family went to Cabo San Lucas for two weeks. It was so relaxing but really hot, August is not the best month there. It was one of the best family vacations I've ever had. Everyone in my family is now all grown up. My youngest brother Thomas graduated from high school so he is now a "college student," joining my older brother Jon and me. I love summer, favorite season by far. In the meantime I guess I will just have to look forward to winter coming soon, because that means softball season is right around the corner!
Oct. 19, 2006 (Entry 14)
One more day until the weekend and I am super stoked! This week has been a lot better than last week. I think that has been apparent in my mood at practice. I don't know if it's because last week running and lifting was really challenging or that I have gotten more sleep this week, but whatever it is, I like it.
Tuesday, like I predicted, we were outside on the ramps. We rocked the shiznaz out of the ramps. I went in thinking we were going to run up like nine times (because we have done that a couple of times before). We were preparing the freshmen, laying down all the laws: no walking, keep cheering, finish all the way up to the top and never ask how many more we have.
Well, we attacked those ramps, and you know what, we apparently run-ruled them because we only had to run up six times! The first four were combinations of hopping and sprinting all the way up and the last two were just straight sprinting all the way up. After the sixth run, Jason brought us all in together and I swore he was going to say something like, "alright if you guys run this hard you will only have one more left" but instead he said "looks like you guys run-ruled them, good work!" I must admit we were so loud and encouraging and we ran those ramps really hard so we earned that victory.
Yesterday to get some of the soreness out, we went to yoga. Except for three people on our team, it was everyone's first time doing yoga. I think it went well and personally I loved it. It was a little frustrating to me because I want to be able to do everything really well, and this was just my first time. I mean I did pretty well but I kept on looking over at Erin Dyer (whose the most flexible person on our team) and she was doing everything so well and it looked so easy. I was jealous!! Yoga is definitely something I want to be good at because flexibility is something that comes in handy and prevents injury.
So, I also have a midterm today. Hmm, yea I think I should do pretty well. Erin Hampshire and I are in Math 110 together, and it is pretty tricky, don't let it fool you. We went to tutoring last night so hopefully I can pull off a decent grade.
I can't wait until tomorrow after 3 p.m., then I will be done and it will be the weekend! This weekend is homecoming, so of course I get off selling programs at the football game. It is going to be a blast and I think some of the softball alumni are coming back so it will be really good to see them.
Well, I have written enough for today and I must get back to work. But before I do, I am just going to give a shout out to all my fans: mom, dad and all the avid readers HEYO! You know, I have gotten so many comments from people who read my journals and I just want to say thank you so much and keep on reading! I appreciate your support and I hope I can keep you all informed and entertained for the rest of the quarter.
Oct. 23, 2006 (Entry 15)
I just finished up running this morning and came into work super stoked to have my coffee because the very short walk from the locker room to the office was a little chilly, only to find that the coffee maker is broken! So brutal. Doug and I were extremely upset about this, but we managed to find another coffee maker upstairs so I still got my coffee!
I am also faced with another dilemma, but this is a good one. Not only is the coffee maker broken but also there are incredible amounts of leftover food in the kitchen from a banquet over the weekend. Yes, this normally would be fantastic but Monday is football press conference day, so there is free lunch anyways. I don't know what to choose! Maybe a little bit of both? When you are in college you must appreciate and take full advantage of any free and fully cooked meal. Woah, I just spent about five sentences talking about food, but having a good workout makes me think about lunch before 9 a.m.
So this weekend was fun. I met a lot of softball alumni during homecoming and it was real fun hanging out with them. Garland and I took them up to the locker room and laughed at the alumni because they were taking some hilarious pictures with softball equipment. Aw sad after this year I will be an alumnus. I can't believe how fast this quarter is going!
It is almost Halloween and you know a month after Halloween is Thanksgiving and then Christmas is right around the corner. I am excited for the Holidays to come. I really appreciate going home and spending more time with my family. When I used to come home freshman and sophomore year, it was all about seeing my friends and going out, I was hardly ever home. My how the tables have turned, now when I go home I hardly ever leave the house. My friends have to beg me to go out when I am back home. It must be the fact that I have matured and now actually enjoy and get along with my parents. I was not the easiest teenager to manage, I know I gave my parents a hard time. Good thing I grew out of that stage! Woo I love you parents!
So I am a little excited that I am already done with running for the day. Today I have to paint a wall in my room, do laundry and go tanning before class tonight (yes I know I am lame, I do go tanning. I'm sorry I like to tan...I mean it is my hobby after all). Those are all on my "to do list" for today including my awesome task at work of compiling single-game records for the softball media guide!
Oct. 26, 2006 (Entry 16)
Today is Thursday, and I'm looking forward to it because not only is it our last day of running for the week but it is also Grey's Anatomy night! It also means we are getting close to the weekend!
I totally have to go shopping this weekend for my Halloween outfit. Every year the softball team dresses up as a group with the same theme, and every year is different. This year we are SUPER heroes. We had to create our own characters and super powers. My super hero's name is Blaze and I can throw fire and blow fire out of my mouth. Basically my outfit consists of all black tights and sleeves. I just need to get a red cape and write Blaze on it. I am also going to do sweet red and black eye makeup with BRIGHT RED lipstick. Some of the girls on the team have HILARIOUS outfits. I can't wait to see everyone.
Last year we dressed up as Braveheart. It was absolutely brilliant! We had nasty cut up sweatshirts with hemp laces and plaid fabric for our kilts. We wore blue and white war paint and everyone had a different signature design on their face. We also messed up our hair so it looked as if we were from back in the day before they had brushes. Courtnay Foster did her makeup like William Wallace and was acting like him the whole night, quoting lines from the movie. It was soo funny. Gosh everyone looked amazing.
The year before that, sophomore year, we were trolls. This was awesome, too. Everyone picked out what troll they wanted to be; I was nature troll. I pretty much was dressed in all green with a necklace made of leaves. For our hair to stick up, we put empty water bottles on top of our heads, surrounded our hair around the bottle and put a hair tie around the top to hold it in place. It was quite genius. One of the best troll outfits definitely belonged to Erin Mobley. Since it was a presidential election year, she was Patriotic Troll, wearing a flag with a "vote" t-shirt and red, white and blue hair (for any of you who know Mobs, totally a Mobs thing to do, it was great).
My freshman year, we were Eighties prom queens. Gosh this rocked too! Carri Leto (who was a senior when I was a freshman) had the funniest outfit, a bright red sequin dress with these gnarly green socks and high heels. Not to mention that her makeup was RIDICULOUS, bright pink lipstick with dramatic blue eye shadow and her hair was a HUGE side ponytail. It was great.
There have been so many good ideas for Halloween costumes. That's why we started brainstorming way back in September (some of us, not to mention any names, Garland, started in the summer). Come to think of it, this is the first year that I will not have to spend two whole days getting hair spray and dye and other nonsense out of my hair. I am looking quite forward to this!
Buuuuut...don't think I forgot. Yesterday was my boss DOUG MEFFLEY'S BIRTHDAY!!! HAPPY B-DAY TUGBOAT!
Oct. 27, 2006 (Entry 17)
What a successful week! Workouts have been really good this week. They were definitely challenging, and not to sound conceited, but I rocked at them! The whole team really did. Well done 'Cats!
The Phase Two meeting in the beginning of the week could have had something to do with instilling the extra-hard work ethic in the team. The Phase meeting went very well, they always do. We went over and discussed Phase One, trying to get perspectives from everyone. The general tone was that although some of the fall workouts were harder than normal, it was good because it was preparing us for Phase Two. Then we talked about Phase Two, how it is going so far and what else we need to work on.
I like Phase meetings. They are definitely something that makes our team unique and it helps us and reminds us of what our team is all about. The Phase meetings are the place where everyone, freshman and seniors alike, say what they truly believe and feel. It is a relaxed, comfortable and safe yet serious environment. These Phase meetings are significant for our program. They help us focus on our goals and discuss ways to achieve them.
I'm not going to lie, sometimes the meetings can be a little emotional, people get a little teary-eyed. Alright fine, I will admit it, I -- yes me -- broke down when we talked about the seniors and this being our last year (although I normally would not do this, but I feel so close to my avid readers I feel like I owe it to tell you all the truth). It was a special moment if you will. Ok, so enough with the blabbering!
Work in the office has been rather productive. I conducted an interview with Mike Wolf, the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Services. It went very well. He is very easy to talk to and gave me some insightful information. I really like all the people that work here. I have become a little close with some of them, giving nicknames, chatting on Fridays about Thursday night's Grey's Anatomy (which was a repeat last night, so mad!!), trips to the "Caf" (cafeteria for lunch) and the occasional venting about a bad day. It's a good time and I will be sad to leave. As for now, I am slowly counting down the hours until my weekend!!
Oct. 31, 2006 (Entry 18)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I love Halloween. Who doesn't like the idea that for one day you can dress up as something or someone that you can never be? I like dressing up as ridiculously as possible. I have always loved Halloween for the dressing up part and for the ample amounts of candy you get, for FREE. What kid doesn't like candy? I do remember though, that as a young child my parents would only allow me to dress up as a Saint. Yes, being religious they did not like the idea of Halloween so we celebrated All Saints Day instead.
I dressed up this past weekend as a Super Hero (this was mentioned in an earlier entry, our whole team was Superheroes). We wore our costumes to the volleyball game Friday night. It was fun, or more like funny! Everyone was looking at us probably because we looked outrageous but I knew it was because we looked so hot haha! Seriously though, I was kind of lame this weekend. The volleyball game was probably the only thing I did this weekend, but at least I was in my sweet costume when I went!!
Anyways I am excited to pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. They are so cute. We always pass out candy and you better believe that we are the awesome house that parents hate because we give out KING SIZE candy bars. Every kid loves the house that hands him or her a giant candy bar and you know that is the last piece of candy they save for almost a whole month.
Maybe in the spirit of Halloween our run today will be fun. I think we are outside again and I really can't wait! I am going to have to do some serious work tonight. The quarter is going to be over soon and I totally have to do a bunch of stuff still. I had my advising meeting yesterday and if I get all the classes I want then my schedule next quarter is going to be rad. Once again, I can't believe how fast this year is going by!
Nov. 2, 2006 (Entry 19)
Another week is coming to an end. Another Thursday after Wednesday yoga, let me tell you I feel great. I really like yoga and I am definitely going to try and keep it up after this quarter, hopefully I can find room in my schedule.
I am really excited for this weekend. First off, tomorrow night I am going to a concert. Not just any concert but my FAVORITE two bands, Slightly Stoopid and Pepper, happen to be playing together and I am going to see them! I CANNOT WAIT! It is going to be absolutely brilliant. I have been trying to see both of them since last spring but it seemed like every time they were playing either here or in Arizona I was in the wrong place. Not this time baby, oh I can't wait!
Then my dad is coming into town on Sunday for a business meeting early next week. You know what that means, totally taking me out to dinner! I am already thinking about where to go, some place where I will be bringing home leftovers. So just for those two reasons this weekend is going to rock!
These weeks keep on rolling by faster and faster. My work is coming to an end. I have learned so much. When I first came in all I knew was that Doug traveled with us, wrote up our stories for the web and set up interviews. Now that I have been working behind the scenes I realize that there is much more going on. First of all, we are not Doug's only sport he works with. He has a total of four sports that he has to manage. That is a lot to be responsible for. There is so much work that needs to get done for each sport. It is a huge time commitment and I know that Doug works very long hours.
For me I have learned how to work with programs I had never used before. I am quite familiar with Adobe Photoshop and Netitor (program used to post web information and pictures). I have been doing a lot of research on the history of my softball program. I really enjoy this because I know that all of my hard work will go into the media guide. So look out for my name on something in the media guide and know that the information was due to my diligent work!!
Nov. 3, 2006 (Entry 20)
I am SO EXCITED! Tonight is the concert, only a few more hours. I am a little bummed though because my back is bothering me. I some how managed to tweak it during the lift today. No worries though, I will be back to good after resting this weekend and will help from our amazing athletic training staff!! It will be good to relax and catch up on things.
For my internship I have a final project that I need to do. I should probably get started on that seeing as how we only have about three more weeks left (until reading week). Although I will be sad not to be working with my friends in media services, I am definitely looking forward to my class schedule next quarter. It is a really sweet schedule.
I have finished all of my required courses so now I can take whatever I like because they are all electives. On Mondays and Wednesdays my first class is a Gender Studies course entitled Cyberqueer. I then have another hour and a half class called Reading and Writing Poetry. This should be interesting but could also be challenging.
On Monday nights I am taking a Marketing class, and I am looking forward to this class most. I think the information in the class will be very useful to me in the near future when I have to find a real job. It is a little brutal that the class is three hours long but hey it only meets once a week and I think Garland might be taking this class with me so that will be fun.
I also decided to take this Communication Studies class called Speech Writing. I think this information could also be very useful to me. I am very excited to not have class on Fridays this quarter! It is soooo clutch, mainly because we will be missing four Fridays due to travel at the beginning of the season and it can be challenging to keep up a good grade in a class that you have to miss a lot.
All in all, though, if I get all my classes I will be pretty pleased. It looks like it will be an awesome schedule. I can't believe that I will only have one more advising meeting in my college career. HOLY MOLEY!
Nov. 6, 2006 (Entry 21)
Today is going by rather fast. I have been busy at work. I had to finish looking at a CD full of volleyball pictures. Then, I just had my second interview for my field studies internship, this time with Tracie Hitz, Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing.
I learned that she has been here for 10 years and that this was her first job a few months after graduating. She actually was more interested in sports information and media coming into her job and thought that with time it would be easy for her to transfer over. After working with marketing though she realized that she enjoyed this work and this is where she wanted to stay. She loves working at Northwestern. She really enjoys everything about it, the people she works with and the student athletes. It is interesting how much marketing and media services work together!
I still have to do some other stuff for school and will continue working on the single game highs that will be going into the media guide. Then I get to eat, and it is press conference day! So excited! Today is a day full of free meals for Katie Logan! Lunch is taken care of and my dad is still in town so I think we might eat in the city for dinner.
Last night my dad and I went to Maggiano's. It was very good and I got a lot of leftovers. I think we might go to Gino's East tonight and I think my roommates might tag along. It is so great having my dad in town, not just because of the free meals and taking me grocery shopping, but because I haven't seen my dad in a long time and it is good catching up. Last night was fun and I am looking forward to tonight, it is always a good time hanging out with family and friends.
I was disappointed with my bands' performances on Friday. Both Pepper and Slightly punked out their music. I was totally bummed, their music is way more reggae and for some reason the songs that they were playing had more of a punk sound than reggae. Regardless of the disappointment I still had a good time because I really enjoyed the company I was with.
This Friday I am going to a show too. I am seeing the Blue Man Group. I have seen them once before, over a year ago in Las Vegas. It was a good show, very interesting. I am sure it will be a good time and I know Friday will come shortly. I just really want it to be the holidays already. I can't believe we only have two more weeks of running and lifting and then we max out. Eeesh, we will see how that goes, my last maxing out!
Nov. 8, 2006 (Entry 22)
So let me fill you all in on the softball world. I think it has been a while since I have talked about my workouts (in depth). I am not going to lie 'Cats, I'm a little sore today. Yesterday's workout was very challenging, just ask Don Prentis (Don comes to a lot of our practices and offers great support as a sports consultant, he is also a great fan and an avid journal reader, Hey DON!)
Yea so yesterday we started off with a traditional Tuesday lift, hang cleans and all. Oh, have I told everyone that for our sets of lunges we do KEG lunges and sand sack lunges? Yep, that's right, female athletes can do keg lunges, too, and we are pretty sweet at them!
After the lift, we went into the turf room and had a little "friendly competition". We divvied up the team into two sub-teams. Our first competition was a lunge race, basically we did a 300-yard shuttle run, lunging all the way. We had to front lunge out 25 yards and then backward lunge back, we did that six times! I went so hard I thought my legs were going to fall off! My team definitely won that competition!
Then the next competition was this race where you had to pick up this heavy medicine ball and throw it backwards over your head. You were supposed to use your legs to throw the ball and once you got to the 25-yard line, then the next person would go. Sad to say our team lost, so now the teams were tied up going into the last duel...which was TUG-OF-WAR!
Yes we did this three times, my team won the first time and then lost the last two. So overall my team lost, which meant we had to do a little extra conditioning. We then did circuits. In circuits, there are four stations that you rotate through, each lasting thirty seconds. My team had to go through all four of them twice. Then we finished up with some abs. So that was quite a workout and I felt good after. Let me tell you how excited I am to go to spinning today!
Nov. 13, 2006 (Entry 23)
Today is the beginning of my last week of working and of Phase Two running and lifting, I can't believe it has come to this already. Looking back on it, I have done a lot this quarter!
Work-wise, I tore it up. There should be some things in the media guide that I did (specifically, lists and records). I also have totally helped people out on numerous occasions with bio pages and pictures. If someone wants to see something I did, check out any new volleyball or swimming action photos on NUsports.com, those were all me. I sorted through hundreds of photos, found the best ones and then cropped them to perfection (well minus the one time I had to do all the volleyball pictures again, but that was due to Doug's misinformation, not me). [Editor's note: my bad].
Today was our last session of early-morning running. We still have to wake up early next Monday, but we are maxing out, and that is a totally different mentality. We enter a different zone on max out day. We start maxing out Friday. I think there are going to be some impressive numbers from the team. Personally, I am optimistic but also wonder if I will be able to reach my maxes. I think I will be very close but I've had a few things to overcome the past few weeks so we will see.
I do know, though, that you are totally not cool on our team unless you lift a lot. No one wants to be the weakest. I need to be fast for my 40-yard dash time. I have to have the fastest time and be number one on the posting board. We will see, there are a lot of speedies on our team. I mean the biggest competition is Tammy (Williams), of course, and Kelly Dyer is pretty darn fast. It will be a close race. Oh this is getting exciting, who will be the fastest/strongest (hmm Tammy maybe, that Zeus of an athlete)?
Well I know everyone is wondering how the maxing out will go, don't worry I will let everyone know even if that means I have to make a special appearance in the office just to write a journal. I WILL DO IT!
I have a special announcement: Congratulations to Janey Baby and Papa Dro (my coaches Kate and Caryl's parents). The Drohans are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. That is wonderful, forty years of marriage (almost as impressive as second in the nation, haha just kidding). But really, congrats to the two of you and I hope to see both of you at some of the games, if not I know you guys are always super fans!
Nov. 16, 2006 (Entry 24)
One more week until TURKEY DAY!!! I can't wait. It is going to be so fun. I am not going home this year again; I have never been home for Thanksgiving. Because we are on the quarter system we get out for Christmas break really soon after Thanksgiving, so I feel like it isn't worth it to try and deal with the holiday travel. I have had some pretty fun Thanksgivings even though I haven't been with my family; but of course I missed celebrating the Holiday with them.
This year I am going over to my new boyfriend's house. How exciting, I am going to meet everyone for the first time (don't worry I'm not nervous, Katie Logan doesn't do nervous). My junior year, I went home with one of my friends on the football team. It was a really good time getting to know his family and eating their scrumptious food. I always stop by his family's tailgates at football games, they are awesome!
My sophomore year, a bunch of us S-Ballers went over Megan Hinck's (former teammate) house. That was AWESOME! Her parents (Don and Carol) rock! There was food constantly on the table, we were eating all day and afterwards we were completely stuffed. We all lounged around and watched The Little Mermaid. My really good friend from high school, Stephanie Brown, who now plays at Notre Dame, also came up that year and spent the weekend at my house. That was a good time!
My freshman year I went home with Jessica Miller to ELBERFELD, INDIANA! Let me tell you that was quite an experience. Her town is ridiculously small. I have never been in a town that small. I had a really great time with her family. Everyone that I met was so nice and welcoming. I really appreciated the Miller's taking me in freshman year.
So I guess I have lucked out with having really awesome pseudo-families taking me in on Thanksgiving. Every year has been different but totally awesome in its own way. I am really looking forward to the Holidays with school ending. With all the free time opening up, I will get to hang out with some of my buddies outside of the softball team that I haven't been able to hang out with so much. I will definitely be hanging out with one of my good buddies, Lauren Olson (former teammate) and some of my other buddies Phil Suh and Greg Dalton from good old Lincoln Dorm freshman year. It will be a good time and fun to see them again.
Today is my LAST Phase Two Run EVER! Tomorrow we start maxing out. Crazy crazy! Before I go though, I would like to make a special shoutout to two of my wonderful co-workers/softball fans, Dan Platt (Plattapus) and Eugene (Genie Pants). Without you guys I would not have learned all of the random stuff I learned in this office. Thank you for teaching me your wisdom and guiding me to rock so hard at life!