Water Sports

by Emily Wassenaar &Hannah Ward

Water Sports

Do you love sports? Do you love water? Well, than you can have the best of both worlds . We are experts on many different sports that involve water. For example, Hannah just loves surfing and Emily loves to swim. We have had experience in almost all water sports.

Swimming

( Emily Wassenaar)

I have been swimming for the last 6 years. For the last 4 years I have been on the Pinery Viperfish Swim Team. Although I enjoy swimming in a pool, I absolutely adore swimming in the ocean. Just splashing in the foamy waves gives me such a thrill, so you can't even imagine how much I love swimming in the ocean! Over the years I have learned so many things, including how to dive into the waves hovering above me, to paddle my arms into the thrashing blue-green sea, and to kick my legs though the roaring Pacific Ocean.

Surfing

(Hannah Ward)

I have been surfing the whole time I lived in California, which was 6 years. My Uncle John and Aunt Amy were the first ones to surf. At first it was really hard for me but my aunt and uncle stood by my side the whole time. After a whole day at the beach I finally started to get the hang of it. Surfing has inspired me that everything can be accomplished, even though it may be hard at first.

Boogie Boarding

(Emily Wassenaar & Hannah Ward)

Even though Hannah loves to surf and Emily loves to swim in the ocean, we both enjoy boogie boarding even more. Boogie boarding is really fun, but you have to wear a wetsuit! The reason you need to wear a wetsuit is that when you “wash upon shore” the sand may scrape your stomach or thighs. And we learned the hard way, it hurts when you scrape yourself on the sand! For those of you who don’t know what boggie boarding is, it’s when you paddle a boogie board out to sea. Then, once you find a good wave, you rest your waist on the end of the boogie board closest to you, and wait for the wave to come. After that, you just let the water carry you out to shore with your legs straight out behind you and your arms cradling the top of your board.

Interview With John Wadkowski

by Hannah Ward

As soon as I picked surfing I instantly thought of my Uncle John. My Uncle John is a very good surfer and that he has been surfing almost all his life. I asked him some questions below and their is also his answers.

What made you first start surfing?

*I just started surfing for curiosity.

How long did it take for you to get good at surfing?

*It took about 3 years for me to get good at surfing.

Can you do any stunts?What are they?

*Yes I can do two kind of stunts. One is a cut-back and the other one is a barrel.

How do you do these stunts?

Have you surfed anywhere besides California?

*Yes, I have I have surfed in one other place which was Hawaii.

How good do you think you are at surfing?

*I think that my surfing is above average.

How long have you been surfing?

*I have been surfing for 21 years.

What problems have you faced in surfing?What were they?

* I have actually have had 7 stitches in my head from the board hitting my head. I also had have surgeries from ear infections , from the salt-water . I dived wife crazy buying surfboards all the time. Last I got stung by a sting ray when I was a little kid.

Do you think that you will continue to surf throughout your life time?

*Yes, I will surf until the day I die.

Interview With Lily Peterson

by Emily Wassenaar

How long have you been swimming?

I have been swimming for a while. Probably around 8 years, including lessons. Competitively, around 6 years.

What do you like about the Pinery Swim Team?

Something that I like about the Pinery Swim team is that we all have a semi- personalized training. The coaches are really good about noticing what we need to work on and what we don't need to focus on. The coaches are also good about asking which races we feel comfortable swimming.

What made you start swimming?

When I was little and taking lessons, my sister had been taking lessons for a few years. At that time, I wanted to be just like my sister. She started doing the swim team and I thought, "When I'm older, I'm gonna do the swim team, just like my big sister!" I still remember those few days before my first year on swim team. I would run up and down the halls saying, "I'm gonna swim THIS fast!"

Were there any challenges along the way that led you to become an amazing swimmer? What were they?

Some challenges that led me to become a better swimmer are: 1) having to wake up early to be ready for a meet, 2) Pushing myself to build my endurance, and 3) trying to be as fit and as healthy as possible so I can do the events that I want. All of these contributed to making me better because they all pushed me harder and harder until I thought, "It can't get any worse. Can it?" These components pushed me in an indescribable way.

How did these challenges affect you?

These challgenges affected me in ways outside of the pool. Yes, they did make me a better swimmer, but they did more than that. I now have the ability to mentally push myself to the limit and I even have a better work ethic in school because of these challenges.

Do you think you will to continue to swim throughout your lifetime?

What kind of a question is that! Of course I'll swim throughout my lifetime! It keeps me healthy and it's one of the passions that I've carried out throughout my life so far. It's also one of the only exercises that you can do your ENTIRE life. I have a passion inside me about swimming. If I didn't unleash that passion, I might explode!

Think Ocean

by Emily Wassenaar & Hannah Ward

Have you ever been to the ocean? Have you ever witnessed the waves crashing on to the sand? If you haven't you are definitely missing out! We are experts on the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.We both have been to California many times.

Ecosystem

There are many different animals that live off the coast of the Golden State. Including starfish, different kinds of fish, dolphins, sea turtles, sting-rays, and of course sharks! All these animals are so different from each other , but wouldn't survive without one-another. All these sea animals are such beautiful, majestic, and gorgeous creatures!

Beautiful Ocean Nights

I think we both can easily say that the prettiest time of the night is when the sun goes down over the horizon. The ball of fire leaves a trace of it's glowing presence every evening. The usually blue-green waves turn to a misty orange-red sea. The dolphins leap gracefully between the warmth of the fire hoop. Although we absolutely love all these qualities of the beautiful ocean nights, we love one characteristic much more than all the rest. That is the freedom of being on the beach. With almost no one there, the cool breeze from the waves, and the beautiful color of the ocean, it's hard not to feel so free. It makes you feel like you can do or be anything you want.