Brandon reflects on his St. Mary's career

After I leave St. Mary’s for Galileo, I will bring all the skills my coaches have taught me to high school and try out for the teams.

The first year I played baseball, I was really scared of the ball. Every time I went up to bat, I usually just stand there like a statue and looking for walk. I didn’t move a single muscle in my body. The team never won a game that season, but I was looking forward to next season in 7th grade. After that first year, I started to watch baseball on TV and began to learn more about baseball.

The next year I was really excited to join the baseball team. That year I wasn’t scared of the ball as much. I even tried out to play catcher! That season the baseball team won its first game and we were all happy.

This year, I played catcher all the time and it was really fun, but sometimes I made some mistakes in an easy play. Now when I go up to the plate to bat, I’m not scared to swing anymore. Sometimes I swing and I actually make contact. I will not forget how the team always played around during practice and how we enjoyed playing this amazing sport.

Soccer is one sport I will miss playing at St. Mary’s. The first year I started playing in 7th grade, the team tried their best, but it wasn’t enough to win a game. From the 7th grade season’s experience, I used that experience in the 8th grade season and we won a game. Now I can’t wait until the 2010 FIFA World Cup to start so I can learn more about soccer.

I have played basketball for 5 years and I love this sport. Basketball is about teamwork and my team had that power so we went to the championship for 3 straight years and we made the playoffs for 4 straight years.

Each time on the court, I always wanted to have a new career high but that never happened. Even though I couldn’t score, I always remembered that I needed to have a strong defense so the other team couldn’t score. A coach (I think it was Ronnie) once said, “ A good defense makes a good offense.” That phrase was always in my mind throughout the whole game. Everyone on the team chipped in and we were second place for 2 years and won the title CHAMPIONS one time.

I really want to thank Bryan for everything he has done to make my years at St. Mary’s enjoyable and FUN! He also finds the best coaches to coach the teams and when he can’t find one, he does the job himself.

Without sports at St. Mary’s, I probably wouldn’t be the active, talkative and helpful person I am today! Thank you to all my coaches, parents, and fellow teammates that I have played and cooperated with all my years here at St. Mary’s. I am proud to be a member of St. Mary’s Athletics and I’m willing to come back to help with everything.