Blog entry 2-25-2007

Well welcome back boys and girls… Hopefully my last blog was not too bad that I lost an audience. A lot has happened lately, and I can’t complain. (I can’t remember the last time I could complain.) Let’s see where to start… I sat courtside for the Duke vs. UVA game to watch an OT buzzer beater from my favorite player in the ACC Sean Singletary… he is simply amazing. If you ever pass by a UVA game on TV check out #44 and watch how much heart and fire this young man has.

Well now, The weather comes to mind… when you are outside banging nails for 9 hours a day the weather can becomes as much a factor as it did game day during my athletic career. And I will not lie when I say that waking up at 542am (I set it for an odd time for some reason) and seeing that the weather is currently 19 degrees is makes you want to crawl right back in bed… then you see that under that is says “feels like 8” because if the wind-chill… let me tell you that these past few weeks have been character building. But once again life is good and I can’t complain.

On Feb. 19^th Kyle and I ran a camp at the Giants indoor facility for a group of youth players and another camp for HS kids. All in all the camp was a blast and I think the kids got a lot out of it. I always have a blast working with kids who want to get better. I see kids these days who want to be like the players they see on the posters… The Tillman Johnson’s, Jalbert’s, Polanco’s, Gills, Hubbard’s, and Harrison’s and they think that it just came natural…. What I think is so fun is to watch kid’s eyes and the attention they pay when we all speak about our own roads to the MLL or NCAA titles, or just playing in college. That these players have put in more extra time than anyone else, that these players deserve a poster, a stick, an add in a magazine because they have put a stamp on lacrosse because of the sacrifices they made at a young age… The chance to play lacrosse provides something that most other sports I am around can’t claim a Network of good people with such similar values and love for the game.

Now, at the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker I still want to add something I have been thinking about and spoke about at my last camp. Now is a great time to be playing at our level or any level. The competition at every level is amazing and that has been put in bold with the recent scores in NCAA lacrosse. It is also great to be young, these boys and girls have such amazing opportunities to not just watch great players because lacrosse has always had amazing players, but we have amazing kids at the helm of our sport. The people we see with posters, lacrosse equipment lines, and camps are for the most part great people. If my readers have not started to grab a jersey or follow a favorite player they are crazy. MLL and NCAA players are as accessible as any sport in the world. Find a player, grab something from the K18 line, or a stick designed by one of the Powell’s and play all day and all night. If you have a chance to contact or talk to a player, don’t ask him for his stick….ASK HIM OR HER FOR SOME ADVICE!! You can’t buy a basketball designed by Lebron or Jordan (believe me I’d have it) you can’t buy a football designed by Farve or Payton… but you can have something that these amazing players have helped create and use. That is rare in sports…

Now on the topic of accessibility I now have an email account for anyone. If you have questions or want me to write about something please send it along. Until then work hard and enjoy life… The season has started and spring is just about here… I am off to dinner with the Kusyk/Kerrigan household with 3 amazing girls and one amazing dog Gretel. So I will say thank you to Jayme, Kellen, Zoe, Bob, and Casey for a good meal ahead of time. It is good to have people like that in my life… (And yes it was due to lacrosse that I met them!)

Brett Hughes
bretthug@gmail.com
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are;

Your reputation is merely what others think you are.
-John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach. (Another person that if you are not familiar with you should grab his auto biography “WOODEN”
These are people that all serious or casual athletes should familiarize yourself with.

Blog entry 1-29-2007

Well Hello to all who have taken the time to visit my blog. I had a good time chronicling my trip to Hawaii that I thought why not take a shot at round two and let you know what’s going on in my world. I also want to take some time and find out what is good, bad, or otherwise in my reader’s world. Before I begin I’ll introduce myself… Honestly I doubt to many of you know me, and those who do probably in passing unless I have played or worked with you at a camp.

I live in Charlottesville VA. On the foothills of Monticello. (Thomas Jefferson’s house over looking UVA.) I have been in the custom home building racket for almost a year now for an incredible one man show “Baird Snyder inc.” if you ever move anywhere around Charlottesville and looking for the best house possible, give me a call. It is a great gig, I get to help manage amazing and beautiful homes as well as put on a tool belt and bang nails while learning the ins and outs of the trade. I stayed down here after my college days at UVa and now make my way up on the summer weekends to play with the NJ Pride.

So, I think we are about 90 some days away from the start of another lacrosse season… as close as it seems I must say I have a lot to look forward to between now and then. I have concerts and events coming up that really make my weeks so much fun. So, last Friday I went to the George Strait concert with amazing tickets, now I am a fan of all sorts of music… but even if you could care less about country, a man who has 53 #1 hits is a talent that will soon become a legend. He was juts simply amazing. In the next couple months I am lucky enough to go to a lot of UVA basketball games. I am especially geared up for the Duke vs. UVa basketball game, and in March Kyle Harrison is coming down to be front and center for the Justin Timberlake concert… (More to come about that in later entries because we have that guilty pleasure, Kyle will explain more while he talks non-stop about stomping the yard in his next blog) And just before I head to camp for the NJ Pride I will be heading to the Dominican Republic for a few days with an amazing young lady… life is good, then again it always is.

I am in the process of setting up a bit of a format for these blogs... I would appreciate if some readers would email me and let me know what they would like to hear me talk a bout aside from my random ramblings. Frankly those are going to have to come or I will become bored like Prince before he invites Charlie Murphy to play him in basketball. (For the Chappell fans out there) I would like to challenge the other “bloggers” to list who the final four will be this year in NCAA lacrosse. Then let the debate begin. This first one was a bit formal but not to worry I can only stay this way for short amounts of time. Well I have to get ready for a basketball game tonight… Last week was so much fun! I’ll set the scene yours truly gets the ball at the top of the key… pulls the old school Tim Hardaway killer crossover splits two kids (college kids) with a Jordan Pre-45 era shake and goes for the easy finger roll… It was so smooth UNTIL a 6’6” basketball player from U. of Richmond on the other team swatted me into the upper level of the gym almost hitting a woman sweating to the oldies on an elliptical machine… needless to say the entire gym was laughing at me like I was some circus act. Oh well ill keep driving again tonight… just maybe look for the assist if I see Mutombo again. I will leave you with a quote each time I write…

”Don’t Give Up! Don’t Ever Give Up!” ~ Jim Valvano.
-if you are unfamiliar with who he is or what he stood/stands for please ask a parent, read a book, and make sure you watch his last speech at the ESPY’s. Reminds you how good life is, how lucky we are to be here, and for those of us who are passionate about sports, family, love, school, or all of the above… what a special bond those should have with our heart and mind. Till the next time… Be good work hard!

Brett G Hughes
I will post my email when I get the account set up. Until then…