Monday, April 28, 2014

Nike EYBL Session One




So this past weekend was probably the start of my greatest Adventure. i began scorekeeping for a company called Gamechanger. Hands Down, I've never been so excited. In the midst of studying for finals, I got to work for a company that completely changed the way i scorekeep in high school. Who would have thought? A sophomore sitting behind the bench would one day be working for a major company in the scorekeeping world.






So first things first- new job, new opportunity. A girl needs some accessories! This is my "Rosallini Women Headdress Rhinestone Detail Green Bowknot Hair Clip Barrette" that i bought from amazon.com. It looked amazing with my hair. 


















So on my way to the airport, I took some photos 

The most reliable way is hands-down the Arizona Shuttle. they are notoriously on time. The shuttle picks me up right at Riddle and drops me off right at the terminal. I pay a little extra to get picked up at Riddle, but also because I book online and it's a special agreement between the University and the Company. If you talk to the Drivers, they are so cool, and really nice. The driver that drove me on the way to the airport also noticed i have a lkot of energy and child-like wonder (although he didn't say it quite that way,) pointed out the really cool balloons that were in the air on the way there!
 



The Greatest Moment Had to be when I got there


So, Meet Ted. He's the CEO of Gamechanger. He's pretty cool. He and my supervisor, Jeff, seemed to have pretty high expectations for me. As Ted was leaving he asked "so is Kyrra going to do the training?" Jeff replied, "Well, she has the most experience." It seems as though, although I'm the only girl, and the youngest, I apparently have either the most Gamechanger experience or the most scorekeeping experience-I don't know which.


















So this is the team- Turned around is Jarrell, then Andrew, Andre, Jeff, turned away from the camera is Brendan and Brice. Brice is the best spotter, Jarrell is one of the nicest guys ever, Andre is really nice, and funny, and an NBA scout. Brendan is a AAU coach, and Jeff supervises all of us! (With me, trust me, I'm pretty sure that's a handful in and of itself!)





So here's the three-day schedule; Day one, I was on Court five, and then spotting on Court 3. Day Two, i was on Court 3 almost all day, except for a brief stint on Court 6 with Jarrell. Day 3, I was on Court 4, then Court 6, then Court 5. You can check out the results of that game on the Gamechanger site.










So the event was held at Jackson Sports Academy which was a pretty neat place. The owner gave us a behind-the scene's tour. Turns out, he's going to get a Sports Bar soon. The owner was SO nice. His facility included volleyball courts, and basketball courts from REAL professional teams.





So when I arrived at the airport, there was a plane full of Soldiers arriving too, presumably from overseas. This father reuniting with his family totally touched my heart.


So, California is a LOT greener than Arizona. And i just had to laugh-apparently, in California, the trains have a place to rest too. More than just truck stops, I guess. Well, what should I expect? It's California!


So here's the schedule of the Nike EYBL Sessions. I'll be in Dallas and Hampton, but, because Gamechanger hired too many scorekeepers, (they thought we'd need more breaks, but we don't really.) I won't be in Minnesota or South Carolina. But I wouldn't trade the three games I Get to do for the world. Overall, so far it's been a great adventure. I love my coworkers, I love Gamechanger, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity.









Keep an eye out for this developing story and please check out the links included in this post! It would mean a lot to a lot of people!!

xox Martian

Friday, April 4, 2014

Martian's Riddle Roundup: RAs at Riddle

So Here at Embry Riddle, we have some of the coolest RA's. RA stands for "resident assistant", which pretty much means they make sure we go to class, and follow the rules, and don't get drunk on the weekends. Also, at least as freshmen, they come once a month to make sure our rooms are clean. There's 22 or so RA's. There's five freshman halls, five suite/apartment-style upperclassmen halls, and 4 "temporary" dorms, (which is where I live.) Here's a handful of the RAs at Riddle.


So I guess I'll start out with some of the freshman RAs...


This is Jennifer. She's in charge of Hall one, floor one. She's super cool, puts on great events, and can usually be found around campus smiling.


















This is Tessa. She lives on Hall one, floor three. She's actually suitemates with a very old friend of mine. Her suitemate has known me since I was thirteen. Anyway, Tessa is pretty cool, she's a member of RHA and is a global security major. Tessa is really nice to everybody and is a really happy person and a really hard worker.











.This is Eddie. He works on hall two, floor two. He's pretty cool, and very well-known around campus. He's a really friendly guy, he always tells really good jokes, and he's always willing to lend a helping hand. I've never met a person who knew Eddie and didn't like him, he really is that well-liked.





This is Demi, He works on Hall 2, floor three. Hall two is where I hang out a lot, so I definitely see him around quite a bit. Demi is a good guy, he works really hard and all his residents love him. He's coming back as an upperclassmen RA next year, and it's safe to say everyone is really excited, as Demi is really fun and plans great hall events






So I've mentioned RA Jo before. Joanna is in charge of Hall Three, Floor Three. She's on the same floor as my friend Kristin, in fact, and one of my coworkers, Courtney. She's really nice, she's a strong leader and very independent minded. A mechanical Engineering Major, she plans to work with helicopters when she graduates.








 This is Kelly, of Hall 5, floor 3 fame. She's a member of our other campus sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau. She and I were in psychology together last semester. She's really smart, a hard worker, and is extremely helpful too. People love Kelly because she is soft-spoken and kind. She has a great sense of humor, and works well with other residents. She also gets excited about events, and is happy just because she can be, which is a great attribute.She's an excellent RA, and a few of my friends live on her floor.
So These are RAs Amanda and Candice. Amanda, as I've mentioned, is unofficially my RA. She checks up on my going to classes, makes sure i know about campus events, and is pretty much my go-to person for problems. Amanda won't be an RA next year though, unfortunately.
Candice is officially my RA for where i live when I'm NOT staying at my friend's house. Candice is really smart, outgoing, and has the amazing ability to bring our entire hall together when ten minutes before we were arguing about who left moldy eggshells in the sink. Candice will be a freshman RA next year. She'll do really well.








This is Hannah. She's super sweet, says hi to everyone, and doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She's a flight student, and will be an RA next year for freshmen. Right now, she lives in the Village, Hall seven. She has the amazing ability to put a smile on your face no matter what, and she has a great spirit, too.









This is just a roundup of some of the RA's on campus. There's a whole fantastic group of them, and I love interacting with all of them. Sorry I couldn't fit them all on here, but I promise they're ALL a great bunch of people. 


And that's this week's Riddle Roundup

xox-Martian

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Embry-Riddle Campus

The View from the Auditorium, Davis Learning Center
So, I'm a second-semester freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University here in Prescott, Arizona. It's a gorgeous Campus, even when the wind is blowing, or it's raining, or even snowing. It may be Arizona, but we experience all the seasons here!

August is monsoon season, so just before classes, we pretty much got soaked. 





















We also get snow. Just before thanksgiving break, we got enough snow for me to spend about an hour building the little guy on the right. He didn't last long, but he sure is cute! On the left you can see the snow on the track (upper left) and the path down to our gym/activity center covered in the white stuff. 



More images from Riddle Campus. One thing about Prescott, Arizona- we have BEAUTIFUL Sunsets!
 So this old dirt road is a good friend, i take it every time on my way to flying Remote-Control Airplanes. The weather in the morning is always absolutely beautiful.
So that's some photos of Embry-Riddle from a Martian's Eye-View. Stay tuned for more!

xox -Martian