Ralston Valley [e]Xpress Newspaper

Lacy Boyd (11) goes in for a goal during the passing drill at the beginning of practice. Photo by Ashley Pajor.

I must say that after one practice with the varsity girls’ soccer team, I understand the importance of cleats. Read more…

I must say that after one practice with the varsity girls’ soccer team, I understand the importance of cleats. These champions of the feet are the most indispensable tool of athletes today, but I suppose you are not here to read about my new-found admiration of sports footwear, but rather to entertain yourselves with my adventures 0n the soccer field. So, click on the jump and read on (and while you’re there, don’t forget to check out the photos) Read more…

It’s time for my second go at a girls’ soccer practice. First, see my previous post here.

The only changes are I will now be practicing with varsity. The day before their first 5A playoff showing. Suffice it to say that I am extremely nervous.

However, as always, I will have Ashley by my side to, if nothing else, laugh very hard at the videos she takes, which, by the way, will be available here in a few hours.

In response to my previous post, I regret to inform you that soccer practice was cancelled for today. So, you will have to wait until next week to read about my adventures making a fool of myself. Ah, darn.

In a last-minute decision made only a few short hours ago, I will be doing my final On the Field with Ashley and Michael segment today. In a little under an hour-and-a-half, I will head out to the soccer fields, in this rainy, depressing weather to practice with JV Girls’ Soccer. Read more…

While I do enjoy many sports, baseball, up until now, has been one I just don’t get. Well along with golf, but that’s a different rant.

Baseball, while yes the American pastime, I just never really got. You run you stop you run, wait no go back. Try again. Fail. Now switch positions. What? That was my basic understanding of the sport.

Well my experience with the boys’ baseball team most definitely changed my perspective of the American pastime. Read more…

Michael Auslen geared up for some pole vaulting action before track practice at Arvada West April 7. Photo by Ashley Pajor.

It’s been a long time since I last had the opportunity to participate in one of RVHS’s wonderful sporting practices and, to be honest, I wasn’t completely confident in my decision to do girls’ track. Those who recall my first column (cross country) will remember that I am not athletic, as I continually assert, but even more specifically, I do not run.

I abhor running.

Nevertheless, track went off relatively well. Read more…

My over-cautious personality has been thwarted. For those who missed my earlier post, I spent my afternoon today doing pole vaulting at girls’ track practice. Simply put, it was harder than I expected, though a lot less dangerous than it looks. Maybe it only becomes deadly once you can get some height. In any case, here’s the basic recap: Read more…

Michael Auslen geared up for some pole vaulting action before track practice at Arvada West April 7. Photo by Ashley Pajor.

Pole vaulting is scary. No, seriously, it really freaks me out. Understandably, therefore, I am very nervous about my second day practicing with girls’ track because I’m passing into the realm of the pole vaulter.

In just 40 short minutes, I will be on my way to Arvada West to pole vault with Ashley Pajor. This should be interesting. I don’t have much to say but this one question: Read more…

Michael Auslen trying discus for the first time

Today I went to Girls’ Track practice (see original post for my pre-practice thoughts). It was interesting to say the least.

First, I met up with the rest of the team back in one of the hallways of the school and we did some warm up, by which I mean ran two laps, each consisting of running up and down stairs, through classroom hallways and, essentially giving ourselves a good tour of the building. I actually held my own (I am not very athletic for those who don’t know); I was second in line behind Ashley Pajor for most of the run, but I could have passed her if I knew where I was going. Then I got passed by more than half of the girls. Oh well, they do this almost every day and I do not. Read more…