Minnesota Wild vs. Phoenix Coyotes 12/07/09

On December 7, 2009, I went to Jobing.com Arena to watch the Phoenix Coyotes vs. Minnesota Wild game. Taylor Pyatt and Scottie Upshall scored for the Coyotes. Pyatt now has three goals in three consecutive games. He is doing very well. The trainer gave me Kyle Brodziak's stick after pregame warm ups. I was very excited. His stick was my first rightie. I now have four sticks excluding Alex Kovalev's blade. I had a lot of fun at the game.

Ottawa Senators vs. Phoenix Coyotes 12/05/09

On December 5th, 2009, I went to Jobing.com Arena to watch the Phoenix Coyotes play the Ottawa Senators. The Coyotes won 3-2. Petr Prucha, Taylor Pyatt, and Ed Jovanovski scored for the Coyotes. Pyatt has two goals in two consecutive games. The trainer for the Senators gave me Filip Kuba's stick. Alex Kovalev broke his blade, and the trainer gave it to my brother. Carson was able to get Jason Spezza's stick, so he gave Kovalev's blade to me. I had a lot of fun.

Calgary Flames Practice 12/04/09

On December 4th, 2009, I went to DSCC (Desert Schools Coyotes Center) to watch the Calgary Flames practice. Dion Phaneuf gave me his stick, and autographed it. He wiped the blade dry with his jersey before he signed it. He said, "Thanks for the support." He was very nice; much nicer than when he is on the ice. Rene Bourque, Brandon Prust, and Adam Pardy all signed a team puck. Mikka Kiprusoff, Curtis McElhinney, Dion Phaneuf, Jay Boumeester, and Jarome Iginla all signed cards for me. Dion Phaneuf, and Jarome Iginla both signed action figure bases. Fredrik Sjostrom, Nigel Dawes, Olli Jokinen, Daymond Langkow, Brian McGrattan, and Brandon Prust are all former Coyotes. They skated hard.

Meeting Gary Bettman and Bill Daly

November 16, 2009 - Dave (Phoenix Booster Club VP), Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Heather (Phoenix Coyotes Booster Club President), Carson, and me.

On November 16,2009, I went to the Phoenix Coyotes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a very good game. I had a lot of fun. I met the Commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman. I also met Bill Daly, the Deputy Commissioner. They autographed a game used puck for me, and posed for a picture.

11/13/2009 DSCC Dallas Stars Practice

Marty Turco, Dallas Stars goalie, with my brother, Carson, and me

On November 13, 2009, I went to Desert Schools Coyotes Center to watch the Dallas Stars practice. They skate hard! I asked a lot of guys to sign pucks and cards, including Marty Turco, Stephane Robidas, Steve Ott, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, Jeff Woywitka, Matt Niskanen, Karlis Skrastins, Mike Modano, Nicklas Grossman, and Alex Auld. I asked the Head Coach, Mark Crawford, to sign a puck. My brother, Carson, got broken sticks used by Mike Modano and Steve Ott. Nicklas Grossman gave me his stick at the end of practice. Carson and I had our picture taken with Marty Turco. All the Stars were very nice.

We went to the game the next night. The Coyotes had to fight hard for the win. It was a good game. I had a lot of fun.

Fox Sports Arizona/Sanderson Ford Lincoln Mercury KidKaster 11/05/09

On November 5, 2009, my brother, Carson, was the Fox Sports Arizona/Sanderson Ford Lincoln Mercury KidKaster for the Phoenix Coyotes vs. Chicago Blackhawks hockey game. It was a really fun night for our whole family.


Carson before he interviewed Coyotes Captain, Shane Doan

Here is Carson before his interview. He is getting his microphone on, and practicing his questions. Todd Walsh, Phoenix Coyotes Radio Announcer and Host, came in for a bit, and gave Carson some pointers.

Coyotes Captain, Shane Doan, with Carson

Here is Carson with Shane Doan after their interview. Doaner was really, really nice. When he came in, he recognized Carson right away. For the interview, Doan was wearing red hockey tights, his jersey, and had no shoes on.

In the Fox Sports Arizona production truck

The very first thing we did was tour the production truck. It's really cool in there. I had a great time. There are about twenty to thirty people in the truck. It's amazing what they do in the truck. Basically, it's a hollowed out semi - truck. With ten seconds to go before the play starts, you'd expect they'd be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. No, they are saying, "We have to do this, this, this, and, this. With one second left, we have to do this, this, this, and this."

Eddie Olczyk, Color Analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks

Up in the broadcast booth, I got Eddie Olczyk's autograph. The Blackhawks broadcast booth is right next to the Coyotes broadcast booth, so we peeked in there a few times. It is really cool in the broadcast booth. Dave Strader, Play - by - Play Announcer for the Coyotes, signed my hat.

Carson with Tyson Nash, Phoenix Coyotes Color Analyst, and Todd

Walsh, Phoenix Coyotes Host and Reporter

Here is Carson, after his pre-game show segment, with Tyson Nash and Todd Walsh.

In the production truck with Graham Taylor, Producer, and

Mike Roth, Director

In the production truck, before Carson's segment on air. We watched part of the first period, and the intermission, in the truck.

Dave Strader, Phoenix Coyotes Play-by-Play Announcer,

Carson, and Tyson Nash, Phoenix Coyotes Color Analyst

Here is Carson, on air and miked up, with Dave Strader and Tyson Nash. Notice the big picture of Shane Doan in the background.

We all had a great night. The FS Arizona people, Brett Hansen and Rhydon Tigerman, were very nice.

Tippett, King, and Yotes Training Camp 9/25/09

On the 25th of September, I went to Desert Schools Coyotes Center to watch the Coyotes skate. Just the day before, Wayne Gretzky, The Great One, resigned as the Head Coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. Later that day, the Coyotes held a press conference to announce the new coach. General Manager Don Maloney announced that the new coach was Dave Tippett, the former Dallas Stars coach. He had an excellent record with the Stars. I think he will be a good coach. Tippett won his first game as coach against the San Jose Sharks on September 26th.

Earlier this week, the Coyotes also signed Dave King as Assistant Coach. It seems that he has millions of years of experience. He will probably work with the younger guys.

During practice on the 25th, Tippett had the guys doing lots of drills including face-offs, quick passes out of their own zone, and quick passes through the neutral zone. He worked the guys very hard. They were also having fun.

I have a good story about the practice on the 25th. Just before the players went on the ice, David Schlemko came out of the locker room wearing everything but his jersey. He asked the equipment manager if they had any extra jerseys. The equipment manager told Schlem that they did not have any extra jerseys, and that he would have to go skate with just his pads, unless the man standing in the bleachers would give Schlem the jersey he was wearing. The man in the bleachers the equipment manager was talking about is my dad. Dad let Schlem borrow his jersey. Schlemko said he really appreciated that Dad let him borrow the jersey. After Schlem skated 7 or 8 laps around the ice, Shane Doan came out of the locker room with Schlemko's jersey. Doan had been hiding the jersey from Schlem. Schlemko got his jersey back, and the equipment manager gave Dad his jersey.

When we went to the morning skate the next day, Schlem gave Dad his stick as a "Thank You" for using his jersey.

9/19 Training Camp

Yesterday, I went to Jobing.com Arena to watch the Coyotes skate. I got two pucks. I must have at least twenty now.

Of all the guys, Zbynek Michalek looked the best. He is a good shooter, and a great shot blocker. He broke the league record for blocked shots last season with 271. I wonder if he do the same thing this year. I hope he will.

Ulf Samuelsson was torqued about the loss to the Anaheim Ducks the night before. Saturday's practice was the hardest one yet. Ulf had them doing suicides, windsprints, serpentines, laps, puck handling, and many other drills. By the time practice was over, the guys were beat!!

9/18 Training Camp

I went to Jobing.com Arena yesterday to watch the guys skate. I got three pucks. I have 18 pucks now.

Jason LaBarbera looked the best. He made some really good saves. I think he will serve us well. He snowed Petr Prucha, and Colin Long. Daniel Winnik also looked very good. He was skating very hard and fast. I hope he will make the team. I like him a lot. When you talk to him he sounds very nice.

Ulf Samuelsson worked the guys pretty hard. He had them doing suicides, puck handling, shooting, 2-on-1's, 3-on-1's, and 4-on-3's.

9/15 Coyotes Training Camp

I went to the Coyotes Training Camp at Jobing.com Arena today, and got five pucks! The whole squad was there this morning. Some of the players will be going to LA to play the Kings tonight, and some of them will stay in Arizona to play the Kings at Jobing.com. Since the game will not be on TV, I will listen to it on the radio.

Matheiu Brodeur seemed to be feeling better today. Matt Jones still was not there. The next time I see Mr. Maloney, I will ask him if he is still with the team.

Tikhonov was looking good today, as was Zbynek Michalek. LaBarbera has a very cool design on his mask. It has monster teeth, human heads, and a weird, curly green plant.

Taylor Pyatt crashed into the net and fell down. Francis Lessard was checking everyone. Turris is looking really good this camp. The guys were practicing face-offs today. Vern Fiddler is looking great on face-offs. We need to be A LOT better on face-offs this year!

There are a lot of fast skaters this season. Lombardi, Upshall, and Prucha were paired today, and they looked really good. Pyatt, Mueller, and Boedker also looked great together.

I hope the Coyotes win against the Kings tonight. GO COYOTES!!!!

9/14 Coyotes Training Camp

Today, I went to Jobing.com Arena to watch the guys skate. I got six pucks! I got one puck from Mitch Fritz and one from Viktor Tikhonov.

Daniel Winnik looked the best of all the players. He was working very, very hard. He said he was fighting for his job.

Joel Gistedt looked very tired. He might be down in San Antonio this year. Jared Stall had very slow feet.

Matt Jones was not there both days. I wonder why he isn't there.

Mathieu Broduer was sick, and during windsprints he was hanging on the net, sucking air.

Ulf Samuelsson was filling in as Head Coach for Wayne Gretzky. He worked the players extremely hard. He had them doing windsprints, suicides, and many other drills.

Team A played a game against Team C. I can't wait for the season to start. The first preseason game is tomorrow against the LA Kings.

9/13 Training Camp

I went to the Coyotes Training Camp at Jobing.com Arena on Sunday, September 13th. I got two pucks. I saw Al Montoya, Keith Yandle, Sami Lepisto, Joel Gistedt, Nick Ross, Ed Jovanovski, Justin Weller, Aaron Downey, Viktor Tikhonov, Francis Lessard, and Mitch Fritz. Downey and Fritz were there on Professional Tryouts.

On defense, there are fifteen guys fighting for one spot. It will be a tough race for spots. The guys who didn't have guaranteed spots on the roster were working the hardest.

General Manager Don Maloney said that 90% of the roster was set.

I am going back tomorrow to watch practices and the scrimmage.

DSCC Rookies

Today, I went to Desert Schools Coyotes Center to watch the rookies skate. There were a lot of players there. Mathieu Brodeur and Lucas Bloodoff looked really good. I think Bloodoff and Jonas Ahnelov have the best chance of making the team this year. The trainers put the guys through a pretty hard workout, and they had a scrimmage at the end. I bet the players were worn out!

Hockey, hockey, hockey!!!

Yay!!!! It's almost time for hockey season!! Last week, my dad, brother, and I went to Alltel Ice Den to watch the players at voluntary workout camp. I got two pucks! I saw Jonas Ahnelov, Kurt Sauer, Nick Ross, Sean Burke, Dusty Collins, Nick Boynton, Adrian Aucoin, Lauri Korpikoski, Ulf Samuelsson, Shane Doan, Kyle Turris, Kevin Porter, Todd Fedoruk, Zbynek Michalek, Peter Mueller, Grant Fuhr, Joel Gistedt, Al Montoya, Nikolai Khabibulin, Keith Yandle, Marty Hanzal, Billy Thomas, Petr Prucha, Ed Jovanovski, Stefan Meyer, Vernon Fiddler, Sean O'Connor, and Ross Lupachuck. All of the players looked very good. Of course, Doaner was skating great. I had fun talking to Doug Moss and Don Maloney. They are both really nice, and always talk to me at events.

Yesterday and today, we went to Jobing.Com Arena to watch the Coyotes Rookie Camp. All the rookies looked great, especially Mathieu Brodeur. They had a really hard workout! Evan Bloodoff, one of our draft picks this year, was not skating because of a strained knee. We will be going to Desert Schools Coyotes Center tomorrow to watch the rookies skate, and get autographs.

I can't wait 'til the season starts!!!

Baseball, baseball, baseball!

The Arizona League Indians (rookies) practice and play games just a few miles from my house. In August, they had a bunch of free games. My dad, brother, and I went to several games, and had a lot of fun. I caught four balls! We sat one row behind home plate, so we had a great view of all the action. We also heard some language from the players that was not so family friendly.

I'm Back!

Wow! It's been more than a month since I last posted! I started this post on August 28th, and didn't finish it until September 7th! I haven't been posting because I've been very busy lately. I started homeschooling again, started fall dive, and went to the Westside Silverfins tryouts for a week.

School has taken up a lot of my time. For science, I am doing Astronomy. So far, I have learned about Mercury and the Sun. I am looking forward to going on some of the night hikes at the park and using the big telescopes. I am doing Jump In for writing, and the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. I'll be writing a 4000 word novel during the month of November. I am using an online math program called ALEKS. I have finished 79% of their 4th grade curriculum! Math is my favorite subject! We are studying Ancient History this year, and just finished the section on Mesopotamia.

This coming week will be the last week of the fall dive session. I am working on my front one-and-a-half. I almost have my reverse dive - it's SO close! I think I will take a break for the next session, then start up again in November.

AKD Finals

Dive season is finally over!!!! It ended on July 26th. My grandpa and my old kindergarten teacher both came to watch me dive. We arrived at 7:00 am, and left at 1:30 pm. My first event was 3 - meter. My four dives were my Tabletop, Back - fall - off, Front Dive, and Inward. My best, and highest scoring, dive was my inward. My scores were 6, 6, 7, 6.5. The judges throw out the highest and lowest scores. My points were 84.15. I got 1st place!!!!

On 1 - meter, I did a Front Dive, Back Dive, Inward, And Tabletop. My Tabletop was my highest scoring dive. The scores were 5, 5, 5, 6, 6. My total points were 82.10. I got 3rd place!

I went back to the pool on Sunday to dive synchro. On 1 - meter, I did a Front Dive, Back Dive, and 2 Inwards. We got 2nd place. I moved up an age group to 13 and under. On 3 - meter, I did a Tabletop, Back - fall - off, Front Dive, and Inward. We got 3rd place.

Fall dive starts on August 6th. I am going to work on my Front Somersualt, and Front Dive Half Twist.



3 - meter award

3 - meter

YMCA Meet

On Sunday, July 19th, I got 1st place on 1 - meter. My highest scoring, and best dive, was my Front - Line - up/Tabletop. I also got 1st on 3 - meter. My best dive was my Inward Dive. A lot of people commented about it.

The heat was unbearable, and on 3 - meter all the girls had to keep the board wet. My family and I were there for a very long time.

1 - meter

3 - meter

Swim Finals

On Tuesday, I participated in swim finals. It was the first time I made finals, and I was very, very excited. In breaststroke, I finished in 13th place out of 28 kids. My time was 28:09, which was faster than my qualifying time. Also, in freestyle, I came in 20th out of thirty people. My time for freestyle was 22:35. I was very happy with my results. Below is a picture of me before finals.

Inward, Finally!!!!

Monday was a good diving day. I finally did a good inward off low board!!!! I also got the same dive off high board. On Tuesday, I did an awesome front somersault!!!! I was very excited. I thought, Wow, I finally did that dive right!! We don't have any pictures yet, but when I get a chance to practice them a bit more, I will let my mom take a few pictures. Here are some pictures of today's 3-meter practice.

Tabletop/Front Line-up

Front Dive

Back Jump

My First Post

Hi everybody! This is Diver Girl. I would like to introduce myself. First of all, this is my very first blog. You can learn more about me if you click on View My Complete Profile. I will be blogging about diving, swimming, places I go, and things I do. I am homeschooled, and when school begins in August, I will be blogging about that, too.