Are You an Expert?
47September 29, 2013 by Mrs. Spiegelman
Below you will read the story of a family’s tradition of Mexican rodeo roping and riding. Anthony and his family work hard and practice their skills for their exhibitions. Because of their hours of practice, they are now expert performers!
Born to Rope
by Martha Cooper and Ginger Gordon
My name is Anthony Reynoso. I live in the small town of Guadalupe, Arizona, with my parents. Soon I will have a little brother or sister. My family often sees aunts, uncles, and cousins at my grandparents’ ranch. There we celebrate holidays and birthdays together.
I like to play basketball and collect basketball cards. But what I like best is to ride and rope Mexican Rodeo style. I learned how to rope when I was little. I still work hard to be good at roping. After school, my dad and I practice. My dad shows me things his father taught him. We also work on new things to do. Now we are roping experts. We like to go to shows and rodeos to show off our skill.
On Saturday, my dad and I are performers in a show. We spin the rope and pass it to each other. We do well! Mom is proud. After the show, people want to take my picture. Then we go to Slid Rock to play.
My dad has passed the Mexican Rodeo tradition on to me. Now I must pass it on too. I plan to start by teaching my new brother or sister all about roping.
Please share about a skill you have worked hard to learn.
What steps did you take to master the skill?
Was it difficult at first?
Did anyone help you achieve your goal?
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Your writing made me think about how many of us have lost our culture.I happen to be german and irish but I don’t know much about where I came from. This has made me want to learn more about where I came from.
Dear Matthew,
You make a good point. Many of us have lost our culture. I’m interested to learn about your cultural findings. Please respond to my comment with the answers I asked at the end of the post.
Thanks,
Mrs. Spiegelman
A skill I’ve worked hard to learn is to take care of my dog.
The steps that I took were be patient with him and they will feel more cofortable.
Yes it was difficult at first doing this because he needed lots of attention ond love.
The person who helped me achive my goal was my dad. When I first got my dog he was hard to take care of but, my dad tought me how to train him and my dog turned out to be wonderful.
Dear Simone,
I appreciate that you responded to all of the questions. I agree with you, it is difficult to train a dog! I remember when we trained our dog, Daisy. My parents had to be very patient with her. Then, when she died my parents got Henry. The shelter they got her from was very strict. They match new owners with a dog trainer to help them learn how to train their dog. My dad, who is a tough guy, was scared of the trainer! She reminded us of Sue Sylvester from Glee. Their hard work paid off, and Henry is very well trained. Your comment made me think about life. Anything difficult is worth working for!
Thanks,
Mrs. Spiegelman
A skill I have worked hard to learn is baseball. The steps I took to master the skill was practice and practice. It was a little difficult at first, but once I got go I was pretty good. Yes, my dad and my coachs help me achieve my goal.
This comment applies directly to the post, Miles. Do you know Hank in 7th grade? He loves baseball and his knowledge base about the sport is astounding!
I learned how to make a server for mine-craft. To master this skill I kept watching videos on how to and I kept practicing constantly. It was very difficult at first and I’m still having trouble with it at times. Actually, Chris m and I did this together over FaceTime.If you would like to comment on this click the reply box. Thank you.
Matthew, I’m so impressed with your technology skills, as well as with your perseverance! You refused to give up, and are dedicated to continue learning about making a server! That is really exciting for me to read about. Do you know about Google Hangouts? That might be another fun way that you can communicate with Chris to work on this!
If I met someone from that community I would give them a memory of pride so they can know how it feels
I think you commented on the wrong post.
A skil that I am good at is chess. It was hard at first but, I got better and better. I played some chess with my family and later, I joined the chess team and eventually, I won 2nd place on the chess championship last year at our school. Now my goal is to win 1st place.
Wow! That’s impressive, Christian! I would love to come and watch you at a tournament. I know that Chess is good for your brain, but I’m not sure why exactly. Can you offer some insight?
A skill I worked very hard to learn was violin.
The first step was to relax and picture your self playing a beautiful song. Then you simply learn the notes and the beats and before you know it your playing!
Yes, it was very difficult for me because it’s hard for me to focus sometimes.
The people that really helped were my violin teacher and my dad.
I love how you broke down the steps to becoming successful! Does your dad play the violin, as well? How did you first become interested in playing?
A skill that I had to try hard to master is my tahitian dancing. Regular hula is very simple and easy to learn. But tahitian is very difficult to master. I’ve been doing it since I was 8. I started taking private lessons and practicing at home. Then, I stared competing. Finally, I started watching Youtube and learning new moves from other dancers. It was very difficult in the beginning. My first friend at the place I dance at helped me very much. Her name is Maeva. I couldn’t have done it without her, my hula teachers and especially my Mom.
Ava, I love how you listed the many resources you utilized to become successful. Your comment proves that people can learn anything if they set their mind to it! I would love to see you perform. How did you become interested in Tahitian dancing in the first place?
I became interested in it whenI was 8. I think my mom found out about the studio from one of my old dance friends from my old studio, Relve.
A skill that I learned was being good at sports like basketball, football, soccer, and sometimes streetball which was a little harder it’s just like basketball but with a lot of double dribbles and crazy moves that you couldn’t do in the NBA but it is a very great sport that keeps me in shape. It was hard at first to learn some of those sports but some were really easy. My dad tought me these sports and helped me achieve my goal at being GREAT at sports.
Chris, I’ve heard about how talented you are in the faculty room! When you wrote about your crazy moves, it reminded me about the Harlem Globetrotters. Have you heard about them before? Click on Harlem Globetrotters below to see a short video. What do you think?
Harlem Globetrotters from hrldmm on Vimeo.
A skill I have worked hard to learn is basketball (mostly dribbling) I have played basketball since I was 4 to 5 years old I started to play in a league when I was 6 or 7. When I was about 9 years old I was outside shooting baskets and I just started to dribble between my legs not so good but I kept on trying I don’t even think I shot the ball that day I just dribbled. Now I can go between my legs constantly and behind my back back and forth. I still play basketball I don’t play so serious at school cause there is really no point I just have fun. I play with my dad almost every day I am struggling but I think I am great my best record is getting double digit point almost every game. I love basketball. (sorry it is so long)
Nick, you never have to apologize for writing a long comment! I love it! It adds to the quality of our conversation. I don’t know how you could have shortened it without leaving out valuable information. You explained the process you went through to become the talented basketball player you are today, which I think will be very helpful for other students to read. This is a great example of how hard work and determination pay off!
I have so many cultures and backgrounds, I can’t name all of them on my ten fingers! But, a tradition i have on all of the major holiday like Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, my schedule is packed! My mom and I make our famous 7 layer dip and bring or make a dessert.
I love my family and I have a lot of hobbies- it depends what time or day it is when I will do them. I also have alot of skills like sports, music, and school!
I have SO much fun at OLG and I really LOVE all my classmates. I wouldn’t trade any of you for the world, guys. Even though most of you talk a lot or get on my nerves (You know who you are) I wouldn’t want to trade another class for you, honest. I have wonderful teachers, and I am blessed to have such a wonderful life as I am having now…
Love, Caiya
Now to answer the question:
I have three examples…
1. I have worked hard to play violin. It took a lot of practice, lessons, and patience to learn it, but it was all worth it all in the end. It was hard at first because I didn’t know how to hold the bow or the violin correctly or learn to read sheet music, but now I can. My violin teacher, my mom, and my dad helped me achieve my goal.
2. I have worked hard to Serve in Volleyball. I worked after school, and during water-breaks to work on it. I owe it all to my previous coaches, my supportive family, and friends for all that they did. Now, I can serve over the net, make the ball go really high, and I can go where I want it to be. It was really hard at first, yes, but as I said, it was worth it in the end.
3. I have worked hard to be good at drawing. All if a sudden I actually made a drawing I loved. Also, my drawings kept getting better every time I drew. I didn’t really like my drawings at first, but as I kept working, I liked them. My past and present art teachers taught me all different ways to draw also past artists inspired me to do some, my parents and brother support me in everything I do. I want to help Logan with his too, so he’ll learn to love his.
Love, Caiya
P.S. No one really gets on my nerves.
Caiya, this is a high-quality comment! You gave such detailed information! When I was reading this, I was reminded of something very important that you included. Hard work is necessary to achieve our goals. Also, when a community works together to support each other, we are able to achieve so much more! Thank you for sharing about how your community supports you. I loved reading about how you are doing the same thing, by helping your brother. When we pass on the kindness that is shown to us, we make the world a better place!
Wow, Caiya! Your positivity is like a ray of sunshine! Thanks for sharing! I especially think your last sentence is an important one for all of us to remember. We have many wonderful things in our lives, and they are all blessings from God that we should be giving thanks for often! xx (That was in response to your first post.)
Well my family and I are very close. We tell everything to each other. One of our traditions is that every Christmas my family and I go to this thing called a novena. It’s like a thing where we count down the days of christmas and pray in spanish. Every Sunday we cook Colombian food for breakfast like empanadas. My family took us to Colombia this year and I noticed one thing we all have in common. We all love coffee. My mom drinks it a lot and many of my family does to. That might explain why most of them short haha.
Thank you for sharing about some of the traditions that make your family special! Your dose of humor made reading your comment delightful! Can you respond to my comment with the following information?
Please share about a skill you have worked hard to learn.
What steps did you take to master the skill?
Was it difficult at first?
Did anyone help you achieve your goal?
I look forward to reading your reply!
I guess I’m pretty good at swimming, but aren’t we all? Hmm. Oh! I’m good at piano. It took me a good long while, and I’m still learning. I had to have a little help from my mom, but I don’t need it anymore. I think we need to know more about this stuff, so we can learn about ourselves more.
The skill that I am good at is playing piano . The first step I took was getting my mom to approve of me playing piano but luckily me aunt had a piano so they went out got a stand and some books to help me out. The next thing we had to do was find a piano class I could go to surprisingly the school had one so me mom entered me in it at first I thought i would be the only 5th grader but then it turned out one of my bestest friends (Aliyah) was in it. At first it was difficult because some of the people knew what they were doing and I didn’t but soon enough I got the hang of it. The people who helped me with piano were my Mom, Aunt Anne, Mama Deborah, and my piano teacher Mrs.Bell.
My skill is when I had to dance. The steps I took were taking dancing lessons and practicing every day. It was not difficult but I had to practice every day to really good at it. My mom helped me every step of the way now people tell me I am the best.
What a special memory! I’m so happy you shared it with us. xx
I have worked hard to learn how to play basketball.
To “master” this skill, you have to do different drills; shooting, dribbling, running, and defensive drills.
It was a little difficult at first, taken that I was just learning the sport. But as an experience for me, as you progress and practice, you get better and better, every step of the way.
Did anyone help you achieve your goal?
Mostly my coaches helped me. But my parents also helped me too. Yeah, thank you dad for yelling at me from the bleachers.
I work super hard to become a good swimmer.The steps I took to become a good swimmer were 1. Breathing to the side 2.Getting my arms straight 3.kicking small and fast and 4.Getting the right time for swim.It was very difficult at first but then it got easier and easier.Four people helped me achieve my goal,the three people were my dad,mom,coach June,and couch Erica.
My skill that I have is I love to cook. My mom and I love cooking together we watch this show called Master Chef and we get ideas from that show. My mom helps me make new things all the time.
The skill that I’m working on is the piano. The steps I took to master it was to put my fingers on the right place and practice. It was difficult to play a song with two hands,but I had to keep trying. The person who helped me was my mom.
I that the story was very well written.Something like that happened to me ones.When I was 3 years old,my dad was took me to work at the special effects apartment and I was very interested in what he was doing so I asked him if he could teach me to build things. Then he said he will teach me to learn how to build a real campervan. two years later, we finished the campervan and we went to mamoth mountain and I learned to ski. I mastered building and skiing and it was aawesome.
Singing, it didn’t really take any steps it was just natural . It wasn’t difficult. My daddy helped me with the singing.
Volleyball.
Last year I didn’t know how to play and so did a lot of the other girls. But now I’m really good. I even help the fifth graders. Learning to play volleyball isn’t easy. There is all the bumping, serving and passing. It wasn’t easy at first but now I’m getting so good.
I have worked on swimming, to master swimming you have to practice every day. I have not mastered swimming yet, because of my arms but I will someday.
It was not difficult because I swam as a child so it was easy.
Serene helped me!
A skill I have worked hard to be able to do is how to play basketball good. I played outside alot with my father and by my self ans later I played in a basketball league. It was difficult at first because I could not seem to control my strength I would usually threw the ball over the back-board. My father helped me achieve my goal by helping me with basketball.
Im really not good for a lot of things only running a mile under ten minuets. An to draw I mostly draw things that are real like a tree, and animals. Mostly classic drawings. really not that much.
Please share about a skill you have worked hard to learn.
What steps did you take to master the skill?
Was it difficult at first?
Did anyone help you achieve your goal?
I have worked hard to be good on soccer.
I have practiced and trained.
Yes, it was a little at first but I got better and better and now I am really good now.
I have been trained by couches, friends, and family.
I’ve been working hard on my basketball skills not only that but on being a team leader fighting for success I practice for hours by-myself or with my dad or even with friends I try to be the best I can be.I put all I have on the court no matter how hard or how easy I wouldn’t say I’m an expert but I try pretty hard on doing that.
I am not an expert on anything. I am trying to be a great leader and player on the volleyball court. The skills I used to help me do better in volleyball was, I put a net in my big back yard and started serving. I didn’t make it over all the time.Everyday after school I practiced serving and bumping. Then sister came outside and started helping me. A lot of people say my sister has a killer overhand serve but, she had to learn under-hand first. The thing that was difficult at first was making it over the net. I would say my sister and my amazing volleyball coach: coach Agasino and assistant coach: Cyro were the people that helped me the most.
I worked hard to learn to play the violin. It was very hard at first, but now it’s easier. In Iran, I practiced with my mom and dad. I’m so grateful to my parents because they are so helpful to me. My violin is my best friend in the world.
I am so excited that you are joining the violin program at OLG. I can’t wait to hear you play!
I would say my special skill is gymnastics. I had to go through several different gymnastics groups, and had to deal with a few mean people. We did a lot of conditioning, and it was really painful. When i first started i thought it was going to be really hard , but i wanted to be the best so bad when i got to preteam I knew i was good enough.The 1 person i have to thank is my coach. She was really sweet and she pushed us to be the best. I miss her so much since i can’t go to that gym anymore.