Senior Project Week 1 Reflection

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Senior Project Week 1 Reflection 

May 14, 2023

Week 1 Total Hours: 24 hours and 20 minutes


My first week of senior project was successful. The overall objective for my senior project is to give back to the Concord softball program which has given so much to me and many of my friends. I went into the week with some ambitious goals and came out of the week with some new and more achievable goals. Going into the two weeks, I was planning on repainting 4 entire softball dugouts, redoing fencing in 1 outfield, and doing a lot of landscaping work at 3 total different softball fields. With the help of my mentor, I realized that these goals would take much longer than I have for a senior project. I adjusted goals to way more manageable tasks. 

Although adjusting the majority of my original goals for the week I have worked toward 1 of them, the landscaping of fields. I have done a significant amount of weeding which is crucial to the safety and success of players. When there is too much change in terrain on a field it can be a risk to injury when players are running full speed for balls and may trip on weeds. In addition to weeding, I spread Pea Stone Gravel in a total of 4 softball dugouts. Martin Field, where I am working, is located in a place that is very susceptible to flooding after major rain storms. Typically teams are inconvenienced after a rainstorm and cannot use their dugouts due to flooding. Pea stone makes the drainage process faster to eliminate puddles. In this aspect of the project, I feel as though I have achieved my goal. 

When I came to the conclusion that it would be nearly impossible to paint all 4 dugouts with the time given, I brainstormed other ways to make improvements to the Martin Field dugouts. Currently, the two fields are labeled “Martin Field 1” and “Martin Field 2” using sheets of paper that are taped onto the dugout walls. This is not the most sustainable method of distinguishing the two fields because the paper does not last for extended periods of time. I have so far done around 3 hours of research on spray painting “Martin Field 1” and “Martin Field 2” onto the sides of the dugouts and am prepared to start spray painting on Monday or Tuesday. I am very excited about this new goal because I have never done anything like it before.

One task that I completed this week was the assembly of a first aid kit for the field. This week I learned that the field had no first aid kit or anything of the sort. I know that many coaches bring their own first aid equipment, but that isn’t always a guarantee. It is crucial for the safety of youth players that there is some sort of first aid kit accessible at all times. This week I assembled a bin with some essentials like ice packs, bandages, disinfectant, and much more. I felt that if I am trying to better the experience of youth softball players, then their safety is very important. 

Week 1 has consisted of a lot of assessments, adjustments, and strategy and I am looking forward to doing more of these things in the next week and a half. This week I did a decent amount of research to inform myself about the tasks I took on and am going to take on. I am very excited to put what I have learned to use and learn even more!


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