Author: Ana

Back in the Boot- Peroneal Tendon Subluxation

You all remember the blogs about my first boot and the sesamoid fracture, right? Well guess what’s back! August 4th, 2015, the boot comes back on. This time it isn’t for a fracture but for peroneal tendon subluxation.

In your lower leg, there’s a collection of muscles and tendons. They originate from the fibula and travel down the leg and into various areas of the foot. Behind the bony prominence on the outside of the ankle lie the two peroneal tendons, peroneus brevis which attaches to your fifth metatarsal (toe), and peroneus longs which runs under the foot and attaches near the big toe. These two tendons are held in place by a strong, connective tissue called the peroneal retinaculum.

Peroneal tendon subluxation is when one or both of the peroneal tendons slip out of position and come over the bony prominence on the outside of the ankle. Once the tendons come out of place, they may remain there or return to their original position. It’s not a good feeling.

Peroneal tendon subluxation can occur because of a torn retinaculum which would allow for the tendons to move freely, shallow grooves which make it easier for the tendons to come out of place, and also a loose or weak retinaculum which is least common.

This is can be treated with immobilization (like a boot), rest, orthotics, and also surgery for retinaculum repair, tendon repair, or groove deepening.

So my boot is back for another month to immobilize and hopefully keep the peroneal tendons in place. Now you know a little bit about peroneal tendon subluxation and I hope to get better soon and see you all back out on the courts!

And as a little side note, my dad and aunt’s birthdays are tomorrow so, Happy Birthday to both of you! 🙂

August 9, 2015
Tips for Blog Writing

Blogs are super fun to read and write! If you’re interested in starting a blog or even already have one, here’s a few tips for blog writing:

1. Have a day you regularly post on. For me this is Sunday’s. This way your readers will know when you post and they look forward to it every week. You can post more than once a week, but I feel like it’s lighter on the writer if you only post once.

2. Write about lots of things. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to one topic but wouldn’t it be more fun to write about all kinds of things? Writing about many topics is not only fun, but entertaining for you to write and the readers to read.

3. Use pictures to help with the blog posts. Pictures make reading much more interesting and enjoyable to everyone. They can also help support your points and arguments.

4. Keep it sweet and simple. When blog writing, I find it super easy to get carried away and go on and on and on forever. For the readers, this can get boring sometimes, unless they’re really into the topic or something like that. All you need to do is make your points, say what you need and want to say, and be done. If you’re sharing a research paper or something longer, that is okay, just don’t post something like that regularly.

5. Have fun with it and get creative! Writing a blog shouldn’t feel like torture or the worst thing you could possibly be doing. Enjoy it and be creative with what you write. Maybe you add little videos to your posts, or you end it with signature. It’s all up to you, and there are plenty of ways to make the blog your own and have fun with it.

I hope all you blog-writers out there found these tips helpful. Even if you don’t keep up a blog, it might be something fun for you to try out. Have a good week! 🙂

July 26, 2015
Tips For Tryouts

Whether it’s for volleyball, tennis, or whatever sport/activity you compete in, you’re going to have to tryout to make a team at some point. Tryouts can be stressful sometimes and I want to help make it easier and less stressful so here are a few tips for tryouts.

1. Relax and have fun! If you end up making the team, that’s great. And if you don’t make the team, so what? At least you had fun trying. There will be plenty of other opportunities to make teams and try other sports or activities. So knowing this, you should just relax, play your game, show off your stuff, and have fun.

2. Control what you can control. The two things you can control are your attitude and effort. You can’t control the coaches and evaluators (although that would be pretty cool), the place and time the tryouts are held at, the other people trying out, the drills you do, and so on. So many people worry about those things going into tryouts that they forget what’s really important and what they should be focused on controlling. When you focus on controlling only your attitude and effort, you perform well, feel relaxed, and have fun.

3. Wear something bright so that you stand out from the rest of the crowd. From experience, a lot of people will either wear black or white to a tryout. You want to be noticed and have the coaches and other players watching and keeping an eye on you.

4. Stay positive and don’t get down on yourself. This goes along with the first tip for tryouts. If you shank a pass or miss a layup, or hit your serve in the bottom of the net, it’s not a big deal, just as long as it isn’t happening on a consistent basis. No one’s perfect and we’re all human, so if you make a mistake figure out what you’re going to do right next time, and execute it. Relax and you’ll do fine. Also, don’t get down on yourself if you don’t end up making the team, there other teams to tryout for and other opportunities.

So when you all head into tryouts just remember to relax and have fun, control what you can control, wear something bright, and stay positive and don’t get down on yourself. I really hope these tips will help you all succeed in tryouts. Good luck and have fun!

July 12, 2015
A Wicked Review

Last night, my family and I went to see Denver’s most popular musical and Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, Wicked. And I have one word to describe it. It was wicked! Haha, pun intended.

In case you don’t know the story of Wicked, it’s about the two witches of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda. It’s all about Elphaba and how she became the wicked witch of the west, her life story, and also Glinda’s life story. The plot and flow of the story was smooth and extremely well done. There was also a lot of good humor. I won’t spoil the actual story for you all, in case you haven’t seen it.

Alyssa Fox starred as Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west and Carrie St. Louis starred alongside her as Glinda the good witch. They had phenomenal vocals and were both extremely talented and worked very well with each other. Ashley Parker Angel played Fiyero, the lead male in the show. He loved Elphaba and Glinda loved him, so that made things interesting. Ashley also had a lot of talent and helped make the show funny and memorable.

In addition to the plot and main characters, the music was beautifully done and very catchy. Some of my favorite songs from the show are “No Good Deed”, “Popular”, and “Defying Gravity”. “Defying Gravity” is probably my absolute favorite because Alyssa Fox did an extremely good job with it. She was very powerful with her singing on this song and it sent good shivers down my spine.

Credits to the photographer of this image.

Overall, Wicked is a wonderful show and good for the whole family. I would definitely go see it again and I highly recommend it to everyone. I hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend and have a good upcoming week!

July 5, 2015
Why is the Crosscourt Game So Important?

In tennis there are many strategies and ways to play the game. My personal favorite and favorite of most if not all professionals is going crosscourt with the tennis ball. Here’s why having a strong crosscourt game or at least developing one is important.

– A crosscourt shot is the highest percentage shot you can hit. By hitting crosscourt, you have a high chance of getting the ball in and an even more likely chance for your opponent to error.

– Most of the time, when hitting crosscourt, you are swinging across your body. Swinging across your body is one of the most natural and smooth ways to hit groundstrokes. You can hit inside out crosscourt shots and those can be pretty awesome and fun to hit, but simply going crosscourt can be good enough.

– Crosscourt shots allow you to recover to a closer spot behind the baseline. After every shot, you should recover to the middle of the angle of possible return, which is in the middle of where your opponent could hit the ball. When you hit a crosscourt shot, you can recover slightly off-center from behind the baseline. You want to be slightly diagonal from where you hit the ball. If you hit the ball down the line, you would have to recover a lot faster and a lot further from the middle of the baseline. Hitting crosscourt is efficient.

– By hitting crosscourt shots you can set yourself up for other shots that can help you be successful. You could go crosscourt several times and then when your opponent is cheating crosscourt you can hit hard, slice, or with top spin down the line. And if you get pulled wide on the court, you could hit a hard angle or buggywhip-like shot crosscourt. Hitting crosscourt is strategic and sets you up for success in points.

Having a good and solid crosscourt shot is very important to your game. It is a high-percentage shot, feels natural and smooth, is efficient and allows for a quick recovery, and is smart, strategic, and sets you up during points.

June 28, 2015
Happy Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is here and to celebrate this day for the dads, here’s a poem. Enjoy! 🙂

Dads are pretty special,
They really make your day.
They help you learn to play sports,
And are your head cheerleader when you play.

Dads support you when you need them,
And help you with homework.
Stay cool, calm, and collected,
They bring a big smile when they come home from work.

So Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there,
We all love you and want you to know we care,
Have a good and relaxing day,
Happy Father’s Day!

All material protected by © Copyright 2015 by anahorvath.com

This great day is a wonderful time to get out and do something fun with your dad. For example, my sister and I usually play tennis on Father’s Day and then go where our dad wants to go for dinner. Make memories, enjoy yourselves, and show your dads how much you care. Once again, Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there. And to my dad personally, I just want to say thanks for everything and I love you! 🙂

Happy Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day! Happy wi love you daddy! You’re the best coach and role model anyone could ask for. Love you lots!

June 21, 2015
It’s a Blogiversary!

Last Monday, June 8th was the official one year anniversary of this blog, anahorvath.com! I’m really proud of all of the work I’ve put into this blog and what it has become. I’m also super excited for the years to come with this blog. I guess you could say this was a blogiversary!

Over the past year, I have published 53 blogs, 54 including this one. There have been blogs about tips for tennis tournaments, setting tips for volleyball, modeling stories, top ten kids’ TV shows and rainy day foods, cupcake reviews, a tribute to JFK, poems, little videos, “Did You Know?” posts, life stories, business related essays, weekend reviews, things I was hoping for in the new year, holiday gift ideas, stuff about dogs, and all other kinds of things.

I hope to keep this blog up and continue writing. I also hope that all of my readers have enjoyed this blog over the past year and look forward to it in the future. I will still post blogs every Sunday and do my best to keep it up to date.

WordPress has been a wonderful website to work with and put my blog onto. It has been super smooth and whenever there were issues, the people working for WordPress were extremely helpful and solved the problems quickly and also answered questions when needed. If you are looking to start a website and a blog, I highly suggest using WordPress to run it.

Thanks again to all of my readers and there are more exciting and interesting blogs to come!

June 14, 2015
Top Ten Summer Activities

Summer break is here for most people and school is out until August. Woohoo! Summer is a great time to get out and travel, spend time with family and friends, and also catch up on your beauty sleep. Here are the top ten summer activities, in my opinion:

10. Sleep. Summer is a wonderful time to catch on sleep. After long nights of studying and homework, sleeping can make you feel more relaxed and refreshed for when you do other things over the break. Just make sure you don’t sleep the summer break away!

9. Read. Most people would say, “Wait, what?! You read over the summer? That’s school related, why would you ever do that?”. I think that reading is a good way to spend time and relax in the sun or cool shade. Reading can improve your vocabulary and you’ll still know some things when you do head back to school.

8. Coming in as the 8th best thing to do during the summer, grow a garden. This is a good thing to do as a family and the end result is usually very healthy and yummy. Growing a garden is fun, a good excuse to be outside, builds responsibility, and is definitely worth it.

7. Start a blog. At the beginning of last summer, I started a blog and it ended up being one of the more enjoyable things I did since I couldn’t play sports or be super active. Writing a blog is really fun, improves your writing skills, and is a great way to make memories. I also think it’s cool to tell friends and family to check out your website, so that’s a fun bonus. You can build a blog through WordPress, GoDaddy, and other websites. Most blog sites have to paid for but there are sites that are free. Do what works best for you.

6. Hike. Hiking is a wonderful way to be out with nature, get fresh air, and get exercise. National parks, mountains, and even trails near your house work just fine.

5. Making the middle of the list, play volleyball. Whether it’s sand, grass, or indoor, spend time on the volleyball court. It’s a good way to prepare for high school season and club season. Sand and grass tournaments are super fun and really good for your indoor game. If you can’t get into any camps or clinics, grab a ball and at least go hit on the wall or with your friends.

4. Swim. Need a fun way to keep cool? Swimming is the way to do that. In Colorado we have places like The Bay, local recreation centers, and Water World. Water World is probably my favorite. It has so many fun rides and an awesome wave pool. I highly recommend it.

3. Travel. Whether it’s around the state, out of state, or out of the country, get out of your house and travel! This is a fun way to make memories, get good pictures, and learn something about a new area.

2. At number two, play tennis. Tennis is an outdoor sport that anyone can play. Depending on your skill level you can just hit around with friends, join a club, play in tournaments, and enjoy the sport. Tennis is another good excuse to be outside in the wonderful warm weather. Just make sure you pack your sunscreen and water. The courts can get pretty hot!

1. And the number one summer activity is, spend time with family and friends! This seems to make top ten lists quite a bit, and it should! Family and friends and super important and deserve your time, care, and attention. Spend a lot of time together doing whatever and make memories.

Be outside, have fun, and to those who are still in school, good luck with the final days and to those who are starting summer break, enjoy!

June 7, 2015
Memorial Day Weekend

Not all weekends are full of excitement and fun but this Memorial Day weekend has been a very eventful weekend so far. I’ve played a lot of tennis, visited the Wild Animal Sanctuary, and went to a huge Mexican restaurant, oh, and studied for finals.

Saturday was mostly studying for the final big week of school. Finals, yay! (Totally kidding.) My dad, sister, and I also got onto the tennis courts and had a lot of fun. It’s been raining like crazy for the past few weeks so we had to get out earlier than usual to beat the weather. Exercise is super important, so it’s best to get out when you can!

Today started off with a fun two hour tennis practice and then my family and I did something we’ve never done before. In Keensburg, Colorado there is the largest animal sanctuary in the Western Hemisphere and it is called the Wild Animal Sanctuary. The walk is a total of two miles and is pretty enjoyable.The sanctuary owns over 700 acres of land and is home to abused carnivores from all over the world. These animals have room to run, play, and live their lives to the fullest. You get to walk on a path that is 30 feet above the ground so that the animals don’t feel threatened or become anxious. There were lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my! We heard lions roar and saw grizzly bear wrestle and even ostriches run and play. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a wonderful non-profit organization with an even better cause and the walk and sights are worth the drive.

This was the white tiger taking a nap at the Wild Animal Sanctuary.

After the three hour journey, my family and I traveled to a huge restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita, which means “pretty house” in Spanish. From the outside, Casa Bonita looked like a cute, high-quality Mexican restaurant, but when we walked inside, I realized how huge the restaurant was. There was a mini pool for cliff divers, arcade, buffet area, and so much more. You could choose from an all-you-can-eat buffet or a different meal. I went with the chicken dinner buffet and it came with an enchilada, taco, rice, and beans, and the food was delicious. There were also free sopapillas with the meal and those were additionally tasty. The shows with the cliff divers were short and funny and also ended with someone diving into the pool. I really enjoyed the experience and had a lot of fun today.

And tomorrow is Memorial Day, where we get to honor the men and women that served our country and dedicated their lives to it. Tomorrow would be a good time to get together with family and celebrate the people that serve our country. Happy Memorial Day everyone and have a good upcoming week. 🙂 And good luck to everyone taking finals this week!

May 24, 2015
Happy Mothers’ Day!

Mothers’ Day is here! Here are some quotes for this day to show our appreciation for the moms:

M- “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” -Robert Browning

O- “Our mothers always remain the strangest, craziest people we’ve ever met.” -Marguerite Duras

T- Terri Guillemets said, “I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine-she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights.”

H- Honore de Balzac: “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.”

E- Erma Bombeck said, “When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.”

R- Ricki Lake: “Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.”

Moms are great best friends, cheering sections, tutors, and anything a person could want. Truly, every day is Mothers’ Day but today is the day where it is officially recognized on the calendar. Get her a nice card, a bouquet of flowers, and spend some time with your mom today. Happy Mothers’ Day everyone!

May 10, 2015