Daniel Lorang Spinosa |
| Home | John | Marge | Daniel | Charles | Pets | Travel |
|
|
|
|
Danny's page is divided up into three areas:
Daniel is now 12 years old; he just finished sixth grade at our local public school, Standley Middle School. He's been fortunate to be in the seminar program, which has low student : teacher ratios and enriched curricla. He's a straight A student, and is incredibly self-disciplined. He uses John's hand-me-down Palm Pilot to keep track of his assignments, and needs very little help with homework. His teachers at Standley this year were excellent. He particularly enjoyed young Mr. Huszar for math.
Danny enjoyed playing saxophone in the Standley beginning band this year. He'll play in the intermediate band next year, and even chose to take a few private lessons. Previously, he played violin for three years, but he had a rather strict Russian teacher, Mr. Geisler. We learned quite a lesson about balance during that period! We think Dan may have potential for the stage. At sixth grade camp, his Brittany Spears imitation drew wild applause and laughter. |
 |
Spin Doctor likes sports! He's currently playing baseball with U.C. Little League and hopes to join a travelling team next year. His All-Star team just place third of fifteen teams in the District 32 tournament. He had fun dyeing his hair bright red to match the caps, and several of his teammates joined in the fun, going blue or bleach-blonde. Dan pitches, plays at catcher and shortstop. It was fun to hit a couple of home runs during the regular season. His competitive nature is evident (he's hard on himself when he makes mistakes) but he's getting more self-control every game. The folks at San Diego School of Baseball and Valley Baseball get the call for extra lessons. We know we can't do it!
On a basketball court Dan has his dad's smarts but nice young legs. He's played at Standley Rec for a few seasons and has enjoyed a couple of 3-on-3 tourneys with friends. Jim Brogan, a longtime friend of John's from the La Jolla YMCA league, runs a youth basketball skills camp at LJ Country Day that teaches "more than just a game". We credit Jim with Dan's recent driveway determination and look forward to seeing new skills in a game situation this summer. Dan met the U.C. High School coach at a day camp last summer and will go to U.S.D. for a residential camp this summer.
Our days of following competitive soccer around the state may be over. Dan played AAA ball for the La Jolla Nomads for three very successful seasons. His U-12 team won State Cup in 1999, but he opted for more playing time on a AA team last season. Somehow the thrill wasn't the same, and he did not go to tryouts this Spring. He really enjoyed his introduction to indoor soccer this winter, so maybe he'll find a recreational venue in which to continue.
The kid is a pretty good snowboarder, especially considering we make only one trip per year. He can cover most of the hill at Mammoth, and hasn't been hurt yet. John and I tried it once or twice, but we'll stick to skis in our old age!
Dan really enjoys wakeboarding. His cousin Matt bought a new boat last year, and he went to Spring Break and Summer camps at the Aquatic Center, so he's improved a lot. He even learned to get up on one ski this spring, just for mom! We have a houseboat rented for next summer, so we're psyched.
Lake Powell
