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Student athlete balances life and passion

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By Zoe Doebbler

I am tempted to spit out clichés when I talk about running. I want to say the usual stuff

about how my sport “builds character” and is “better than therapy.” While I believe these things

are true, I do not want to talk about them.

After the clichés, the next words that come to mind are “pain” and “sacrifice.” I want to

address those concepts because they are the figurative meat and potatoes of athletics, and as

such, are the most rewarding.

Participating in athletics at any level requires commitment. As a cross country and track

distance runner, I log 40-50 miles a week. A typical run for me is six miles, which, depending on

how I feel, can take anywhere between 45 to 55 minutes. With the stretching, drills, weights, and

team meetings added in, I typically do not leave practice after school until 4:30 or 5 p.m.

Additionally, I run on Saturdays and Sundays and occasionally cross-train. All in all, I end up

spending about 14 hours a week on my sport.

Yes, it is occasionally a strain to run that much. But I do not really feel the pain and

sacrifice of sports until after practice. Unlike the majority of student-athletes, instead of going

home and vegetating after my workout, I go straight to work.

I currently average 18 hours a week as a lifeguard at the YMCA. I am lucky for the

flexible work schedule I can create for myself; in season I work less, out of season I work more.

There are no set hours. However, speeding to work from practice, forgetting food to eat, and then

sitting in a lifeguard chair for five hours to come home to homework is by no means easy. A

more accurate descriptor would be “hell.”

Between schoolwork, athletics, and other commitments to the Dance Marathon and the

newspaper, I sometimes feel like I am being tugged in 50 directions. I cannot offer a solution

to that feeling because I usually deal with it by panicking and regressing to a four-year-old state.

Interestingly, what has gotten me through all of it has been my sport. Cross country has

been my rock for many years now. Pain and sacrifice are second nature to me after having

logged well over 7,000 miles at this point in my running career. Having chosen a sport that is

focused on getting from one place to another as quickly as possible has certainly translated well

to other aspects of my life, like scheduling.

What it comes down to is that I love running. I cannot imagine my life without it. This

desire to run has propelled me to where I am today. If I take it away, then I am back to square

one.

Quenton Cassidy, protagonist of the cult running novel Once a Runner, referred to Trials

of Miles and Miles of Trials. This concept, of life always throwing up hurdles and hurdles

being a part of life, is one any serious athlete understands and embraces. There are no end to the

obstacles that may prevent me from reaching my goals, but by persisting, I will succeed if only

for the fact I persisted.

I think about that when I want to quit my job or running or trying in school. It is a

balance and it is difficult, yet I have made it this far, so why stop now?

Columns, Forum

#SPEAKOUT: Columnists shares lessons learned from sibling

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By Danielle Sheally

There comes a time in everyone’s life when a best friend or sibling backs down their driveway to start the next chapter in the journey of life and, until they’re gone we don’t realize how much they really affected our lives. My brother Willie always connected with people well. He was the person that automatically made a awkward situation feel totally comfortable and, for the class of 2013 he was definitely one of the most recognized people.

As I look back on our time together, two things my brother taught me that are imporant are: stay confident in any situation, and always form some kind of relationship with the people in our lives.

For me, staying confident in certain situations helps me rationalize with the issue at hand. For example, if I have to do the project that involves public speaking I always try to get interested in some aspect of the topic. That way the project is easier to talk about. If it something I’m really not interested in though I always try to crack a couple jokes related to the topic so it allows the crowd and I to become more relaxed.

Forming relationships with teachers and colleagues is something that I always try to do, because it may come to help when I least expect it. The relationship also help me know what kind of personality my teacher of friend has so, if I want say something I know whether to refrain from saying it or not. It’s always good to have if you just want to blow off steam.

 

So, my brother may not realize it right now but, he’s actually really helped me in my life.

Columns, Forum

#SPEAKOUT: Kum Ba Ya during the holidays

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By Danielle Sheally

Dec. 26th, the most unhappy day in the world.

During any big holiday, everybody help each other and it seems like all the people in the world turn into one big family.  We ask about your family, ask how we are doing in school, etc.  We take extra time out of our schedules to help the homeless, feed the hungry, and collect money for the sick. Maybe because we feel like if we do a couple good deeds during the holidays that we are good for the rest of the year?

If we’re being honest with ourselves no one volunteers as much as they should. I think volunteering isn’t really part of our nature so when the holidays come around we automatically think “Oh my gosh have I given enough of my spare time.” When that answer is no, we automatically go into the state of thinking that we need to volunteer 50 billion hours in one day. Personally, I believe volunteering is built on the basis of when we feel it in our heart, do it. Don’t do it just because a holiday rolled around.

Volunteering truly is fun. When we give a helping hand you get to see the gratitude spread across the faces of the people we’re helping. They could be totally down in the dumps but, when we help them it could turn their day sunny side up. Lending a hand doesn’t have to be manual, it can be as easy as just spending some time with an elderly person talking or picking a handful of trash so the custodians don’t have to clean so much.

I’m passionate about this because what if we actually did pay it forward. Imagine how much kinder people would be. Instead of being envious of others we could actually be happy for them when they achieve their goals. What if schools around the country had a National Volunteering Day and we cleaned the school in teams. We may miss a day of academics, but imagine the lessons of paying it forward we would learn.

What are you going to do when your hand is needed?

 

Columns, Forum

Columnist explains the genius of ‘South Park’

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By Isaac Mathewson
 For 16 years, “South Park” has entertained and offended people all over the world. With over 200 episodes, a feature film, several video games and a huge amount of merchandise it continues to be Comedy Central’s highest rated shows, as well as being one of the most popular animated shows in history.
 I myself have been a fan of the show since I was about 10 and to this day it is one of my favorite TV shows as well as a major comedic influence in my life. Now with it coming into its 17th season, I have decided to give some of my viewpoints on the many criticisms of this hit show.
 Ever since it first aired in 1997, “South Park” has been a target for criticism for many reasons. It has often been criticized for its coarse use of foul language, toilet humor, racial slurs, and violent images, among many other factors. While many viewers claim that these elements are funny and at times it is well written social satire, others see it as inappropriate behavior that is offensive and is “corrupting” our children. I am going to explain the truth behind these criticisms.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the show’s creators, have said that “South Park” is social satire that is meant to be viewed by adults only. They say that at, literally, the very beginning of every episode. It has a lot of adult content both in its subject matter as well as in the topics it covers. One of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, is the pervasive language in the show. This is also the theme of the film. Many parents have complained that the language corrupts youth. However, the real truth behind the pervasive use of language is the fact that the creators say that this is what children say when they are alone, and they are trying to accurately portray kids in their dialogue and their ideas.
Another major issue is the portrayal of prejudice, most notably the way the character Eric Cartman constantly torments fellow student Kyle Broflovski for being Jewish. Many people have criticized this because they feel that this is making prejudice and racial slurs look acceptable. The reason behind this is that the creators wanted to show what it is like to be the only Jewish kid in school, as co-creator Matt Stone went through that phase himself. It is also meant to show human behavior, and how we as a species treat others who are different.
 The show is not without its flaws. Sometimes it can be too over-the-top, and it can be disturbing and occasionally disgusting. However, what we really need to do is look at it based on its writing and the topics that the show covers. Some of its writing is very good and it does at times have good messages. If anyone wants to see the art behind “South Park,” I would recommend the episodes “Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants,” “Margaritaville,” “Make Love Not Warcraft,” and “Chin Pokomon.”
 I am psyched about the upcoming 17th season, and I hope that the show continues on for several more years. Hopefully, we can all look past the adult content, and appreciate the show as  well written satire, as well as some of the best comedy of the past 20 years.
Columns, Forum

#SPEAKOUT: Check yes or no

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By Danielle Sheally

Let’s take a hypothetical situation with Tom and Suzie.  Tom likes Suzie, so Tom asks her out.  The thing about Suzie is that she doesn’t have a wheelchair stuck to her butt.

I think that it’s hard for a guy to be comfortable with physically moving me or transferring me from place to place if they needed to. The guys are scared to move me from the car to a wheelchair if we go out on a date to the movies or even from my chair to the couch to watch t.v.  I think they are scared of hurting me, but I don’t think they realize just how strong my body is physically and that they won’t break me.

Dating is difficult for me.  The guys that I get close to, get attached to me personally and emotionally, but the part that’s also difficult is the physical part of the equation.  Honestly, they are scared of physically hurting me when I come out of my chair so I think that’s where they become standoffish.  For example, say we get very close, and we go on several dates, after spending so much time together, I proceed to take it one step further.  But, as always, there’s the common rejection statement, “you are a nice girl, but I just see us as just friends”.

I always tend to be the first one to fall for guys but they don’t want to let themselves fall with me.  I believe just because I don’t wear tons of makeup and wear vintage clothes they don’t see me as being attractive.  In country songs they always talk about the girl with no makeup on or in a simple outfit being the one they fall for.

When you truly love someone, it doesn’t matter what she looks like, what she sounds like or if  she has expensive clothes or not, you should fall for the person that she is.  We know when we fall for someone because, we see that one person and it’s like they have a special glow around them.

So, maybe I just need someone that sees that special glow around me?