Special Olympics Opportunity #5

The Special Olympics has a flag football unit that they do every year. In Elkhart County, there are two different groups represented. There are the more severe athletes who have special needs and the less severe athletes. Practices take place at a park near by Goshen College.
On September 24th, my friend and I went over to assist the more severe athletes. We first got there and honestly had no idea what to do. After a minute, we met the coach and told him a little about what we were here to do. Also, we asked him what he would like for us to do, helping the team.
First thing we did was stretch. He got caught up talking to the one of the head people, so I offered to lead stretches. This was pretty cool; we got to have some fun with the kids. Next, it was time to practice grabbing the flag. We got into two lines and took turns going. We had to stay inside this marked area until our flag was pulled. Next we stayed in these lines and practiced passing. Looking down at the other group, you could definitely tell the ability level was greater, but I do not believe the heart level. These kids want so badly to succeed.
After this, we got to work on a couple of new plays for the upcoming game they had. Everyone got a chance to be a different position. They were giving high fives and getting so excited. It was great to see them smiling and laughing.

Recharging my battery #7

Talking with someone helps me to relax and become calm if I am worked up. I know there are people I can go to and talk with if I ever need to talk about things. Also, if I ever need someone to just sit there with me and hang out to help me feel better or what not, there are people who are close to me and they would not hesitate to do that. Sometimes when I get overloaded I just get all worked up or get frustrated. Talking helps me get back to where I was. It helps me release most of what is bothering me. Talking in person is the best, just knowing that the person is there, but then it would be on the phone talking, and texting as a last resort.

Active in comm. #5

This Leaf Relief that the athletic department is doing is something we are really trying to take seriously and helpe the community with. We had many people come in for a kids day at the college when the mens basketball team had a game. We worked a moon bounce and also did a few other fun things. During the Christmas break, our womens basketball team will be doing a few things such as going to a soup kitchen. I am hoping to get very involved with this because I really want to help people and just build up the overall strength of the community to help Goshen to grow what I can and also what we can as a team and department.

Volunteer #6

I worked for two summers as a counselor at a camp for special needs children called Camp-We-Can. This was the most unique opportunity for me. It was such a humbling experience and I look forward to it every year. They pair you up with a child and you are with them for the entire day. The kids who are in chairs or in general can get a horse ride, get helped into the pool to go swimming and even get a convertible ride. Many kids have never gotten to feel the wind in their faces like that. We also do arts and crafts projects they can get help with or do them themselves. These kids get so much enjoyment out of this and that is honestly enough for me. Those kids deserve it.

Role Model #4

About a month ago I realized how much a role model I must be on the team. We are such a young team and leaders/role models have to start to show. He asked me tell a post where to go on a certain play. Well I play point guard or shooting guard so I did not know where they post went. Well I had to go ask the senior and it just kind of made me realize a lot about what coach expects out of me especially as I will be stepping in next year as the point guard. He took me aside after practice and said that I had to start leading. This has been a very challenging thing because I never had to do that, even in high school. He's the coach so I will do that to my best ability. It will just be very hard. I am so glad our senior captain is the best at it, so I can learn from her and do everyday. Gaining the respect of my teammates is very important to me because it will make the team that much better, especially in terms of chemistry.

Politics #2

President-Elect Obama is planning to do a lot of things differently and this may be a great thing for the country or may not. He is planning to change some of the things President Bush is doing. Obama wants to put a tighter hold down on embryonic stem cell research. He will also be working with oil and gas drilling on federal islands and organizations dealing with abortions. Obama supports the creation of new stem cells from human embryos, but he objects to the destruction of them. He is also planning on overturning things that Bush sees as controversial dealing with abortion. The "Planned Parent" planning group was started during the Reagan administration, dropped by Bush, it will most likely be reinstated by Obama. This does not allow tax payers to perform or promote abortions overseas.

Recharging #7

One thing that a lot of people don't know about me is that I love to write, songs, poems and such. This is one thing I do if I feel inspired or just for fun. Writing allows me to get things out that I could not be able to say to a person or and idea that hit me and I was not sure how to word it.

Seeing as I love music, I have a lot of instrumentals on my computer. I take one of those and write a song. Some of them are very different and cover so many areas of my life. This really helps me get some of my frustrations out and just relax.