Two years ago (probably about this time of night) I was watching the National Finals Rodeo and got the crazy idea that maybe I could like the journalists reporting on the event. A few years earlier I had shocked my mom by telling her "maybe I should major in journalism" but never followed that thought. I had also often jokingly said "If only I could use my useless knowledge of [sports] stats useful" but had never really thought that I could.
The NFR was the turning point of that and the 2010 Winter Olympics sealed the deal when I saw a local reporter actually reporting in Vancouver for the events. It took me a few months to figure out the whole how to be a sports journalist thing out with a lot of help from Google but by the time I decided I wanted to major in sports journalism, it was too late to change schools to a program that was exclusively sports related. Looking back on it now, I'm kind of happy I didn't change.
After I came to WT in the spring to register for some mass comm classes and visit the campus again, I somehow found Bleacher Report. I honestly can't remember how it happened but I quickly got into the roll of things there and that pushed me into other avenues.
The month before I came to WT, I was approached to write for a magazine called GX Magazine. It was short lived (I wrote from August to March, I believe) since it shut down in March but it was extremely awesome to get published and allowed me to go to the 2010 Breeders' Cup to write for them (unfortunately, they were falling apart by that time so I didn't get a press pass).
From there, things have kind of taken off with a sports job at our school's paper, an actual internship with Bleacher Report, the realization that I am also half way good at sports photography after working with the Eternal Flame, and the chance to be "press" at a huge event like the 2011 Breeders' Cup (long sentence much?). These are all things that I'll never forget (and am even looking at some of the pictures I've taken at all those events over the past few months that are hanging on my wall) and will help me in the future along with the teachers and connections I have made at school.
While I am toying with multiple sports related occupations (media relations, etc) when I graduate, I'm extremely happy I took that "silly" idea I had two years ago and ran with it because I really can't imagine doing anything else. So I guess once again, I can thank the rodeo industry for changing my life. It's funny how it has a way of doing that.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Horse Slaughter
With the title of this post, you know it has the chance to be loaded but thankfully there shouldn't be any bickering on the actual post... but the comments could be a different story if people actually feel the need to voice their opinions.
Earlier this week, slaughter was re-legalized (for the most part) in the United States. I am really happy about this although horse slaughter really isn't on my happy list. But since I have been called a non-horse lover among other things for my stance on this, I feel I should probably just write down why I support horse slaughter so I can just link people to this every time they try to argue with me.
First point: Horses are livestock. We treat them like pets and they are companion animals more than most other animals classified as livestock in the US but the point stands that they are still livestock. Yes, Americans don't eat them (at least not publicly) but other countries do and it's not really my business if people want to eat them as long as its not affecting me or causing major world issues (both of which aren't happening at this time).
Second point: It keeps horses from being shipped to places where we can't regulate them. Slaughter isn't pleasant in the best of circumstances unless it's done in a pasture where an animal doesn't know its coming but at least if it happens in the United States, we can regulate how these animals die. Plus, if we have plants in the U.S., the horses won't have to be shipped to Mexico or Canada or even international waters. Sure, plants aren't super close to all the U.S. states, but it does cut down travel for at least some of them.
Third point: The horse market has a chance to go back up now. Unless you are in a top tier industry (like high level thoroughbreds), you've felt the effects of this ban. Horses that should sell for $10,000 are selling for $1,000 because there's more supply than demand. With domestic slaughter, the supply should go down upping the demand. This helps breeders, trainers, and even just regular riders. With healthier prices, we have a healthier industry.
Fourth point: Less starving. Right now, we hear about a ton more horses starving or being turned loose to fend for themselves because people can't/don't want to afford them. With this, instead of a horse starving to death for weeks, they just have a few seconds or minutes of pain. No suffering is good but if we can cut down the time they suffer, then I'm all for it. And for those that make the argument that every horse should be humanely put down by people that love them, its just not possible. Some people can't afford the shot to put them down or the cost to haul them away after it is done or they just don't want to pay it. While responsible horse owners do whatever they can, not everyone is responsible.
Fifth point: At least they will be used. This point probably sounds horrible but at least their body won't go to "waste" at a slaughter house. If they have to die, then I feel better knowing that they aren't just wasting away somewhere, instead providing someone/something with a food source. This also kind of goes back to the livestock part where its more the circle of life (I'm having a Lion King moment here). This may not be the best point of my argument but it is there.
Sixth point: It provides jobs in the US. We need jobs and having the slaughter plants open here provides that. It may not be the most preferred job on the planet but in a time where our economy can use any help it can get, horse slaughter houses help with that. Towns that used to have slaughter plants are now struggling and this could be the reversal they need to turn everything around.
I have way more reasons for feeling the way I do about this and I would love to have a solution that fits what everyone wants but overall, these are my main points for supporting slaughter. Yes, these animals do whatever they can for us but when they can't meet a peaceful end, I'd much rather have them end up at a place where it all ends quickly instead of suffering for a long time. Sure, responsible horsemanship and no overbreeding would be the best solution but that's never going to happen and until other solutions are found, slaughter is a very viable option that can help both horse and human.
Earlier this week, slaughter was re-legalized (for the most part) in the United States. I am really happy about this although horse slaughter really isn't on my happy list. But since I have been called a non-horse lover among other things for my stance on this, I feel I should probably just write down why I support horse slaughter so I can just link people to this every time they try to argue with me.
First point: Horses are livestock. We treat them like pets and they are companion animals more than most other animals classified as livestock in the US but the point stands that they are still livestock. Yes, Americans don't eat them (at least not publicly) but other countries do and it's not really my business if people want to eat them as long as its not affecting me or causing major world issues (both of which aren't happening at this time).
Second point: It keeps horses from being shipped to places where we can't regulate them. Slaughter isn't pleasant in the best of circumstances unless it's done in a pasture where an animal doesn't know its coming but at least if it happens in the United States, we can regulate how these animals die. Plus, if we have plants in the U.S., the horses won't have to be shipped to Mexico or Canada or even international waters. Sure, plants aren't super close to all the U.S. states, but it does cut down travel for at least some of them.
Third point: The horse market has a chance to go back up now. Unless you are in a top tier industry (like high level thoroughbreds), you've felt the effects of this ban. Horses that should sell for $10,000 are selling for $1,000 because there's more supply than demand. With domestic slaughter, the supply should go down upping the demand. This helps breeders, trainers, and even just regular riders. With healthier prices, we have a healthier industry.
Fourth point: Less starving. Right now, we hear about a ton more horses starving or being turned loose to fend for themselves because people can't/don't want to afford them. With this, instead of a horse starving to death for weeks, they just have a few seconds or minutes of pain. No suffering is good but if we can cut down the time they suffer, then I'm all for it. And for those that make the argument that every horse should be humanely put down by people that love them, its just not possible. Some people can't afford the shot to put them down or the cost to haul them away after it is done or they just don't want to pay it. While responsible horse owners do whatever they can, not everyone is responsible.
Fifth point: At least they will be used. This point probably sounds horrible but at least their body won't go to "waste" at a slaughter house. If they have to die, then I feel better knowing that they aren't just wasting away somewhere, instead providing someone/something with a food source. This also kind of goes back to the livestock part where its more the circle of life (I'm having a Lion King moment here). This may not be the best point of my argument but it is there.
Sixth point: It provides jobs in the US. We need jobs and having the slaughter plants open here provides that. It may not be the most preferred job on the planet but in a time where our economy can use any help it can get, horse slaughter houses help with that. Towns that used to have slaughter plants are now struggling and this could be the reversal they need to turn everything around.
I have way more reasons for feeling the way I do about this and I would love to have a solution that fits what everyone wants but overall, these are my main points for supporting slaughter. Yes, these animals do whatever they can for us but when they can't meet a peaceful end, I'd much rather have them end up at a place where it all ends quickly instead of suffering for a long time. Sure, responsible horsemanship and no overbreeding would be the best solution but that's never going to happen and until other solutions are found, slaughter is a very viable option that can help both horse and human.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Looking Back
Right before I did a major presentation for a class last night, I told Dr. Browning "I'd rather be doing debates right now" and she laughed and said "You know, you've changed a lot since last year." (For a little background, I took her media law class last year and at the end, we had to do two debates on media law, which, after the panic of the first one was over with turned out to be a lot of fun.) I've been reflecting a bit on how WT has changed me but until she made that comment, I hadn't realized just how much it has.
To be honest, when I came to WT last year, I was preoccupied with something else. I was in a long distance "relationship" and kind of hermitted myself up, only going to class, to the gym, and back to my room when I wasn't doing those two things. This went on for all of the first semester. I was actually working on studying abroad this year so I could be closer to him to really put effort into the relationship when it ended in January. While the break up tore me apart then, it's the best thing that could have happened to me because it wasn't really the best situation with way more give than take on my end (information I found out in KY at the beginning of the month about what happened a few weeks after with him and a friend just made me feel so much better about that). But anyways, back to the point. I joined the Prairie during the spring semester since my time was now wide open, although I didn't get too involved in anything. But I did make some beginning friendships that have blossomed this year.
I'll admit that over summer break, I REALLY didn't want to come back to WT. While I had made some decent friends, I pretty much hated the school/area and felt totally alone. If you talked to me about Texas over the summer, you probably heard how horrible this place was. And really, I still don't like the area too much but I love the school now.
When I got back from summer break, I pretty much threw myself into everything just to make the year go by faster. The first two weeks of school, I probably went to five group meetings of groups I wasn't already in. And I've stayed in all but one of those groups all semester. Between the groups and jumping head first into covering sports (where I've made more friends) I've become a whole lot more outgoing (something you have to be when you are interviewing people all the time). I also started spending a whole lot more time at school (and actually just got home about an hour ago from just chilling out there). Just by doing that, I've become a whole lot more outgoing and confident. Plus, by doing all of this stuff, I have found some stuff that I absolutely love (I honestly didn't think I would ever love something as much as I love writing about sports or taking pictures of sporting events, my job really isn't a job to me).
All of this has also changed my outlook on life. Instead of being afraid to do anything, I'm taking more chances and living more by the motto of "I'd rather have a life of 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs.'" I used to live thinking "Oh man, I really wish I wasn't single" and worrying about that but not taking chances to actually step out of my comfort zone to potentially not worry about that. And sure, I'd be good with not being single but at the same time, I don't really worry about it anymore. I've taken chances in that department and others and some haven't panned out but it's been something I'm glad I did in all instances so I don't/won't have any regrets. And of course, when I'm double guessing what I did, I go back to the old faithful "If it's meant to be, it'll happen".
So looking back at my progress in the year and a half I've been in small town America at WT, Dr. Browning was right, I have made major changes. And even though the first year was rough, I'm really glad I came back to WT and made the friends I did because I'm pretty sure some of them will be lifelong friends and the lessons I learn from them (and my teachers and experiences) will only help me as I move to whatever adventure awaits me in the coming years. I'm sure similar posts to this one will pop up as I look back on what I've learned from each one.
To be honest, when I came to WT last year, I was preoccupied with something else. I was in a long distance "relationship" and kind of hermitted myself up, only going to class, to the gym, and back to my room when I wasn't doing those two things. This went on for all of the first semester. I was actually working on studying abroad this year so I could be closer to him to really put effort into the relationship when it ended in January. While the break up tore me apart then, it's the best thing that could have happened to me because it wasn't really the best situation with way more give than take on my end (information I found out in KY at the beginning of the month about what happened a few weeks after with him and a friend just made me feel so much better about that). But anyways, back to the point. I joined the Prairie during the spring semester since my time was now wide open, although I didn't get too involved in anything. But I did make some beginning friendships that have blossomed this year.
I'll admit that over summer break, I REALLY didn't want to come back to WT. While I had made some decent friends, I pretty much hated the school/area and felt totally alone. If you talked to me about Texas over the summer, you probably heard how horrible this place was. And really, I still don't like the area too much but I love the school now.
When I got back from summer break, I pretty much threw myself into everything just to make the year go by faster. The first two weeks of school, I probably went to five group meetings of groups I wasn't already in. And I've stayed in all but one of those groups all semester. Between the groups and jumping head first into covering sports (where I've made more friends) I've become a whole lot more outgoing (something you have to be when you are interviewing people all the time). I also started spending a whole lot more time at school (and actually just got home about an hour ago from just chilling out there). Just by doing that, I've become a whole lot more outgoing and confident. Plus, by doing all of this stuff, I have found some stuff that I absolutely love (I honestly didn't think I would ever love something as much as I love writing about sports or taking pictures of sporting events, my job really isn't a job to me).
All of this has also changed my outlook on life. Instead of being afraid to do anything, I'm taking more chances and living more by the motto of "I'd rather have a life of 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs.'" I used to live thinking "Oh man, I really wish I wasn't single" and worrying about that but not taking chances to actually step out of my comfort zone to potentially not worry about that. And sure, I'd be good with not being single but at the same time, I don't really worry about it anymore. I've taken chances in that department and others and some haven't panned out but it's been something I'm glad I did in all instances so I don't/won't have any regrets. And of course, when I'm double guessing what I did, I go back to the old faithful "If it's meant to be, it'll happen".
So looking back at my progress in the year and a half I've been in small town America at WT, Dr. Browning was right, I have made major changes. And even though the first year was rough, I'm really glad I came back to WT and made the friends I did because I'm pretty sure some of them will be lifelong friends and the lessons I learn from them (and my teachers and experiences) will only help me as I move to whatever adventure awaits me in the coming years. I'm sure similar posts to this one will pop up as I look back on what I've learned from each one.
Friday, November 11, 2011
So here in the real world... I am a real journalist
It's been an extremely busy few weeks here in Melissa-land.
Three weeks ago, I made the hard decision to stay at school for an extra semester to get my minor. Graduating in May was an awesome idea but after talking to someone that does what I want the option of doing, I was advised to get the SES minor. I want the option to do everything in the sports industry, not just the journalism part so the SES minor let's me have the education to do that.
After making that decision, I loaded myself, my camera, and my computer onto a plane to Louisville where a press pass was waiting for me. If you want to talk about a once in a lifetime, amazing experience, just talk to a journalist about their first "real" gig. We did a ton of stuff off the track (I finally got to meet my favorite racehorse, Point Given) but it was the on track stuff that really made the difference.
I did get a ton of exercise by running back and forth from the press box to the track to take pictures but going to most of the winning interviews with people from Bob Baffert to Irish training legend Aidan O'Brien made it worth it. It also gave me an idea of what I want to do when I "grow up" because I loved every minute of it. It also firmed up my commitment to either go to school in Kentucky or England because both have strong racing programs. Having the press pass also made me a little stir crazy at the thought of going back to school and looking at my schedule for the next four weeks really makes me want to run away back to happy press land.
In good news, I get to cover yet another sport starting this weekend as basketball season rolls around. I'm in the camp of "I'd rather play it than watch it" but I'm sure that will change as I get farther into the season. I'm loving the opportunity to cover all these different sports and think it will be extremely valuable in the future when I'm thrown into different situations where I may not be writing about a sport I normally cover.
This year has been extremely hard schoolwise but I've had a ton of experiences I wouldn't trade for the world and I'm definitely not ready to "grow up" yet without taking advantage of a few more of them.
Three weeks ago, I made the hard decision to stay at school for an extra semester to get my minor. Graduating in May was an awesome idea but after talking to someone that does what I want the option of doing, I was advised to get the SES minor. I want the option to do everything in the sports industry, not just the journalism part so the SES minor let's me have the education to do that.
After making that decision, I loaded myself, my camera, and my computer onto a plane to Louisville where a press pass was waiting for me. If you want to talk about a once in a lifetime, amazing experience, just talk to a journalist about their first "real" gig. We did a ton of stuff off the track (I finally got to meet my favorite racehorse, Point Given) but it was the on track stuff that really made the difference.
I did get a ton of exercise by running back and forth from the press box to the track to take pictures but going to most of the winning interviews with people from Bob Baffert to Irish training legend Aidan O'Brien made it worth it. It also gave me an idea of what I want to do when I "grow up" because I loved every minute of it. It also firmed up my commitment to either go to school in Kentucky or England because both have strong racing programs. Having the press pass also made me a little stir crazy at the thought of going back to school and looking at my schedule for the next four weeks really makes me want to run away back to happy press land.
In good news, I get to cover yet another sport starting this weekend as basketball season rolls around. I'm in the camp of "I'd rather play it than watch it" but I'm sure that will change as I get farther into the season. I'm loving the opportunity to cover all these different sports and think it will be extremely valuable in the future when I'm thrown into different situations where I may not be writing about a sport I normally cover.
This year has been extremely hard schoolwise but I've had a ton of experiences I wouldn't trade for the world and I'm definitely not ready to "grow up" yet without taking advantage of a few more of them.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Media Ethics
I really hate the word ethics and what it stands for. I personally hold myself to a high standard of my own journalistic ethics of what I feel can and can't be done and pretty much refuse to break them (although, I'm sure one day there will be a time where I have to reevaluate and change some up).
But as a photojournalist, I'm still struggling with what is crossing the line and what is not. We've discussed this in my actual ethics class and my indecision on which pictures should be posted did bring up a nice discussion in the Prairie Lab.
Last week, I talked about a few incidents, including the death of a race car driver. The morning after the crash (and probably minutes after), there were pictures of the crash, including Dan Wheldon's car in the catch fence, all over the internet/papers/etc. That made me reevaluate my ethical standards for my pictures, especially one I had taken the day of the crash on the soccer field.
To most people, this looks like an awesome shot... to some people, it's a picture of the second before a girl's season ended. My issue with the picture was the second part of that sentence combined with the situation of the pictures I talked about above. The fact that she is also my friend added a third element to this.
This picture was posted on our school's photobook's facebook and is open for everyone to see, and in fact, the player commented on it and wanted us to leave it up. But before she told us that, I wondered if I should pull it due to the situation that happened right after the shot. Honestly, the thing that had me keep it up was another person telling me (toned down version) "If I didn't know the girl, I wouldn't care about what happened afterwards since it's a cool shot".
This picture taught me a ton (as did the accident that got everything started for me) both about photojournalism and just regular journalism as well. It definitely is a situation I couldn't have learned in class and throws a whole new dimension into learning about the "real world" that I could only have by being associated with the clubs I am in right now.
Until next time,
Mel
But as a photojournalist, I'm still struggling with what is crossing the line and what is not. We've discussed this in my actual ethics class and my indecision on which pictures should be posted did bring up a nice discussion in the Prairie Lab.
Last week, I talked about a few incidents, including the death of a race car driver. The morning after the crash (and probably minutes after), there were pictures of the crash, including Dan Wheldon's car in the catch fence, all over the internet/papers/etc. That made me reevaluate my ethical standards for my pictures, especially one I had taken the day of the crash on the soccer field.
To most people, this looks like an awesome shot... to some people, it's a picture of the second before a girl's season ended. My issue with the picture was the second part of that sentence combined with the situation of the pictures I talked about above. The fact that she is also my friend added a third element to this.
This picture was posted on our school's photobook's facebook and is open for everyone to see, and in fact, the player commented on it and wanted us to leave it up. But before she told us that, I wondered if I should pull it due to the situation that happened right after the shot. Honestly, the thing that had me keep it up was another person telling me (toned down version) "If I didn't know the girl, I wouldn't care about what happened afterwards since it's a cool shot".
This picture taught me a ton (as did the accident that got everything started for me) both about photojournalism and just regular journalism as well. It definitely is a situation I couldn't have learned in class and throws a whole new dimension into learning about the "real world" that I could only have by being associated with the clubs I am in right now.
Until next time,
Mel
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I Love Sports But...
I thought about writing a post on Friday with a totally different theme and I probably should have because today, my feelings on being involved in sports isn't in the best place.
I truly love what I do and wouldn't give it up for anything but this weekend has been the test of tests when it comes to testing my devotion. On Friday I was on the high of highs. Yes, I was covering girls soccer and they lost but just being on the sidelines taking pictures and writing the story about them reminded me how much I love this.
But on Saturday morning, the first test came about. I met a racehorse in Kentucky last November that I instantly fell in love with. She was injured at the time but I've been following her progress closely since one of my good friends works with her. She was getting ready for a comeback and put in an awesome work a few weeks ago and I was hoping to see her run when I went back to KY in a few weeks. Apparently the sport gods have a great sense of humor since I woke up to a text saying Hayley had broke down. While my friend did tell me that she should survive, waiting for word that she would almost positively survive was an extremely long and unnerving experience. This follows on the heels of learning that two of my favorites died a few weeks back. If there's any test of how big a fan you are of horse racing, having multiple break downs/deaths is it.
Next was on the field today. Someone I consider a pretty good friend now that I've got to know her is on the team and when she went to take a shot, she collapsed due to a knee injury. Seeing not only an athlete in a team you've grown fond of but a friend hurt makes you rethink things, especially when you've already been tested once this weekend. Injuries happen, it's a fact of sports and something I've come to expect. But since I feel like I've lived with this team in and out every weekend, it's still tough to see them hurt, especially when they have had a good weekend so far. Test two complete and passed.
Test three reminded me of something I experienced almost exactly 10 and a half years ago when everyone in motorsports held their breath waiting for an update on Dale Earnhardt Sr. after a bad wreck. This time I hadn't actually seen the wreck live but had gotten tweets about a big IndyCar wreck followed by bad scenes from the Dan Wheldon car and finally news that he'd been taken to the hospital and was unconscious but his vitals were strong. I won't lie, as soon as the soccer game was over, I hurried and did my interviews then raced to the lab so I could watch the coverage.
Before the Indy 500 (where I had to do a series of Indy articles for my internship) I hadn't followed IndyCars closely but I knew who Wheldon was and seeing his interviews made me think I could take on the world, he just had that sort of energy. I knew when they were setting up a press conference it probably wasn't good news and when I saw the faces of drivers and crew after the drivers meeting I knew what was coming but didn't want to believe it, even when multiple reliable sources tweeted the news that hadn't been given officially. I'll admit that the second ABC officially announced it, I left the room and broke down. When I finally saw the crash for the first time (and multiple times since TV can never just show that stuff once) I couldn't believe it. That image will be seared in my head forever.
And to add insult to injury, off road racers Rick and Jeff Huseman died in a plane crash on way to CA from Vegas as well today. The motorsports world has had an extremely tough day that will be thought of for ages.
We know when these guys (and girls) step into the car every weekend, there's a chance they may not come out, but we also try to push that to the back of our minds each week and just not think about it. But it still hurts when the reality that this did happen hits. I remember the hellish week/month/season the motorsports community went through after Sr's death, and I'm really not looking forward to it in the next few weeks.
So to end this post, while the stuff that happened has drastically altered how I feel at this point in time, I feel it has made me stronger as a sports fan and a sports writer. If I can survive stuff like this and continue to write and love what I do, I don't think anything can take my desire away. But just in case the sports gods are listening... please don't test that. We've had our three bad things happen in sports (and motorsports got their three things out of the way) so please leave us alone. And to whatever higher power is out there, please keep all the drivers safe at Talladega, the motorsports world (and sports world in general) can't take any more.
I truly love what I do and wouldn't give it up for anything but this weekend has been the test of tests when it comes to testing my devotion. On Friday I was on the high of highs. Yes, I was covering girls soccer and they lost but just being on the sidelines taking pictures and writing the story about them reminded me how much I love this.
But on Saturday morning, the first test came about. I met a racehorse in Kentucky last November that I instantly fell in love with. She was injured at the time but I've been following her progress closely since one of my good friends works with her. She was getting ready for a comeback and put in an awesome work a few weeks ago and I was hoping to see her run when I went back to KY in a few weeks. Apparently the sport gods have a great sense of humor since I woke up to a text saying Hayley had broke down. While my friend did tell me that she should survive, waiting for word that she would almost positively survive was an extremely long and unnerving experience. This follows on the heels of learning that two of my favorites died a few weeks back. If there's any test of how big a fan you are of horse racing, having multiple break downs/deaths is it.
Next was on the field today. Someone I consider a pretty good friend now that I've got to know her is on the team and when she went to take a shot, she collapsed due to a knee injury. Seeing not only an athlete in a team you've grown fond of but a friend hurt makes you rethink things, especially when you've already been tested once this weekend. Injuries happen, it's a fact of sports and something I've come to expect. But since I feel like I've lived with this team in and out every weekend, it's still tough to see them hurt, especially when they have had a good weekend so far. Test two complete and passed.
Test three reminded me of something I experienced almost exactly 10 and a half years ago when everyone in motorsports held their breath waiting for an update on Dale Earnhardt Sr. after a bad wreck. This time I hadn't actually seen the wreck live but had gotten tweets about a big IndyCar wreck followed by bad scenes from the Dan Wheldon car and finally news that he'd been taken to the hospital and was unconscious but his vitals were strong. I won't lie, as soon as the soccer game was over, I hurried and did my interviews then raced to the lab so I could watch the coverage.
Before the Indy 500 (where I had to do a series of Indy articles for my internship) I hadn't followed IndyCars closely but I knew who Wheldon was and seeing his interviews made me think I could take on the world, he just had that sort of energy. I knew when they were setting up a press conference it probably wasn't good news and when I saw the faces of drivers and crew after the drivers meeting I knew what was coming but didn't want to believe it, even when multiple reliable sources tweeted the news that hadn't been given officially. I'll admit that the second ABC officially announced it, I left the room and broke down. When I finally saw the crash for the first time (and multiple times since TV can never just show that stuff once) I couldn't believe it. That image will be seared in my head forever.
And to add insult to injury, off road racers Rick and Jeff Huseman died in a plane crash on way to CA from Vegas as well today. The motorsports world has had an extremely tough day that will be thought of for ages.
We know when these guys (and girls) step into the car every weekend, there's a chance they may not come out, but we also try to push that to the back of our minds each week and just not think about it. But it still hurts when the reality that this did happen hits. I remember the hellish week/month/season the motorsports community went through after Sr's death, and I'm really not looking forward to it in the next few weeks.
So to end this post, while the stuff that happened has drastically altered how I feel at this point in time, I feel it has made me stronger as a sports fan and a sports writer. If I can survive stuff like this and continue to write and love what I do, I don't think anything can take my desire away. But just in case the sports gods are listening... please don't test that. We've had our three bad things happen in sports (and motorsports got their three things out of the way) so please leave us alone. And to whatever higher power is out there, please keep all the drivers safe at Talladega, the motorsports world (and sports world in general) can't take any more.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Senior Insanity
When I was a senior in high school, I thought my schedule was insane. I was on two sports teams, going to college full time, still taking college classes, and doing the senior graduation stuff. However, that doesn't even come close to this semester, granted some of the busyness is my own fault.
This semester I am taking 16 credits which doesn't sound like a lot but two of them are extremely high level classes that I need to do well at and understand. Both of these classes also have huge group projects. While my group hasn't even thought about starting the project in the major class (we should probably get on that), my other group has been meeting at 9pm every wednesday night since the second week of school. I'm a night owl, but doing school stuff at 9pm fries my brain.
However, I did just get through two incredibly busy weeks and survived (yay me!) where I had to take 4 tests (4 out of my 6 classes had tests within a week period, with two falling on the same day, that was painful), spend one weekend writing four articles (including two sports I have never written about before), spend another week basically camped out at the Pitch since we had back to back soccer games on Friday and Sunday, and topped those two weeks off with a student run conference that we gave to high schoolers followed by kicking off homecoming today with a campus clean up at 8:30. A few of those days this week found me not getting home from school until late at night and getting up early the next morning. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired and getting ready to sleep for a good 9-10 hours.
While I love my school and major this year and the year is flying by, I seem to be telling myself every week "next week will be calmer" then getting to it and finding out that no, it's really not even calmer, it's even more packed. Thankfully this week is just packed with sports stuff, not school stuff so I can relax a bit since the sports thing is almost second nature to me now.
But with these busy weeks have come little time for my horse, which I feel really guilt about. At the beginning of the semester up until last week, I rode at least every other day and even had a long streak of daily rides going. However, last week I only got her out one time, not the best record. The ironic thing about that is that I just wrote an article 2-3 weeks ago about the responsibilities of having a horse at college and a big thing I talked about was exercise. Maybe I should follow my own advice.
Next week I definitely will be penciling in more ride time when I build my schedule for the week, which means I see more late night lab parties in my future. Between studying for the GRE (which I take on the 14th), keeping up with homework (which thankfully is minimal outside of the group work, even if it is time intensive), going to group meetings (I'm in four groups this semester, not too smart), and taking care of my horse, I have a feeling I'm going to keep trying to convince myself that "next week will be easier" for the rest of the semester.
I definitely got my wish for this year to go faster but I wish it would let me take a breather every now and again.
This semester I am taking 16 credits which doesn't sound like a lot but two of them are extremely high level classes that I need to do well at and understand. Both of these classes also have huge group projects. While my group hasn't even thought about starting the project in the major class (we should probably get on that), my other group has been meeting at 9pm every wednesday night since the second week of school. I'm a night owl, but doing school stuff at 9pm fries my brain.
However, I did just get through two incredibly busy weeks and survived (yay me!) where I had to take 4 tests (4 out of my 6 classes had tests within a week period, with two falling on the same day, that was painful), spend one weekend writing four articles (including two sports I have never written about before), spend another week basically camped out at the Pitch since we had back to back soccer games on Friday and Sunday, and topped those two weeks off with a student run conference that we gave to high schoolers followed by kicking off homecoming today with a campus clean up at 8:30. A few of those days this week found me not getting home from school until late at night and getting up early the next morning. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired and getting ready to sleep for a good 9-10 hours.
While I love my school and major this year and the year is flying by, I seem to be telling myself every week "next week will be calmer" then getting to it and finding out that no, it's really not even calmer, it's even more packed. Thankfully this week is just packed with sports stuff, not school stuff so I can relax a bit since the sports thing is almost second nature to me now.
But with these busy weeks have come little time for my horse, which I feel really guilt about. At the beginning of the semester up until last week, I rode at least every other day and even had a long streak of daily rides going. However, last week I only got her out one time, not the best record. The ironic thing about that is that I just wrote an article 2-3 weeks ago about the responsibilities of having a horse at college and a big thing I talked about was exercise. Maybe I should follow my own advice.
Next week I definitely will be penciling in more ride time when I build my schedule for the week, which means I see more late night lab parties in my future. Between studying for the GRE (which I take on the 14th), keeping up with homework (which thankfully is minimal outside of the group work, even if it is time intensive), going to group meetings (I'm in four groups this semester, not too smart), and taking care of my horse, I have a feeling I'm going to keep trying to convince myself that "next week will be easier" for the rest of the semester.
I definitely got my wish for this year to go faster but I wish it would let me take a breather every now and again.
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