Trigger.

It was in the fall of 2010 when I first dug my brand new spikes into my high school's freshly coated, red track. Man, was I excited. No, I was more than excited, I was ecstatic. I enjoyed the thought of being on a team as well as being apart of something bigger and better than me. You could say I fell in love with the idea of Track as a sport right then and there; this is where it all began, where my love for playing one sport turned into pure hate.

I'm a competitor and a damn good one at that. In any sport or game I participate in, I throw in my 110%, and nothing less. I make sure to win and if I fail to do that I pick myself up and make sure I win the next time. For some reason though, during my time as a varsity track player, I lost my will to win and my determination to leave my competitors in the dust while I cross that finish line without breaking a sweat. I simply lost it. Now whenever I feel the late night breeze of fall I get flashbacks to my time on the track right before a race. It's crazy how one thing could trigger your senses and take you back in time to a major event in your life. Yet, in my case, it takes me back to a certain time frame. Once I feel a cool, slightly damp breeze brush against my skin, I feel as if I'm on my high school's track with my black and gold uniform on, my hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail and my shiny silver spikes on my feet. Even though it's not  real, I still feel the same anxiety of the race run through my body and somehow I look up to see my team in the bleachers watching me with looks of hope, happiness, and sometimes boredom. How is it that even in my flashbacks I still feel the same amount of pressure and disgust I felt when I actually played the game? I wish the weather didn't trigger me back into this memory.  I didn't enjoy being the lead hurdler in my track team, nor didn't I enjoy listening to my competitors spit smack to me as I ran to the finish line.

It's funny though how I dispise this memory so much whereas one of my good friends, who was a fellow hurdler, cherishes these dreams. I remember her before our races literally screaming with enjoyment and excitement to get in the game while I was in the back dreading my participation in the race. My friend took this sport seriously and developed a true love for it while I was looking for my way out. And I'm glad I did, because I rather cheer for her in the bleachers then be right beside her expressing complete dread.

We all need answers, we just don't know if they're the right ones.

As I write this, I am sitting at table staring at my screen with a White Chocolate Mocha Latte from Starbucks in my hand wondering how I am going to properly articulate the two pieces I just read into words. Truthfully, I'm still not sure, therefore, I'm just going to do what I always do and just, simply, write.

The first piece I read was called "The End of Practice" by Rodney Jones. It chronicles one mans struggle to reach the complete "male dream" while explaining his surroundings in gory yet in depth detail. The piece begins with Jones stating that he, as a man dreams, of "harnessing and exacting irrevocable power over others", a dream desired by most men in the world, but lacks that same power in the present and faces the fact that another man holds the power he yearns for the most. And in this case of the poem, that man is his coach. His coach is the one that controls his team, making them run laps, race to the death, and compete like their lives depended on it. The author longs for this power but throughout the poem he realizes that the gap between his hand and his grasp on it slowly, but surely, gets larger and larger; restricting him from reaching the ultimate male dream that's surrounded by a need for supremacy in the present world. One thing I found quite interesting in the poem is the way Jones tells this story and depicts the characters attempts to reach their goals but all in separate ways. Yet, only one, yes only one of these men can ultimately win at this game and/or sport of life. The one thing that puzzles me is the last line of the poem which read, "and, while this came pass, monks in Asia soaked their robes in gasoline and burned alive for peace." I don't understand while this relates back to the big picture of the poem. Does it relate because those monks reached the complete control and power of themselves in which contrasts with the fact that the author and generally most men don't reach that ultimate control and power. Is it suppose to contrast these ideas? Or, does it mean something different? I'm not sure and it's truthfully bugging me how I cant grasp the concept of this closing line. 

Klosterman's "33" is the piece I read next. On the surface, this essay depicts the general idea as the conflict between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics throughout the 1980's and the strong following it brought on. On a much deeper level, this essay equates the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics as a reflection on the 80's culture and ideas; stating the fact that the true reason behind him favoring the Celtics is because he liked "his dad team" in which he discovered he was actually "rooting for the Republican Party". Klosterman truly believed that through the way the basketball players played  (with their heart and not their minds) and the influence of their coaches that each teams ideal trickled down into their present day culture and debates. Yet only this theory can be applied to 80's basketball and not to present day's basketball based on the fact that today players play as if they're robots focusing on 3 goals, and three goals only; money, fame, and success. Whereas in the past, players based their performances on their passion for the sport and their desire to win the game for the sake of their team and fans. It wasn't based on economic success as it is today. Therefore, the ability for culture to trickle into basketball, and vice versa, is based on the players, along with their coaches, subconscious intentions. 

The idea of the combination of sport and community, to me, does in fact create a culture based on the simple fact that once a major sporting event is hosted or widely celebrated in your town the whole community gathers together to form a connection among the community which leads to a defining culture. It is this culture that is highly influenced by sports and the community that follows it because of the politics along with the entertainment associated with it. In regards to the poem, this combination defiantly defines the community in which the men surround their lives with the dream of reaching ultimate power and in an attempt to reach it they turn to sports as their outlet, yet once (or if) they fail their attitudes change and their outlook on life and personal preferences change and in response to this the culture alters to the building and ever changing views of the men of society. Culture defines us because we define culture. When we make our decisions on who we support or on any other major question, it builds our culture as a whole and consequently affects others personal culture as well. We also base our decisions, morals, and ideals on whats accepted as well as what is not accepted by our culture. We form a culture based on the foundation of each individuals thought process. I highly believe that it's the way that we define ourselves and how others define us that greatly affects the meaning of our culture and the backbone to the combination of sports and community. I also believe it defines us more as a whole rather than in certain parts. This is because the way we view ourselves usually deals with the bigger picture rather than our individual flaws or perfections. As humans, we both actively try to accept and escape from these definitions we put ourselves in and what others place us in. It is the natural order of things and in turn this affects the creation of our culture and the meaning behind it. In my personal experiences, the way others define me affects the way I define myself. When others inform me on how they view me, I take those opinions to heart and then look into myself to figure if its true; whether it be bad or good. 

Overall, I found both articles interesting yet I still faced some questions that myself, and a few of my friends, fail to answer. Therefore, I plan on asking these questions during my next ENC1145 class with the intentions of being faced with the answer I desperately want answered. But for now I guess I will close up shop and end this blog entry in the hopes of reaching a complete understanding of these two articles and the relation between the, 

Dear Manny "Cop out" Pacquiao,

You see, I am a huge boxing fan. And when I say huge I mean HUGE boxing fan. I don't mess around when it comes to expected fights so I don't necessarily appreciate you consistently push back the day you want to fight Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Not one bit. Don't just claim you have the cajones to fight the undefeated boxer who recently just plowed into the infamous Miguel Cotto (one of your biggest competitors) and then keep on pushing back the supposed "final" dates of the fight. I mean, you shouldn't be afraid right? I'm just looking for a fight! One better than the Mayweather vs. Cotto fight...
Okay, I'm not quite sure you're capable of giving a bigger and better fight (no disrespect of course) because come on yo have been dragging lately. You've officially passed your prime. But, hey, who wouldn't want to see a fight between two men passed their golden years fight to the death. So, in your best interests, decide on a set date for this fight! Your fans (not me I just want to watch you lose) are counting on you! Mr. Money Mayweather is waiting. It's impolite to make people wait.

xo,
Naomi

Spectators VERSUS Participants

In the past hour I have read the multiple similarities and differences between participants and spectators in the world of sports. While reading the text on this topic, a wide array of questions popped into my head; even some I have asked myself before. These questions varied from, "What is the true relation between participants and spectators in sports? Is there even a relationship?" to "Do more people participate in a particular sport rather than watch it? And do people watch a particular sport  more than they participate in it?" By asking myself these questions, I managed to come to an understanding of the topic and even come up with a few answers myself. Therefore, I say for you to go ahead and ask yourself these questions and see what you come up with. Difficult right? I mean, yes, you already grasp the fact that all participants are spectators whereas not all spectators are participants and this is a good thing. But, over the years the line between spectators and participants has blurred dramatically. This has made it harder and harder for myself, and I'm sure for others as well, to completely agree that there is a true difference between the two.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that one plays the sport while the other one watches, but I feel on a deeper level the two coincide where the participant is the spectator looking for a way to better himself as an athlete. Or when the spectator becomes the athlete, whether it be a child whose a crazed baseball fan signing up for pee-wee or a 60 year-old man finally deciding to take up golf lessons because he's tired of sitting on his ass and watching it from his television. It's all universal to me. Spectator, Participant, blah, blah, blah, it all seems the same to me in a way that they both partake in their chosen sport may it be recreationally or professionally, they're both apart of the sport in one way or another.

Sports fanatics, participants, athletes, professionals, spectators, enthusiasts, or whatever you like to call them all share one common factor: undeniable love for their sport. One cannot deny the fact that both spectators and participants engross themselves in their designated sport and nothing else. It is a way of life for them, as if it were the one thing that kept them alive. For instance, when i was a varsity player on the track team, I lived, breathed, and surrounded myself with running. I didn't stop for anyone. Like the article states, I became obsessed with the feeling of winning, encouragement, and positive reinforcement in which I received from the sport. And by me participating in track I started to watch it more and more while taking up a serious interest in watching it. To this day, I continue to watch it for personal entertainment even though I don't run competitively anymore. I guess once you are apart of a team and establish a connection to a certain sport, you turn to other outlets to be apart of that sport again and gain new bounds with teams and players within that same sport. I see it as a way to fill that empty void in the pit of your stomach once you go through the withdrawals from either playing or watching your sport of choice.

Whether you believe of a true seperation between participants and spectators or of an unclear distinction between the two, it is universally understood that these two factors are what drive the popularity of sports as a whole. Without either participants or spectators, sports wouldn't thrive and most likely wouldn't exist at all. Now who would want that?

One Essay. One Poem. Two Meanings.

I have dedicated the past couple of hours reading and analyzing the essay by Chuck Klosterman called "Three-Man Weave", along with a poem by James Wright called "Autumn Begins in Martin Ferry, Ohio". And I have to say; I am very inspired and dying to read more. 

First, I'll begin with the essay the "Three-Man Weave". Posted on the sports and popular culture website, Grantland.com, Three-Man weave chronicles the underdog story that took place in North Dakota in 1988 between two schools that, according to the article, you've (probably) never heard of. Yet, to the author Chuck Klosterman, this basketball game went down as the "greatest sporting event [he] ever witnessed." You must be wondering how a barely recorded basketball game between two unknown competitors became Klosterman's all-time greatest sporting event he has seen in his lifetime. I mean, even I questioned it at first. How could this miniscule basketball game compare to all the other major-league sporting events that take place across the nation? Once I read that the winning team, The United Tribes Thunderbirds, won with only three players on the floor in the last 66 seconds (making it 3 on five) with a score of 84-81. Shocking right? I know to me it was. I couldn't fathom the dedication and the drive it took for these players (who lost their star player, Barry Webster, due to him fouling out in the last few minutes of the game) to win this game. It opened my eyes even more to the fact that nothing is impossible. 

Although much shorter, the poem by James Wright, "Autumn Begins in Martin Ferry, Ohio" still had the same affect on me as did the essay. This poem chronicles one man's outlook on fall and the type of atmosphere that surrounds the local high-school football games. This poem, in my opinion, shows the struggles in which the working class in the small town of Martin Ferry, Ohio, must look towards the talented, athletic youth of their town in hopes of, one day, having one diamond-in-the-rough become their shining jewel that makes it out of their small town to the big leagues. Yet, there is a cycle of those once celebrated and worshiped youth who fail to make it to the big time and fall into the jobs of their fathers of the working class; now waiting on someone of a younger generation to accomplish a dream they failed to complete. It's sad in a way that the "proud fathers" who once had a dream and expectations now rely on their "suicidally beautiful" sons to fulfill their personal dreams. This entire poem contrasts their present lives to the past expectations of their old lives. The only thing that these men can hold onto are the fond memories of their "golden years" in which they revisit to temporarily forget about their present situation. Memory becomes the key to their drive to push for the next generation to reach their expectations and goals. 

Basketball and football are both one the most watched and played sports in the nation. Almost everyone that lives in the USA know what basketball and football are and what they represent. On a universal level it's harder to determine the popularity and knowledge among other countries and cultures. Although there are different variations of the sport across the world, the concept of Basketball is universally understood. For instance, some spin-off games such as Korfball, Netball, and Slamball all derive from basketball and use the same techniques and skills you would use in basketball; they're just variations of the sport. Basketball's popularity in America compared to its popularity in other countries on a national level is noticeably very different. In America, Basketball is a sport many people cherish, worship, and watch religiously because of the culture built upon it in the past 100+ years. Whereas, in other countries basketball is not really recognized as a major sport on a higher level than the regular past time you would play in your spare time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying other countries don't have serious basketball teams or don't respect the sport as much as we do in America, I'm only saying that the following of the sport in America is so much more stronger than the following in other countries. In the sense, this is not the same for Football. There are so many sports that use the word "football" in it's name such as American football, Association football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, rugby league, etc. There are so many forms of the sport that makes it universal in the sense that people all around the world experience and enjoy the sport. It may or may not be the same form of football, but it's still football. Now is American Football as popular as it is in the USA in England? No, not one bit. This is because England's form of football, rugby, is regionally played and celebrated more in England than American football is. 

Now back to the two pieces of works. Both the essay and poem deal with the topic of nostalgia and memory; these two factors play a major role in each work. In the poem, it is nostalgia and memory that haunts the failed youth of the small town of Martin Ferry, Ohio, yet it is that same nostalgia and memory that allows for that failed youth to remain at peace in their past in order to follow the new generations journey to their dreams. Whereas, in the essay, nostalgia and memory plays a major role in the ability of the men who played in the game to remember the exact number of points they individually   scored. Memory is what allows the losing team's coach to remember the game he disappointedly lost without hesitation. And nostalgia is what allows for the star player, Barry Webster, to proudly express his self-admiration for contributing to such a big win for his team. Not only are nostalgia and memory important in these two pieces, but also they're very important in sports as a whole. These two things are what drive the following behind sports all across the globe. Most people's fondest memories include some sort of variation of sports and in addition to this they usually equate it to a time of leisure, easiness, and pure and outright fun. Our love of sports is driven by our memories and the nostalgia that follows those memories. 

The re-tellings both in the essay and the poem, in my opinion, define a culture. I say this because globally we all live in the same culture, the human culture. All around the world people fail or accomplish their dreams. Along with this, people talk about a past defining moment till the day they die with no regrets. It's a culture done across the globe, not just regionally. Before, I thought to myself and asked the question, "What do people do with these memories?" Now, I understand that people do so many different things with their memories. For example, they form new memories off of their old ones; they recite them to others to share the experience, and so much more. 

To be a little bit off track, yet not really, in a few days I'm going to start my first college essay. I'm a bit frightened but, hey, if I could get through the last few grueling years of AP English I'm sure I can get through my English class. Well, I sure hope so. Anyways, to be brief, this essay has to be on my first account with sports and how it affected me in (I think) anyway possible. After reading both pieces, I've come to the conclusion that I will be closely relating my experience with the poem and working it into my essay as much as possible. For some reason I related more to the poem than I did the essay. I guess the poem inspired me more and made me think harder because of all its possible meanings. I also probably relate more to the poem because I too wish I could've been a star athlete when I was younger. Although it wasn't a main goal of mine or not even something that I lose sleep over nowadays, I still wish I could’ve been apart of a team. And because of this I now will make sure my nephew will be put into sports so he can experience the one thing I never fully engaged in, and in my opinion, that is what the poem is all about; which is to take from your past failures and mistakes and guide the younger generation to success. I would take advantage of the concept of memory and nostalgia that play a major theme in both pieces and work it into my essay. In addition to this, I would maybe incorporate another one of my favorite poems into my essay in order to give it a variation in structure or I would distance myself from the norm and write out of my comfort zone in order express some things about my experiences with sports that I would never have written about before. In my first real college paper I want to branch out and incorporate content from the papers, magazines, etc. This is one thing I've barely done in the past and want to do in the present. I hope it all works for the best.