Hero Worship

To me, a hero is someone that constantly, without being influenced by friends or family, does the right thing for him or herself and also for other human beings. I don’t think we as an influential and smart society can EVER say that we believe in the values and are willing to follow some “SUPER heroes” that we either see on T.V. shows or movies. We can’t look at comic books or war heroes and say they are true HEROES too because they really aren’t a hero. To me, a hero is someone who you personally have met and have had to take a step back and say, “Wow that person really has done something great.” It could be something that helps them or others but ultimately that something is some task or goal that has been met that note any one person could accomplish. A hero is somebody out of the ordinary that goes up and beyond. The only person I can think of that has been an “everyday hero” is Jesus, and I know I said a hero has to be somebody you physically have seen but of course that’s not an option for Jesus and me. Pretty much my definition of a hero is someone that does something right whether the consequences are great or minor, but it helps themselves or the people around them in a great great way.

Freshman on the Sophomore team

Basketball is one of my favorite sports because when I play I feel like I’m involved in something important. It feels good to train all year and give it all I’ve got during the season. I had an amazing opportunity last year when I was the starting point guard for the Sophomore Team. There were two other freshman who were asked to tryout for this older team as well. During the first week of tryouts it was really fun being the new and younger guy. Everybody wanted to know about me and wanted to see me play. But as tryouts came to a close, many of the older players felt pressure as to whether or not they were going to lose their spot on the team to a younger player. The whole tryout process was very overwhelming and honestly a little bit frightening. I still felt like a little boy competing with these huge tenth graders. The Tuesday of the next week the coaches made the first cuts of tryouts. They almost cut half of the guys trying out that day… Only 12 would make the final team. On the following Wednesday and Thursday tryouts, the coaches gave that “talk” to a couple players outside the gym. You never wanted to have “the talk” because it was going to be one of the two coaches telling you they didn’t think you were going to fit with the team that year and tried to give you advice on what you could do before varsity tryouts the following year to make the team. I played my heart out that week. I heard the “starting 5” players from the previous year in the gym and as we were leaving every day, talking about who they thought were going to make the team and what the starting lineups would be. “Who were these new freshman?” many of them wondered. I felt a little odd especially when the guys asked me why we were trying out with them or how much they thought we would play. I didn’t know what to say. I did know I had to keep playing my game and if I was going to play up every year for now on, I was going to have to get used to criticism and figure out how to deal with these sorts of questions. Friday was the last day of tryouts. One ninth-grader was already cut. I felt a level of stress leave my body thinking if they didn’t want Nate and I, (the remaining freshman trying out) the coaches would’ve cut us along with the other player. I told myself to keep playing because nothing was set in stone yet. When the coaches told us to shoot free throws with a partner, we knew they were going to quietly go around and grab one or two guys like they did all week and escort them out of the gym. Finally twelve boys were in the gym. The coaches then came in a few minutes later and congratulated us for making the 2007-2008 Edina Sophomore Basketball Team. We then made our way to the locker room and all congratulated each other. I felt a real bond with the team and knew that year would be so much more rewarding then previous traveling seasons. It was truly a wonderful feeling being a big part of that team. It was hard sometimes throughout the year when “the freshman” as we were now known as, were playing over some of the sophomores who have been the key players in previous years. But it was now high school sports and we learned very quickly that the best players play. Our team went 19-6 that year. Losing 4 of our games by less than two points. We knew this team would not stop and we got very excited for following years to come.

 

Paper Trail..

One of my favorite music artists is T.I.  I have been a fan of his music for a few years now and really like his new CD Paper Trail, which he recorded while under house arrest for being charged with possession of weapons and faces a year-long prison sentence that will begin in 2009. He’s from Atlanta and this is his sixth total album. I don’t look at him as a role model, because quite frankly that would be stupid. But I do like his music and listen to it when I’m getting ready for a football game or as I’m training for basketball. His songs have a constant bass and beat that gets me pumped up. I am a drummer so every rhythm and beat I hear instantly cranks up my adrenaline and gets me thinking of alternate beats that may sound really good along with each song. From this CD I really like the songs; My Life Your Entertainment, Swing Ya Rag, On Top Of The World, and Whatever You Like. When you listen to this new album, you can feel the songs have more passion and depth in them than his similar songs found in all his other albums, especially his previous one, T.I. vs T.I.P.  Many of my friends like Paper Trail, and I think it will be one of the best albums made by a Hip Hop artist to come out in a few years.

Where do YOU see yourself in twenty years?

My life story is being written everyday. "How do I want to be remembered?" I ask myself. College is an important thing in my family. My mother was the first one in her family to ever go to college, and she has her Masters Degree and a wonderful job doing on-camera work for a company that is very flexible and supportive of her. My father also went to college, as well as his 2 brothers, and has been working in television pretty much his whole life. My step mom went to college too, and has had the privilege to work and do many different things throughout her life. College means a lot to me, and I haven't even had the experience yet.

 

When I graduate high school and make my journey to college, I want to make sure it's surrounded by a place I could see myself living for many years. Knowing I could very well be there for 4 or more years, I try to think of myself and how I could operate in those surroundings. "Do I want to be in a city? By nature? Close to the ocean or the mountains?" Many questions like these come into my head as I start to juggle my options. I want to get my undergraduate degree in business and see where that puts me. If I go to a college that can quickly get me in the job market and put me in work strait after I graduate, I could save a lot of money and start making a life for myself. This excites me but then I also wonder what it would be like going for a Graduate Degree or even to get my P.H.D. "Is it too much work?" I ask myself. "Should I be less worried about social status and trying to make it to the top and be content with a job, and maybe trying to start a family, or should I challenge myself and see if I can do it". I wonder these things because the answer to my simple questions will effect how my life story is written. We all have one thing in common; As long as we're living on this earth, we have complete control of our actions and decisions. I truly believe if you want something great in life, you're really going to have to work your butt off and achieve it. Success is a good goal, but to achieve it, thats a whole other story.

Home Sick..

I hate being sick. It always seems like I catch something around this time of year, after summer and before winter, when I’m home from school. I'm pretty sure it's allergies but I've never been tested for them so I'm not positive. Last year I missed a little over a week of school with a sinus infection, where I really couldn't do anything. I can’t stand being sick for a many reasons. One because I don’t operate as well being inside all day and unable to just go run around and be with friends if I want to, plus my parents have a rule that if I’m home from school during the day, I have to be home and skip any plans or sports I have that evening. I don’t like this rule because many times I feel better after a few hours of resting but I guess I understand where they’re coming from. I also take medication and hope it will cure me of whatever bug I have in a few hours or for sure by the next morning, where in reality, the pills will take at least a few days if not more for my body to fully recover and become 100% again. This frustrates me more than anything because I do not like to wait. And I hate feeling sick, as I’m sure everybody does. Another reason I hate being under the weather is because I get really behind in school. Whether I’m out for a day or a week, it seems the workload could never be more! It’s like in the 7 hours everyone’s in school and completing assignments, I have those 7 hours to catch-up on “in-class” assignments on top of the daily homework! I just feel like I’m in a huge hole and I get stressed even more with all the work I have to make up and might be out for another two days! I’m not sick a lot, but it feels I have bad luck sometimes because whenever I am home from school, I’m usually missing a test or am out for a few days and that just takes me out of my routine. I have a lot on my plate between managing good grades, sports, friends, leading a small group of 6^th grade boys at church, and taking care of my two dogs that when I’m sick and out, or delayed from doing many of the things I love to do, it really sets me back and I cant complete everything to the best of my abilities. These are reasons why I hate being sick.

The Passion of Football.

This season the Sophomore Football team’s record so far is 2-1. We lost a heartbreaking game week one. We were leading at the half by ten points, and then had the win taken from us on a final drive by Hopkins with just about a minute remaining in our home opener.  This was a wake up call to our team. All of us, including myself, were taking the game for granted and started slacking off in the fourth quarter just as our opponents were getting hungry and inching their way back into it. “We can’t let them win,” were the words stuck in my head with just a few seconds left. At the end of the game when the score read, Edina 30, Hopkins 33, the coaches had us go over to the end zone to have a team meeting. You could tell this was our first game because all the guys seemed to have that look on their face like, “wait, the game’s OVER?”  Throughout the game we didn’t play every down like it was our last. We didn’t leave everything we had out on the field. If we had, and STILL lost, then we would be able to hold our heads high. I KNOW my team wants to have that game back. I know this because looking at everyone’s face that night and seeing it the next week at practice was like night and day. The stares and tired looks quickly became excitement and eagerness. The fear became anger. We wanted this game back. And since we can’t play it over again, every game we have we know to go out there, every play, and put in our all. “If you get hit, stay on your feet and keep driving your legs.” I remember hearing this from my 9^th grade coach all season. Our second game was also at home but it was an out of conference game against Southwest. You knew it was game day when we took the field. All the players were encouraging each other and running from place to place on the field. Pregame practice felt like the real game. I needed to take a break for a few minutes just to save some energy for when it REALLY mattered! They kicked the ball off to us, and that was the last time they ever did. We scored on every possession and our defense stopped them on every down. They didn’t gain one first down that whole game. This is when I knew we had what it takes. The intensity, the  passion.  The heart.

A Journey I Intend to Take.

Sometime in my lifetime, I would like to take a trip to the jungle. I think it would be a lot of fun to be all alone in the forest with a few friends, not stressing over jobs or school, friends or family, or whose house we're going to hang out at next Friday night. Just being out there by ourselves with nothing to worry about. I want to be able to say I did something exciting in my life. I also would love to have a relaxing vacation where we could just be around nature playing poker and talking. Exploring the jungle and going down a waterfall sounds like a blast. I would love to raft down a raging river and feel the thrill of something dangerous. Something I can't control. These are reasons I would like to take a journey to the jungle.