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The
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LESSONS
LEARNED THROUGH SPORTS
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To
me, sports are more than a physical activity. It is a means for
me to make friends, learn important values and develop as a person.
I
have played sports since I was a young child, and it is an activity
that has also offered me an outlet, an activity I could turn to
when I was upset, stressed out or just in need of a break.
Through
playing sports I have learned how to win and to lose gracefully.
My team wasn't always the best, and this year, especially, I needed
to know how to pick up my head when things looked down. I served
as a captain of my varsity volleyball team, and I can recall many
times when our entire team was down. I needed to think of a way
to unite the team and get our spirits up.
In
addition, sports have given me the chance to form many strong
friendships. I have learned that a team cannot play together without
good team chemistry. The friends I made on my team are good friends
- girls I know I can count on. Girls who I can trust and who have
seen me cry over heartbreaks and disappointment.
Lastly,
sports have taught me the important life lessons of perseverance,
hard work and self-assurance. Winning is never easy or common.
I had to learn to cope with loss and move on, to work harder and
do better next time, and most importantly, to never give up. Athletics
have instilled in me the confidence to do anything and everything.
I know that there is no such thing as "I can't" as long
as I put my mind to it. I can never give up, and never give in.
Defeat
does not exist as long as I as I have tried my hardest and learned
something from the loss; this will only put me one step closer
to winning the next time.
By
Wanda Truong, Body Electric Athletic Scholarship Recipient 2001
Part
one in a series, the following is an excerpt of the journal of
"Cindy," who is using a pseudonym for the duration of
the journal. Cindy is a spinning instructor who often neglects
to exercise for herself. She fights an ongoing battle with food
and body image - often replacing nutritious food with junk food
to squelch emotions or stress.
With
our journal series we bring you the challenges and accomplishments
of an average woman: someone who, like all of us, balances a life
full of work, play, friends, family and occasional struggle.
We
hope you find inspiration in Cindy's daily endeavors, and perhaps
decide to try something new and challenging yourself!
March
4 -- I visited my brother this week. A good time to break
bad eating habits and focus on my personal health. Since I teach
spinning twice a week, I was afraid that I would not exercise
out of sheer laziness on my vacation.
I
ate healthily though, attended yoga classes 3x this week, and
did one hour on my own. Only one junk food day, the day we took
a road trip to Sedona, and ate junk all the way there. I made
a rule to keep junk to a minimum on the way back to LA, and kept
to it.
March
1 -- I tried to haul my butt to yoga early in the week, but
was too busy to get there not a good excuse, I realize. I taught
spinning Thursday and Friday, and did some strength training on
Saturday. It felt good to work my muscles in this way. Adding
weight training once or twice a week is a way to add variety to
my exercise regime so I'll stay interested.
March
18 -- I've been realizing that teaching spinning is great
in some ways, tough in others, especially when the class is uninterested
and I have to motivate them.
When I'm
on the bike, getting into a pedaling groove, it lifts my mood
in a fantastic way. It's like my cycling is minute by minute improving
my mood and I'm able to translate that into encouragement to my
class. Within 15 minutes I'm pumped and really pumping them too.
March
25 -- I've had some stress with family and boys, and that's
translated into late night eating. Through counseling, I'm trying
to get better about choosing a food type and amount for "comfort"
at the end of the day without turning it into an all out binge.
It's tough work!
April
1 -- I've decided to cycle the Boston Marathon route on the
morning of marathon day (both waysabout 50 miles) to raise money
for cancer research. A friend's brother is recovering from liver
surgery necessary due to colon cancer and plans to run the race.
I've done this ride in years past, and vowed last year that I'd
make it a fundraiser next time. So e-mails are out to coworkers,
friends and family. I hope I can raise some cash!!
April
8 -- My biggest wish is that I could compliment my workouts
with better eating habits, choose good food vs. junk food, and
limit the amount I eat.
I consciously
was able to treat myself to one comfort food each day this week,
and enjoy it. I found that when I thought about it, chose it,
selected the time to indulge, it worked. I hope I can continue
this approach.
I bought
a new bike and took it on an inaugural ride one day. It's soooo
much more fun to cycle outside. The air, sounds, smells are all
so uplifting.
April
16 -- Marathon day ride: I really thought I'd end up doing
this alone, since people backed out up through the night before
the ride! I drove to Newton around 7:30 a.m. I was surprised to
see 5 people waiting to ride!
The ride
to Boston is great. A mostly downhill course, you feel like you're
flying. Some road traffic, but as I near Boston, more roads are
closed off and cyclists and pedestrians are mostly all I see.
The hills
of Newton, near Boston, are the true test of endurance; the series
of short rolling hills coaxes me on - the uphills tough after
40 miles of cycling, the downhills a short lived reward. One final,
short climb, dubbed "heartbreak hill," sets my leg muscles
on fire and at the peak, the final reward: down hill and flat
terrain to Kenmore Square in Boston and then Boylston Street,
the finish line.
I've lost
the other riders, and the final turn onto Boylston Street is a
lonely push to the end, the finish line now crowded with tourists
and spectators. It's close to the starting time for the runners'
race, and along with others I crane my neck over heads to watch
the scene on a mega TV monitor set up on the street.
To
think, I was there, part of that fantastic scene, makes me smile
to myself. And the $400 I managed to raise makes me proud. It's
a personal challenge like this that reminds me why it's important
to keep myself fit, especially if I want to be a able to cycle
this route 20, maybe even 30, years from now.
Inspired by the Adventure Club's skiing/snowboarding event,
I tried snowboarding for the first time this year.
I have to
admit I had been a little too intimidated to try it. I thought
it was just for the "cool kids." But I decided to give
it a shot - and I absolutely loved it! I ended up going back a
couple of weeks later.
Sure, the
first day did bruise me a bit, both ego and body, but I wore those
bruises like trophies by the end of the day.
I realized
a couple of things during those snowboarding adventures: everyone
is snowboarding! Skiers were seriously outnumbered on the mountain,
and the snowboarders came in all sizes, shapes, and ages.
And the other
thing I reaffirmed while snowboarding? Girls rule! Girls and women
were tearing it up on the slopes. There were girls and women of
all ages and styles, some with pink pants and matching ear muffs,
others in army garb. All of them were out there shredding, and
they were everywhere!
I saw their
confidence, their physical strength, their individual styles and
their lack of intimidation. I thought about how they're more likely
to build relationships on their own terms, more comfortable with
and proud of their bodies, and how tearing it up on the mountain,
each to their own degree, helps them believe in themselves and
define their own sense of self.
I often get
frustrated with the seemingly slow pace of social change, and
the many challenges we have ahead to break down the limitations
of gender stereotypes. I worry about what the world tells young
girls about what it means to be a girl. But on those days when
I was snowboarding, I was reminded of the power and impact of
even the subtle changes that have been made.
These young
girls have a lot to teach me, or actually un-teach me, about what
it means to be a girl. Girls Rule!
By Jana
Johnston, BE board member
| BETSY'S
EXCELLENT DOGSLEDDING ADVENTURE! |
Last summer
I had the good fortune of visiting my friend Kim in Santa Barbara
at the same time as she and her Body Electric friends were planning
a sea kayaking adventure. (You might know Kim from her regular
diary in the Buzz.)
Kim
asked if I'd be interested in joining them, and without thinking
I responded with an enthusiastic YES! It was only later, on the
ferry ride to the island where we'd be camping and kayaking, that
I remembered that I was terrified of the ocean.
My
summer trip with the BE women was more gratifying than I ever
expected. I felt challenged, invigorated, and proud of myself
for overcoming my fear and my own perceived physical limitations.
After paddling around the ocean, I could do anything! And with
that pervading thought, I eagerly signed up for a dogsledding
expedition six months later.
By
mid-February when it was time to drive up north to start my winter
adventure, my courage waned again. I thought for sure I'd freeze
to death, and I was also concerned about my lack of physical training.
The
brochure recommended preparing for the trip by regularly exercising,
running and eating healthily beginning eight weeks before. My
only preparation was to switch to Total cereal and jog one 5K
race a week prior to leaving. Furthermore, I was by far the oldest
person in our group; without me the average age was probably 20.
Still, I was determined to succeed and enjoy myself.
We
arrived at the Outward Bound School in Ely, MN on a Thursday night.
Our instructors taught us cross-country skiing, how to recognize
early signs of hypothermia, mushing, and other survival skills.
The
next morning we set out to find our camp on a lake about five
miles away. I was on the first team to travel with the dogs. We
learned how to grab them, run with them by picking up their collars
and "two-wheeling" them over to the sleds, and hook
them up to harnesses.
The
dogs love people, but they can be very aggressive with each other.
Within minutes of attaching them to the sled, two of our dogs
started fighting. After pulling them apart, we were off and running.
The
commands we learned didn't make much difference, because the dogs
had their own ideas and so the people on the sled were irrelevant.
The
ride was amazing, fun and all too short. The snowy trees were
beautiful, and I can't imagine a more magical way to enjoy winter
scenery.
Our
first night at camp required four hours of extensive set-up, which
was good exercise for preventing us from freezing. First, the
dogs needed to be fed and checked for injuries.
We
set up a "wall tent" to serve as kitchen, dining room
and clothes dryer, and we were grateful for the warmth and hot
food.
At
bedtime, we ran to our sleeping bags, which were lined up on the
ground and surrounded by piles of snow to block the wind. We slept
under the stars in mummy bags, leaving only our noses exposed
to breathe the fresh, crisp air.
The
dogs were generally quiet, but occasionally one of them howled,
inspiring the rest to add their voices to the choir.
When
we woke up at 7:30 a.m., our thermometer read 25 degrees below
zero, and I was pleasantly surprised that I made it through the
night.
The
next two days were much like the first, only I was on skiing duty
instead of mushing. One day I pulled a sled behind me, which felt
like someone dragging me backwards. The second day I carried a
30-pound pack on my back, causing considerable unbalance for this
inexperienced skier.
It
was a lot of hard work, but the benefits were worth the two days
of pain afterwards. Again, I was amazed by my body's capacity
for a good challenge.
My
advice to any of you considering a similar adventure: go for it!
By
Betsy Lofgren
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