Spring Break Column

You hear grunts, and howls, squeaks and pounds. You see green and yellow, scorecards and crowds. It isn’t football, but it’s just as hard on your body.

For spring break, I got the privilege of going north, to the land of 10,000 lakes. A perfect place to spend spring break! Lakes are frozen over, snow piled high and due to the below freezing temperatures you can bet any activity will be done indoors. So, why was I there? I, along with the rest of the UNK men’s and women’s tennis teams, was there to compete.

The fortunate change of regions requires us to compete against division II schools in Minnesota, instead of heading a bit further south to Kansas and Missouri. The desire to contend at the NCAA Regional tournament in May is the drive that propels us forward.

Sitting about the very middle of our season, we have already faced numerous injuries. Though some good has come from it, like the addition of a wonderful, new teammate; some has not been in our favor. Playing two matches a day, a possibility of four or five in any given weekend, takes a great toll on one’s body. We need our legs, the lower body, to carry us from one side of the court to the other, lifting us up and down as we take each shot. Our arms, shoulders, abdomens and backs to control our swings, serves and power. Eyes help us make the judgment call as to whether or not our opponent’s shot was in or out. Our vocal cords, of course, enable us to call out the score and the hair on our heads, or perhaps lack thereof, holds in place a sweat band, head band, hat or bandanna. Each and every part of our body is working to allow us peak performance. When one limb goes down, the others must work twice as hard to keep up.

This spring break started out for me as any other weekend of match-play. As I began warming up, I could still smell my clean, just washed uniform and the strong scent of fresh linen dryer sheets. We pulled together and triumphed through both matches, defeating Augustana and Minnesota-Duluth, but a familiar pain underneath the big toe on my left foot began to show that my body had taken a pounding throughout the day.

Sunday night faded into Monday morning and soon enough we found ourselves back on the tennis court, not so fresh as the previous day. St. Cloud had one of the top seeds in our region so our biggest challenge of the week was about to get underway. Seeming to feel more and more pressure from my foot throughout my doubles and singles matches, I kept thinking, “pull through, this is the last one and then I’ll have a few days off.” My thoughts erased the pain even more as I finished my singles match felling pretty good. Another victory, only this one was a bit closer.

As soon as my head hit the over-stuffed pillow at our hotel, I was out. Should I have known the pain in my foot I would be feeling in the morning, the thought of ever falling asleep would not have crossed my mind. As I stepped out of bed the next morning, placing both callused-over and blistered feet on the floor, I took a step with my left and the agony that shot through my body was enough to sit me back down on that bed. “Could it be broken, again” I wondered as more and more thoughts developed in my head.

As athletes we sacrifice our bodies for our sport. When our mind is set and our goal is in focus, it doesn’t matter what sport we compete in, we go to great lengths to get to where we want to be, injured or not, and in the end, that defines who we are—athletes.



So I wrote this piece the evening of the day I woke up and thought it was broken. Since then, I have had some very generous family and friends help do what they could to get me back on the tennis court 3 days later. A day after this incident I saw a family friend who happened to be a trainer and without looking at x-rays he believed it to in fact be broken. His recommendation was to get in a boot or on crutches if there was any chance of me playing that weekend. You see, this was a big weekend for me as all my family live in MN so many were coming to watch our matches on Saturday. After doing some searching we were able to track down a walking boot, without being in Kearney and having the trainers there, I felt helpless due to my limited actions because I was not with the team and too far away. When Saturday came, I was determined to at least play doubles. When that went ok, I played singles and another round of doubles. Assuming my foot would be hating me in the morning, I was pulled out of our last singles match for precautionary reasons; that being because I was encouraged not to play at all by UNK training staff. To my surprise, the next morning it didn't feel too bad at all, in fact besides the inflammation, it felt pretty good. Still I have not gone to get another set of xrays done. The trainers are hoping that because it was not sore the day after I played that means progress. I was told just to continue watching it throughout the weeks and monitor and changes I may find. The week after spring break was filled with a lot of non-tennis activity except for a match last Sunday in which it seemed fine. The true test will be this week and those that follow as our competition increases and our weeks are jammed packed with tennis!

A Roller-Coaster ride...

We get tossed and turned, thrown in and out, told yes then no, first come then go. Yes, this is exactly how the lives of the players on the UNK tennis teams, both men and women, seem to be going this season. If it's not one thing its another. We get told we are playing at this place at this time and then it changes about 7 times, usually ending with what was said at the beginning. It has gotten to the point where parents just say call me right before you are getting ready to go on for warm up so I actually know what time you will begin match play. It's absolutely ridiculous to say the least! I feel like I am on some sort of over-thrilling, yet extremely annoying, never know what your going to get, roller coaster ride. And believe me when I say I do not recommend waiting in line for this one!

Believe it or not, its even happened again. We were scheduled to play in Hays, Kansas both Friday and Sunday. Well, due to the unfortunate weather Kansas was experiencing the past couple of days, it was decided that tennis may be difficult to play on a court full of snow; not to mention the fact that it would probably be freezing outside as well. So, Friday's match is canceled due to weather. Fine, we can handle that. However, Sunday's match was still to be determined. So we await all day Friday for an answer--nothing. We keep waiting into Saturday, only less than 24 hours until we would actually have to leave to play, and nothing until about 2:00p.m. What is the news we received?! We are leaving Kearney at 6:00 a.m. driving 3 1/2 hours and are now playing two matches, one of which wasn't even scheduled to begin with! Two matches, both women and men plus a total of 7 hours driving time = getting back to Kearney super late when each of us must get up and be in class the next day. On top of that, we have injury, sickness, and the bulk and most important part of our season begins next weekend. To top that off, instead of catching up on school work Monday we will most likely want to sleep and then all classes on Thursday and Friday will be missed for pretty much the remainder of the semester. Come on, is this really necessary?! Of course, I forgot to mention, the two matches we are supposed to play on Sunday do not count for anything other than our record because they are not conference or regional matches.

I am a little disgusted by this matter to say the least. It just seems so inconsiderate of those whom randomly decide to thrown in a match and expect us to all cheer and shout in an excited, over-joyed manner. Instead, we get 'the look' in our eyes and steam sprays out of our ears. The one who throws this on us and responsible for the disorganization that seems to come up numerous times a day, is also the one who sits back and watches, not having to put forth any physical effort whatsoever. Perhaps the ones who compete should deal with the matter of scheduling and rescheduling matches, after all they are competing and know how much their bodies, both physically and mentally can take.

I apologize that this post was basically my place to vent, but in doing so I got out what I wanted to and still don't really feel much better! I hope everyone else has had a wonderful weekend though!

It has its own website?!?!

So as I searched for some interesting stories concerning the topic of spring break, I came across a website that was strictly for the purpose of spring breakers showing information results for destinations, tips, and tours. Springbreak.com is the official website that I cam across in my search. As I began looking through the site, besides the hilarious YouTube videos that were posted, were actually some pretty informational pieces. The first that comes to mind was the news story, alerting travelers to Mexico to use extreme caution as they venture out of the United States. This of course coming from the State Department. Though this site is promoting vacation hot spots and offering luxurious places to stay, it is also getting viewers proper information to issues that may be a concern to this type of travel group. I was somewhat shocked to see this link on the website. There was also informative pieces on passports, a useful tool for those wishing to travel outside the U.S.

Those in search of that perfect tropical swimsuit, look no more, springbreak.com has numerous links to some of the most popular swim wear brands linked on to the site. This site is almost the only thing you need to get everything taken care of before spring breaking! I'm sure if any of you read this, you may be saying, DUH! where have you been?! But being on the tennis team has pretty much wiped away my dreams of planning any spring breaks so I really have never looked into anything like this before. I guess I thought it was pretty neat!

College Graduates and jobs...

Along with the fears of many current employees wondering whether or not they will be the next one ‘let go,’ into the sea of unemployment and economic hurt, there’s yet another group that seem to be facing these harsh times and may really feel the punch come May graduation. College graduates, specifically those graduating this coming May, 2009 have already dug deep in the search of scoring a job upon obtaining their degree.

Since human resource management has a great deal to do with hiring, firing and finding that perfect candidate, I found two articles that relate to this topic. An article I read in the Rochester, MN Post-Bulletin, explained that even students with the upmost, impressive resumes, are going to receive numerous rejection letters and may have to turn to alternative options. Even the number of employers who have attended career fairs this year is down.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers released the results of a survey that was conducted earlier this month showing that employers expect to hire 22% fewer graduates from the graduating class of 2009 that they hired in previous years. According to an article in the magazine, Building Design in the October 24, 2008 issue titled, Students Hit First by Recession, explains that students are set to be among the first victims of the recession. “Record numbers of graduates are chasing fast-disappearing jobs in recession-struck practices,” the article noted.

One particular student from Winona State University, Kyle Berg, had planned on participating in an internship with a small marketing firm in Winona, but the day he was to begin his internship the company went out of business. Students now must become even more desirable to company’s more than ever. With jobs decreasing and more and more students graduating the competition is fierce. Companies are beginning to weed out resumes based on years of experience, which may be a downfall to many college graduates who lack in the experience category.

According to the article found in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, the key to making way through this labor market is to be focused. “They are going to have to know what they want to do and then how to get there.” Despite the chaotic state of our economy, career councilors still emphasize that a college diploma is still one of the most effective means of enhancing one’s job prospects—finally some good news for May graduates!

Staying engaged in the labor market is key, Phillip Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University said. Some graduates have already begun seeking alternative routes. In the article from the Building Design Magazine, an architect and placement coordinator at Sheffield College of Architecture, Stephen Leighton said, "Everyone just walked into jobs 12 months ago. Now, students have to be more creative.” Getting out and volunteering is one way to stay engaged in the labor market. The people from the community are also the ones giving their time and are also employers, connected to jobs. Establishing a relationship with them can only help chances of employment and networking.

Another tip the article from the Post-Bulletin gives is not to run off to graduate school assuming the labor market is too harsh. Attending graduate school will only add to one’s financial debt. Although employers may send current employees to graduate school, choosing to enroll after obtaining a bachelor’s degree has no guarantee of job placement or higher earnings.

At the beginning of February, the United States unemployment rate was the highest it has been in 25 years, coming in at 8.1 percent. The unemployment rate for college graduates was only at 4.1 percent, 8.3 percent for high school graduates, and those lacking a high school diploma soared to 12.6 percent.

Sure, the economy isn’t great, but it is like that for everyone. As one who will be amongst many other May graduates, I found both articles to be encouraging, uplifting and helpful in continuing my search to obtain that dream job and also in making me more desirable and compatible to the human resource personnel searching for that perfect candidate.

A little humor...

As we begin our well-deserved week of spring break, my dad sent me a little humor to help kick it off! The following video, I found to be very humorous and rather intelligent at the same time. It gives a very good analogy comparing a party to a party in our stomach. I highly recommend watching it, I know it will give you a good laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4sfJr10wFs

Comedian Jim Breuer, discusses this concept as he preforms on stage to a large audience before him. I guess those of us that are 21, able to consume alcoholic beverages, can keep this video as a remembrance when placed at the Tiki bar on a scorching hot day. Remember who always shows up to the party last--perhaps you won't let them in!

Jimmy Who?!?!

During class, actually this particular blogging class in which this blog was created for, Dr. Hanson mentioned a name that is all too familiar to me. The second he began to say 'Jimmy' my eyebrows began to raise, after hearing 'Buffet' it was certain that he had my attention to the fullest!

Why is this name so familiar to me you may be asking. Well let's just say that growing up I knew more of his songs, memorizing lyrics, and facts about him then perhaps most of his feeding frenzy of parrot-heads (Jimmy's fans).

You see, my father, known on the water as Captain Joee, is a huge Jimmy Buffet fan, an all-around, full-out parrot-head to say the least. From as far back as I can remember, every song we listened to while boating, driving to get to our boating destination, or even just riding in dad's car was from this gifted artist. I went through my stages of hatred towards this music, but after I passed through that stage I began to find myself listening to it on my own, as a personal choice of music. Perhaps this is because his melodic tone and clever lyrics took me to my absolute favorite place, with some of my favorite people--boating on a hot summer day with close family and friends.

Today, I still find myself presetting Margaritaville to my Sirius satellite radio settings. After I turned 21, my parents were so excited to announce that I had now graduated from being a parakeet to a parrot-head. At first, years back, I despised when they would joke about this title they had given me, but now I can't really deny it. I've been to my fair share of Jimmy Buffet impersonators, cheeseburger and paradise and margaritaville restaurants, concerts and certainly know my fair share of songs and facts about this talented man. In fact a few summers ago I thought he should know just how idolized and loved his fans truly are that I wrote him a personal letter describing many of these instances and more particularly informing him about my father's enjoyment of his music and image.

So, now you know why hearing 'Jimmy Buffet' raised my head in class. Honestly, it seemed as if Dr. Hanson had mentioned a best friend or family member's name. It seems that's how familiar I am with this figure! Oh yah, and Boat Drinks, if you haven't heard it you should(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n54wvBOMeT8), it's a great song!

A Conflict Journalist

Kevin Sites

I attended the World Affairs Conference both Monday and Tuesday this past week at UNK. Though I did not hear the message(s) every speaker delivered, I will say, I was most inspired and interested in what Conflict Journalist, Kevin Sites, discussed.

Sites took part in a project, sponsored by Yahoo!, where he came in contact with the task of covering as many conflict war zones as he could in one year. Sites proceeded in this challenge alone. His equipment consisted of a hand-held video camera, a camera, pen and paper and other portable digital technology in which aided him in transmitting his multi-media reports back to his production crew at home, in the US.

Working for NBC, Sites was faced with a difficult decision. He had captured some gruesome footage of a US soldier who shot, at point blank, a man from the opposing side. After pondering whether or not to use Sites’ video, NBC decided to use his footage and the video aired, however it had gone through many edits before his footage was actually released. The entire scene of the shooting was not captured in full, leaving audience members confused and wondering. Sites choose to leave this high-profile network and turned to his blog, where he posted the actual, non-edited footage. He decided that through his blog, he would fulfill his duties as a journalist—capturing information and giving his audience the truth.

It was being across the world, interviewing civilians and obtaining their stories in the forms of video, still photography and/or text that really changed Sites and opened his eyes to the many struggles and truths of our world. I was touched by the stories he told describing the lives of numerous rape victims, combatants, and other civilians living through these difficult times.

The manner in which Sites presented himself and the message he had to tell was very professional and he related well to the crowd before him. I was privileged enough to have him come to my Blogging class on Tuesday and hear a little more of his experiences. He told us that if we took one thing from him he wanted it to be, “Take a gap year, a year off after graduation, before we get tied down with a job, and get out and experience what is out there.” Along with the many other pieces of information I received from Sites, I will definitely keep that one at the top!