Reflection 4.2

The narrative arguement was by far the hardest assignment we had to do in academic writing. I found it very difficult to create a solid arguement out of the story i was telling. Narration and arguing are two concepts that are not easily intertwined when writing. Overall, I learned a lot this semester about writing. Mainly about arguements. I did not realize how many different kinds of arguements there are. Rogerian, rebuttle, narrative, etc. At this point I am tired of arguing and glad to be done for the semester.

Essay 4.2

The Perfect Season

It was 6:00 A.M. when my dad shook me awake. “Our ride’s are gonna be here soon, get ready,” he said. I rolled about of bed in a half dazed state of mind, not even realizing how important this morning was. I quickly rinsed off in the shower and threw on the clothes I had l laid out the night before, ready to embark on one of the most epic adventures I would be a part of till this day. I went down stairs where all of our bags were packed and ready for departure. My mom then gave my dad, brother, and I big hugs, then off we went to a place I had never been before.

Our destination was Tucson, Arizona where we were to compete in a series of playoffs for a chance to be the national champions of the American Youth Football league for our weight class. Our weight class being the one with no weight restrictions; so you can imagine there was some pretty big kids. Competing to be a national champion is a 13 year olds dream and it was my reality.

I remember walking into that hotel for the first time; it was one of the coolest buildings I had ever been in. There were cactuses all around the lobby and a huge gift shop in the back. It was all dessert/western themed too. Right as we pressed the elevator button out come a whole mass of football guys laughing and pushing each other around, I knew right away that this was going to be a great time.

To me this adventure was more than just another sport story; yeah I have a lot of them. It brought a bunch of 8^th graders into an unknown world. We had no idea of the outcome. Even though our team went undefeated, we thought it was more of a joke that we were actually going to compete against teams from around the country. Only a handful of teams get to do this. Unfortunately that’s not just because of a team’s skill. In the article “Report: Cuts to youth sports contribute to obesity, violence” written by Emma Brown, featured in the Washington Post (2009), Professor Greenwood from Polytechnic State University states that “Youth sports is in serious decline in this country” (Brown Par. 2). I am lucky my town is wealthy enough to be able to afford keeping youth sport teams, such as football. It would be a shame if a program like this were cut. Kids would miss out on experiences like this one. I could not even imagine how I would be if I didn’t have that experience. I may not even be playing college football today had I not been a part of the championship team. This is a serious problem; funding for youth sports, especially in inner city, areas is in a decline. In the same article, Emma Brown points out that “$2 billion in cuts to school based sports and physical education programs are contributing to a range of major problems afflicting the nation’s youth” (Brown Par. 1). This huge budget cut may very well be a factor that hinders kids/adolescents chance to make something better out of themselves.

Participating in youth sports has many benefits. These benefits are not just physical. Young athletes can learn a plethora of great attributes that will carry on with them for the rest of their lives. As Alexandra Momyer says in the article “The Mental Health Of Youth Sports On Kids”, “Participating in sports can be a valuable and cherished experience. Youth sports can provide long-lasting friendships and mental benefits that carry over to adulthood. Your child will have self-satisfaction from feeling needed, and it will build self-esteem, confidence and self-discipline” (Momyer par.3). There is so much to gain from being involved in sports as a kid/adolescent. This why it is so important that youth sport budgets get enough funding for studnets to be able to participate in them. Professor Greenwood reasons that “We can’t afford that potential negative impact. If a kid doesn’t have somewhere to go, something to occupy their time, unfortunately what they do more often than not is end up in trouble.” If youth sports are cut, children are at a higher risk of becoming obese, having academic problems, and getting in trouble. 

                Not to sound corny, but I never would have thought hard work and determination could have gotten me so far. It also definitely got me out of trouble. While other kids in my grade were experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and getting into trouble, I was doing something special. But this was a loooong season. We pretty much played all the way up till Christmas. All the way from scorching August conditioning, to crisp autumn, to frigid, bone numbing winter. In the end of it all it was worthwhile. Out of all the sports and the years I’ve played them I have never seen a stronger bond between players and coaches. This was to say that the team was combined of the two middle schools in our town. At the beginning of the year the Scott’s Ridge kids didn’t care too much for the East Ridge kids and vice versa. We always bickered at each other about who had the better athletes, the hotter girls, and the nicer school. By the end of the season it was like there was no boundary between us anymore.

                Sport Programs are needed not only keep children fit and healthy but also keep them out of trouble. According to the article “Study: America is officially the fattest developed country in the world” written by Meredith Melnick (2010) from Time Magazine’s Healthland “One-third of Americans are obese and another third are overweight. The rate of childhood obesity is at 20% and the rate of adolescent obesity is at 18%” (Melnick par.3). With the help of youth sport and physical education programs we can help decrease this number.  I know personally I had never been so physically fit in my life and I never felt like I had more of a purpose till then. And I know you don’t have to make it to the National Playoffs to feel the same. With more sport and phys ed. programs around there will be a higher chance for kids to stay healthy, and I think we all know American needs that. “The U.S. is the heaviest out the 33 economically advantaged countries, including Japan, Australia, and England” (Melnick par. 4). Really, who wants to be known as the fattest country in the world?

                I can honestly say we were the fit team out there. Running around for so long can really do a lot for a person’s body. But this not only in football, participating on pretty much any other sport team can get you in great shape. While the other teams were swimming in their hotel pools, we were going over plays on a scraggily, dusty elementary school field… if you really want to call it a field. Our coach would always point out that he knew we were the only team practicing, and he didn’t care about the other teams. He would say that every minute we were out there busting our asses we were getting that much better than everyone out there. Well I guess he was right in that logic. We had to be sharp for that first game. Our coach wanted nothing more than to win, I could see the determination when he spoke to us. He was not going to give up easy, especially not with the talent he had that year.

After a couple days of fooling around in that giant hotel and constant team meetings the day of the first playoff finally arrived. “Wow,” I thought, “this is really it.” The team we would be facing was from Bakersville, California. Let me repeat that, California! That is a long ways away from little Connecticut. “These kids are going to destroy us”, I thought. Well by the chance of a flip of a coin we decidedly chose to receive the ball first. “Bang”, I see that ball fly in the air, everyone’s eyes fixated on it, like a meteor falling to Earth. “Wham” right in our returner’s hand, then next thing you know he’s flying up the sideline and into the end zone. Everyone’s jaw dropped… did we just score on the opening kickoff?... yes we did! That game happened so quick I didn’t even think it was real; I thought I was day dreaming. The ending score of that game was 49-7. For those of you not familiar with the football scoring system 49 points is a damn high score. That night the whole team and whoever was accompanying them went out to celebrate at a real fancy restaurant.

Later that week came the second game. This time it was long Beach, California. This one flew by more quickly than the first game. I actually thought Bakersville was more of a challenge than this team, maybe we it had just been our confidence level spiking upward. Before I knew I was on the sideline watching the second and third string players get their time, having a blast as usual. It seemed like throughout the season I barely even got to play half the game we beat the other teams so bad. The final score was 45-0, which in sport terms is a blowout! After this game we all really held our heads up high and a confidence went through me like nothing I had ever felt before.

                The bonding had only just begun late night trips to IHOP for milkshakes and Shlotsky’s Deli for lunch only made the week more fun. Playing 500 and kill the carrier in the pool helped out too. But before I knew it that final game came, the championship game.  Now we were playing a team from Chicago. Walking into that Arizona University Stadium was like something straight out of a movie. It was the biggest stadium I had ever been in. I couldn’t believe how much seating there was. It was truly a mind-boggling experience. I remember practicing on the field next to the stadium for what seemed like hours. I must have peed 4 times I was so nervous. Low and behold we walked into the stadium to start, said a quick prayer together, and then off we were.

The coin was tossed and we were forced to defend first. I never liked being on defense first. I prefer the offense starting off and scoring on the first drive. So this way I have less pressure on me to stop the opposing team from gaining ground. Being a starter is never easy, especially when you are going against offensive linemen who look like grown men. And the fact that this was the National Championship game didn't help either. My heart was beating out of my chest; I couldn't even see the line of scrimmage in front of me. All I hear is "down, set"... the offensive tackles dark eyes were glaring at me, I could sense it, “I'm gonna screw everything up or get hurt”, I kept thinking to myself.."HIT!” The lineman's hands shoot at me me like two pistols ready to blow my brains out.  Then my instincts kicked in, everything I had practiced for so long fired out of me like hot lava, and I drove that lineman's big body so far I actually took myself out of the play. Luckily there were a group of linebackers behind me to clean up the tackle behind me. Then I jumped on the pile and suddenly the butterflies went away. When I stood up I felt like a different person, adrenaline had kicked in like never before and I was ready to tear this team apart.

This was really the only game I felt like we might lose after the first three minutes. We made jokes that because we killed teams so early on that the bad kids got to play more than the good ones. This was until now. I remember vividly that timer moving second after second. I wanted to puke, throw my helmet off and cry I was so nervous. But I knew how important this game was, how much the coaches and players depended on me. They were my new best friends, pretty much all members of my family. We had a respect for our coaches and teammates unlike any other. In the end we won 22-14, our closest game ever. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I completely agree with this statement. The memories of this experience as well as many other sport experiences will always be values and cherished in my life. I know I will always remember the guys on that team in the best light.

Is there really anything better than winning a National Championship? especially when you gave up so much of your free time and energy. The way I see it the harder you work the more valuable and special that final product is. This is why I feel more kids should join sport teams. You get in great shape and build confidence and friendships that cannot be matched.  These experiences are ones that I believe no child should be left without. No town or city should be limited to the amount of sport and physical education program they can participate in.

Momyer, Alexandra. “The Mental Effects Of Youth Sports On Kids”. December 18, 2010. Lance Armstrong Foundation. April 21, 2011.

Brown, Emma. “Report: Cuts to youth sports contribute to obesity, violence”. November 23, 2009. The Washington Post. May 8, 2011.

Melnick, Meredith. “Study: American is officially the fattest developed country in the world”. September 23, 2010. Time Healthland. May 8, 2011.