You’re breathing heavily, sprinting down a chute that’s lined with people clapping and cheering. These last few seconds of the race feel more like minutes. The smell of freshly cut grass moves up your nose as your legs pound on the soggy ground. All your hard work and practice comes down to this very moment. The world is spinning around you while you cross the finish line. Suddenly, in one step, it’s over.

           Coach is handing out bibs as my team and I line up on the start line, hearts pounding. This is my first meet ever. I scan the area, and there are hundreds of people in the field because it’s an invitational meet. My stomach gets butterflies as seconds count down to the start.

           A tall man with a megaphone and an air horn starts speaking: “I will say on your mark and then blow the horn. Good luck, everyone!” My legs start to shake as I put my toe up to the line and listen very carefully. There is a moment of utter silence. I hear “on your mark…” The horn blares, and I’m off. 

           All my nerves seem to disappear once I start running. I’m rounding a corner and hear my coach shout, “Yeah! That’s Kara Whiteside in first place!” I continue running as I count the beat of my steps. 

            The ground is damp, and I step through many puddles. I watch my feet hit the ground with each swift step I take. I tell myself to keep going because I know the reward is after the hard work.

           In the blink of an eye, I’m pushing up a steep muddy hill where there is a crowd eagerly watching. As I get closer to the finish line the cheering gets louder and louder. I’m bolting through the chute, hearing chants of “Go Guilderland!” and “Great job!” but the only thing I can focus on is finishing the race.

          I step over the line and fall into my dad’s arms, grinning from ear to ear. A vast weight is lifted off my shoulders, leaving me with a refreshing feeling. He gently says, “I’m so proud of you.” That’s when I start to feel it too. For once I finally feel like I put my hard work into something good and it paid off.

           I learned a valuable lesson about doing your best even when it might be tough. Running, like other sports, can teach you about perseverance and push you to be better. When you work hard and trust that there is always room to improve, your dedication will be visible to others.

-Kara W. 

          Imagine you’ve just opened something. A game, a device, anything. Something you’ve wanted for a long time. You’ve seen Youtube videos about it, ads, and since then you knew you needed to get your hands on it. You have felt this feeling before, the sensation of you wanting something for such a long time and finally getting what you wanted.  Well, that’s how it felt the first time I played Beat Saber.*

          It was a bright, sunny day; I could tell from the rays of light coming through the windows of the living room. But that didn’t matter. What did, though, was that I recently just got Beat Saber on my VR headset, and I was about to play it in person for the first time. I got jumpy just thinking about it. I put on my VR headset and started loading up the game, prepared for the fun I would be having in the next few hours.

          I gazed around the environment of Beat Saber. I was astonished about how good the graphics and music design were, even within the menu screen of Beat Saber. The sabers, the reflections, the burn marks… It truly felt like I was in a VR paradise. 

          I started up my first song, and let’s just say it got even better. I loved how each beat was being intensified by the SFX, or how I felt like an unstoppable being slicing through the red and blue boxes. I truly believed that I was going to be the next Bandoot** of Beat Saber. But I soon discovered that I was in over my head.

          Never thought it was this hard, I thought while playing some more songs on Beat Saber. I was confident that Beat Saber would be an easy game; slicing squares with your hands to the beat didn’t sound so hard, but I was wrong.

          No matter how hard I pushed myself physically, I could never get it. Wasn’t I supposed to be having fun?!? Sweat was slowly streaming down my neck. My hands ached as if I’d been writing for hours on end. My arms and shoulders felt as if they were going to fall off. But just as I was about to declare myself defeated, I realized something.

          I was pushing myself physically, but not mentally. I might’ve swung as hard as I could at a block but never thought about how accurate I was or when the beats came in the song. As I realized this, I immediately started getting the hang of it. I used my wrist more to swing. I scored higher as I swung to the rhythm. 

          Then the game started becoming fun. Each time I passed a song I felt as if I had just won a gold medal. But then it got even better: custom songs and mods. Beat Saber had no more than 50 songs and one saber type, so the ability to add songs and mods amplified the rate I was being immersed into Beat Saber and greatly improved my experience. 

          I started enjoying Beat Saber again and was easily breezing through songs as if cutting through butter with a hot knife. There were more songs with higher difficulty, but for now, I felt accomplished.

          As I took off my VR headset, I realized it was already getting dark outside. It felt like I just finished a good book. I thought back to how instead of going through the most direct route, I found a shortcut instead.

          Playing Beat Saber for the first time was a great experience for me. Not only did I enjoy Beat Saber’s astonishing game design, but I learned something new: the most straightforward way of doing something may not necessarily be the best or most efficient way.

*Beat Saber is a Virtual Reality rhythm game that uses VR controllers as lightsabers to cut through colored blocks coming towards your direction to the rhythm or beat of a song.

**Bandoot is a Beat Saber Youtuber that is known as one of the best Beat Saber players of all time.

-Tyler W. 

          Have you ever seen the way some people may be struggling around the world, or how people don't have basic human needs like a roof over their head, something to cook food on, or an easy way to get food and plumbing?  There are people around the world with skills that are very important to the growth of struggling societies. People with construction skills help provide shelter for those in need and are a big importance in the world, just like all skills; without these people we wouldn't be where we are today. The humanitarian effort of construction workers around the world is a way to show this. People who offer construction skills as a voluntary effort for others provide an important service that benefits struggling areas around the world due to the lack of construction workers in those areas.

          Many people in every nation around the world suffer severely from poverty, such as, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, Central African Republic, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Madagascar, to name a few. These are the same places where they are in need of homes, hospitals, and schools. I can’t imagine living like this.  I take for granted the air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. My family always has something great cooking for dinner and there is no problem seeing doctors if we get sick.  People live in make-shift shelters without proper water and plumbing. Because of this they have many health issues. Since they don't have hospitals offering medical assistance, no one can get proper treatment. People are literally dying in the street. Without schools to educate citizens, things may never change, and things could only get worse without help.

          There are volunteer or nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) that provide workers with construction skills to build these structures or buildings in places such as the United States, Canada, Columbia, Puerto Rico, Europe, Africa, and India. One of Habitat's successful projects was Minneapolis’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund; the fund for houses was raised from less than 25 million to 43.5 million in Minnesota. Humanitarian workers benefit these areas by allowing them to grow and improve with limited funds. The organization covers the cost of materials with donated funds, and volunteers use their construction skills to complete the projects. These projects allow many people to live their lives more freely with more necessities to live with than before.

          The construction skills needed could consist of architects, masons, building contractors, painters, etc. These volunteers must have the time and motivation for these jobs, and not everyone who is capable can help. There are a limited number of volunteers, so not everyone that needs help can get it. The people who do offer their skills are extraordinary and help to improve their nation and our world.  In addition to the skills needed, people need motivation, time, and strength to commit to helping and being away from their own families.  Most volunteers are not paid, so they have to be able to give up their regular jobs and live on money they have saved.  I think I might be too scared to do it.  I bet a lot of people feel that way, but they can also donate money to places like Habitat, which is definitely necessary to keep volunteer agencies running and helping people in need.

           People who offer construction skills as a voluntary effort for others provide an important service that benefits struggling areas around the world.  Without this assistance, many areas would suffer without proper housing, hospital facilities, and education. Because the poorer areas have no money to spend and no place to call home, the volunteers are necessary to build the structures needed. Fortunately, there are these amazing people who pay tribute to people by providing the time and effort to help.

-Jaycob S. 

          You're looking out at your team and the opponents. One person is standing out in front of the others. You have one job: protect the goal. 

          Being a goalkeeper in soccer is a thrilling ride of ups and downs. Goalkeepers, being able to use their hands along with their feet, protect the goal. They are the last line of defense. Goalkeepers always have to be ready for a game, physically and mentally. 

          The mental state of a goalie is key to playing well. They need to be aware and aggressive at all times, to not get down if the opposing team scores, and to not give up or take it easy no matter what the score is. This is one of the reasons you usually don't see that many willing goalkeepers, especially once you start getting older. 

          While goalies get shot at straight on with hard kicks, it is not as scary as it seems. Having gloves with padding cushions even the hardest of shots. Don't forget about the shirt that has padding on the arms and chest. When getting hit  in areas that don't have protection, it feels like being slapped. The speed and power of the ball controls how hard getting hit is if letting the ball make contact. Learning the skills gives a lower chance of getting hit. Over time, goalkeepers start to build up a tolerance.

          Goalkeepers need to learn a certain skill set to be educated to play full time. They learn how to punt, throw, roll, and do long kicks to distribute in different situations, plus the skills learned to defend the goal; side contours, diving, collapse diving, and learning to catch the ball are all important skills that help out. All of these skills take time to learn and get the hang of, but working hard and practicing every day will make it fly by in a breeze.

          The goalkeeper can see everything on the field. This is one of the reasons watching them can lead to hearing them shouting at teammates to get back into their spots, or to mark someone. One frustrating thing goalkeepers dislike about this is to watch the opponents pass to someone that had been called out previously. 

          Goalkeepers sometimes get blamed for letting the other team score, but it has to go through everyone else first. The hardest shot to block is when it is kicked off a penalty kick. The goalie and one opposing player are inside the 18 yard box, goalkeeper at the line of the goal and the player at the 12 yard spot. They are caused when your team fouls a player in the 18 yard box.

          It takes practice, like anything else, to control or hide emotions, but having a nice team means this usually never happens. In the case it does happen the coach is the best person to talk to if feeling someone is trying to blame the goalkeeper; the coach can usually sort it out.

          The feeling when blocking a shot is amazing. Everyone cheers, and the support from the team is amazing. Underlying pride starts rising up, as well as a feeling of confidence. Just like in real life, challenges block your goal, whether it be work or socializing. The same thing happens again. Overcoming these challenges leads to support and results in the feeling of pride and confidence in facing dilemmas.

-Abbylynn S. 

          The ball flies down the field, moving from player to player. The teammates on the field work together to get the ball near the goal. You receive the ball from your teammate and see an opening. You race down the field, ball at your feet, passing players, going full speed towards the goal. You kick the ball as hard as you can. The goalie lunges for it and crashes to the ground as  the ball sails to the back of the net. The crowd leaps to their feet, cheering. Your teammates run up to you with grins and congratulations.

          Soccer is a very fascinating and interesting sport to play and watch, but first there are several crucial topics that you must know to understand the game. One of these topics is the positions. On the field each player has an individual position. The main positions are goalie, defense, midfield and offense (the positions can also have different names, but this is what some people choose to call them). 

          The first position is the goalie, or the goalkeeper. The goalie is arguably the hardest position to play, as well as sometimes the most important. The goalie’s job is to protect the goal and forestall the other team from scoring goals. The goalie generally stays by the goal and is also the only player on the field allowed to use their hands.

          The next position is defense. The defenders’ job is to support the goalie and prohibit the other team from getting shots on the goal. The defense is usually the nearest line of players to the goal besides the goalie. Unlike the goalkeeper, there are usually three to four defenders on the field at once, depending on where the coach decides to put his players. 

          One other position played in soccer is the offense. Similar to defense, there can be multiple players on offense, but generally there are only one to three. The offense is at the top of the field, closest to the opposing team’s goal. This makes sense, since the players on offense (or the forwards) are usually the players that score the goals in the game.

          The last position on the field is the midfield. The midfield is in between the defense and the offense, in the middle of the field, hence the name. The midfielders play an important role on the field and fundamentally keep all the players on the field together.

          Each and every position on the field plays a critical role in the triumph of a team. In the absence of any of the positions the team would fall apart and success would be practically inconceivable. Each player is crucial. Players support each other, on and off the field. 

          When you play soccer you create bonds with other players and develop teamwork skills. When you play on a team, you encounter new people and make new friends. These are very important skills to know, not just in sports, but life in general. Can you imagine a world without teamwork and friendships?

-Grace M.

 

 

          3… you feel thousands of voices crawling down your back. 2… you  look up to see the ball hurdelling towards your face. Miraculously, you embrace it into your hands. 1… left with no other choice, you launch the ball towards the hoop, praying that it goes in. Finally, after what feels like forever, the ball lands in the hoop, and the breathtaking swish is all you needed. You did it; you won. It’s an exhilarating feeling, until you’re on the wrong side of the ball.

          As the running timer finally diminished to 0 for the final time, and the clear 21:20 indicated the winner, it felt like a dream. It might have been a fifth grade basketball game, but the roaring crowd of about 25 parents, the beaming lights of the middle school gym, and the taste of one-month-old gatorade lingering in my mouth was enough for it to feel like the NBA championship. There was nothing blocking us now; we just beat the only team with the matching undefeated record, the Bethlehem Eagles. We were approaching the playoffs as the number one seed; what could possibly go wrong?

          If you answered nothing, you’d be right, for about one game. I don’t know whether it was the fact that it was 8:00 on a Sunday morning, and the previous night I had stayed up watching Guardians of the Galaxy. Maybe it was the fact that my opponents were my teammates less than a year ago; who knows? What I do know is that we were dealing with a pretty big problem; we’d barely grasped a win against Niskayuna who we had formerly beaten by 30. I don’t know what got into us; we’d gone from undefeated to..well I guess undefeated, but that’s not the point. We should’ve demolished this team, but instead we just barely escaped this game alive. If something didn’t happen fast, we were going to get slammed by the team that just put us in this number one position a few weeks ago. 

          Something did happen alright; our coach sat us down outside of that gym, and for someone who just advanced to the championship, he acted like we just robbed a bank. At this point it didn’t matter what he said, though; it all depended on this one game. A team with 1000 wins could play a team with one, and if they lose, none of those former wins would matter. If we lost this game, we would be second place, and like Abby Lee Miller always says, second place is the first to lose. Of course, no one said this; that’s not exactly great words of advice for some ten year olds about to play their rival team. Nonetheless, all of us were thinking about it throughout the end of the Niskayuna game until the final “1..2..3..LADY DUTCH!!” 

          I got on the court and played my absolute heart out, running until the air in my lungs had gone on vacation; the sweat on my face felt like it was a streaming river, and my throat was like a desert. The first half went amazing; we were winning, and it felt like a huge weight got lifted off my shoulders…until it was dropped back onto me in the third quarter. Bethlehem got mad to the point that they were almost like actual Eagles. They were pushing and yelling, anything to enhance their shot of winning, and it worked. Outhustled is the only correct word to describe the way I was feeling; it felt like I had just ran into a brick wall. I’m not joking; I had just got screened so hard that it felt like I ran into a brick wall. But somehow we held onto that lead until about 20 seconds left in the game; we were up by one, and all we had to do was not let them score. I bet you’d never guess what happened; they scored. It was like a fever dream, and this moment has played in my mind probably thousands of times. The girl ran to the corner and desperately launched a three pointer, and it went in. Of course, with two seconds left, the game was over; I was officially a loser.

          I’m not one to cry, never have been, never will be, and I proved that on that day. While all my teammates were balling their eyes out, I actually giggled a bit because my teammate had looked at me weird. Our team went over to the bench and talked it out; I mean, the coach didn’t have much to say. What was he supposed to tell a bunch of fifth graders that just lost a championship by one? Yeah guys, you just lost, what losers. Imagine doing that; it couldn’t have been me. It was a short and sweet talk, and then we just walked out of the gym. I don’t know what happened though because after that talk, I almost went into a stage of oblivion. I could hear everyone talking, and I was perfectly calm, but it was like all my social tastebuds went numb. After a chain of automatic “Thanks for coming,” I finally reached the car. I got in and just sat there; I had no clue what to do. I felt like I was stuck in quicksand; moving or crying wouldn’t do anything, so I just reclined my chair and fell asleep. After that the day is a blur, but one thing that stuck with me was the drive to never lose against Bethlehem again.

          Pertinacious (adj.) - extremely or objectionably persistent. Some might define this word as being stubborn; I’d have to strongly disagree. Basketball has taught me so many things, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, friendship, but most importantly to never give up. That day might’ve been atrocious, terrible, horrendous; any words that are defined as ‘bad’ would describe the day perfectly. I without a doubt labelled myself a loser that day, but throughout my experience with basketball I’ve learned that this just isn’t true. Never did I give up after that day. I actually worked a hell of a lot harder, so although I gave myself the title of loser back in fifth grade, I strongly disagree now.

-Michaela L. 

          My heart was practically jumping out of my chest. The nervousness made me feel queasy. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I went over the dance in my mind. Glissade, saute arabesque, turn to the left into a pique.  The clapping from the audience interrupted me as the dancers glided off the stage one by one. 

          I waited in the wings for the announcer to introduce our dance. “Next, we have Pachelbel Canon in major D performed by The Dance Studio.” The ringing feedback from the mic died down as we tiptoed onto the stage and got into our places. 

          I smiled at the vast sea of faces. They were all unrecognizable, but somewhere in that crowd my family sat, waiting for the dance to start. As soon as the first beat of the song rang out from the speakers the stage came alive with movement. My eyes followed my arms as they floated above my head. The dance came naturally to me, like I had done it a million times before. 

          As the song came to a soft stop we smiled and gracefully curtsied before stepping off stage. A large grin spread onto my face. I was glad it was over but also proud that I made it through with no mistakes. 

          As the next dance started I smiled as I looked back at the stage. I’m so happy I started to dance, I thought as I was handed a bouquet of roses. It’s a way for me to be a part of something bigger than myself.

-Sierra L. 

          When you’re eating something, you don’t really think about it. You’ve gotten so used to it. Bite. Chew. Swallow. But have you ever focused on swallowing? After the food leaves your mouth, you stop feeling it. But one man I know has mastered the swallow and can store objects in his throat.

          Now, you might think this is superhuman. Keeping an object in your throat is impossible, right? Well, it can be done. First, let’s go over how it works. Once you swallow, the food you have eaten goes down the food pipe and into the stomach. My friend can hold it there in his food pipe without it ever reaching the stomach. He has to stop the force of swallowing. This can be done by contracting the food pipe, which cannot be easily done. If you want to do it, try doing the action of bringing saliva up but holding it at its peak without the spit. It’s kind of gross. This stops the object entirely. As long as he has stopped the momentum before the object drops down further, he can store it for hours unless he needs to eat. 

          Next, bringing the object back. This is also not an easy task, probably harder than storing it. To get the momentum back, you have to rapidly contract and expand your food pipe. This is a lot harder than it sounds. The food pipe is not designed to go both ways, so you might need to do this multiple times. Then it should come up bone dry. Try to practice stopping the object without it. You should start to speed up. But before you say, “Oh that seems easy! I’m gonna do i-” NO. It’s a dangerous thing, and you need a warning for what could happen.

          Going off the last statement, let’s talk a little bit about the dangers of this stuff. Of course, it doesn’t take Einstein to figure out swallowing stuff that isn't food isn’t going to turn out too well, but you might not know what can actually happen. First of all, choking; even a monkey can figure this one out. The object in question, given if it is small enough, can go down the airway if you breathe while swallowing. This can go toward your heart or lungs, which is, news flash, lethal. Your body has a flab of cartilage, which helps block objects from going in but keeps air going. Choking will only ever happen when you breathe or try to talk while swallowing. Those actions force the piece of cartilage to move. Try to avoid these things altogether on the swallow and regurgitation. 

          Next, the object going down into your stomach. Now, this isn’t as bad as going to your heart, but it still can be harmful. If the object isn’t clean and goes to your stomach, you can get irritable bowel syndrome, along with other crippling diseases. If you can stop the object successfully, you don’t need to worry, but those who can’t will suffer. If you want to do this, try practicing without the object first, so you don’t have to take a risk.

          There are some other simple precautions you can take, like washing the object. You might think this is obvious, but there are a selection of apes who won’t think of this. Cleaning the object will prevent a multitude of diseases. Just make sure no more soap is on it when you swallow. Another thing you can do is have someone on standby, so if you choke, someone can perform the heimlich maneuver, or whatever the name is now.

          So when you’re doing something that you have on automatic, like walking, per say, try and focus on it, and you might just do something out of this world.

-Tim K. 

          After a long, long, long day, you walk back through your front door and turn on your console (or PC).  Once it loads up a game can be selected, so you choose Forza Horizon 4.  In a minute or two, you’ve transported to another world where today’s stress disappears to be filled with the revving of a V8 as you blast down the drag strip. Speeds hit 200MPH as you completely crush your old record.  

          Video games have been a popular source of entertainment for all ages, but there is more than one type of video game, and they’re not all about destroying things.  Not only are there more than one type, but there are good attributes like meeting and hanging out with many people from around the globe or relieving stress from a long day.

          What I call peaceful video games are the games where there is some to no violence.  Most of these games are rated “E” or “E10+”(“E” means that anyone can play it, and “E10+” means that everyone ten or older can play it).  These are games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and most Nintendo games like Super Mario.  These games don’t have a lot of violence, and if they do it’s very cartoony.  There are also games that have no violence at all, like racing games like Forza. Many games that are in this category have you as the player trying to reach a good goal like getting a trophy or winning a race.  Some like Stardew Valley have goals but never a final one, so always they have more to complete.  In the end, these games are overall great and very calming, unlike our next category.

          Horror games are not quite as popular to play but are still very well known.  Five Nights At Freddy’s is one of the more popular horror games, but there are many more.  Many of them have jumpscares or chases down hallways and try to immerse the player into the game.  Little Nightmares may not have the jumpscares, but it has the theme down perfectly with creepy hallways and dark, damp forests. The art design in Little Nightmares improves the overall experience with a dark theme but not super realistic.  Horror games are definitely something not to be played at night for their nightmarish designs, but the next type has people playing at any time in the day or night.

          Role-playing games, or RPGs, are games with long stories, open worlds, and massive freeroam.  These are some of the most well-known games, like The Legend of Zelda, Red Dead Redemption 2 online, Fallout, Skyrim, and Dark Souls.  Some RPGs also fall into the horror category, but not all of them do. The Legend of Zelda series is a very, very, very popular RPG from Nintendo.  27 different Zelda games have been made since its first release in 1986. They’ve only gotten better with Breath of the Wild (BOTW) getting almost 200 GOTY (Game of the Year) awards.  Known for its beautiful art style, graphics and gameplay, overall BOTW is one of the most popular RPGs out there.  Fallout and Skyrim, The Duo RPGs from Bethesda, are also both very well rated with Skyrim getting over two dozen GOTY awards but with Fallout 4 not winning any.

          The second to last main type of video game that fits into many of the games already listed is FPS, or First Person Shooters.  FPS are some of the most popular games on all devices. DOOM, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and many more.  But none of these games would be around without the original FPS’s.  GoldenEye 007 was one of the first FPS games that started the battle of battle games, and along with the original DOOM, these two games were the building blocks for most FPS games today.  With these FPS games, though, they all share the heat of the battle, the destruction of battlefields, and the exploding of explosives.  Most of these games are rated T for Teen or M for Mature(18+), and for good reason because of the themes of these games. Most of the time FPS games are based on real wars and are meant to look realistic.  This means that the horrors of a battlefield can be experienced without any actual death but is still rated “T” or “M” for blood, gore, violence, and any other violent attribute.

          The action and adventure category already fits into many of the games already listed.  Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, Dark Souls, Legend of Zelda, and any other video game that has you as the player explore, discover, and fight (sometimes not fight).  In Red Dead Redemption 1 it has you hunting down your formal gang members in the dying wild west as the era of the modern world really begins, with missions spanning across the entire open-world and free-roam map (open world means that you can do whatever you want or do the story missions the game gives you, and Free-roam means that you can go anywhere on the map without having to unlock anything). Read Dead also has a very long story with a bunch of side quests to prevail and a world-spanning across part of Mexico and the Southwestern United States to explore (by the way, what I’m calling a “story” is a set of missions that lead you through a plot).  

          Now as you exit out of Forza Horizon 4 after finishing a couple of races, and maybe head off and do something else, or try to play a different game, maybe try an FPS like DOOM, or chill off with a game like Stardew Valley.  Possibly you could gain some adrenaline with a Horror game like FNAF.  So with endless types and possibilities of Video Games out there, there really is something for everyone.

-Walker J.

 

 

          Do you love what you do? Do you work hard on the things you love? There are a lot of challenging things in lacrosse. It is not as easy as it looks; you have to be very aggressive and physical. When you’re going to scoop the ball off the ground you have to dive for it. You have to race to the ball, have your top hand up on the stick and scoop it as hard as you can while bending your knees. Once you have it in your stick you need to cradle the ball, and then you sprint to the goal and hammer it.

          If you want to be good at lacrosse the one thing you really need to be good at is cradling and catching; you need to have those skills down. How you cradle a ball is you need to take your stick and move it back and forth and move it to the right and then to the left and cradle it in. One way to think about it is pretend the ball is an egg and it is very fragile and you do not want to drop it. And when you're catching the ball, think about it the same way. When catching the ball, put your stick out in the front and bring your stick back into a horizontal position when the ball lands in your stick. There are a lot of different techniques to catch and cradle the ball, but those are a couple of ways I like to do it.

          The next thing to be good at lacrosse is shooting. Shooting looks really easy, not difficult at all, but it is not easy by any means. If you want to be good at shooting the one skill you have to be good at is pulling your bottom hand down and pushing with your top hand. Pulling with your bottom hand gives you way more power than pulling down with your top hand. When going to the goal you want to have so much power, and when you shoot you want to shoot at the goalie’s feet because 99% of the time when you shoot at the goalie’s feet it will go in. When you shoot at their body you will have a 50% chance of the ball going into the goal. And that is some of the best techniques for shooting.

          The next thing to be good at lacrosse is passing. Passing looks like this really easy thing to do like shooting, but it is totally not. There are a million different ways to pass. You can pass through the legs, behind your back, and of course, a regular pass. When you are passing you want to put your stick out in front of you like you're asking for the ball. And when you're passing the ball you want to pull with your bottom hand and push with your top hand; it is really important for you to do that. When you pass the ball you want to make sure the ball is in the sweet spot of the stick. The sweet spot is the top of the stick where the ball sinks into the stick. When you pass the ball you want to pass it at a medium speed so it gets to the person quickly but also not throwing it so hard where they can’t catch it. Passing the ball is pretty important when it comes to lacrosse. You want to make sure you have solid, good passes.

          Lacrosse is a really fun sport to play. It may seem super challenging at first, but you will get the hang of it. But remember, you never have to be an athlete to play lacrosse, but if you work as hard as you can, who knows where life will bring you. Like my coach always says, “I brought a team together and I coached them really hard, and by the time they got into high school they won the state championship.”  Never give up what you love.

-Gianna H. 

           

          “He passes it up the ice to one of his teammates!”

          “He’s heading down the ice!”

          “No one is stopping him!”

          “He shoots!”

          “And he scores!”

          “They win the game with a great pass by Bamberger!”

          When playing hockey, there are tons of rules and strategies that you need to follow and learn. There are three positions you play in hockey: defense, wing, center, and goalie. Defense is what I play and what I have been playing my whole life. Defense includes the players that are usually the best at skating and are usually the biggest on the ice. Defense plays behind the offense, and they are the players that protect the goalie (we pretty much make sure that the other team doesn’t score). 

          Wingers are a part of offense. Offense is basically the front line. Wingers play on the sides of the center. They are the ones that are scoring and are usually the fastest on the team. They usually have the best handles (how good you can handle the puck), and they have very good footwork.

          Center is probably the easiest position. You are the player that is best conditioned and can shoot the puck really well. Center is the leader. You are usually the smallest player (that is part of the reason why they are so fast, because they are very light). The centers are usually the players that are all over the place and also have very good footwork. 

          The goalie is the player that is in the net and blocks pucks from getting in that net. He wears the most pads to protect himself from getting hurt. The goalie is usually the tallest on the team.

           When all the positions get together they make a hockey team. The defense, wingers, and center all work together to score goals and make plays. Overall, they work together to be successful and win all the games they can. All of the positions make plays before the game so that they can be ready when they get on the ice. When the team works together they can never lose. Teamwork is a sense of unity. Teamwork brings people together and motivates them to rely on one another to get things done.

-Oliver G.

 

          You’re running down the court, sweat running down your forehead. You hear the loud thunderous steps of the other players trailing right behind you. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the opposing team’s players running right by your side. You’re playing in a competitive game of basketball, and they’re ready to close in on you. Panic flows through your veins as you step up to the hoop. You’re running out of time. The pressure of making the winning shot is tugging at your shoulders, causing you to overthink your every move. You count your steps carefully. One….two….three, shoot. Suddenly, you hear the ear piercing shriek of the whistle and the voice of the referee, “Travel!”

          You could have won the game. But how do you win a basketball game? The answer is simple, whichever team scores more points wins. Points are scored by shooting a basketball and getting it in the hoop. Regular shots scored inside the 3-point line are worth two points. Shots beyond the 3-point line are worth three points. And free throw shots are worth one point. Each team is allowed a minimum of four players on the court.

          Let’s talk about the rules of dribbling. A player dribbles the basketball when they would like to travel around the court without violating the rules. If a player does move both feet while carrying the ball in their hands, they get a travel violation. But where on the court can you dribble the ball? The answer is inbounds. A basketball court will usually have lines running the perimeter of the court. These are the boundary lines. Inside of these lines lies the court, where you can dribble freely. But outside of the lines is what people like to call Out of bounds, which is the area where it is illegal to dribble. Inside of the court is where you may do all of the passing, shooting, and dribbling you would like.

          Sometimes, when you break a rule you will get a foul. Each team is given five fouls per quarter. There are many rule violations that can lead to a foul. But the major cause for a foul is illegal contact between players. Three common fouls in basketball are personal fouls, shooting fouls, and defensive fouls. A personal foul is the most common type of foul and is given to a player when they make illegal contact with another player that violates the rules. A shooting foul is given to a defensive player that makes illegal physical contact with the shooter while he is shooting the ball. And lastly, a defensive foul is a foul given to a defensive player who has made illegal physical contact with another player. Fouls are a very important part of basketball when it comes to keeping the players safe.

          After learning about the many complex rules of basketball, you may be searching for a reason to play. Not only does basketball greatly improve your physical health, but it is also beneficial for your mental health. The rules of basketball are very important because they keep everybody safe and unharmed. But learning and submitting to the rules of basketball also teaches you responsibility, cooperation, and teamwork. As you begin to follow these rules, you are gaining responsibility for you and your team. You are also cooperating with the opposing team, the coaches, the referees, and your teammates. Working and cooperating with others will impact you greatly in the future and teach you the importance of teamwork. This is why learning and obeying the rules of basketball is important.

          Basketball rules are complicated and will vary from team to team. But learning about each of them will help you in the game of basketball. If one team member forgets the rules, they’re letting their whole team down.

-Julia B.

          The shuttlecock is hurtling towards you. Fast. You have to make a split-second decision that decides whether you lose or win. With one quick breath, you leap into action. You jump up and raise your arm and swing. With a THWACK your racquet hits the shuttlecock. Your feet hit the ground, and you look up as the shuttlecock spirals towards your opponent. With a panicked look on their face, they try to hit back, but with their limited options, they fail. The shuttlecock hits the ground. For a second everything is quiet. Then the referee looks up and declares the winner. You have just won the badminton game for the night.

          Badminton, even if it is a challenging sport, can be really fun. It is usually played with a lightweight racquet and a shuttlecock. In the olden days, a small cork was used instead of the shuttlecock with a hemisphere, and 16 geese feathers were attached to it. But nowadays, the shuttles are generally made from synthetic materials, which is allowed by the Badminton World Federation, or BWF for short. A net is present in the middle of the court, and the player has to be able to hit the shuttle over the net to be able to play.

          Badminton can be played in singles and doubles, meaning that either a single person or two people on both courts can play. Badminton is generally played indoors, but with the right conditions and place, it can be played as an outdoor sport too.

          The rules of badminton are pretty simple. There is a toss at the start of the game that determines who will be the first server. Both the players start the game at the right side of their courts. As the game continues, the side from which the players serve changes.

          If the score you have is an even number, you start at the right side of the court, and if you have an odd number you serve at the left. The opponent is always supposed to be diagonal to you when serving. If your opponent hits the shuttle at you, and you fail to hit back, making the shuttle fall on your court, you lose a point. Hitting outside your opponent’s court or touching the net with your racket are ways to lose your points too. 

          The game then continues up to a certain number of points. Usually, in men’s games, the score goes up to 15 points, while in women’s games, the score goes to 11 points in the traditional scoring system, although, in modern badminton, the game can be played up to 21 points as the BWF says. The player that reaches that certain point first wins.

          Badminton is a great sport to play for either fun or if you want to get more fit. Lee Chong Wei, a famous Badminton player, once said, “If we dare to win, we should also dare to lose.” 

          The challenges in this game are always very daunting and often risky. In this quote, Wei sums up one very important point of badminton very well. As he says, “Some risks are worth taking even if a lot is at stake.” Badminton teaches a lot of things, and one of the most important ones is to never give up a good chance when we get one, and always be willing to take risks in life.

          This game will surely make you experience a lot of heart-pumping fun while also helping you get fit! It challenges you and pushes you to your best while also enjoying the game!

-Dona B.

           Are there times where you have felt down or too lazy? If so, go out and play some basketball. Watch as that feeling slowly fades away the more you play. 

          Teamwork. Teamwork is critically important and a necessary experience you need to have had at some point in your life, and basketball is an impeccable way to gain that experience. When you are on a basketball team, every single player is essential to win. It isn’t just about you, or one of your teammates. It is about five people working together to get the job done. It is everyone’s job on the team to think smart and be fast. You learn that as much as you are depending on your teammates, they are depending on you. Teams can bring people together in ways you never would have guessed.

           Remember, each team has to have five players on the court at a time. There are multiple different positions on a team. The names of the different positions are: point guard, shooting guard, center, and forward. These are each equally important.

          First, let’s start with the point guard. Point guards must be aggressive and fast. They do the majority of the ball handling and passing. If the game is going slow, the point guards are usually the ones who get the pace back to swift and active. The team depends on these guards to make the best passing decisions.

           Next, there is the shooting guard. The shooting guard is typically the best shooter and someone who can get the score to increase in a short amount of time. If they cannot get enough buckets flowing, then there is a chance that they may be taken out for a bit.

          The center is very vital, and ironically, can often act as the center of the team, keeping the team together like glue. They always play near the basket, and whenever needed they can jump up to get an easy layup. Due to that though, the problem is that they are a huge target for defense. “Don’t let the center get the ball!”  Since centers are almost always covered by defenders, centers have to be tall so that they can easily plow through the defenders and to the hoop.

          Forwards do what all the other players can’t at the moment. They run to get open, charge through defenders, help out the center, and pass back to teammates. Even if they aren’t shooting guards, forwards can be good at shooting. Even if they aren’t centers they can be great at rebounding. Their title may not be as palpable as the others, but they are still undoubtedly as important as every other player.

          One of the most common and effective ways that people improve their basketball skills is with their teammates. When a player sees that a teammate is heavily improving, it encourages them to do the same, partly so they don’t get left behind. Even just running with a teammate can be so much different from running alone. It helps push a person through if they have someone with them, as if they have the power of both teammates. When running suicides in practice (running back and forth on the lines of the court), it is part of the drill to not let your teammates get too far ahead of you, to fully exert yourself. Everyone loves some friendly competition; for example, to keep shooting until you are better than the best shooter on the team, hold a plank longer than anyone else can.                                           

           Another thing to remember is that your teammates and coaches will push you hard, but when there is no one there to push you, you have to be able to push yourself. The same rule applies to your teammates; it’s a job every teammate has to help their other teammates find their path to success, while finding your own as well.

           Basketball is for elite hard workers or people who are determined to become elite hard workers. That is one of the reasons basketball is so unique; there is always room for progress. Basketball can get you thrilled when nothing else can. You learn to play with teammates as one, to build stamina, and most importantly, play a sport where at the end of the day, you can say that you worked as hard as you possibly could.

-Cassie W. 

 

Ocean Pollution

By: Marina S.

 

 

Did you know that more than 10 million tons of plastic pollutes the ocean per year? Have  you ever considered how much all of that plastic affects and harms the ocean and the things living in it? Ocean pollution even affects humans! 

The most common thing that pollutes the ocean is plastic. Plastic and styrofoam compromise 90% of the ocean. 100 million marine animals die every year from just the plastic in the ocean, but it doesn’t stop there; 100,000 marine animals die every year from getting entangled in all of the plastic. Did you also know that plastic takes 500-1000 years to decompose in the ocean?

            What is ocean pollution? Ocean pollution is all of the plastic and trash that goes into the ocean. Ocean pollution can be caused by many different things, some as small as tiny microplastics to fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Natural events like storms can cause ocean pollution. After storms the water travels to the ocean, but it takes along the oil in the streets that is caused by cars. Oil spills can last years in the ocean. Ocean mining also causes pollution because when humans drill for substances deep in the ocean it creates harmful sulfide deposits.

How is ocean pollution harmful, and what are its effects on humans and animals? Ocean pollution is very easily mistaken as food by animals, which is then transferred into humans when the animal is being consumed. Consuming all of those toxins can affect the human’s health. One of the many toxins in the ocean is mercury. If mercury is exposed to humans, it can increase heart disease and Dementia. If it is exposed to unborn babies, it damages their brains, reduces their IQ, increases risk of autism, ADHD, and other learning disorders. Ocean pollution affects animals even more. Animals can entangle themselves in the debris and get hurt. Pollution also causes there to be less oxygen in the ocean, and low oxygen can kill the animals.

             Littering and poor waste management also take part in causing ocean pollution. Some ways to prevent ocean pollution are to use less plastic; learning to properly dispose of trash and plastic can also make a big difference. Chemical fertilizers also cause pollution, and using less of them can help make the lives of many humans and animals safer. Fishing  properly could also result in a safer environment for ocean animals.

            We need to stop polluting the ocean. Think about how many human and animal lives are being affected by ocean pollution and how worse it’s going to get in the future if we don’t stop now.

           

           

 

 

Global Warming Effects

    By: Veronica S.     

 

 

Picture this:  you’re a thousand years in the future, but instead of the world looking prosperous, it’s nothing short of a wasteland. Droughts have become commonplace, and devastating wildfires start at the drop of a dime. A surplus of plants and animals you’ve grown to love have all gone extinct, and the world is in shambles. This could very well be our world if we don’t do something about global warming. Sounds familiar, right?   Sure, you hear about global warming and climate change all the time, but a vast majority of people don’t quite understand the scope of how many things will be affected. There are many disastrous consequences of global warming that have already started to occur!

            Natural disasters come in a copious amount of forms, but did you know that there is a direct link between climate change and the rate at which natural disasters occur and how destructive they are? In a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they stated that the temperature of the U.S is likely to increase by 10 degrees fahrenheit by the end of the 20th century! In a separate article by Rebecca Lindsey and LuAnn Dahlman, they stated that the average rate of increase per decade since 1981 has been 0.18C/0.32C; that’s more than double the rate of increase since 1880! More droughts and wildfires have started to occur due to the drastic increases in temperature. However, that’s not all; thanks to ice melting all over the world, the water level has already started to increase.

Okay, so things will get hotter and wetter, but what does that have to do with natural disasters?  you might be wondering. Well, ponder no longer, because while this may seem like it has nothing to do with natural disasters, “Human Health” states, “Floods are the second deadliest of all weather-related hazards in the United States, accounting for approximately 98 deaths per year.” Also, the Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Warmer air and oceans are producing more extreme hurricanes, with record-breaking amounts of rain and wind.” Not only this, but that same article also states that due to climate change, major Hurricanes like Hurricane Harvey have gone from occurring every hundred years to every sixteen, and thanks to the rise in sea level they’re more destructive and are wreaking more havoc than ever before!

            Not only are people’s lives in jeopardy due to global warming, but so is the economy. The natural disasters triggered by global warming have already cost billions of dollars. A study conducted by Columbia University stated, “In 2017, Texas’s estimated losses from Hurricane Harvey were $125 billion;” this hasn’t even scratched the surface when it comes to covering the financial peril that numerous amounts of people will be in due to the food shortages that may potentially be triggered by climate change. An article by the Union Of Concerned Scientists states, “Hotter temperatures and droughts will make corn, wheat, and other staple crop supplies less stable, leading to price spikes and food shortages. The roughly 800 million people currently living in extreme poverty will be most affected.”

Climate change will also be a detriment to health on a worldwide scale. Due to global warming, there may be shifts in flowering time, which will lead to more pollen and a much more hazardous time for people with asthma. Climate change could also potentially affect waterborne and foodborne diseases by making them more potent. Mental health will be influenced by climate change as well. Scientists have found that people have higher levels of anxiety and might even get ptsd, which stands for post traumatic stress disorder, after experiencing natural disasters. A study by “Human Health” found that even suicide rates increase with the temperature! Climate change will even affect the health of other living beings, such as plants and animals. In an article by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they declared, “Only a small amount of warming will kill 70 to 90 percent of the world’s coral reefs; up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas could face extinction.”

Global warming is not something to be taken lightly, and it’s time for people to start opening their eyes and realizing that global warming isn’t just something that we can brush off and deal with later, and that if we don’t take immediate action it will only get more grave with time. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious. Everyone and everything will be affected from natural disasters, to the economy, to even people’s health, both physically and mentaly. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious, but it’s not too late to stop it.

 

 

Nuclear Weapons, Man’s Most Powerful Weapon of Mass Destruction

By: Jai M.

 

 

 

Do you like the thought of toxic, lethal radiation in our atmosphere and in our soil? Do you like the thought of that lethal radiation staying in the atmosphere for thousands of years? Well that is the disturbing truth of the most powerful man-made object in the world: the Nuclear Bomb.

Scientists predicted that if there were to be a nuclear war, and 100 nuclear weapons were used, it would cause tens of millions of climatic changes, not to mention the significant amount of deaths and/or extinctions that the war would cause. Even though it is highly unlikely that a nuclear war will happen in the near future (but it is still possible), nuclear tests are still a huge threat to the environment. The U.S. alone has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere in the past eighty years, and it is steadily increasing the amount of radioactive material in the atmosphere. After atmospheric testing in the 1960s alone, radiocarbon levels in the atmosphere were up by 190%.

            Nuclear weapons have also become more powerful and more dangerous. The only time nukes were actually used in war was in 1945 in World War 2. Both “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” were nuclear bombs made from Plutonium and were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings killed well over 200,000 people. Just the Nuclear tests from 1954 to 1980 were equivalent to 29,000 Hiroshima sized nuclear explosions. That is petrifying.

Considering the amount of damage nuclear weapons can do, and how much it affects humans and the Earth's environment, the truth gets worse. The U.S. alone has 5,800 nuclear warheads ready to be launched at any moment. Just process that number: 5,800 modern nuclear warheads. One warhead alone could kill an estimated 1.2 million people and injure an additional 2 million people. All of these nukes are stashed around the U.S. in secret hiding places such as in nuclear submarines, in nuclear silos, secret military bases, and in some aircraft carriers. All of these nukes can receive the order to launch at any moment and can reach countries that are halfway around the world. That’s hard to even imagine.

Nuclear bombs are not just a big explosion that blows up. It has many complex stages to cause maximum destruction. Milliseconds after the initial explosion, there is a massive fireball in the sky, followed by the massive mushroom cloud above where the fireball was. Next, a shockwave travels at a speed of 300m/s, which is close to the speed of sound, not to mention all of the radioactivity of which people can get exposed. It can also cause severe radioactive burns called Beta Burns.     

Scientists use “Millisieverts” as a way of measuring how much radiation is in one's body, and how much radiation one has been exposed to. After the attacks on Hiroshima and Nakasaki, people were getting diagnosed with 50 to 100 millisieverts 20 weeks after the explosion. That same amount of millisieverts can increase one’s chance of dying from cancer in one’s lifetime by 25%. Some parts of Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still unsafe to travel to this day from the threat of possible radiation exposure since 1945 because the radioactive materials stay on Earth for thousands of years before fully decomposing. The whole nuclear blast range has a good chance to be contaminated with radioactivity that stays there for generations. Keep in mind, the nuclear weapons used in World War 2 happened almost eighty years ago, and Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still contaminated with radioactive waste. Just take some time to imagine what a nuclear bomb could do in today’s world. That is terrifying to think about. 

That is the petrifying truth of how strong nuclear weaponry can truly be. It can not only kill millions of lifeforms, but it has long term effects on the Earth’s environment. Countries and people need to start to focus on lowering the amounts of nuclear testing and the possibility of a nuclear war. The world already has enough major problems, and stopping nuclear use is one step closer to making the world a safer and better place.

 

 

The Uprise of Teen Depression

By: Nethra C.

 

Swirls and bursts of morose emotions flood your brain. Panic washes over you like a giant wave. As a teen, have you ever felt sad or stressed? These feelings are normal for any human being, but exhibiting these emotions daily can spiral down the unhealthy path of teen depression.  In recent years, teen depression has become more prominent than ever. Adults must rise to this situation before more and more loved ones are lost to suicide and despair. If we don’t take charge today, future generations could cripple from constant mental health issues.

About 20 percent of teens experience depression before adulthood. Furthermore, many keep this issue to themselves and never reveal anything to any adults. Perhaps, this number could be substantially more. Only 30 percent of teens facing depression are being treated! San Diego University professor Jean Twenge reveals that five times as many teens are dealing with depression-related issues than those observed during the Great Depression. Many kids who go down this route also face suicide. The rate of suicide of teens has tripled since 1960. It’s the third-leading cause of death of adolescents and second-leading among college youth.   

Why do all these things happen? And why is depression particularly affecting teens nowadays? To support this, school may be a major cause of mental health concerns. Excessive homework, exams, bullies, relationships, and pressure to do well cause lots of stress on kids. The staff from the Discover Mood and Anxiety program state, “modern-day lifestyles… less exercise, and no casual and unstructured technology-free play, less sunshine and more computer -- factors into the equation.” As technology gets advanced, many things in the world will solely rely on devices. Kids are sucked into technology and forget to do essential practices like exercising and going outside. According to Stanford Children’s Health, “a stressful home environment… and violence can lead to depression.” Trauma at home generates a big source of mental health predicaments. This includes divorce or death of parents, furthermore abuse and neglect as well. Unfortunately, once these issues cross a certain line, kids climb into deeper and darker levels of depression. According to https://www.mhanational.org/depression-teens-0, symptoms include hostile, aggressive behavior, substance abuse, destroyed relationships, and suicide. The Mayo Clinic Staff states, “It affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.” It’s repulsive how these circumstances can befall right under our noses. 

Fortunately, hope is not lost. If parents and teachers frequently intervene in a child’s life, serious mental health conditions can easily be prevented and terminated.  However, this doesn’t mean nagging or bothersome reminders. Preferably, adults should make kids feel comfortable speaking out and kindly approach them. According to Jill Suttie Ph.D., a psychologist, there are five different ways parents can help prevent depression in teens. Parents should implement continual care and support, teach strong emotional and social skills, encourage positive relationships,  and stimulate them to seek purpose in life.

Additionally, parents need to group in associations or unions and operate to change the school system and conditions. This could include talking to many teachers or the school board about reducing the daily workload on students. Molly Galloway from Lewis and Clark College says, “Because homework tends to act as a stressor in students’ lives, their bodies must find a way to respond or react to this stressor, chronic stress can induce negative physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes.” Moreover, parents could opt for a special program for specific bullies, or give out stricter rules and enforcement. Stopbullying.gov says, “Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues.” This act will positively impact every kid in the school and prevent them from experiencing distress. 

Even once teens have already fallen under depression, there are still many things parents can do. They should resort to medical solutions and professional help. For example, parents can take teens to mental health screenings to determine a kid’s conditions. Mental Health America announces, “Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, medication” can drastically improve mental health in teens.  Most kids exhibit clear warning signs for attempted suicide. These include: “Obsession with death, giving away belongings, irrational, bizarre behavior.”  If all adults are somewhat educated in these matters, they could prevent many lives from being lost. 

We never know what goes on in the mind of a fragile teenager. Substantial numbers of teens are being lost every day due to depression and suicide. Families and schools must stop taking this point nonchalantly! All adults must collaborate to intercept and stop mental health obstacles from destroying our younger generations. Next time you go to school, check in on your classmates;  ask how they’re doing. Raising this topic at home and at school can cause others to become aware as well. If we all want to be healthy 20 years in the future, everyone needs to play their small role in stopping this noxious hindrance.

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Side of Obesity

By: Judah J.

 

           

            America, land of the free, home of the obese. Out of 141 countries, America ranks 12th. Yay, right? Yet another victory for America. However, this high placement is extremely negative. America did not place 12th in rights, nor gun ownership, rather obesity. 36.2% of our population is obese. Two in five Americans suffer from obesity. Isn’t that tragic? Approximately 300,000 Americans die annually due to issues related to obesity. Obesity has several negative effects: reduced quality of life, shorter life expectancy, mental issues, and the list goes on. However, although these effects may be obvious, the causes may not meet the eye. Obesity is caused by more than excessive eating, culture and influential socio-economics being two of the main causes.

            It is important to take the several causes of obesity into consideration when talking about obesity. Americans become obese through a diverse set of reasons, such as unhealthy eating rather than excessive eating (although excessive eating remains a large cause). In several cases, Americans have no choice but to consume unhealthy foods. In 2019, 10.5% of American households were food insecure at least sometime during the year. It is oftentimes that cheap processed foods are more affordable compared to healthy whole foods.

Redlining and segregation have forced African Americans and Latino Americans into areas of poverty and low income. Due to the lack of money in these areas, residents have been left with no other choice but to purchase cheap, and often unhealthy foods that can be easily found. Cheap sugary drinks such as grape soda are marketed in these areas of poverty and are known to negatively affect the health of consumers. This is where the stereotype of “grape drink loving blacks” originated. These areas are known as food deserts. European Americans weren’t subject to redlining, segregation, and other socioeconomic government tactics used to diminish American citizens. So although European Americans have a high obesity rate, their obesity isn’t affected by malicious government tactics, rather other causes. Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate, 17.4%. The large majority of Asian Americans are first and second generation immigrants, meaning that Asian Americans weren’t subject to segregation and other pre-segregation socio-economics that would force them into poor areas. Notice the correlation between poverty and obesity? Poverty plays a factor in the high obesity rates of African Americans, as well as Latino and Hispanic Americans. The high poverty rates of these communities are also affected by socio-economics that were diminished during times of segregation, as well as sometime after. A few examples being court bias, which unreasonably jailed minorities, unequal education, and as mentioned previously, redlining. It was difficult for minorities (African Americans and Latinos) to succeed in a country where majorities didn’t allow them to. In simple terms, the more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.

            Culture and societal standards also play a significant role in the obesity rates of American demographics. Take Asian Americans for instance.  Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate by far when compared to African Americans, Latino Americans, and European Americans. This is irregular because, in my previous logic, “The more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.” This means that Asian Americans should have a higher obesity rate than European Americans because their poverty rate is higher (slightly). Although my previous logic is in fact correct, culture can affect the obesity rate of demographics. Asian Americans are largely first and second generation immigrants. This being taken into account, Asian Americans have close cultural ties to their country of origin. East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea typically have a current society that rejects overweight citizens. For instance, Japan has a legal waistline limit on women, 40 years old and up, of 33.4 inches, and a legal waistline limit on men, 40 years old and up, of 33.5 inches. The average waistline of an American male is approximately 40.2 inches, and for women 20 to 30 years old, 37.1 inches. For women 60 and over, 39.9 inches. It’s obvious that Japanese immigrants would be thinner than Americans due to these laws. In Korea, people who are 5’4 and 93lbs match the beauty standards of their society. Koreans eat smaller portions of food on top of dieting to maintain their thin physique. Korean pop-stars and influencers also promote their thin beauty standards. Chinese citizens also partake in trends that supposedly measure one’s beauty, a popular one being the coin in the collarbone challenge, a challenge in which Chinese women attempt to stack coins in their collarbone gap. According to their logic, the more coins you are able to stack in your collarbone gap, the more pronounced your collarbone is, and the more pronounced your collarbone is, the thinner and prettier you are. Trends similar to this promote a thinner beauty standard. Other Asian countries follow suit, however it is of greater importance to focus on China, Korea, and Japan because the large majority of East Asian immigrants come from these three countries.

            Culture can prevent obesity, and culture can cause obesity. Take African Americans for instance. Culturally, African Americans create foods that are often unhealthy, such as Soul Food. Fried chicken and chitlins are two popular foods within the Soul Food category, as well as macaroni and cheese. According to healthline.com in Is soul food healthy?, “Many items commonly associated with soul food are linked to an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Yet, soul food can be made much healthier by emphasizing the tradition’s nutritious dishes.”  healthline.com also says, “This eating pattern is tied to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, and mental decline.” This can be interpreted as, “Soul food can be healthy, but only when you make it healthy.” After all, collard greens (a soul food) are a very nutritious leafy green.

            Returning to the general culture of America, fast food franchises promote obesity as well. The usage of bright colors such as the infamous red and yellow in the McDonald’s logo are a prime example. Red is a color of alert, energy, and action. The color red is also used to grab attention; this helps franchises attract customers while passing by their restaurants. The pituitary gland can be activated by the color red, which in turn encourages appetite. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Burger King are the top five most popular fast food chains in America. Starbucks is the only fast food chain that doesn’t include red in their advertisements. Starbucks utilizes the color green instead, which also encourages customers to buy from them. The color green is a natural color, the color of the earth, and a peaceful color. Coffee shops are known to be calm and peaceful places, somewhere busy people can sit down, grab a coffee, and complete work on their laptops. The dark green in the starbucks logo promotes this idea perfectly.

Drive-thrus play a significant role in the consumption of fast food as well. The addition of Drive-thrus gives customers the convenience of purchasing cheap unhealthy food quickly from the added comfort of their personal vehicle. Drive-thrus also hook customers in. If a customer chooses to purchase fast food from inside a restaurant, they have time to think about whether or not they really want to buy the food. In order to buy from inside a fast food restaurant, a customer must find a parking spot, walk inside the restaurant, and wait in line. This process takes longer to complete than buying from a Drive-thru. All customers have to do when buying from a Drive-thru is enter the line. It is likely that other customers will be in the back and front of a customer, effectively blocking them in. If customers have difficulty exiting the Drive-thru line it is likely that they will buy food regardless of their appetite. Customers do this because they already wasted their time in line, so they buy themselves a treat as a self-reward.

Americans also buy a lot of fast food due to the sheer amount of fast food restaurants in America! Fast food franchises install their restaurants in densely populated areas as they know they will have more customers. The denser the population, the more fast food restaurants there are. This is no mistake. In this scenario, correlation is causation. Nothing is safe from the red wrath; schools utilize the color red in their foods as well. Bosco Sticks, served at FMS, use a white background on their packaging to make their red logo isolated. This effective tactic of isolation catches the eye of students passing by. Mozzarella breadsticks are also unhealthy. Mozzarella cheese is high in fat and the breadsticks are high in carbs. America was built on marketing, and America is continuously fueled by marketing. It is unlikely that we will see a change in these practices; Americans will continue to grow obese.

            As previously said, it is unlikely that we will see change in manipulative marketing tactics. However, there is a partial solution. As opposed to buying fast food and purchasing processed foods, cook your own meals. Cooking, and even growing your own foods (although difficult), isa lot healthier than consuming foods elsewhere. Local grocery stores such as Hannaford, ShopRite, and Price Chopper sell decently affordable foods that you can cook at home. These options may not be available to all Americans, especially those in food deserts, so take advantage of these opportunities if you can. For financial assistance, reach out to charity funds and other organizations that provide money needed to purchase nutritious foods. As always, be sure to get the recommended amount of daily exercise. Go on a walk, take a bike ride, or find a hobby that requires physical activity. YouTube has plenty of free exercise videos that you can watch, whether you’re looking for a short cardio exercise or a lengthy strength training exercise. Remember, the healthier you are, the happier you will be!

            Recognition of the obesity epidemic is growing, but a proper solution has yet to be achieved. In order to put an end to the ongoing obesity epidemic, we as people must unite and discuss actions that need to be taken. Let’s make America healthier.