Joining a new sport as a senior
May 3, 2019
On Feb. 26, I winced as I heard the loud sound of the starting pistol mark the beginning of my race. I kept up for the first 10 seconds, but I found myself falling behind. One lap in, my shoelace became untied. My chest was pounding; it was difficult to breathe, and I pushed myself to keep up. I suddenly...
To quit, or not to quit?
March 1, 2019
Why was I hesitant to rejoin the badminton team for my fourth and final season? I had made the effort to get my physical done ahead of time. I had spent an afternoon taking the baseline concussion test. I had been cleared by the trainer to play a spring sport. Deciding whether or not to go back to th...
The NBA is not tea time
February 27, 2019
“Let us play basketball.” The moment Golden State Warriors’ All-NBA forward Kevin Durant uttered these words, sports networks rushed to dissect them, as well as the entirety of Durant’s post-game rant directed at the press. In particular, Sports Illustrated’s distortion of this statement st...
Dedicated or desensitized?: Athletes continue to train hard as smoke envelops California
November 30, 2018
“Practice is cancelled again today! How will I race next weekend?” My sister bursts through the door, her voice laced with concern. We launch into a discussion, trying to decide the best workaround. Three hours later, we’re swimming indoors at our local YMCA, relieved to be able to continue practici...
Love one team, respect all
November 9, 2018
I walked into SAP Center, anticipating the sea of blue and gold I had seen the last time I watched a Golden State Warriors game in person. Instead, I saw fans decked in blue, gold, black and purple. Despite being a preseason game, this game was no ordinary one. The strongest team in the league, the Golden ...
Female athletes face unfair sexism
October 5, 2018
After years of having the same uniforms, the girls tennis team was excited for a change: new tank tops. We quickly placed orders to ensure that our uniforms would arrive in time for matches, not realizing that a white tank top with an open cut in the back would cause such a disruption. Without our knowl...
Cross country team takes season in stride
October 5, 2018
His lungs burn. 50 meters. Sweat drips down his face. 40 meters. His breath gets heavier and heavier with each step. 30 meters. His legs feel like collapsing, but his mind refuses to let them stop. 20 meters. His heart beats through his chest, and his skin burns from the sun. 10 meters. Almost there. 5...
Unathletic n’ unafraid
April 26, 2018
It is safe to say that anyone who even remotely knows me is aware that I am no athlete. Despite my lifelong wishes to be fast, strong or agile, I have never acquired any of these qualities during my fifteen years. In fact, I am one of the clumsiest people you will ever meet. Now don’t get me wrong...
There’s no I in team: why I wished I joined a sport
March 29, 2018
As a freshman, I walked into high school with many objectives. I wanted to make new friends, participate in clubs and play a school sport. As time progressed, I checked each of these items off of my check list — all except for playing a sport. I completed all of the necessary forms to participate ...
Olympics: a unifying force between divided nations
March 1, 2018
After years of rising tension, political strife and military aggression, North and South Korea put their differences aside and walked under a common flag that displayed the peninsula as one nation during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics. In what seemed a gesture of peace and unity, t...
Does powderpuff empower female athletes or perpetuate stereotypes?
March 1, 2018
Powderpuff lets girls play football while the guys take a break and cheer them on. But there’s something very wrong with this picture. Girls don’t need the boys to step aside so that they can take their place on the field. And thinking that way is dangerously old-fashioned. Across the country, girls are j...
The aftermath of Larry Nassar’s sentencing
February 17, 2018
As each woman stepped up to the witness platform and addressed the established, kind doctor they had once trusted, their words traveled beyond the walls of Michigan’s Ingham County Courthouse, deeply felt by all who had watched the case unfold. Larry Nassar’s world began to crumble around him. ...
