Option 2, Football - On the Topic of Sports

Now I know that everyone reading this has been to a football game. Whether it was one of Lakeview High's, college, or pro, you have seen 22 big sweaty men on a football field going after one another. However, have you actually payed attention to this game? Do you actually know what is happening, or are you just there to socialize? Football isn't just a sport where people constantly hit each other until our school grades start to decrease. Football constantly requires skill, effort, concentration, and determination. Without these concepts and abilities, you will easily lose the game. Football can also look pointless to someone who doesn't know the mechanics behind each play. Nonetheless, throughout my many years of playing the sport, I know the values and lessons that you inherit from playing a single game. Football isn't just a sport where 22 people constantly hit each other, it's a sport that teaches you hard work, determination, and teamwork.

Temperatures rise as the football season begins, starting right after school ends for summer vacation, basically meaning that your summer vacation is already over. Summer lifting sessions are beginning in the morning, forcing my lazy self out of my bed and into the weight room to prepare myself for the upcoming season. The grueling temperatures make sweat constantly drip into your eyes as you bench 225 pounds, or repeatedly slam a sledgehammer off of a giant tire. The moments like these, where I start to feel faint, make me realize why I am even there in the first place. I put in so much work to play the game I love, and I don't regret a single second of it. Because of my hard work, I have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger than last season, striking fear into my adversary's hearts as they see me walk across the field. You might be wondering, "Well, he's really not that big," and I know that. However, because of all my hard work, I have created a name for myself on the field. I may not be all that big but i hit very hard. Even when I was in 7th grade I went after all the 8th grade running backs and tackled them all. Even last year I threw myself at a running back that has a full ride to Michigan St. to play football, and I tackled him. Forcing myself out of bed every morning and putting in hard work and sweat each and every day of the summer, helped me become the defensive player I am today, tackling anybody that comes my way.

Determination and hard work almost go hand in hand. In order to wake up every day and put in hard work, you need determination. Football has taught me determination because each practice is extremely long and very tiring. However, with the certain goals that you have in mind for the upcoming season, you stay determined during the entire season. Granted, not everything goes as planned while on a football field, just like how I didn't plan on losing my memory during the Howland game last year, but you stay determined and focused on the goals you have for you and the person standing next to you. I came back the following day for the Saturday morning practice just to be there for my teammates and our team goals. With my determination, I was able to bounce back from a set back and continue on with my season, along with my hard work.

What's the definition of a 2-a-day? A 2-a-day is an entire day fully dedicated to the practice of football. It eventually turned into a 3-a-day because staying out in the sun from 7 AM until 3 PM seemed a little crazy. So 3 practices turned into an even better idea. Besides the fact, these long 3-a-day practices consist of constant practicing and learning, but not only that, you start bonding and creating friendships. These friendships eventually turn the entire team into a family, your second family that you cannot separate. My football teams is hands down all the people I can trust the most because I know that they have my back I have theirs on and off the field. You have to put in a lot of trust into your teammates while on the football field because without everyone cooperating and doing their jobs, the main objective won't be accomplished. You need each and every body on the field to do their job correctly in order to complete the objective and eventually win the game. Your teammates are the most important aspects in football, and teamwork is essential, not only in winning a football game, but achieving your goals in life as well.

Football isn't just some game where everyone hits each other for fun, and runs around the field after a ball that doesn't even roll in a straight line. The game of football is very complex and works every part of your mind and body. You need to memorize the playbook, know where to go during certain instances, and know what your teammates are doing every play as well. It establishes life lessons and teaches you how to overcome your problems. It isn't an easy game, which is why I think I enjoy it. It challenges you until the moment you can't feel your legs, making you wish you didn't play but then the determination kicks in, which you've established from playing football, and you keep playing. Not only for your own enjoyment, but for your teammates and the goals you have set for your team. Football is an obstacle every time you strap on your helmet, so next time you go and watch a football game, pay attention to what the players are doing and what they have to overcome each play. Observe what they do, where they go, and how they executive each play. Football teaches you a lot, so if you watch carefully you might just learn something yourself.

Arrested on Live TV - SSR

In the past few years, many riots and protests have broken out over the topic of police brutality. Is it truly police brutality or is it self defense? Or are they simply doing what they are told to do? Policemen undergo severe circumstances at times, risking their lives to help out their communities. Take 9/11 for example, not only firemen but policemen as well helped out after the collapses. Many New York policemen were up the whole night searching through the rubble of the fallen towers, searching for bodies, helping their fallen community. With the recent uproar over in Baltimore, many policemen are being injured from the riots breaking out all across the city over the death of Freddie Gray. They are being injured because they are simply doing their jobs. They are trying to help their community and the acknowledgements they receive is a riot. Is the rioting in Baltimore necessary? A simply protest, like that of the famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would suffice, far beyond any riot.

On Tuesday, April 28th, a man named Joseph Kent was arrested on live TV in Baltimore, for staying past curfew. According to the video, his attorney, Don Lemon, spoke for Kent on behalf of his peaceful protesting. Lemon stated that Kent was advising the media to go home, and that they shouldn't be there. Kent wasn't using any forceful actions as he walked on the streets with his hands up showing that he was harmless. In the video, nonetheless, Kent was then ambushed my policemen with riot shields, forcing him to the ground and arresting him. This video painted the wrong image of our policemen just doing their jobs. The policemen encountered citizens on the streets earlier in the day around the same area, who were throwing rocks at them and conflicting pain upon them. The police assumed that Kent was apart of this group so they saw him as a threat. Plus, Kent was out past the curfew that was issued all across Baltimore earlier in the week. The police force was accused of arresting an innocent man, however he wasn't as innocent as it seemed. Even though Kent had his hands raised signaling he meant no harm, he was still near the earlier group who were throwing things at the policemen, making Kent a suspect. Also, he was out past the curfew that was issued, making his more of a suspect, and to be arrested.

Was is wrong for the policemen to arrest this man? I believe that they had the right to, maybe not as brutally as they did, but they had to protect themselves. Kent was suspected to be affiliated with the earlier harmful group that were throwing things at the policemen, so the policemen had to protect themselves from any other possible rioters throwing objects at them. Also, the policemen were only doing what they were supposed to do. The services of Baltimore were issued to have everyone turned in before curfew, so no more harm was to occur. This was their objective, and that is why Kent was arrested. They were following orders and they were doing their job; the media depicted it incorrectly.

These riots have been occurring all throughout the great city of Baltimore and have spread into cities like Philadelphia. Buildings and cars are being set on fire; buildings and stores are being emptied from thieves; and many people, citizens and servicemen, are being injured daily because of these riots. Is a harmful riot the right way to protest against something you find unconstitutional? Is harming the policemen that protect your rights everyday a right way to express how you feel? Harmful actions isn't the answer to your everyday obstacles. The people of Baltimore need to realize this and the harm they are causing, to not only themselves, but also to their city.  They should sit down with their legislatures, talk about the problems they face everyday, discuss what they find unconstitutional, and settle it without rioting or using harmful actions against one another and their community. They are destroying themselves, without achieving any headway towards a peaceful conclusion. Go about the protest peacefully, without causing harm to your community and the people around you, who are your friends, neighbors, and family.

Smoking Ban in New Orleans - SSR

This past Tuesday night, New Orleans City Council passed a law that banned smoking in most places all throughout the city. This included bars, casinos, and restaurants. According to this article, many of the restaurant owners feared that the smokey atmosphere would affect the singers and entertainers that performed for these certain places. These bars, casinos, and restaurants didn't want their waiters and musicians to work in such a bad atmosphere. The ban was put into affect on Wednesday, right before all the jazz fests and Mardi Gras celebrations that attract so many tourists.

The vote for the ban of smoking across these attractions in the great city of New Orleans was unanimous, meaning every member of the City Council thought it was necessary. Nonetheless, Harrah's New Orleans and bar owners filed a lawsuit to stop the ban, and a hearing is scheduled in state court in a month. Regardless of the lawsuit, fines start at $50 for anyone smoking within these casinos, restaurants, and bars.

I myself agree with the New Orleans City Council regarding the smoking ban. I believe that smoking in public places is very distracting, harmful, and rude. This ban can be a step forward in the completely abolishing smoking in public. Especially since it occurred in such a large and recognized city, it could set an example for other cities across our nation. Many citizens find that smokers who practice their harmful habits in public places tend to be a nuisance, so New Orleans taking this step toward no smoking environments is an enormous step. 

Why is smoking in public places such an important topic? Smoking alone causes cancer within the lungs, bladder, throat and mouth, kidneys, cervix, and pancreas. Smoking is linked to about 90% of all lung cancer in the United States, and almost one third of deaths from coronary heart disease is linked to smoking or secondhand smoke. On average, a smoker dies 10 years before a nonsmoker, and it is the most preventable death in the United States. About 54% of American children between 3-11 years old are exposed to secondhand smoke. This are only a few of the statistics proving that smoking is one of the most harmful things on this planet. Too many people die from the horrible habit, so the fact that New Orleans is making this stance is a huge improvement. We can all, as cities, towns, states, and even as a whole nation, can put an end this this tyranny. Too many citizens, especially children who have their who lives to look forward to, are exposed to secondhand smoke, causing many diseases within our internal organs. Let's go forth off of the actions of the New Orleans City Council, and start making huge adaptions and changes to the smoking habitats of our nation. More and more nonsmoking environments need to be established, making this nation smoke free, and a more promising place to live for our youth. 

ACT - You might want to hurry up... PB

As we all know, the ACT is incredibly stressful and nearly impossible to finish. Whose idea was it to make a 4 to 5 hour long test, in which no one can finish. Rhetorically speaking of course because you occasionally come across the master minds who finish the whole test without missing a single point, achieving a score of 36. However, this is extremely rare. So then there's me, waltzing in with my sweatpants and glasses making myself as comfortable as I can be just to realize how slow I am at test taking. Every test I take I am always the last one and trust me I realize this because it makes me nervous and anxious to finish the test, which also results in me filling in wrong answers. My peers all know this is true because even during the multiple choice tests I am constantly the last one to turn in the wrong answers. The ACT truly made me realize how slow I am when the supervisor yells out "5 more minutes!" and I've only answered a little more then half of the questions. Settling with a score of 23, I know it's not too great, so I hope this Saturday that will change. Of course, this means I have to swiftly go through each section whilst carefully answering each question with great thought and wisdom.
Each section is different when it comes to how much time you have and how many questions you need to answer. My personal opinion is that the Reading section is by far the most difficult for me. As ironic as it may seem, just hear me out. Like our cold multiple choice tests, the ACT requires you to read multiple short stories, followed by a series of questions pertaining to the story you just read. However, unlike the 2 stories, 10 questions each, and the whole class period like in our AP class, the ACT has 4 stories, 10 questions each, and 35 minutes! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are 5 other questions littered in the Reading section making it 45 questions in 35 minutes. I believe that this is the predicament. So how does any human being plan on finishing this section? I know, I myself, have never finished this section yet and probably won't any time soon. Sorry Mrs. Wood, but it is just not happening.
The science section is almost nothing like any science I have ever learned. The ACT provides you with multiple pictures followed by a series of questions referring to those pictures. In the questions, it makes you look at all of the pictures, compare the pictures and the "possible outcomes," and makes you predict the answer yourself, There is no biology, anatomy, or even chemistry which I know all quite well, because it's what I've learned. I can't recall a time where I've second guessed myself more than the science section of the ACT. Once again, you have a shortened period of time to answer more questions then you have minutes, making you panic and basically hallucinate. How many times you freak out during a test definitely determines your future, obviously.
The ACT is also full of surprises. I say this of course because throughout the years of high school, my resentment for math has increased to the highest level. However, once I finally got back my test scores, after waiting about a month, I realized my highest score was in math. With a slight idea of what I want to go to college for, math plays a minuscule part in my future. Science, however, is an enormous part, especially for nursing. So once I realized that science was my lowest I was pretty upset. Not only with myself but with the ACT because if it actually tested me on science related subjects I would've done exceptionally better.
The writing portion (if you take it) just adds onto the pressure of taking the ACT. You sit there with your fabulous #2 pencil and realize you have no idea how to explain and describe what they are asking you to write about. Then you sit and wonder how you won't sound mindless to the mystical creatures that grade you ACT who, most likely, just sit there and laugh at you and your writings.
Overall, the ACT has brought nothing but anxiety and sadness to me and my Saturdays. If you have taken it then you can relate to me and my problems concerning this monstrosity of a test. I don't understand how taking a test that basically sets you up for failure gets to determine your future. What concerns me the most is that college professors will look at my 23 and will instantly turn me down. So hopefully I will be able to conquer the ACT on Saturday resulting in a score of 25 or higher, to prove to all the high school and college professors that I'm not an illiterate football player like everyone seems to label me as.

Looking for a New Car - PB

My family and I have had my red 2003 Dodge Durango for as long as I could remember. It served as a family car the whole time, driving the Boldt family around from state to state for various vacations. Each year we would stuff the Durango with all of our luggage and venture out across the Eastern side of the United States searching for a nice beach to drive the red beast across. The four wheel drive would kick in and we would't have any trouble getting to our sandy destination. The sentimental value of the Durango is at an all time high considering the path it has taken through our whole family. It all started when my family bought the Durango way back when for my mother, who used it has an everyday car. Once my sister was old enough to be licensed and drive her own car, my mother passed on the lovely red beast to be driven by my sister. Then, once I started approaching the age of driving, my mother started to search for a new car, mainly for my sister, Casey, because the gas mileage of the Durango is absolutely absurd in this economy. So once my mom found a car for Casey, and I reached the time of my life to drive by myself fully licensed, I was handed down the Durango. After two years of driving the tank (Abraham is his name based off of the M1 Abrams tank the U.S. Military uses) I thought it was time to finally save money on gas, and pass the legendary Durango onto another family in need. The Durango has been nothing but helpful to the Boldt family and I love it, but it's time to move on and start saving money with a more fuel efficient vehicle. Like they say, all good things have to come to an end. No, not necessarily, just this one unfortunately. 
So thus began the epic adventure of search and seizure of a new and improved vehicle. One more stylish, fuel efficient, and holds less storage, because the Durango is a very massive four-wheel-drive tank. However, a high school student like myself doesn't necessarily need all the space in a car, so I planned on searching for a mid-sized car, like a sedan. Especially since the time of the yearly Boldt family vacations have come to an end, such a big sized car is somewhat useless. Even though I loved the Durango, and all the memories it held within itself, I continued my search for a different car. It has been one of the most difficult and frustrating adventures I have ever had because of my parents' qualifications. "It needs to be this... it has to have that," so many aspects of a car that keep holding me back. Not a lot of vehicles have met their criteria and lies within their zone of capabilities. Nonetheless, given the complications and hardships, I have found two vehicles that piked their interests. However, both failed to make its way back to my driveway. The first one, a 2010 Mazda 3s, was in Akron so it was a long drive. After many e-mails with the dealership, we scheduled an appointment for my parents and I to go look at this sporty sedan. But, of course, 10 minutes before we were leaving for Akron, and e-mail popped up on my phone telling me someone else has bought it. The other car was a 2008 Dodge Avenger SXT, another sporty sedan, that was waiting in Lordstown. My parents went to look at it while I attended my baseball game only to come back with bad news. The car was in terrible condition, and the Internet lied to us, who would've thought. So my adventure of finding another car continues, to replace the wonderful, dear to our hearts, big red beast named Abraham.

freebie 4-2-15

Stress? Why of Course! You can't escape. -PB

What is stress? According to Merriam-Webster, stress is a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. Merriam-Webster is pretty well known for being accurately correct, however in their definition for stress they forgot the most important aspect, school. Or, if you would enjoy a more simple definition of school I will provide you with one: Lakeview High School. Everyone (almost everyone-avoid fallacies kids) in Trumbull County knows that Lakeview provides its students with one of the hardest curriculum. On some students' report cards, it shows. I'm one of those students, however most students excel beyond belief. It could possibly be that I can, maybe, possibly be a little lazy.But let's look at the factors behind my constant decreasing of grades.

Once again, the stress levels are far beyond anything I have ever experienced before. Maybe that may not mean anything because school should be harder each year you progress into the next grade. However, junior year should be considered the last year before you graduate college and start looking for your future, pertaining to the hardness of the classes. Am I over exaggerating, or am I right? You think about it yourself considering you are one of my fellow peers and junior classmates. Are you having a nice time? Constantly receiving assignments? Carrying books and binders in your hands out to your car because your book bag doesn't contain the right amount of capacity to fit your entire locker? If you ask me, I'm not having the time of my life walking through these hallways everyday, day dreaming about being somewhere else. These factors are the reason why I have no motivation anymore. Sometimes I bring all these materials home, destroying my back, so I can motivate myself to start studying to bring my grades up. I take one look around at all my binders and books laying on my bed, and then I notice my bed right underneath and realize I don't even know where to start. So I pull back the covers and climb right into bed. Can you blame me? I am constantly putting in physical work with sports and lifting, so by the time I come home I am too exhausted to even open a book. A lot of you reading this, my peers, my friends know the feeling and can share similar experiences. Whether you participate in any sports, clubs, band, choir, or have a job, you can share similar experiences about when you finally go home and lay your eyes on your beautiful bed just calling you name. 

Junior year isn't easy, and I think that's obvious. The teachers are constantly making you search for your own solutions, which I thank you for because we all know you are trying to prepare us for college. Which, I suppose is pretty logical and reasonable. However, every single teacher doesn't have to slam us constantly with homework every single night. We are all trying to prioritize our time, it's not like all of us just give up the moment we see work. Nonetheless, when I see homework assignments form 6 different teachers, I tend to give up because it's just too much. Junior year is hard especially with all the assignments we receive everyday but I am putting in an effort. I am not giving up just yet, but the stress levels almost make me want to. One more nine weeks and two weeks left of the third nine weeks is all we have left. Then the stress will finally escape our bodies. Until we have to start preparing for next year, of course. Which means... more stress!