Breast Cancer Walk- Bell Isle

When I realized senate would be doing a breast cancer walk in Detroit I pictured myself walking with just a few hundred other people around abandoned buildings and looking over my shoulder every few minutes. I had never been to Bell Isle but with the reputation Detroit has I didn’t expect much.

On October 10th, bright’n early at 7 o’clock, we met at Stevenson to go over what the plan was. With in a half an hour the game plan was set and we were on our way. The drive to Detroit was pretty normal, the abandoned buildings to look at and the occasional hobo, it felt like going to any other tigers games or lions game. Hyped up with energy and proudly wearing the title “Spartans For Rozman” on our backs we were ready.

The first time I realized this wasn’t going to be any ordinary trip to Detroit was when I saw the dozens and dozens of school buses with pink ribbons transporting people to and from Bell Isle. At the bus stop was when we met the first lady who like us was full of energy. Armed with a megaphone she was pumping everyone up and in some cases waking some people up.

When we arrived on Bell Isle it was truly amazing. The atmosphere made it seem like you were in a different planet, not to mention all the pink. We were immediately noticed thanks to our enthusiasm and matching shirts. Next thing I knew we were being interviewed on channel 2, and my mom calling me to tell me (even though it was pretty obvious the camera was right in front of my face).

We stayed at the start for a while and prepared our self for the 5-mile walk a head of us. After a brief bathroom break and more then enough head counts we were on our way. Walking around bell Isle you would of never guess you were in Detroit. The atmosphere was great nd this was made even better with the help of the beautiful scenery.

I would love to say we successfully walked the entire 5-miles, but throughout most of it we caught ourselves speed walking, skipping, jogging, singing, and even at one point running. To some we were probable annoying but to others we represented all the kids who care about the community and are willing to show it. This experience exceeded all expectations and I am planning to go next year.

Invisible Children

Just about every American has herd the name Taliban or Al Quida but what about the Lords Resistance Army? The Lord’s Resistance Army, better known as the LRA, is a terrorist group in the northern part of Uganda. Though they have not committed any serious crime against the United States they still need to be recognized and stopped.

The LRA is known for their use of abducting children at night then turning them into child soldiers, because of this, the country of Uganda has had to displace 100,000’s of people and many have lost their lives. The worse part is this has been going unnoticed for 23-years.

Leading the rebel group is a man by the name of Joseph Cony. He is arguable the most feared man in Uganda. He is responsible for thousands of deaths and over 25,000 child abductions. In the past few years the Invisible Children organization has worked hard to get other nations to recognize this problem and stop Joseph Kony.

Invisible Children was started by three young man who decided to take a trip to Uganda, what they didn’t know is that they would discover a 23-year old war. All three loved to make movies, so to them the best way to get this problem noticed is to make a film about what’s going on. After making one video they couldn’t stop they made more and influenced even more. Be for they knew it they had uncovered one of the longest running wars.

In just the past 5 year’s Invisible Children were able to stop the night commutes, get the attention of the United States government along with other influential countries, and also start peace talk between the Ugandan government and the LRA. During night commutes children would get up and walk miles and miles to the nearest hospital or bus park just to sleep in safety, only to get up the next morning and start to walk again. The worse part is they do it every night.

Unfortunalty Joseph Kony turned down the last two peace agreements and is still kid napping children. Invisible Children organization need all the help they can get. From donating a couple of dollars to going to Uganda and just talking to the kids. If you want to know how to get involved go to the Invisible Children web site and see what else you can do to help bring the invisible children home.

Contact in Soccer

United States loves football; they love to the contact and intensity. For many Americans soccer just seems to lack that aggressive play or that one big hit. Anyone who has played competitive soccer (not rec soccer) will tell you there is a lot more contact in soccer then meets the eye.

Semi finals of the 2008 Euro Cup finals, Germany vs. Turkey. With a few minutes to go in the half Turkey’s Ayhan Akman jumps backwards in order to head the ball that just sailed over him. Behind Akman stands Germanys Simon Rolfe who simultaneously jumps forward to clear the ball. In a split second their heads collide. They both fall on the ground screaming in pain. At first sight you may believe its just soccer players being dramatic but that was not the case this time.

Nether one is subbed out, instead they are helped to the side line where Ayhan Akman receives two staples in the back of his head to stop the bleeding while Simon Rolfes left eye brow is stitched up. Both were able to return and finish the game.

Some may ask why didn’t they just get subbed out then once everything was fixed get subbed back in? During national play once a player is subbed out he may not go back in. Also if you are off the field for more then 2 minutes you are forced to use a sub. This makes players fight threw the pain and forces medical teams to work fast to get the player back on the field.

Through just personal experience playing soccer I have endured two concussions, cracked toenails, broken toes, and a countless number of cuts and twisted ankles. Every soccer player will tell you there is more contact in soccer then meets the eye. Most just blow this off, as an excuse for soccer players to take dives but this is true. Some teams will do cheep things like step on your toes if your in the wall of elbow you in the ribs. Most of this is invisible to the fans and also the refs.

For anyone who has called soccer a “girl sport” I would love to see them match up against a 6ft 7in Peter Crouch or a 220 lbs Marcus Hahnemann. I will admit that there is more contact in football then there is in soccer, but cut soccer a break when there’s a foul called every 5 minutes there’s got to be at least some contact.

Im Not in Middle School Anymore

I wander the halls of Stevenson High School looking for my 3^rd hour. I think back to my sistes’ freshman year. She had her whole schedule color-coded. “What a nerd.” I laugh to myself thinking I would never do such a thing. I notice what a step it is from middle school to high school. Of course the school itself is much bigger, including the students in it. Not to mention the hallways are compact which makes navigating a struggle. Still on my quest, I find myself all turned around in E hall. I start to panic when I gaze at the clock and realize I only have 2 more minutes to find M hall.

I finally get the guts to ask the closest teacher if they can point me in the right direction of M hall. “Where’s M hall” I nervously spit out. I feel relieved that now with a teachers help I’ll be there in no time, but she doesn’t seem to know where it is either. My heart sank as once again I realize I’m on my own.

After tripping over a pair of size 14 shoes I stumble out of E hall and fine myself looking at a sign that states “M hall” with an arrow pointing to the left. By now I am late, the bell had just rung and I am still a good 100 yards away. I spot my friend coming down the same hall (his afro is hard to miss), simultaneously we ask each other, “You going to M hall?” then smile.

We walk into the classroom together all of a sudden all the heads in the room turned and look at us. The teacher only had two words to say, “Wow Stromberg.” In dead silence and with all eyes on us we try to find a seat but then notice they are all occupied. Everyone still silent and watching our every move we try to be quiet but quick and grab a chair from the near by stack. I felt like an ant being watched by a kid with a magnifying glass scared and jittery. With all the pressure on me I can’t seem to get my hands to work and drop the chair, the whole class breaks out in laughter except the teacher who shoots me a ice cold stare.

After what seemed like the longest minute of my life I get a moment to relax thinking that all the stress and humiliation of 3^rd hour would be over soon. With 25 minutes left in the hour the teacher announces that we will be having a review test of last year materiel. Just the thought of a test makes me sink down into my chair. “It’s the first day, I bet this will be a breeze.” I say to my friend. What I found was a 60-question test finished off with a scantron. Every question was a struggle I never thought the stress of school would hit so fast.

Fortunately for me I learned a valuable lesson on my first day of school, always be prepared. At the end of the day I looked back thinking to myself maybe my sister wasn’t such a nerd. What if I had mapped out my classes? I also have to prepare for a tough year I’m going to be pushed academically and I have to be ready for it, ready to act confidently and with poise as I stumble and recover.