Last week, due to President's Day and a Black History Month presentation, I wasn't able to meet up with my teens. I don't think that I realized how much I enjoyed spending time with them until I had a week without them and found myself really missing them. I'd like to think that they were as excited to see me on Monday as I was to see them. As the weather was absolutely gorgeous, we took a walk along the 3rd Street Promenade, a pedestrian mall in central Santa Monica. While I had to rein in their enthusiasm for greeting friends and shopping (my only real rule was that we would by no means enter stores), they seemed happy to be outside and getting some activity.
A few days ago, a friend who grew up in the area warned me that Santa Monica teens "grow up faster than teens from other places". While I try to encourage wholesome language and topics of conversation, I was occasionally surprised by the mature content of their conversation while we were out walking. However, the sweetness under their rough exteriors actually takes me aback more. While they may seem tough and slightly jaded, they truly want to please and be good kids. I am seriously going to miss them when I leave in a couple months...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Cool Kid Table
I have a confession to make: I am not, and have never been, one of the "cool kids". Even from my formative years in grade school, I was always a bit different and thus at the periphery of the secret inner circle of coolness. As I chose to wear my brother's hand-me-downs instead of the favored Gap Kids pastel outfits and had a weird fascination with creepy crawly critters, I suppose that my nonconformity set me up to be an outsider. In high school, this trend continued, as I pursued decidedly uncool individual sports in lieu of soccer or lacrosse. My disinterest in fashion also had a role to play once again, I'm sure.
When I reached college, the delineation between cool and uncool was no longer quite as fixed and I no longer stuck out quite as much. In my mind, however, the Middlebury "cool kids" were the nordies, or nordic skiiers. As the only Division 1 sport on campus, these athletes held a certain kind of mystique for me. They trained hard, looked hardcore and dressed the part in their Carhartt jeans, trucker caps and rugged belts. It also helped their status that they tended to be taller and far more attractive than the average student on campus. As a dorky swimmer, I looked at these athletes as the paragon of elite athletes and secretly desired to belong in their special elite ranks, pining away from afar to be as tough as them.
At this point in my blog, you are probably wondering two things: 1) how can someone as awesome as Sarah consider herself uncool? and 2) how does this tie into In the Arena? I'll address both questions presently. I've been thinking about this subject since last week, when I held a conference call with the other In the Arena athletes and Amory. Maybe you've noticed that quite a few of my fellow athletes are nordic skiiers, including a fellow Middlebury '04 grad, Kate Whitcomb (at the risk of further embarassment, I totally put her, her Carhartts and her athletic ability on a pedastal). You can be sure that I took note of this fact and am pleased to be in such company. I feel like the nerdy new girl at school who has been invited to sit in the cafeteria with the table of cool kids, waiting for the imminent exposure of her true dorky self. I am painfully aware that triathletes have a certain geeky stereotype. I'll just try to conceal my true self as long as possible from my fellow ITA athletes. This posting may have blown my cover, however...
In all seriousness, I am pretty cool too. I still may dress funny, however. More importantly, I loved having the opportunity to talk with the other ITA athletes and look forward to meeting them at some point in time. I'll just make sure that I leave my brother's cast-offs at home.
When I reached college, the delineation between cool and uncool was no longer quite as fixed and I no longer stuck out quite as much. In my mind, however, the Middlebury "cool kids" were the nordies, or nordic skiiers. As the only Division 1 sport on campus, these athletes held a certain kind of mystique for me. They trained hard, looked hardcore and dressed the part in their Carhartt jeans, trucker caps and rugged belts. It also helped their status that they tended to be taller and far more attractive than the average student on campus. As a dorky swimmer, I looked at these athletes as the paragon of elite athletes and secretly desired to belong in their special elite ranks, pining away from afar to be as tough as them.
At this point in my blog, you are probably wondering two things: 1) how can someone as awesome as Sarah consider herself uncool? and 2) how does this tie into In the Arena? I'll address both questions presently. I've been thinking about this subject since last week, when I held a conference call with the other In the Arena athletes and Amory. Maybe you've noticed that quite a few of my fellow athletes are nordic skiiers, including a fellow Middlebury '04 grad, Kate Whitcomb (at the risk of further embarassment, I totally put her, her Carhartts and her athletic ability on a pedastal). You can be sure that I took note of this fact and am pleased to be in such company. I feel like the nerdy new girl at school who has been invited to sit in the cafeteria with the table of cool kids, waiting for the imminent exposure of her true dorky self. I am painfully aware that triathletes have a certain geeky stereotype. I'll just try to conceal my true self as long as possible from my fellow ITA athletes. This posting may have blown my cover, however...
In all seriousness, I am pretty cool too. I still may dress funny, however. More importantly, I loved having the opportunity to talk with the other ITA athletes and look forward to meeting them at some point in time. I'll just make sure that I leave my brother's cast-offs at home.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Challenges
Going into my project, I knew that I'd face some challenge in getting to know the kids and getting them excited about fitness. I had recently felt as though I've made some headway when I headed into the club this afternoon. On Monday, I did a yoga/ pilates session with the teens and thought that it was pretty successful. After all, they had requested yoga and approached the sesion with enthusiasm. What more could I want?!
Today I went to the club with high hopes, as the kids had requested doing dance for fitness and they seemed very excited by my desire to comply with their wishes. As an awkward endurance athlete who can do the cha-cha more adeptly than the freak, I knew that the tables would be turned and that the teens would do the teaching today. I arrived with stereo in tow to find that the girls clamoring for dance were "out" and that the remaining teens received my idea with a lukewarm reaction (at best). After a frustrating period of time attempting to motivate the kids, I asked how many were actually interested in participating. When no hands were raised, I picked up my stereo and left after expressing my disappointment to the group. I felt, and continue to feel, a bit dejected. After all, I thought that doing a fitness activity that they are interested in would be more effective than forcing them to do circuit! While I am admittedly saddened by my experience, I refuse to give up. I know that teens can be difficult, but I remain hopeful that I will "break through" to them. Tomorrow they may just have to do a bit of running to make up for today!
Today I went to the club with high hopes, as the kids had requested doing dance for fitness and they seemed very excited by my desire to comply with their wishes. As an awkward endurance athlete who can do the cha-cha more adeptly than the freak, I knew that the tables would be turned and that the teens would do the teaching today. I arrived with stereo in tow to find that the girls clamoring for dance were "out" and that the remaining teens received my idea with a lukewarm reaction (at best). After a frustrating period of time attempting to motivate the kids, I asked how many were actually interested in participating. When no hands were raised, I picked up my stereo and left after expressing my disappointment to the group. I felt, and continue to feel, a bit dejected. After all, I thought that doing a fitness activity that they are interested in would be more effective than forcing them to do circuit! While I am admittedly saddened by my experience, I refuse to give up. I know that teens can be difficult, but I remain hopeful that I will "break through" to them. Tomorrow they may just have to do a bit of running to make up for today!
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