Items

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  2020-08-27

  Playing D1 Athletics during the Covid Pandemic

  I am on the women’s soccer team at Arizona State University, and the world’s way of handling sports during the pandemic was ever changing and interesting to say the least. This photograph depicts me playing soccer outside while fully masked. At the start of the pandemic, all sports were put on a complete hold and all athletes were sent home. The next progression was that we were able to return to campus, however we must practice fully masked and maintain no contact with other athletes. As you can imagine, running sprints in August in Arizona was no easy feat, but nobody complained and everyone was just happy to get back on the field. Within a couple of months, we were able to resume contact, remove masks, and play against other schools as long as weekly testing was enforced. As the year has progressed and vaccinations have become readily available, the restrictions for vaccinated individuals have been almost completely lifted and testing is no longer required. This pandemic has completely changed my outlook on sports and life in general. It is so easy to dread the early morning practices, the hard team workouts or count down the days until your next off day. However, once those things are completely taken away from you, you truly realize how lucky you are to even be on the field in the first place. This pandemic, in all that it has taken from us, has given me a sense of appreciation for all the little things that I used to dread. I find myself being much more optimistic in the hard moments than I was before, and I have been able to be much more grateful for the opportunities that I have been given. I truly do think that this lesson will carry over into my life beyond athletics, and that I will have a different outlook on seemingly dreadful tasks. You never know when a global pandemic could suddenly put your life on hold.
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  2020-04-09

  An Attitude of Gratitude: How to Promote a Positive Outlook

  A blog post from Banner Health offering suggestions on maintaining a positive attitude during the pandemic.
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  2021-01-04

  Old Hobbies, New Beginnings

  This is my first day back from the new year and I am making my resolutions. I had recently found out that Stefan and Hudson play tennis which is a sport I used to play. I also just finished music class where we played the piano and I thought it was really fun so I wanted to get into it. Tyler 1/4/21 New Orleans, LA Coronavirus Journal I am going to start playing tennis again. I used to play it, but because of covid I stopped taking lessons and never really got back into it. I am also getting into piano, so my mom said she could get me some lessons for that. I don't know if I will have time to do these both considering the fact that I have baseball 3 days a week and workouts 2 days a week, but I will try and make it work. Piano is also an old habit as I played it a couple years ago. I didn't really know much, but now I understand the piano and not just memorize the notes, so I think I could be successful in getting much better at piano by taking lessons. I also hope that I will improve more than I did at tennis the first time. But of course this will all take a lot of hard work and practice. Stefan and Hudson also play tennis and they play each other sometimes, so I hope that once I am good enough I will be able to beat them. I will need to remind my mom that I want to begin practicing these things though as I think she forgot to sign me up for piano lessons and about me playing tennis in general. I am excited to start practicing these things and improve. Especially tennis because I haven't played in a long time and I really enjoy it.
• 
  2020-09-01

  First Day of Covid School 2020

  This was the first day of school of 8th grade and the whole mask thing and all of the precautions were new to me as we just got out of quarantine. I didn’t know what to expect as the outcome of the year and was just taking it all in. Tyler 9/1/20 New Orleans, LA Coronavirus Journal Today I ate a turkey and swiss cheese sandwich for lunch. I ate with my advisory. I had drama today and we played “Greetings Your Majesty”, which is basically where you come behind somebody and say “greetings your majesty” with a weird voice. If they guess who said that to them they get to stay as majesty, but If they don't then the person who spoke gets to be majesty. There is a jester who chooses who gets to go. After school today I am going to Coach Luke for pitching lessons instead of travel baseball practice because we already said we would go to pitching. Of course before that I will do my homework and if I don't finish before I leave for practice I will finish it after school. Today wasn't very special in any sort, but last Saturday was my Bar Mitzvah which was on zoom and my Bar Mitzvah party which only had like 6 kids. Last Thursday I turned 13 years old. In Docs class today we watched him do an experiment from 2 years ago and answered questions about it. On a sadder note - the actor who played Balck Panther - Chadwick Boseman died last Friday at the age of 43. I had recess in the Valmont Courtyard today and I played taps, wallball, and four square. Because of the pandemic we played foursquare using only our feet and heads. I didn't play taps and wall ball for long because a lot of people joined. Today was a pretty normal day, but a crazy week.
• 
  2021-05-15

  Coping With Quarantine

  During the pandemic, I was had more free time. When quarantine started, I was just using my phone all day since I couldn't go out, however, I became tired of just using my phone all day. At first, I didn't know how I could cope with my boredom, but then I remembered the instruments I had my ukulele and guitar. I started playing my ukulele first since I already had some experience doing so, and I improved, learning new strumming patterns and songs every week. However, I ran out of songs to learn, so I went to my guitar, which was a struggle to learn at first. I started out with some basic chords that allowed me to play plenty of songs, and I built up from there trying new complex chords. Playing these instruments gave me something to look forward to when I started quarantine since I had more time I knew what to do with, but now playing instruments has become a regular hobby. Quarantine was tough for people worldwide as we were separated from friends and loved ones, but I believe with the extra free time people are able to work and improve themselves, making them more interesting individuals.
• 
  2021-04-19

  She’s Back and I’m Terrified

  After 400 days to the day, my daughter walked back into her gym. A competitive gymnast who has been training with the same gym since the week before she turned 3, this has been a long year. We are privileged in the sense that the hardest decision we had to make during the pandemic was not related to jobs security, hunger, or even health (beyond keeping ourselves from COVID). Our hardest choice was not allowing our daughter to return to her gym to train when they reopened in June. My husband and I knew COVID was just beginning. We knew the spike would come and the health of our family wasn’t something we were willing to risk, especially because our jobs allowed us the luxury to work from home and distance. At first, we made case rates dropping our marker of when she’d go back. Then, with the announcement of the vaccine, we decided to wait until our household was vaccinated. By the end of March, the adults of our household were vaccinated and our local case count had dropped considerably, to an infection rate percentage of 1.4%. Still, we wondered “should we just wait until she’s vaccinated?” But she’s 10, there is no vaccine being publicized for her age. How long can we keep her from her life? It’s not just the training. It’s about mental health. We’ve kept her physically safe, but she’s 10 years old and hasn’t seen a single friend in person for almost 14 months. She hasn’t shown any signs of a mental health crisis, but even if she isn’t showing anything, this has to have taken a toll on her. It was a difficult and scary choice, but my husband and I decided her mental health and emotional health are worth the risk. She is so happy. She’s had two one on one sessions with her coach and we are all shocked (and relieved) that her daily solo workouts EVERY SINGLE DAY for 400+ days now paid off. She not only kept all her skills but learned enough her skills to advance to the next level. I know her coach is shocked. I don’t think she really believed that a kid would work hard enough on her own to keep in shape. I know my daughter is very proud and very relieved to know she can compete again. And the timing is perfect - the new season starts in May, so she’ll begin in a new level with other girls she knows who also leveled up. She never acted unhappy during quarantine, but since going back, she’s seemed lighter and happier. Still, the two times she went were one on one. The beginning of May will see her going back full time, three practices a week for ten hours a week of practice. I’m happy they’re letting her keep her mask on and that the coaches are wearing masks but I’m still nervous. It’s so hard to send your kid into a situation that may lead them to contract a deadly illness. But it’s also so hard to keep your kid in a bubble. I never in a million years imagined I’d have kept my child home for 400 days. I’m a public school teacher, I’m the first person to tell you the importance of socialization. But in a pandemic, I guess my mothering deep instinct to my child overpowered anything else. I hope and pray with everything in me that we don’t regret allowing her to go back. I hope we are turning a corner in CA and that a vaccine for kids arrives soon so I can feel slightly more relaxed.
• 
  2021-02-17

  A College Athlete's Pandemic

  The story I uploaded explains how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed my experience as a college athlete. This is important to me because playing a sport in college is a huge part of my overall college experience.
• 
  2021-02-12

  Mr. Carl is Always Watching

  An unexpected benefit of quarantining for the past eleven months is my son has become quite the pianist. Since we’re always home, he wanders to the piano often to play his pieces - during recess, lunch, waiting for his sister to be done with whatever she is working on. Honestly, because he has endless practice time he has advanced much quicker than he would have if life were normal. His teacher and he share a dry and quirky sense of humor. My son’s favorite part of the week is when "Mr. Carl" calls for their virtual lesson. Carl noticed early into quarantine that the way the phone sits on the piano makes his picture reflect in painting on the wall. He told my son he is always watching him, and it has become their inside joke. When we put up Christmas decorations, the painting was temporarily replaced. Being a creative and funny guy, Carl photoshopped himself into the decoration and texted it to me to share with my son. Now after every single lesson, Carl texts me a picture of where he is that week. Carl’s positivity, consistency, and continued high expectations have helped my son thrive and I am so thankful for him.
• 2021-01-22

  No more sports

  I woke up one day got ready for school put my water polo stuff in my bag and I was out the door. I was excited to train so I could get ready for a big tournament coming up. I ask my dad, what time is practice. HE said people in the high school got Covid so practice is canceled for a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks I said. Then I won't be able to train for the tournament. He said yeah I know we are just going to have to figure out another way. So I had to find out a way to practice without a pool.
• 
  2020-09-03

  turn back time

  This is a pdf of my award from the annual piano competition. Usually, I would perform in a concert hall with 3 judges and the other contestants. This year, I had to submit my recordings and compete with over 30 entrees. To me, my piano was not the big grand pianos and my setup was not professional as others. After changing songs a month before the due date, I practiced for hours. You think learning an 8-page song in a month is hard, but actually, it was fun with the pressure on. 3 months after submitting, I finally got the news that I won 3rd place. Despite learning a song in a month, I was able to win and place. From this, I learned that hard work never stops and nothing should discourage you. If I gave up when I found out the category I originally applied for was canceled, I wouldn't have won. This was an important event for me because I didn't think I would get close since I was close on time. If I turned back time, I would have initially picked this set of songs and perfected it, even before the quarantine.
• 
  2020-07-03

  An Unexpected Spring Cleaning

  This story details my experiences with quarantine in my hometown of Palisades Park, NJ, and how I've tried to make the best of this situation.
• 
  2020-06-12

  zanders covid

  during the pandemic whne there is nothing to do during the day i would just practice soccer. such as footwork, and control, new moves. because the turf was shut down for a while so you just had to do it at home. there was nothing else to do.
• 
  2020-08-06

  Bloom/Florece

  I've loved drawing all my life but I've never felt like I had the time to practice or the skill. I started journaling and this is one of the drawings I did. I feel proud of it...
• 
  2020-05-31

  Self-Isolation and Self-Reflection

  It was all so sudden: we had just had our team banquet for basketball and we were getting ready to enter off-season, a time of having fun at practice and enjoying the time away from it with friends before summer comes along and the fun can truly begin. Then about a week after we got the email saying that in-class learning was to be postponed until after Spring Break. At first we were happy, like any student, not having to go to school and not having to practice. However that period stretched from the beginning of April to May, and then to the end of the school year, and now we don't even know if we're going to be able to return for the next school year like usual. It took away the practices that we usually have everyday, it took away the time I had to just grind it out with my teammates, with my brothers, it took away to get better and grow both individually and as a team. It's one of those things that you don't appreciate until it's taken away from you. It also has taken away the hope of coming back together for summer-league, as summer sports programs have been cancelled due to the pandemic. We may not even have a regular season. Then the hardship of not being able to go out and spend time with friends is something that I, along with many other people have to endure. It's painful to have to deal with, and many people are advocating for the end of quarantine. I'm not gonna say it's right or not, but I feel like it's only right to end it when it's deemed safe to do so, and we shouldn't try to rush it because it'll only hurt us more. Then the recent events of police brutality with the death of George Floyd has sparked uprisings by the black community and many others that support the movement. There are many sides to take in the controversy, and there are also many ways to go about dealing with it. Despite the conflicting opinions, I hope that we can resolve this without causing more harm than help.
• 
  2020-05-31

  New Hobby

  The pandemic gave me time to work on a hobby that I didn't really give time to try. Last year my grandma bought me a sketchbook so I can practice my art. Since that year I've only drawn one thing in it. I've always liked drawing but never really considered it a hobby since I didn't give it much of my time. Now that I have more time to try things out, I chose drawing. I now consider drawing as one of my hobbies and really enjoy doing it when the urge comes. I hope more people take advantage of this time to perfect a hobby they have or discover a new one such as cooking or croqueting because it's good to have something you like to do.
• 
  2020-04-01

  “So far it hasn't really had any affect."

  “So far it hasn't really had any affect. If anything, it's just made connection stronger with Jehovah. I find myself talking to him and praying to him more often than I usually would. So, so far it's just been positive changes in regards to me and my religious beliefs and practicing them and putting them into practice.”
• 
  2020-04-15

  Peyton Butterfly

  Soccer practice had been cancelled since March 16th. Peyton wanted to be outside again doing something creative.
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  2020-03-19

  Indigenous People of Thailand Revive Traditional Practice of "Kroh Yee" (Village Closure) to Fight COVID-19

  “Karen people in a number of highland communities begin to shut-down their villages one by one, not to allow entering nor getting out at all times. These village shut-downs were announced in conjunction with the revival of the ancient ritual called, “Kroh Yee” (or village closure). It was found that this ritual was used seventy years ago when there was an outbreak of cholera. Local knowledge holders believe that there would be enough food for annual consumption if a pandemic occurs and the village needs to be blockaded, but the town’s people may run away to the forest for their survival.” #IndigenousStories
• 
  2020-05-01

  Social Distancing at supermarkets during pandemic

  This image shows how everyone is trying to contain the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing when they have to go out into public. #REL101
• 
  2020-04-16

  Manic Solo Softball Practice

  During the pandemic, I have been manic and have had to keep busy to fight boredom and despair. So I have spent a lot of time practicing softball by myself.
• 
  04/08/2020

  War over Easter: Kansas lawmakers revoke governor’s order limiting church gatherings

  The article discusses how lawmakers in Kansas voted to revoke Governor Laura Kelly's order that limited religious gatherings to 10 people, allowing Easter services to take place. Opponents argued that it is not safe for groups of 10 or more to meet right now, and that this gives churches more freedom than secular groups that would also like to meet but are not exempt from the 10 person limit. Supporters argued that they are aware of the dangers that we are facing because of the coronavirus and precautions will be taken to keep people safe.
• 
  2020-04-08

  Softball bat flip trick with mask on

  During the quarantine I have been feeling manic - and driving my daughters, wife, and dog crazy with my mania - so have been spending a lot of time practicing softball tricks such as this.
• 
  2020-04-10

  Manic Solo Baseball Practice during COVID-19

  Living in a house with a wife, 2 teenage daughters, and a dog, I have had manic energy that finds me outside for several hours a day, regardless of weather. I have released part of that energy by practicing and videoing softball skills (and 'dance' moves, in another submission [Squat Deeper]).