A Giant Leap for Mankind

I read a poem called,” The Moon Ground” by James Dickey. This poem was written in, “To the Moon and Back” from the 1969 Life special edition magazine. This poem describes the curious wonders of the moon and space. It describes how they felt free as a bird and light as a feather. “We will take back the very Stones of Time, and build it where we live”. These astronauts went to space in search of answers to our many questions of the moon. They brought back samples of rocks and earth to test and experiment with. Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin were the guinea pigs of their generation; they were willing to give up everything for the advancement and protection of the world. The Eagle has landed. What life holds in store for us, nobody knows. Our destiny is as mysterious as the icy ocean. As long as we believe, the impossible is still possible.

A time for choosing and a rendezvous with destiny

I read an address that was made on behalf of Senator Barry Goldwater, who Ronald Reagan actively supported. One of the main points Senator Goldwater was trying to get across to the reader was the road to peace has always been a simple answer. Peace comes through strength according to Senator Goldwater, and there is no choice between peace and war only between fight and surrender. When we will have finally understood the price at which freedom costs, all of us will have weakened from within spiritually, morally and economically. Senator Goldwater believes this because he has heard voices on our side pleading for “peace at any price” or “better read than dead”. There was one man who said he would rather “live on his knees than die on his feet”, which speaks volumes. If I would ever fall to my knees during war, it would be because I was fighting for something I believed in and thought it was worth dying for.

The Great Outdoors

I read “Up North in the Big Woods”, written by Bill Heavey from the magazine Field and Stream. Bill Heavey talks about the big woods and wildlife; he puts an especial emphasis on the fact that when you’re in the wild there are places you’d need more than a compass to get you out in one piece. The forest is not the park where you go to play on the playground, and the forest is not the wildlife management area, the forest has a mind of its own. The name of the game in the forest is the competition for light, amazingly enough a maple tree can survive on a little light each day. Bill Heavey is a hunter, who every year makes it a priority to travel into the woods to do what he does best… go hunting! The great outdoors will always be part of the grand mystery of the world.

Heroes in a Box, but in my world its Heroes on a Sphere

A hero is whoever we want it to be; they fight for justice, and run the distance, and are the unexpected. We are led to believe that to be called a hero you must have super powers and have to fight crime at night , but think of all the people who we forget to thank for the simple things they do for us, what if ordinary people are the real heroes in our world…? A hero is a leader, a voice for the people, and a protector of the innocent. President Roosevelt says, “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself”. President Roosevelt was a protector of the innocent because he was the President during WW2 and when people were dying in Europe and people began to die in the US because of the bombing the Pearl Harbor, the US went into high gear and took care of the problem. President Roosevelt was a true hero. I learned that heroes are one of the most skeptical yet confusing sorts of people that roam the earth.
Throughout all my research, I have learned that there is an infinite amount of heroes. Yet it’s funny how few find that hero inside themselves. Heroes are the saviors of the world; history has had its fair share of ebbs and flows along with heroes.

Anti-war Protests going too far, war is a necessary evil, author-Curtis Copeland

This is now, people holding signs, yelling protests, in the heat of the day. They believe that war is evil; unlike them I believe that war is a necessary evil. At these protests people have been seen, burning the American flag. The American flag represents those who risked their lives to preserve freedom; the American flag is an icon and a symbol. Nobody should show disrespect for our fallen heroes. When these people “the seekers of peace” burn the American Flag, they are burning the very thing that represents their right to have their own opinion. War is a terrible thing, and I wish nobody to have to experience the horrors of it. Sometimes war is necessary, who would say it isn’t? Then you might want to consider this, if you do not agree with me, tell those thousands of Jews to go back to those concentration camps because we made a mistake in fighting the war against Hitler, there is nothing different between the War we are fighting in Iraq and WW2. Just remember that this nation has gained its independence through war. “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free…”

The Reporter Online, no author given, "We are the past, present and future only as long as we can stand up for whats right"

It’s mind-boggling to some and straight-forward to others. This presidential election is crucial to our survival and success as a country. I’d like to see experience and knowledge sitting in the White House; I want to feel protected and secure. We are not in the best economic position as of now, but if the media would quit infiltrating into the minds of Americans and if Americans would think for themselves then we wouldn’t be in this situation we are currently in. I think that you should research all you can about the person you vote for and know all you can about their past and past associations and friends because all of those facts and associations and voting records show what kind of person your going to vote for and what kind of person they will be in office. Your right to vote is held in the highest honor in the whole world, we sit as gods, and should do as gods do, save in the time of need, kill in the time of war and free those who need to be freed.

The Vision of a Champion by Anson Dorrance, The challenge is the victory and the victory is the triumph

Every day will be a battle; soccer is a stuggle between the people that want it and the people that don't. The challenge, is whta makes soccer so enjoyable. "Be ready for the possibilty of a rough ride,"(Dorrance 130). It will be hard, it will be tough, it will take you past your limit and futher on and what keeps us all going is the sight of victory. However what I might say, is easier said than done. Learn to thrive in the "deep down" challenging places because that will help you tobecome a better athlete. The way to gain respect through sports, is being powerful yet remaining thoughtful and kind as well. Developing your competitive drive will be difficult, but who's said that it wouldn't be a little bit of a challenge? Encourage yourself to remember that your enjoyment is the reason you should play. A little bit of encouragement, can go a long way.

The Vision of a Champion by Anson Dorrance and Gloria Averbuch, The shark in the water

Be the shark in the water. “Every single duel is a statement of who wants it more,” (Dorrance 125). The Competitive Cauldron is a fire into which every sports player is thrown into in order to develop into a stronger player and develop the critical aspects of becoming the best player on the field. People play like they practice. How you practice is how you’ll perform. The competitive cauldron is all about outlasting the other player psychologically and physically. You must be constantly willing to push yourself beyond your limit in order to toughen yourself and to break your opponent. When you talk about breaking an opponent it’s not physically but psychologically. The ability to break an opponent creates an enormous advantage. Have competitive practices because it will continually feel like being tossed into an arena like a gladiator, unable to back down to a tougher challenge. Self discipline and desire helps you to become a better player.

The Vision of a Champion by Anson Dorrance and Gloria Averbuch, Living the Dream

It seems so far and long from now but college is just around the corner for us all. There will be many reasons for everyone why we pursue this high level of sport, we will be taken and tested to our limit in college. UNC believes that it is the variety and commonly shared real-life situations that make their community of soccer players so special to one-another. “It is rich while you’re living it, and it will remain rich after you graduate,” (Dorrance 108). When I think about the very few who make it into any professional sport, I think of the best of the best. These three qualities will make any team, college or impress any job position; they are hard working, great leadership and being dynamic. Be patient with yourself in your development as a player, then these three qualities will begin to develop and brighten into something incredible and everlasting.