H20kie Winter Championships

On December 14, 15, and 16, I competed in the first big championship swim meet of the season, the H20kie Winter Championships in Christiansburg, VA. The winter championship meet always serves as a major milestone in the season, halfway between the start of training and the end of the season in April. It is the first test of one's improvement after months of training.

For me, the meet was all the more significant because it was during my junior year; the improvements I make this year will determine whether and where I might swim in college. So I went into the meet hoping to show some gains in my races, though I was also nervous, fearing that I would perform poorly. Over the course of the meet, I competed in the 500, 200, 100, and 50 freestyles, the 200 and 100 backstroke, and the 200 individual medley, all spread out over the three days with prelims and finals for each event.

Apart from being exhausted, by the end of the weekend I was pleased with my performance. I had swum personal bests in most of my events and had finally "broken" 50 seconds in the 100 free, swimming a time of :49.91, a goal of mine for quite some time. I was not so happy about other races; I did not go as fast as I would have liked in the 50 free or 200 IM, an event I have not significantly improved in since I was 14, but that is part of life; we win some and we lose some. Although my gains in speed were on the whole modest, they gave me optimism for where I will be at the end of the season. Now, it's back to the pool for more training in pursuit of my goals.

The pool during one of the prelim sessions

Christmas Tree Sales, 2012

From October to December, the youth group at my church sold Christmas trees to raise money for Glory Ridge, an annual week long mission trip to the mountains of western North Carolina in July. In order to so, youth manned a table outside of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings to raise awareness of the fundraiser, answer questions, collect money, and distribute order forms. I worked on two of these Sundays, personally convincing at least five members of the congregation to order trees from the youth group rather than purchase them on their own, an ability of persuasion I had no idea I possessed. Perhaps I am better at persuading people than I previously thought.

The most exciting part of the sale, however, was the day in December when the purchasers came to pick up the trees. We untied and trimmed the trees, ranging in height from 3 feet to 10 or more, shook off any loose pine needles with a treacherous red machine, covered the trees with netting by using a baler, and then strapped them to the tops of peoples' cars. The whole venture was understandably chaotic and a surprising amount of fun. Things went smoothly enough after organizing an assembly line-like procedure, and four hours later (with our bodies sticky from tree sap) we had finished.

Thanks to the sale, we raised over $4,000 for Glory Ridge, where the money will be used for work projects in Madison County, which has the highest level of poverty in the state. Poverty is an enormous issue that sometimes seems overwhelming, but every little bit, like what we will do at Glory Ridge, helps. I am also now a self-declared expert in Christmas tree baling, so there's that too.

My friend Ansley helping move trees

The baler!

Me strung up like a tree!

Christmas Parade

On December 1, the GHS Marching Band participated in the city's annual Christmas Parade. We spent the last two weeks of band class preparing for the parade, rehearsing our selection, a medley of carols including "Deck the Halls," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Joy to the World," and practicing marching in straight lines, a deceptively difficult task. You have to coordinate each and every move with the person in front of you and the two at your sides. Memorizing a new piece of music is already challenging enough without knowing you will have to play it and march at the same time.

Our performance in the parade went smoothly enough, though the cold weather made it difficult to play and there were times when my section was not completely in step with each other or with the beat, something we should look to improve for our next parade. I have never particularly liked marching band, and consequently I was not looking forward to the parade. However, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, simply because I love impacting people with music. The whole purpose of a musician is to create music for others to enjoy, and by marching in the parade we did just that: we played music to help the residents of my hometown welcome the holiday season and enjoy the day. There were looks of genuine excitement in the crowd as we passed and people cheered and sang along to our notes. I think all musicians get a simple joy out of playing for other people, and it makes up for the drudgery of rehearsal and the difficulties of learning and performing.

Waiting for the parade to begin

Canvassing on Election Day

Also on election day, Pieter, my mother, and I volunteered for the Obama campaign again. This time, we simply left cards on peoples' doorknobs reminding them, no matter who they chose, to vote. It was exactly like what we did when I was 12, so it seems only fitting we would do it again for Obama's reelection. The entire day, though, I could only feel anxious. I was worried about the results of the election; despite what analysts and pundits had been predicting, I was worried that our efforts would prove futile and Obama would lose his bid for reelection.

Those fears prove unfounded when the networks called Ohio for Obama around eleven. Even though Obama lost North Carolina, it was closer than I thought it was going to be. All in all, the results of the election gave me optimism for American democracy, even in this post-Citizens United era.

Kids Voting

For an hour on election day, my twin brother and I manned the Kids Voting booth at a polling place in NW Greensboro. Kids Voting is a program that seeks to teach kids the importance of voting and participating in the democratic process. We helped the kids who came and guided them through the process. I was a little nervous because I am not that used to working with kids, but everything went smoothly.

An active electorate is the key to a vibrant democracy, and that is what Kids Voting seeks to create, so I am glad I could participate. Only two more years until I can vote!

Canvassing for Obama with Cole and Pieter

On October 6, my twin brother Pieter, my friend Cole, and I volunteered with Barack Obama's reelection campaign. Like my previous experience in August, we went door-to-door in a neighborhood not far from Grimsley as part of a get-out-the-vote effort, making sure people were registered to vote and that the knew where their polling location was, etc. Over the course of the morning, we went to over fifty addresses. Most of the time, we encountered no one, which was a little discouraging as it felt as if we were not accomplishing anything. Some of the people we did meet were ambivalent at best or slightly hostile at worst. I suppose that's to be expected with the nature of our work; it may even be unethical, since we are in a sense invading people's privacy by coming to their houses and asking them how they will vote. At the same time, though, one has to consider the importance of voting and all that may be at stake.

Overall, though, the people we did meet were very friendly. It's always encouraging to meet people that are just as concerned about the direction of the country that you are, and these experiences are helping me become more comfortable with interacting with total strangers, a useful skill to have.

This sort of work is very important to me. Whoever is the leader of the country will impact the entire world, and I believe a Romney presidency will be bad for everyone. More importantly, an active electorate is the key to a vibrant democracy, which is why the ultimate goal of the canvassing efforts is to get people to vote, no matter who they choose.

Peacehaven Farm with TAGS

On Saturday, September 22, I went to Peacehaven Farm with TAGS, located about fifteen minutes or so from Greensboro, on the shores of Lake Mackintosh. The farm was founded with the ultimate goal of providing a place for adults with physical or mental disabilities to live independently in a loving community. For now it is a working farm with gardens that the disabled can work in and experience. TAGS went several times last year but I hadn't been able to go until this weekend. For about three hours I and other TAGS members worked in the garden, moving plant beds, shoveling dirt and mulch, spreading straw, and marking beds for strawberries. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed my time. Helping all people in society is an important value of mine. I can't wait to see how my the effects of my volunteer work when Peacehaven's goals are reached. I plan to volunteer again soon.

Moving mulch

Canvassing for Obama

About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to volunteer for Obama's reelection campaign by going door-to-door to make sure all Democrats were registered and to see how they were planning to vote. When most of my classmates were either asleep or waking up, I was trekking up and down streets for four hours in a South Greensboro neighborhood, tackling each address one-by-one and handing out early voting information. I had done canvassing before, on election day in 2008, but that time I mostly stood in the background while my older brother and mother did most of the talking. This time I decided to take a more active role. I suppose this is an inherently awkward activity, showing up at a stranger's door and asking them a series of questions. Since I was little I've always been a little nervous around strangers. For a while I didn't even like ordering food at fast food restaurants or paying for purchases at stores. As I approached the first house I was afraid the door would be slammed in my face or something worse. But nothing of the sort happened. The woman who answered was kind; we chatted about the election for a few moments and even joked a little. After that I wasn't so nervous anymore. Sure, some people did ignore us, but no one slammed the door, and most were friendly, commending us for volunteering. One woman spoke of how she could see God's work in our volunteer work for the campaign. I returned home feeling proud of my contribution to something I believe in. This election is important for our country, and in turn the world. From my experience in '08 I know that every little bit counts, and hopefully with a little luck we can help turn North Carolina blue again.

CAS Goals

Sometimes we can get so absorbed by the academic aspects of IB that we forget that knowledge is not the only part of being a good person and a good world citizen. In my view, CAS is what reminds us that there is more to life than grades and tests. It encourages us to be well-rounded, creative, and involved in our communities. Through CAS I hope to be able to make an impact, achieve goals for myself in athletics and creative areas, become well-rounded, and learn about myself and experience new things. For that is what CAS is about.