Sunday, April 20, 2008
Free Write (9)
Goth. Prep. Slut. Jock. Punk. Popular. Loner. Nerd. Do any of these labels matter in the real world? The answer, NO! No matter who you are, when you enter the world of high school, a label is automatically thrown your way. In middle school I was considered a nerd or a loner. Then, in eighth grade I made Spartanettes and my whole life basically changed. I entered high school with already having a reputation. I was supposedly popular and preppy. I felt like somehow I had to change myself to fit the image I was given. I went from wearing my glasses everyday, wearing my hair in a pony tail, and wearing no make-up to not wearing my glasses at all, fixing my hair everyday, and waking up extra early to do my make-up. As the years pass in high school, I have realized how completely ridiculous changing myself was. I decided that I was going to change myself back to how I was, or just back to my actual self. I was so much happier when I felt like I could be my true self and my friends loved me for me. My most fun time in high school was this year when I was playing taboo in a friend’s living room. When you get in to college none of that matters. People in college are on a mission to get an education, graduate, and start a career. They don’t care who you were in high school. They don’t care if you were one of the most popular people. Chances are, the people that the “popular” kids looked down upon are going to be more successful and have a better life than they could ever imagine. Labels are stupid. I’m tired of everybody judging each other. If you judge somebody before you get to know him or her, how can you be sure the person they are? I have met the sweetest people in high school because I love to give them a chance. So, basically what I’m trying to say to everybody is, grow up.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Dancing is a sport! (8)
Many people consider dancing a competitive hobby, and although that may be true, dancing can also be classified as a sport. A sport can be defined as a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Judges at a dance competition use rules to score a dancer and rank them by that score. Many sets of muscles are always used while dancing. When people are asked for their opinions on dancing, they had many different responses. Dancing is a sport because it uses physical abilities and dancers compete against others.
Dancing is not a competitive hobby, it is a competitive sport. As like in a sport, practice makes perfect. Most dancers begin lessons at the age of five and practice almost eight hours a day. (Competitive Dance, Wikipedia) Dancing also uses many of the same muscles as sports like baseball, basketball or soccer. It uses a dancer’s entire set of leg muscles, as well as back muscles, the glottal, and the arm muscles. (The Legs of a Female Dancer, Peak Performance) Calories are burned rapidly while dancing, as well as in a regular “athletic”. Every sport has a set of rules they must abide by, and of course dancing is no exception to that rule. Judges look for and score on turns, leaps, flexibility, uniformity/precision, formations/spacing, music interpretation, technique, showmanship, choreography, and overall impression. (Scoring Philosophy and Score Sheets/ All Star Challenge) Judges will then rank the dancer and place them in certain brackets such as: gold, silver, or bronze. When exerting muscles, burning calories, and being judged and scored, the classification of a competitive sport prevails.
Dancing should definitely be considered a sport. People who have been dancing for years and own their own studio were asked to give their opinions on dancing as a sport. An anonymous dancer of 15 years says, “Dancing is a form of exercise, so I would consider it a sport.” An owner of a dance studio says, “ Sport is just more than one person playing a certain game or activity against another person with governed rules. There are tons of dance leagues and competitions around the world.” (Competitive dance, Wikipedia) Someone with a lot of experience and training can fully explain why dancing is a sport. When a dancer moves her body with such elegance and grace, one must experience it to truly understand how hard it is and why dancing is a sport.
The classification of dancing is a very complicated process. It is considered a fine art because of the things it is judged on such as: creativity and performance. Being judged on the energy you put forth in a dance and the exercise you get at the same time do help others consider dancing as a competitive sport.
Pittman, Daniel. "Social Dancing: Art or Sport?" Central Home. 5 Apr. 2008
< http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/social_dancing.htm >.
"Scoring Philsophy/Score Sheets." All Star Challenge. 6 Apr. 2008
< http://www.allstarchallenge.com/pdfs/scoring.pdf >.
"Competitive Dance." Wikipedia. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_dance >.
"The Legs of a Female Dancer." Peak Performance. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0382.htm >.
Dancing is not a competitive hobby, it is a competitive sport. As like in a sport, practice makes perfect. Most dancers begin lessons at the age of five and practice almost eight hours a day. (Competitive Dance, Wikipedia) Dancing also uses many of the same muscles as sports like baseball, basketball or soccer. It uses a dancer’s entire set of leg muscles, as well as back muscles, the glottal, and the arm muscles. (The Legs of a Female Dancer, Peak Performance) Calories are burned rapidly while dancing, as well as in a regular “athletic”. Every sport has a set of rules they must abide by, and of course dancing is no exception to that rule. Judges look for and score on turns, leaps, flexibility, uniformity/precision, formations/spacing, music interpretation, technique, showmanship, choreography, and overall impression. (Scoring Philosophy and Score Sheets/ All Star Challenge) Judges will then rank the dancer and place them in certain brackets such as: gold, silver, or bronze. When exerting muscles, burning calories, and being judged and scored, the classification of a competitive sport prevails.
Dancing should definitely be considered a sport. People who have been dancing for years and own their own studio were asked to give their opinions on dancing as a sport. An anonymous dancer of 15 years says, “Dancing is a form of exercise, so I would consider it a sport.” An owner of a dance studio says, “ Sport is just more than one person playing a certain game or activity against another person with governed rules. There are tons of dance leagues and competitions around the world.” (Competitive dance, Wikipedia) Someone with a lot of experience and training can fully explain why dancing is a sport. When a dancer moves her body with such elegance and grace, one must experience it to truly understand how hard it is and why dancing is a sport.
The classification of dancing is a very complicated process. It is considered a fine art because of the things it is judged on such as: creativity and performance. Being judged on the energy you put forth in a dance and the exercise you get at the same time do help others consider dancing as a competitive sport.
Pittman, Daniel. "Social Dancing: Art or Sport?" Central Home. 5 Apr. 2008
< http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/social_dancing.htm >.
"Scoring Philsophy/Score Sheets." All Star Challenge. 6 Apr. 2008
< http://www.allstarchallenge.com/pdfs/scoring.pdf >.
"Competitive Dance." Wikipedia. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_dance >.
"The Legs of a Female Dancer." Peak Performance. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0382.htm >.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
