My name is Elizabeth Joan Cali, and I am a 22-year-old college student who also happens to be the football team’s mascot. I prefer to go by “Lizzy” though as the only time I ever hear my full name is when I am back at home with my parents. Elizabeth Joan does not sound near as cool as Lizzy when I am out with my friends! Being the team’s mascot is such an awesome experience for me. I never really liked attention growing up and would participate in the background. Now I get to act all crazy, I get a perfect position at the games, and check out all of the football players without anyone knowing a thing. I have always been active in sports which never bothered me as I focused on my game versus the attention. My parents and sister are all active too and physically fit. Two weeks ago, our team was in Little Horns playing against the Devil Bulls. Their mascot has always had an attitude, and I can’t help the fact that his uniform looks dorky. Seriously, how can anyone feel tough in a red bull costume that has green polka dots, a doughnut for He told me that I should not have any problem bouncing back since I am young and active. I cannot believe that I had to let me back up mascot take care of the last few games for me. I am uncomfortable when I sit; the pain goes down the back of my leg almost to the middle of my knee. I feel okay when I have been laying around, but am still not liking keeping weight on it. If you asked what bothered me the most, it would definitely be while sitting. The physical therapist told me that you would be showing me some stretches and strengthening exercises that will help with numerous things. I would like to be able to continue my signature cartwheel/splits routine, go to the group workout at the gym, and not act like my grandma when I go home for the holidays in a couple of months! Oh and fix me fast, please; I have finals coming
Teams in every sport, at every level of competition, have a mascot. It is the mascot that represents the competitive spirit and team identity, motivating players and fans alike. Does the symbol chosen have any impact on whether a team wins or loses? Unlikely. But the choice of a Native American mascot continues to ignite debate and controversy among athletes, fans and alumni, as well as those people who might otherwise be disinterested in sports. Utilizing an Indian mascot is nothing more than a veiled attempt at hate speech.
Mascots are beloved figure heads for sports teams everywhere almost every sport team has a mascot of some kind; that said, sometimes instead of bring people together it can cause a rift between two cultures. Such as Washington’s D.C.’s football team the “Redskins” often the word redskin was a derogatory word used against the Native Americans and while it may seem as though paying homage to the Native American community the overall stereotyped actions of the fans themselves as well as the sugarcoating of the previously racial slur has done little to bring the two cultures together and instead created a larger disconnect between white and Native American. The name Redskin should be retired and replaced so that rather
When I arrived at my new and enormous high school, I got lost. It was June, and since classes had just ended for the day, large crowds of kids filled up the hallways, and I got bumped around like I did not exist. Thankfully, a cheerleader saw me and figured that I had come there for tryouts since I wore shorts, cheer shoes and a big bow in my hair. She took me to the gym where at least sixty girls had shown up for the competition. The first things I saw were cheerleaders doing high level tumbling on the gym floor with no fear. The upperclassmen led us in warm-ups, and they seemed nice. A lot of the girls I met had been cheering since they were five and six years old. I saw a lot of talent in the room, so I knew it would not be easy to
Critics have argued over time that having a warrior as a mascot is racist towards Native Americans. Overtime there has been evocative chants that have intensified the vision of a decorative faced warrior, holding a decorative flaming spear, while dancing wildly, but emphatically, into many sports stadiums. A mascots reputation is supposed to be an honorable representation of Indian culture. Having a warrior mascot represents the competitive spirit and team identity, motivating players and fans alike. The warrior mascot invisions the team having strength, courage, and endurance. The ongoing vision allows some fans to have a positive look on the team, but then many argue that it is downgrading the history of Native Americans. The decision of
The mascot controversy is a campaign against the use of Native American propaganda on mascots in which are supporting American sporting teams. The mascots are shown as the logos, and are often displayed on merchandise that are sold to loyal fans of the teams.
In January of 2012, I was playing in the first volleyball tournament of the club season. In the second game of the day, I dove to get a ball and landed wrong on my right wrist. My wrist was constantly popping and hurting when I needed to lift something. In May of 2012, my mother took me to the orthopedic doctor at Athens Orthopedic Clinic. I underwent physical therapy, took pain medicine, and played no volleyball for a month. When the month was up and there was still no improvement, I went to get a MRI. The radiologist said that there was nothing wrong, but my orthopedic referred me to an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion. It only took a minute for my orthopedic surgeon to see what the problem was: a tear in my TFCC (a cartilage structure located on the small finger side of the wrist that, cushions and supports the small carpal bones in the wrist (Midwest). On August 8, 2013, I had surgery on my wrist. Ever since I’ve had surgery I’ve wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Although becoming an orthopedic surgeon takes years of education, hours of training, and hours of on-call work, orthopedic surgery’s advantages outnumber the disadvantages.
When I went into the doctors, I remember sitting there not thinking I would need more than one surgery and it would be an easy thing to fix. My first doctor was more a back doctor than a leg doctor which he no one seemed to tell me. After my first surgery, I started falling all the time and we did not know what was going on. We called the doctor and he told us to come back in; next realize he is taking more X-rays. I remember he had the coldest hands and when he came in the tell us the news he could look us in the eyes. He told us how he was more a spine doctor and and did not know what to do. We ended up seeing a sport doctor in Appleton that told us that I was bone on bone and my meniscus was gone, which could have been provided if he would not have cut my meniscus in a C-shape but, first cut my femur
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mascot as, “a person, animal, or object used as a symbol to represent a group (such as a sports team) and to bring good luck.” Hopeful sports teams around the United States rely on their mascots to bring in positive energy as motivation to help win the game. The mascot often serves as the face of a team, and acts to define the team’s character to their opponents. The mascots represent the community that the team belongs to, and that is a big role. When a mascot is offensive or isolates a particular group of people, the mascot can also bring negative attention to the team. The negative publicity will often result in a mascot change.
I In recent years there has been a growing controversy around the use and abuse of Indian mascots. This practice, which some claim is a representation of competitive spirit and team identity while others declare discrimination, has sparked passionate debates and intense protests. Multiple schools have voluntarily abandoned their Indian-related names. However, some have not and the dispute remains ever-present. Truly, there should be no compromise. The use of Indians as sports mascots is immoral because it discriminates unfairly against Native Americans.
From being tossed into the air in stunts, to bouncing off the mats when tumbling, cheerleading is everything I love and enjoying doing. At the University of Alberta, I hope to join the team and become one of the liveliest supporters of the U of A’s Bears and Pandas. By joining the cheer team, I can make many new friends, stay in good shape, and partake in my favourite sport, all while cheering on and supporting my fellow students. Not only do I plan on joining the team for the strengthening practices and invigorating competitions, but I am also looking forward to helping out around the campus organizing fundraisers and such to support the team and
Once school was out last year, I had done something to my foot. I don’t know what happened to it, but I know a general time frame it happened in. At first, I thought it was just my foot getting used to the new summer conditioning. After about three weeks, the pain had moved towards my achilles tendon. Once that happened, I only had pain when I pointed my toes, or pushed through my toes. The pain was to a point where my coach was noticing a change in tumbling, so she had me go to a doctor to make sure everything was
During the ninth grade, I injured my knee playing soccer. The initial MRI did not show any tears, but the orthapedic surgeon did notice I was weak medially and that my patella was tracking laterally. He sent me to therapy to strengthen the inside of my leg and hopefully pull my kneecap medially. I started going to therapy and I adored my therapist, Kelley. Even though the exercises weren’t always fun or pain free I looked forward to therapy. She made things fun, and since I was interested in the field, would explain why I was doing certain exercises compared to others. The pain didn’t go away and she worked to help figure ...
Men and women from all walks of life in the United States watch sports and identify themselves with a team. Fathers and sons watch the big game together and talk endlessly about the outcome. This American culture has developed over the course of generations.
It all started in high school, my junior year when I tore my anterior cruciate ligament(ACL). I knew something was bound to happen because I was always falling on the floor during games. January 9, 2016, the day I tore my ACL. It happened when I was trying to get a rebound, a girl from the opposing team knee bumped me, and we both fell. I tried to get up too soon, next thing you know I am laying down screaming with her on top of me. This was not my first time being injured, but it was the first time I got injured and could not bear the pain. I was token to the hospital by ambulance, and some x-rays were taken, and I was told that I had to rest, ice, and elevate my knee. I was injured many times after
It was the start of summer 2002, and the Mid America Youth Basketball (MAYB) national tournament was taking place in Andover, Kansas. Along with the rest of the team, I was excited to play some basketball for the first time since the middle school basketball season was over. Our team, Carlon Oil, had been together and played every summer for the last four years. We were a really good team, with an overall record of 65-4 over those four years and were hoping to continue our legacy. Lonnie Lollar, our coach for the summer, was also the coach of our high school basketball team. I had a history of groin injuries, and every summer it seemed that I would have to sit out at least a game on the bench icing my groin. But this summer was different, and I along with everyone in the gym wouldn't have expected my summer to end with a injury such as a broken leg.