Blog #4

The vast valley consisting of shoulder to shoulder trees, Rapid white water streams and countless species of blood thirsty parasites was the epitome of the Canadian Wilderness. This foreign thicket would be my home for the next several weeks. I was not taking on this risky excursion by myself, the group I was traveling in consisted of nine teenage boys including myself and two older guides who were also male. During this travel across the untamed outdoors we were forced to confront many of natures formidable obstacles.
The main way of transportation during this trip was by a three person canoe made of a very heavy aluminum canoe unlike the much more portable fiberglass and kevlar options. However, to get from our starting point to our destination would require several other means of travel. When a portion of land would appear we would have to dock our canoes on shore and hastily unpack all of our belongings. The act of portaging is physically overwhelming and often times very dangerous. There were hundreds of miles through out that trip that we had to balance huge aluminum weights on our shoulders and proceed up and down steep and windy trails.
At one monumental point in travel we came across a portaging scenario but this would not be a normal right of passage. As we ascended up a steep hill with seventy pound bags on our backs and these unorthodox aluminum mosquito traps swinging on our shoulders. Trudging onward through the trail the physical exhaustion and relentless swarm of ravenous mosquitoes was nothing out of the ordinary. It was what we laid our eyes upon when we reached the top that would disrupt our pathway to carry on any further.
I was the first person to reach the peak we had been pursuing towards for almost an hour and when I saw what lay before me I was both frustrated and astonished. I forced the massive piece of metal onto the hardened dirt ground, lacking any technique as it created a whirlwind of dust from all angels when it plummeted to the ground. When the shower of dust began to whisk away in the breeze I gazed down from the towering cliff that I had conquered. I became petrified as I peered over the thousands of century old trees. Each one waving in the wind in unison as if they were taunting my inability to proceed onwards. The distinct yet miniscule stream of blue tore right through the sea of green. The reflection of the glaring sun on the water surface glistened like the north star illuminating our destination.
The rest of the group piled in beside me each having similar reactions to yet another one of natures adversities. The sun began to recede behind the colossal horizon of stone and tree motivating us to act fast. The solution to proceed would be half of the group and one guide go back down the portage trail and paddle as many canoes around the mountain to the stream which lay a death defying drop below where we stood. The rest would take the direct route, to repel down this highly elevated and loosely packed cliff.
As the rest of the group vanished down the trail the other five of us began to gear up. I grabbed the largest harness I could find. I stepped my right leg through the frayed harness and then proceeded with the left. I cinched the harness tight to my waist to ensure safety and clipped a rusty metal clasp to the front of my gut. I meticulously wrapped the safety rope around myself making sure not to miss a single belt loop. Lastly I placed a paper thin helmet on my head and formed it to my head size. I was ready for my descent. As I shuffled with my back towards the cliff sweat began to seep out of my pores and my previously firm grip began to let up as wiped my palms on my T shirt. As I neared the edge I pulled the threaded black harness against my waist three times to make sure there was no give. I hesitated before becoming parallel with the floor of green before me, not even able to distinguish the ground from the canopy tops. With every slip of traction descending down the cliff side I became less confident. Watching the stones and pebbles plunge downwards I began to envision myself doing the same. With every release of slack from up top the cliff I soared downward free falling in mid air. I repositioned my dirt covered boots into two holes in the cliff side, regained my composure and began the second half of the drop. With each step dust flourished every which way and masked the immense drop which waited below me. carefully inching my way foot by foot rock by rock I reached the bottom and stared up at the monumental feat I had just conquered.

The Heist of a Lifetime

It was a quarter to four in the morning when I abruptly wrestled my eyes ajar. It was not the blaring of the untimely street cleaner curbside to my window nor the ambient wine of the flickering fluorescent outside my door that woke me. It was the churning deep in my gut and the sudden apparition of succulent meat lasagna, fresh crunchy bruschetta, and bulbous meatballs smothered in a thick red gravy rotating over my head like a mobile that motivated this heist.
 I had been at my grandparent's suburban New York home for an entire twelve hours and I was already suffering from unnerving urges to indulge my ravenous appetite for my grandmother's "world famous meatballs."Nothing could suppress my urges; not the jet lag, my hawk of an aunt, or the decrepit home built wood stairs that spiraled down three flights.
I rolled out of bed landing upright on my feet standing at attention ready to embark on my mission. The premeditated retrieval of theses divine, mouth watering spheres.
As I eased the door open I firmly grasped the knob cautious not to release it to quickly. The once ambient drone of the light became significantly louder now and felt as if each flicker shot shivers down my spine. I pushed the fear to the back of my mind and descended down the ancient spiral of unprofessionally nailed planks. I slid off the last step breathing a sigh of relief as I inched my way into the kitchen. Searching aimlessly through the blanket of night for the refrigerator handle I was sure I had woken somebody up. But nothing could deter my efforts at this point. I hastily threw the door against the wall as I began to rummage through the variety of entrees and desserts. There it was, center stage with an aura of light surrounding transparent Tupperware as if it had been summoned by the gods.
The hands on the wall adjacent to me began to race clockwise as it became more apparent my time was running short. I unveiled my trophy from the shelf and heaved it on the counter top. As I opened the holy grail aromas instantaneously transferred to my taste buds. I thrust my longest finger, the middle one, to extract the maximum amount of this mesmerizing gravy possible. Ah, the explosion of flavor reminded me that I had to get the succulent spheres up to my room all for myself.  
I plopped five juicy wads onto my plate and sprinkled a myriad of cheeses on top. 
Then came the hard part, heating the dish up. I pried the microwave door open, slid the plate in and secured the door shut. Now a countdown of two minutes and thirty second is all that stood between my and this steaming edible tradition. I procured the bubbling mound of meat and melted cheese from the microwave. Now with the prize in hand I spared no hesitation but extreme caution as I began my ascent up the last obstacle that remained between me and complete bliss. When I reached the top and sat back into my bed I ruthlessly began to immerse my self in the heavenly saucy red platter. The indulgence of my craving made me blind to the repercussions. Like when we would al sit down at the next dinner and that inevitable desire presents itself once again. 

My First Championship

Back in the Spring of 2011 one of the most electrifying yet controversial happenings in my sports career occurred. It was scorching hot day under the unrelenting UV rays of the Los Angeles sun. I stepped my foot on the rubber turf when my feet ignited to at least a ten degree increase in temperature. With each step further the rubber coals beneath my feet began to turn a fiery red as unrelenting as the sun. The churning in the pit of my stomach ached so agonizingly from my inevitable flight sickness. All adversities aside I was on that field for one reason and one reason only, to win the Lacrosse California state championship.
After the first day of practice the team became more acclimated to the new surroundings. Throughout the practices we became more confident as a team and morale began to skyrocket with anticipation of the first game. The first opponent we faced were the defending Arizona state champions and there was nothing particularly significant about that game beside the fact we won. The next few games emulated the first and a win streak commenced. It was during the semi final game of the championship when the controversy manifested.
It was a long arduous battle which ultimately resulted in a deflating sense of self loathing, with every member of the team replaying everything they had done wrong like a never ending horror movie. That evening when we were all summoned to a team meeting with our coach. He informed us that our opponent we had lost to earlier that day had been caught for cheating. They had recruited amateur lacrosse players from through out the United States the prior week. Most of these players had been graduated from high school for a few years. The disqualification of the team who had brought our entire season to a screeching halt posed a variety of emotions. The overwhelming excitement of this rejuvenation of our season had players and parents alike ecstatic. However, as we were all celebrating my coach stood silent in the corner of the room. I could tell by his facial expressions he was contemplating an ethical dilemma that went straight over all of our heads. The championship game the following morning resulted in an entirely different surge of emotions. At the end of the game we were all so caught up with our state cup trophy  we did not grasp why our coach was acting the wasy he was, we were just content with the outcome it didn't matter to us how we reached it.


In sports winning is idolized as the ultimate goal whether it be the Super Bowl, World Cup, World Series or any other championship game. The ultimate recognition as a champion is one of the most gratifying moments an athlete can experience  but it does come with its delusions. Recognition of one thing may dilute another. In this instance the internal conflict which arose was the ethical dilemma in how we ended up in that championship game. I know for a fact our coach believed that since we had lost the game no matter the circumstances that this was not an honorable win. Since we had lost the game regardless of the opponents behavior we did not earn this win the way champions should. I believe this can be compared to athletes breaking records with the use of performance enhancing drugs. However, it may not be as dramatic in comparison it takes away a certain amount of dignity from the victory.