Alaska's Winter

Before any of Iowa’s snow had started, Alaska was getting hit hard. It is said that this is the worst winter yet that anyone in Alaska can remember. There was so much snow that people couldn’t see out of their windows, a tanker got stuck in ice-choked waters from delivering fuel on time, and people were using their snow packed roofs for sledding.

Alaska received more than twice as much snow as usual. The National Guard was called in to bring in more shovels because everyone was using theirs so much that they were breaking.

More than 26 feet of snow has fallen in the city of Valdez. The 8-foot snow piles have blocked people in house from even being able to look outside. More than 14 feet has fallen in Cordova. The Alaskan National Guard had to help move snow even though they were running out of places to put it. People have begun hauling snow piles into snow melting machines.

Although, some people seem to love the weather. Terry Kelly, who wasted no time Thursday strapping on cross country skis in the city's expansive Kincaid Park said, "The snow is great for skiing, for downhill skiing, for alpine skiing. It's beautiful, it makes the holiday season awesome, fresh snow increases the light in town so it makes it brighter in winter. To me, it's great."

Alaska has gotten so much snow because of two atmospheric patterns: the Pacific weather pattern, known as La Nina, and the Artic Oscillation. These two patterns have been strong this year and because of the changing air patterns in the south, it keeps all of the extremely cold air locked up in the Arctic.

In a previous post, I talked about how the winter for the mainland states will be milder than usual due to the North Atlantic Oscillation. This is different from the Arctic Oscillation. When the AO (Arctic Oscillation) index is positive, surface pressure is low in the polar region. This helps the middle latitude jet stream to blow strongly and consistently from west to east, thus keeping cold Arctic air locked in the polar region. When the AO index is negative, there tends to be high pressure in the polar region, weaker zonal winds, and greater movement of frigid polar air into middle latitudes.

Although NAO is a part of AO it affects different areas. A large difference in the pressure at the two stations (a high index year, denoted NAO+) leads to increased westerlies and, consequently, cool summers and mild and wet winters in Central Europe and its Atlantic facade. In contrast, if the index is low (NAO-), westerlies are suppressed, these areas suffer cold winters and storms track southerly toward the Mediterranean Sea.

Recently the temperature in Alaska has reached up to 35 degrees. This poses another threat, however. With it heating up, this could potentially cause avalanches. The one road leading out of the city was closed, and the city warned people not to stand under the eaves of their houses to clear snow off the roof.

Personally, I would love to be in Alaska during this. As I’ve said before, I love snow and with that overabundance, it would be so fun to be able to sled and snowboard everyday.

GootMusic

Here's a video of Alex Goot who I mentioned a while back in my favorite Youtube artists post.  think he's incredibly talented and fun and I love how his viedoes show how diverse his music capabilities are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzGyf8gWo4

Non-Existent Snow Days

Top annoyance at the moment: non-existent snow days. Our superintendent (so I’ve heard) is from Minnesota. We have been getting a decent amount of snow lately, but not only that, we have also been receiving winds that reduce visibility. But our superintendent is used to that (considering he’s supposedly form Minnesota) so he doesn’t delay, cancel, or call off school early.

Today was acceptable considering its sunny now and the hardest part hit when we’d be heading to school on a two hour delay so it was probably best he didn’t really do anything. But our first major snow of the year was horrible because it blew everywhere and the plows didn’t come around until after 3.

I know the superintendent wants us to learn and everything but I miss snow days! I remember being a little kid and looking at the TV at a multitude of cancelled schools and seeing our school listed and my brother and I would be so happy. And then in middle school we’d be so relieved because we got to go back to sleep. But this year we haven’t gotten a single one, and it’s not looking like we will at all. One of the best parts about winter is hearing my door open and my dad coming in to say that school is closed. I won’t get that in college so I want to get it now!

If I was the super, I’d call it even if I knew we didn’t need it. Kids deserve to rest up and get excited about a snow day.

On the other hand though, I still really do love winter. Even if the snow doesn’t seem very beneficial for the snow day aspect of it, I still love snow. Driving in it is fun and seeing it on the ground in the morning makes me happy. I just wish that I could get up and see it, then be told to go back to bed.

Origins and Judging of Competitive Swimming

Competitive swimming began in Europe around 1800 CE. At that time freestyle was the main stroke to swim.  Swimming became part of the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. The front crawl (or freestyle) was introduced to the Western world by Richard Cavill. FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) is the governing body of the swimming world was formed in 1908. In the 1930s the butterfly stroke was invented and was thought of as a variant to breaststroke until it became its own stroke in 1952.

The goal of competitive swimming is to always improve upon one’s time or win the race of any given event. Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games where males and females can compete in a number of 16 different events. These Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool.

In open water swimming events (usually in a lake or sea) there are 5, 10, or 25km races that both men and women can compete in. Only the 10km is included in the Olympic schedule, however.

In the last 20 years dolphin kick has become an important use in winning races. This is used to maximize speed in starts and turns. Most people will remember this technique from Ryan Lochte and, of course, Michael Phelps. But these were not the first 2 swimmers to use this to their advantage. David Berkoff in the 1988 Olympics swam most of the 100 m backstroke underwater doing his dolphin kick. This made him able to break the world record on that event during the preliminaries. Another swimmer, Denis Pankratov in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, completed almost half the 100 m butterfly underwater, helping him to win the gold medal.

Dolphin kicking is allowed in backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle, but not as often in breaststroke. In 2005 a new rule was formed stating that an optional downward dolphin kick may be used off of the start, and each turn, and must occur during the breaststroke pullout. Any other dolphin kick that is used or used at the wrong time will result in automatic disqualification.

Also recently. New rules have been formed to limit dolphin kicking in the other three strokes. If dolphin kicking goes past 15 meters, it will result in an automatic disqualification.

Listed here are the officials in swimming and their jobs:

Clerk of course: The clerk of course assembles swimmers prior to each event, and is responsible for organizing ("seeding") swimmers into heats based on their times. Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest.

Referee: The referee has full control and authority over all officials. The referee will enforce all rules and decisions of FINA and shall decide all questions relating to the actual conduct of the meet, and event or the competition, the final settlement of which is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall responsibility for running the race and makes the final decisions as to who wins the competition. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blasts of his or her whistle. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Then the referee will blow a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to step on a block. The referee will then hand over control to the starter.

Starter: The starter has full control of the swimmers from the time the referee turns the swimmers over to him or /her until the race begins. A starter sends the swimmers off the blocks and may call a false start if a swimmer leaves the block before the starter sends them. (This also means if the swimmer falls off of the block on accident, they are disqualified).

Timekeepers: There are three timekeepers for each lane (But sometimes only two). Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. The chief timekeeper collects from the timekeepers in each lane a card showing the times recorded and, if necessary, inspect their watches. One timer will be timing with a stopwatch, another recording it down, and one making sure to click the backup button.

Inspectors of turns: One inspector of turns is assigned to each lane at each end of the pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race. Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on disqualification reports detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement delivered to the chief inspector of turns who will immediately convey the report to the referee.

Judges of Stroke: Judges of stroke are located on each side of the pool. They ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns.

Finish judges: Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules.

"I Hate You Because You Have a Chance"

Recently I have been watching a new show. It’s called Beyond Scared Straight. The premise of the show is to bring kids (usually 14-mid 20’s) into jail and show them what their life could be like if they continue on the path that they are on. Many of these kids have been caught for use or possession of drugs or alcohol. Some have also been caught stealing, fighting, or prostituting.

The show starts out by bringing these kids into a local jail and having them wear the jumpsuits and handcuffs. They then bring them into the jail itself where the felons reside. Behind a wall that is partially made of glass, the kids get to see the inmates. The inmates are slamming their fists against the glass and almost causing a riot and pointing to certain kids saying that that one is theirs.  

The kids then are put into a room and the guards bring in a few inmates to tell them their life story and how much being in jail is the worst life possible. One inmate said she got caught for a DUI when all she was doing was driving down the street to get some cigarettes. “That’s all it takes” she said, referring to being caught. She said that she just recently turned 20 and said how nice it would have been to have a cake and a family surrounding her. But she spent her 20^th birthday on her bed in tears.

One man pointed directly to a certain boy and said “I hate you man. I hate you because you have a chance. I don’t have a chance, man.”

And that quote just made me very annoyed. This poor guy is stuck in jail because he was caught in a bad road and now these kids who can be so much better than he is, are choosing to be exactly like him. I’d hate that kid too if I were the inmate. It’s just annoying that people think they’ll get away with all this illegal stuff. I think anyone who is participating in illegal activity needs to be admitted into this program.

Maroon 5

My favorite band of all time is Maroon 5. I love their lyrics and the style of their music.

Adam Levine is the lead singer (he is also a judge on the X Factor) and he is a very talented musician. He plays guitar and sings very well. He sings almost identical in concert as he does on his studio albums. He jumps around on stage and really lets the music run through him as he performs.

Jesse Carmichael plays the keyboards, rhythm guitar and backing vocals. He also really lets the music run through him on stage. He has been in the band since it started.

Mickey Madden is the bass guitarist and has also been with the band since it began. He doesn’t move around as much as Adam but certainly keeps a smile on his face.

James Valentine is the lead guitarist and backing vocals and he joined the band 7 years after it began. He jumps around on stage and looks like he is having fun. He has the longest hair in the band.

The drummer, Matt Flynn joined the band 12 years after it had formed and replaced the old drummer known as Ryan Dusick. In an interview, Adam admitted to taking Flynn from another band when he saw the band perform. He says it was wrong to do and he is sorry, but Matt is just such a great addition to the band.

Over the years, the sound and style of Maroon 5’s music has changed. In 2002 they released their album “Songs About Jane” which was a hit. People still sing the songs from that album today. It featured “Sunday Morning”, “She Will be Loved”, and “This Love”.

Their next album, released in 2007, was titled “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”. This album featured “If I Never See Your Face Again”, “Wake Up Call”, “Won’t Go Home Without You”, and “Makes Me Wonder”. Although more songs from that album are more recognizable, Maroon 5 lost a few fans when it was released. They changed their sound from a soft rock to a somewhat more futuristic tone in the guitar.

Just recently (2010) they released “Hands All Over”. This album features “Misery”, “Give A Little More”, and “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”. This album brought back more fans to Maroon 5 based of the modern rock sound they accomplished.

Lead singer Adam Levine said that he’s glad they started out so popular. He believes it’s better to start out great and then get worse over the years to then have a kind of ‘renaissance’ and have everyone fall in love with them again. This is almost exactly what happened to Maroon 5, too.

Maroon 5 has catchy music and relatable lyrics. Their performances in concert do them justice from what you hear on the CD. They are all around a great band.

Mind Over Matter

Through-out my swimming career I have known that the sport of swimming is not only physical, but also mental. If you don’t have the right attitude, your hard work will not pay off.

There are many ways this can be frustrating for swimmers. They could be excellent in practice but never receive the rewards for it. They could have an amazing stroke and technique but they lose to swimmers less skilled than them. During a big swim meet it is common for a swimmer’s confidence to disappear. It is also common to worry too much about the other competitors. Because of some of these, you can even feel sick to your stomach on the day of a meet.

But this can certainly be avoided. Swimmers should know that practice is 90% physical and 10% mental. However, when it comes to a race, it then becomes 90% mental.

By training your mind to be positive and ready to go for the race you can accomplish a lot of things. Things like, improving times without training any harder, reduced nervousness before races, less fatigue during races, a lack of concern for the other competitors, improving swimming techniques, a deep belief in yourself and swimming abilities, a calm clear mind, great inner strength and physical energy, and also a vibrant health and a positive outlook on life. And that’s not even all of the benefits!

The mind is more powerful than the body as it also controls the body. If you let your mind be free to control your stroke and be confident in them, you can accomplish more than you’d believe. You can swim fast by making it look effortless; it’s almost as if you’d be on cruise control.

By training the mind to be positive and confident, these following swimmers have succeeded in surpassing their goals. One teenage girl swam her personal best time 30 days in a row – this means that every day she was beating her previous time. A 16 year old swimmer was able to take 16 seconds off of his time – it’s hard to take even 2 seconds of a best time. A young swimmer overcame severe illness to win 3 races and make the national team.

It’s obvious that staying positive and confident will improve your swimming. But I believe this can also work for people who just do this in other sports and even life. If you stay positive, happy, and always strive for the best, you will accomplish greater things than if you were only to stay average. It’s almost like karma: if you’re nice, nice things will happen to you. If you decide to be happy and positive, your life will reflect those feelings.