Freshman fifteen

YADIRA R. TOLEDO STAFF WRITER YRT722@CABRINI EDU

Months after we moved-in and weeks after waving goodbye to our parents, the taste freedom of independence has morphed into the taste of fastfood. We have grown tired of the cafeteria meals and long for the comfort of home-cooked meals. Yet, for many this desire will have to be off until Thanksgiving. So, in search of that comfort and great taste, we turn to something just as familiar, fast-foods.

As college students, we are always on the move. Between our class schedules, jobs, extracurricular activities and social lives it is difficult to fit in the time for nutritional meals. Instead, we eat what people on the run normally eat: unhealthy foods.

Included in the weekly routines of many Cabrini students, including my own, is at least a once a week mid-night run to the local WaWa for a hoagie, a slushy or a quart of iced-tea. We know that those items are not exactly the healthiest things to eat, but most of us have no other choice.

So, whether it may be a PopTart, a bag of chips, a cup-ofnoodles or simply delivered fast-foods, the point is they are delicious, time-saving and convenient. All in all, the truth is, these snacks always appear to be more appealing than the healthier cafeteria food. Though the cafeteria may provide us with a healthier food-choice, it surely does not give us a tastier one.

Therefore, as students, most of us fail to favor healthy foods. Instead, we prefer to pick our foods based essentially on tastevalue. As a result, we often endup settling for the fatty and greasy meals, rather than the more nutritionally balanced foods.

With regards to the lack in good healthy meals, it is no wonder why so many individuals put on weight during their college years. Before I entered college, I always considered the “Freshmen 15” to be a complete myth. But, after two years of the college experience I fully understand why this phrase was created.

It is not accurate by any means. All freshmen do not gain 15 pounds, but for the most part most college students gain some amount of weight during their first year. It is a direct result of our eating habits. I mean, we can not continue to snack constantly, eat take-out almost every single night and exercise very minimally without expecting some sort of weight-gain. In all honesty we lead unhealthy lives due to our poor eating habits.

Personally, I put on five pounds during my first year of college. Though in the eyes of many I was lucky because I only gained five pounds, the truth of the matter is those five pounds, as small of an amount as it may seem, were still unhealthy. The

NIKKI SABELLA STAFF WRITER NS722@CABRINI EDU

The Cabrini women’s tennis team are the reigning champions of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference by winning against Marywood on October 19. A6-3 win boosted the team into winning the PAC championships for a second year in a row.

Many of the players agreed that Marywood was their biggest competition.

“Marywood, they’ve won the conference for something like 12 out of the past 15 years, something outrageous like that, and they were really mad that we won last year. So this year, they were pretty much out to defend what they thought was their title last year.” Rachel Shore, senior special education/elementary education major said.

“We were so hyped up going into that match, we knew we needed to (and would) win.” team members feel that four courts to play on is not enough for home games. Many other schools have six or more courts. Recently, one of Cabrini’s courts was resurfaced, leaving the team with only three courts to play on. weight gained was all fat; if I had gained several pounds do to muscle growth than that would have been healthy.

Caitlin Scott captain and junior marketing major said.

The tennis team only has one senior player, but five new freshmen this season. With only one player leaving, the team will not change much in the years to come. “This season we have a very young team. That being said, we’ve done extremely well and come very far this season.” Scott, who has been playing tennis since seventh grade, said.

“I never thought that I would make such close friends with the girls on the team. It was a nice surprise.” freshman Lisa Rodgers said.

At that point, I decided to do what most self-conscious females do when the scale reads a number that they have declared unfavorable. I went straight to the gym. For approximately one month, I adhered to a healthy routine. I cut-down my intake of unhealthy foods and I worked-out at the gym once a day for an hour

This only lasted me a month, before I succumbed to temptations of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, WaWa and so forth. However, the time I spent going to the gym daily was enough to show me that weight issues run rampant through-out this college, as I am sure they do throughout the nation.

I believe, that weight and nutritional issues will always exist on college campuses. It is a result of the hectic life-style that many of us lead as students. I also believe that we, as students, should start taking better care of ourselves. Too often, we reach for what is easy, convenient and tasty, we need to cater to our health rather than our taste-buds.

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Although Scott was ready for the match and had her heart set on winning, problems with wind and unfamiliar courts had influence in her falling behind to 4-1. She realized how important it was for her to win this match for her team and redeemed herself by pulling the score up to 8-6 the first set and 6-3 in the second.

In the championship, there are nine matches going on at once: three doubles, and six singles. Each match is one point. Along with Scott’s win, three more singles matches were won by Dina DiTaranto, Carolyn Wilson and Jackie Creighton. Two of the three doubles matches were won by partners DiTaranto and Scott, and Wilson and Rodgers.

The girls got ready for their undefeated season in midAugust, a couple of weeks before classes started. They were doing drills and ran a lot. Their schedule currently during the season consists of six days of practice from about 3:15-5:45 p.m. On days where the weather is inclement, they practice indoors at the Radnor Raquet Club.

In the fall season, some of

Shore, the only senior player, has a herniated disk from a car accident. As a result she has gone from playing singles to playing doubles. Although she cannot play as much as she hoped to this year, she still will end her last year with a good taste in her mouth. “It was really fun. The team is really close.” Shore said. “Since this is my senior year, it was kind of like I’ve only got three weeks left in my entire tennis career. [Now] I’ve only got one week left; it’s a lot more emotional.” Shore has been playing for about 11 years.

The overall season was successful according to the players. “[It was] very good. We all get along and everyone played their best.” Daniella Rende, freshman pre-physical therapy major, said.

When asked what the goal is for next year, many of the players were determined to win PACs again. Scott said, “Hopefully our team will grow and we will build ourselves up to be an even better team. Our coach is constantly looking for new players to bring in and hopefully add even more depth and strength to the team.”

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The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.