16 minute read
Sports around the world
WRItING AND ARt by EtHAN MAN
Sports surround us as hobbies and lifestyles alike. They have become a universal language communicating teamwork and competition across borders. With sports being so culturally significant, what are some of the world’s most popular sports, and where did they come from?
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Surfing - Polynesia
According to the Smithsonian, surfing likely originated in Polynesia and extended to Hawaii, where it developed further. Over the years, it has been enjoyed as both a fun activity and a competitive sport. At the time, Hawaiian royalty would often have special boards and ride the “best” waves, which, funnily enough, are now considered the easier waves to ride.
Ice Skating - Scandinavia
According to Britannica, this elegant and graceful sport likely originated in Scandinavia as early as 1000 B.C., when the first ice skates were composed of animals’ rib bones. Skating was a popular pastime in the Middle Ages and became even more popular in the late 1800s with the creation of indoor skating rinks. The sport would inspire several variations, including figure skating, speed skating, and ice dancing.
Basketball - United States
Basketball was founded in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, making it the only major sport of strictly U.S. origin. According to Britannica, the game was first enjoyed with two peach baskets as goals and quickly advanced and grew in popularity, soon becoming a professional sport. The National Basketball Association has since been home to some of the “greatest of all time” like Michael Jordan and Lebron James.
Gymnastics - Ancient Greece
According to Smithsonian Magazine, gymnastics originated in Ancient Greece as early as 1500 B.C. and trained men for war. The incredible art was described as a form of wisdom comparable to poetry, music, and arithmetic. The sport has been a part of the Olympics since 1896 and has produced incredible athletes, including Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Brody Malone, and others.
Hockey - Canada
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, while it’s likely that hockey originated in Europe, the first recorded game played was in 1875 in Montreal, Canada. Its origins are unclear, but hockey is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Canada, even being its national winter sport. Canadians play the sport every winter and currently make up nearly half of all players in the National Hockey League.
Soccer - England
According to Britannica, soccer, or “football,” has been traced to medieval times, but England was the first to create rules in 1863. The world’s most popular sport has unified people despite borders, language barriers, and wealth gaps. Even in World War I, soccer played during the “Christmas truce” has demonstrated the power of sports to unify all people, even warring enemies.
TRAILING BEHIND BACKPACKERS
WRItING AND PHoto by JESSICA CoNLEy
While many people prepare for their summer trips to destinations surrounded by first-class amenities, Andrew Manrao has been planning for a journey into the wilderness with nothing but their backpack.
Thru-hiking is a sport in which hikers hit the trail for months at a time. The most common thru-hikes are the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and the Appalachian Trail (AT). When hikers complete all three, it is referred to as the coveted Triple Crown, nearly 8,000 miles.
Manrao, a sophomore at Design Tech High School, plans to hike the Ansel Adams Wilderness this summer for a week.
“I have been on 12 other backpacking trips before. I did not train for any of those 12 but am currently training for this one. I don’t regret not training, but I regret not learning how to pack better and get better gear,” Manrao said.
Like Manrao, many backpackers train in the off-season to get in shape for peak performance. It is recommended to hike in higher altitudes in preparation for the 10,000-foot peaks they will have to endure.
Aside from elevation training, it is also important to go on various day hikes with a weighted backpack the hiker will use.
“It’s crucial for people to get used to their backpacks. If something is wrong with the fit, they can get it adjusted,” Manrao said. “On practice hikes, people can figure out where they want the weight in their pack to be placed and where each item should go.”
Although hikers can pack their backpacks based on their preferences, many esteemed backpackers recommend placing heavier items closer to the back and lighter gear below. The weight distribution of their equipment is a major consideration.
“To cut weight, I am buying a better pack and lighter equipment. I’m also trying to get as dehydrated of food as possible and carry less water and heavy things. I’ll also be bringing fewer luxury items,” Manrao said.
Thru-hiking and longer backpacking trips are far different from the car camping trips that many people typically go on. Hikers must acquire permits well in advance to go into the backcountry. This process happens around half a year before the hike, so everything must be well planned out. But while the process may be competitive, many can overlook the chaos.
“Overall, it is so worth it. I love being outdoors, surrounded by breathtaking mountains,” Manrao said.
Along with the views, trail magic and trail angels make the experience unique. Hikers bestow upon trail names — which are fun or serious — and are supported by trail angels. Trail angels supply food, water, and sometimes shelter along the trail.
Manrao encourages anyone interested in backpacking to prepare for the most extraordinary adventures of their lives.
“The stories that come out make it worth it,” Manrao said.
SPRING CLEANING
Writing by Mira Bhatt and Cambell Kirk Design by Allison Raisner
Spring is the season of new beginnings: flowers bloom, chicks hatch, and animals emerge from hibernation, all ready for a fresh start. This time of year is the perfect opportunity to spruce up your home — and your life — with a bit of spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning is a popular concept dating back hundreds of years. According to the Washington Post, during the 1800s, the largest cleaning events took place in the spring because homes were heated with coal or wood, and the winter left behind layers of soot and grime.
As heating technology and spring cleaning evolved, people continued to use April and May as a time to reorganize their homes, workspaces, etc. A study by Business Wire reveals that in 2021, roughly 69% of Americans stated they would participate in spring cleaning, and 55% of the survey respondents stated that they would be cleaning more than usual due to COVID-19.
“Right now, I probably do a big batch of cleaning twice or maybe three times a year. If I see clutter, it drives me crazy, and I can’t focus on anything. I feel like my mind is more clear when everything is organized, and there is less to worry about,” said Sachi Chen, a Carlmont parent and alumnus.
With the pandemic, it is more important to keep clean and stay healthy. People have shared many new cleaning and organization tips over the last few years. Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant that provides lots of tips, rose to fame after publishing her book “The life-changing magic of tidying up” and starring in her own Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”
Kondo follows one type of organizing method, which she created, called KonMari. According to Kondo’s website, the KonMari Method encourages tidying with the idea of keeping what brings you joy and discarding what does not. The method involves organizing items by category rather than by location (e.g., beginning with clothes, then shoes, then miscellaneous items, and lastly sentimental items).
“It’s hard to let go of sentimental items. Marie recommends starting with clothing because every day, we get up and decide what we want to wear. Usually, we’re drawn to things that make us look and feel good, so it’s easy to decide whether something sparks joy just by choosing to wear that item. And then, you go through all the different categories with the same idea in mind,” said Karen Wong, a Bay Area KonMari consultant.
This process is considered to be tidying, which Kondo emphasizes is not the same as cleaning — tidying involves confronting yourself, whereas cleaning is confronting dirt.
“A lot of people think tidying and cleaning are the same things, but they’re not. In order to be clean, you have to be tidy. If you have a lot of things on the floor in your room, you have to tidy up before you can actually wipe and vacuum,” Wong said.
To begin a spring cleaning ritual, Kondo believes you must first tidy and only keep what brings you joy. Then, you can begin the cleaning process by setting the mood—opening windows and doors and playing calming music helps to keep spirits up and become more successful in cleaning.
While Kondo emphasizes tidying by category, she believes in cleaning by location. Start with the innermost room and work your way out; in each room, start with cleaning the ceiling and do the floor last so that any dirt on the ceiling will fall to the floor and can be cleaned at the end.
“I like to take a look at one room at a time, purge what I don’t need and donate it, and then pare down things to just what I really want to keep. I’ll organize and then put things back where they should go or try to figure out better systems than I had before,” Chen said.
Creating a schedule for cleaning and tidying can help make these tasks part of your regular routine, allowing you to tackle cleaning a large home more easily.
“With spring cleaning, I feel like you’re able to achieve it long term and it becomes routine. Once you do it, you won’t go back. I have been able to stay tidy, and I now have a different mindset and a different lifestyle than before I began tidying,” Wong said.
There are many other benefits to spring cleaning, as it gives people an opportunity for a fresh start and home and life improvement.
Michelle Lui
Spring cleaning can also help to strengthen immune systems and prevent illness. Springtime is known for its blossoming flowers — and blossoming seasonal allergies. Having a clean home can help you breathe better by preventing respiratory issues, and cleaning things that people touch often can minimize the spread of viruses or bacteria, according to Healthline.
Along with illness, spring cleaning can help reduce the risk of injury. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1 in 4 adults over the age of 65 fall each year, and falls are the highest cause of injuryrelated deaths for this age group. Tidying and cleaning near stairs and doorways can help lower the risk of falling.
“Cleaning can help remove physical items in your way and create space. Besides that, it can add positivity to your life as opposed to negative things and helps you be in a mindset that you choose,” Wong said.
Sort through your emotional health Mental health decluttering
Spring is the time of year to clean out your pantries and closets and discard the clutter that has found its way into your living spaces. The result of cleaning out and freshening up is a much more enjoyable place to live. An emotional spring cleaning can do the same wonders for your mental health. You live in your mind just like you live in the rooms in your house. Taking the time to “clean out” the habits and practices of your daily life is just as important as sorting through your garage or kitchen.
Sharon Martin, a psychotherapist, recommends sorting your emotional health into three piles, just as you would do while cleaning your house: things to keep, things to get rid of, and things that you need but don’t have.
First, ask yourself what habits you practice frequently that support your mental health. Maybe you consistently get a good night’s sleep or surround yourself with supportive, loving friends. Perhaps you regularly go on walks around the neighborhood to cope with your stress levels. It’s important to acknowledge the good in your life and the helpful ways these decisions impact you.
At the same time, spring is a great time to assess what is dragging you down emotionally. This can be something as minor as eating poorly or procrastinating on homework, or something as major as a toxic relationship or substance addiction. Martin says that one of the most important questions to ask yourself is, “What needs to go for you to be happier?” She recommends paying attention to what keeps you up at night. This may give you insight into the behaviors you can change to improve your overall well-being.
Finally, take time to notice what’s missing from your routine that would improve your emotional health. Perhaps you lack a creative outlet. It may be that you need more quality time with your family. Maybe you realize you need to work on over-working yourself less. Whatever it may be, acknowledging the areas in your life where something is missing can help you fill those gaps and improve your overall mental health.
Creativity is like grass — it must be planted and routinely "watered" to thrive. Have you always wanted to learn the ukulele? What about knitting? How about that watercolor kit you got for Christmas but never got around to trying out? Spring is a great time to indulge in the creative desires you may have been setting aside. Exploring your creative passions can be beneficial to your overall health.
According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, participating in creative tasks helps focus the mind in the same way meditation does due to the calming effects it has on one's brain and body. Simple tasks such as gardening, drawing, or playing an instrument releases dopamine which acts as a natural antidepressant. Finding a creative project to indulge yourself in is a great way to give your mental health a spring cleaning.
Explore creative projects
Take time for your physical health
You've probably heard it a million times by now — the key to better mental health is maintaining good physical health. This statement reigns true. The body and mind are closely linked, so when your body feels better, so will your mind.
People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them a great sense of overall well-being. Activities such as taking a walk around your local park on a sunny day and drinking more water add up to a healthier you overall.
This is because exercise releases endorphins in the brain. This chemical helps your muscles relax and relieves tension in your body. Exercising may make you feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, and feel more relaxed and positive about yourself and your life. Exercise is a powerful medicine to combat the stress and anxieties your daily life may bring you.
If you're looking for ways to de-stress and improve your emotional health, you may find that implementing simple, small actions of exercise can significantly affect your overall well-being.
When most people think of spring cleaning, they think of mops, sponges, and reorganizing homes. However, it is so much more than that. Spring cleaning gives people an opportunity to re-evaluate their goals and what they want to do with their lives. For many Carlmont teachers, teaching was not their initial career path, but something they later realized they loved. They were able to reflect and “spring clean” their lives to understand the right career for them to pursue.
DAVID BRAUNSTEIN
Modern European History, Government, and Microeconomics teacher
What was your previous job, and what was the experience like?
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a women’s Olympic gymnastics coach. I thought about being a chef or a Sovietologist, and I was mayor of Belmont. I had a background in all of these fields. I have coached in various places around the country in gymnastics. I had cooked at camps and other places. My educational background was in international relations with a focus on Soviet foreign policy. And I have always been interested in politics, so I went to graduate school for public policy. And then, later on, I got involved as a council member in Belmont.”
When did you realize that you wanted to become a teacher?
“I’ve always wanted a job that will help people. And I decided that some of the jobs I pursued challenged me in ways that I didn’t want to be challenged with regard to politics. I didn’t want my morals or ethics to be challenged. I want to be the same person I am. So I decided to retire and spend more time with my family. With gymnastics, I decided that for a variety of different reasons, there were other ways that I could help more people. I’ve coached football and my sons’ baseball teams, so I’ve had an opportunity to coach, which I really enjoy. But with teaching, I could help a lot of people. The realization took a number of years to figure out where I wanted to go. I decided I wanted to be a principal. When I came to Carlmont, I wanted to work my way up to the principal, but I fell in love with the classroom.”
How do you think this decision has impacted your life for the better?
“When I was very young, I used to lay on my bed, look up at the ceiling, and try to think of different careers. And every career I thought of wasn’t good enough. And it wasn’t good enough because it didn’t help enough people. I feel as though the teaching has impacted my life because I know that I’m trying to help other people better their lives. It certainly challenges me on a daily basis to connect with people and help them learn. I love when you see the spark in someone’s eyes that they understand the material. That’s it for me, and it’s made my life better knowing that I’m doing something that helps others.”
