Blue & White preview

Coming up in the next edition of the Blue & White, we look at the cold and frigid temps that froze the school for a few days, plenty of youth in basketball action, two senior spotlights, and my final installment of student-athletes in "Open Mind on an Open Trail."

Speaking for...

Tomorrow I will have plenty on my plate in terms of speaking in front of an audience. It will start off in the morning with choral reading practice, then later in the afternoon, I have a presentation for a speaking class, and at the end of the day, I have to speak twice at our annual winter pep rally, once for speech team and for basketball.
I enjoy speaking in front of crowds the same way I like to say things in written print. It makes me feel good that others appreciate my interest of public speaking and am glad to give a thought or two whenever I can.

HUGE win!

Last night, our varsity basketball team played as well as Montezuma has shown in recont memory. We defeated the HLV Warriors, 59-46, in a game that had 49 fouls, a countless amount of free throws and five players foul out of the game. For more on the game, visit Keith Brake's site at clownsiniowa.com.
Anyways, it was good to see a group of boys play as an actual group and get the task done in tough environment. During our discussion in a writing class this morning, a fellow classmate compared our effort to what President Obama said yesterday. We weren't afraid to back down from fear, and unite as one for a purpose. Hopefully that stays as we fight towards the playoffs.

inauguration reflection

About 1,000,000 people came to this afternoon's inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. Streets were filled in Washington D.C. and when I saw them waving their flags, I felt proud to be an American. President Obama is right when he said today that this nation has come a long way. Sixty years ago, we would have sent this man to the back of the bus, and now, an African-American man has the opportunity to turn this nation around.
A million people rejoicing in a new start, all thanks to two people that we celebrate this week, Martin Luther King Jr., and our newest President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Walking in a Winter MESS!

Can't Mother Nature calm down for once? In the past two days, we have had many inches of snow and cold temps thanks to strong winds. Schools around here have cancelled classes and things of that such. This mess that is called winter in Iowa makes confusion for schools and their activities. For example, basketball schedules around the SICL, and I'm sure for the state, are more jumbled than a New York Times crossword. Montezuma has two remaining games left this week, which one are a reschedule, and for next week, there are four games. Two of them include playing rival North Mahaska on consecutive game nights.
There isn't much to prevent this and I realize that, but what can be taken from this is how to react from this. As a team, the boys' are excited to play and focused to take on a challenge that Mother Nature is giving us all in some way.

Lead by Example

We know who the REAL national champion is. Finally. It's the University of Florida, who about two months ago, was left for dead after losing to Ole Miss at home. After that loss to the Rebels, OB Tim Tebow promised that they would not lose another game again. Deep promises are always followed by an amazing outcome, don't they? He most certainly led his team all the way to glory.
This is what a true leader is. Tebow, who was born during a mission trip, has seen things and done some amazing things that not even President Bush can say he has done. This kid is 21 years old and, to me, he is ready to take on any challenge. He is someone who I would be proud to look up to. Most athletes don't portray themselves like that anymore, but it's nice to know that a young man in Florida is not afraid to lead by example.

Making the "New Year" Move

Well, here we are in 2009! The crazy thing is that there are already some events that could make this new year one of the most important. Of course the inauguration of Obama and the wars overseas are stories that are going to make print obviously, but with all that had happened in 2008, it is easy to expect that 2009 will be filled with news as well.
Let's look and see what may make news in 2009 that made 2008 so memorable:
The economy made a huge splash in the news last year, but it will not go away quietly soon. Things are not looking on the upside and I unfortunately believe that it won't until at least 2011.
The weather made an impact on what could happen this new year. From a devastating tornado to countless winter storms, this part of the country has seen some of the worst from Mother Nature. It made us all aware of what can happen and made me think twice to be extra prepared for severe weather.
No matter what happens in 2009, take a moment and reflect on what has happened. Today's news is tomorrow's future.