LG Voyager

In a few days, my 2 year agreement will be up on my phone. I'm pretty excited because I've been wanting the new LG Voyager for a while! It has an interactive touch screen and a full keyboard for texting. The phone is a little larger than what I have now, but I don't think it will really bother me. But, the Voyager is a little on the expensive side, but I'm sure it will be worth it because it has so many neat features. I've always been jealous because a few of my friends already have the phone that I want. But, hopefully in a few days, I will have the new LG Voyager and be texting away with the full keyboard!

Heart Rate Monitors

In Tech PETE today, we went down to the ARC and worked with heart rate monitors. Since I had Fitness Education last semester, I was very familiar with them. I believe that implementing heart rate monitors into physical education classes would be an excellent idea. They are very effective and students will have something to work towards. Also, the students are definitely held accountable because it is totally up to them to get into their target heart rate zone. I think that heart rate monitors are better than pedometers, but they are more expensive. I feel as though if a school is capable of receiving a grant, then the school should definitely invest in heart rate monitors for their physical educations classes.

Tai Chi

At the mini-convention today, I attended the 9:00 session, which was "The simplified Tai Chi: A Lifetime, Health-Enhancing Activity." The presenters were Dr. Liu and Wei Bian. This activity session was very interesting because I knew nothing about Tai Chi. Dr. Liu did a full 3 minute routine, and it was excellent! Then, everyone in the stands had a chance to go down on the court and practice. We learned the basic steps and pushing-hand movement of the simplified Tai Chi. There were a lot of participants and everyone seemed like they were having a good time. I'm glad that I was introduced to Tai Chi because it can definitely be something new to incorporate into Physical Education classes.

Mini-Convention

Since I was on the decorations committee, I helped get everything set up in the Field House for the mini-convention tomorrow. We put balloons and streamers throughout the Field House. Also, we set up several tables and chairs for people to eat in the wrestling room. I always enjoy attending the mini-convention that SRU hosts because all the sessions are so interesting. I'm lifeguarding over the synchronized swimming show at 10:00 a.m., and since the show was so good last year, I'm excited to see another one. I'm sure that everything will go smoothly with the different speakers and presentations because a lot of time was spent organizing the mini-convention.

Candace Parker

Candace Parker was selected No. 1 by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA draft on Wednesday. This all happened just a day after ending her college career by leading Tennessee to a second straight NCAA title. Parker will be playing alongside her idol, Lisa Leslie, in the WNBA. With these 2 playing on the same team, I can't wait to see how dominant they are on the court. Pat Summit's team has always been a favorite of mine, and I was very excited to see them win the championship. Also, Candace Parker is so amazing and I'm sure that she will do great things for the WNBA.

Lava Pit

In Outdoor Pursuits today, we went to the low ropes course again. The activity that we completed was called "Lava Pit." Since I have already done this activity, I knew the strategy that was needed to finish it. There were 8 cinder blocks that were several feet apart, and 4 4x4 boards that were 8 feet long. The objective of the activity was to lay the boards on the cinder blocks and get everyone in the class across to the other side. You could not step into the "Lava Pit" or let the boards hit the ground. If a board would happen to hit the ground, that particular board could no longer be used. This activity was very challenging, but our class completed it. In my opinion, I didn't really like this activity because it took about an hour to complete, and there was a lot of standing around. But, "Lava Pit" did involve a lot of communication and trust from each classmate. It also was nice to just be outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Wild Woozey

In Outdoor Pursuits today, we went behind the ski-lodge and up to the low ropes course. First, we had to walk through the woods in a "Blind Trust Walk" to get to the course. It was very muddy and cold out, so I miserable the whole time. When we finally got to the low ropes course, we did an activity called "Wild Woozey." There were 2 wire cables attached to trees, and this activity involved 2 people walking on different cables. The 2 people had to balance and lean on each other as the wires got further apart. When it was my turn to go, I was really nervous and had a partner who was a lot heavier than we. All I did was lean on the person the entire time and we almost made it to the end of the wire cable. I enjoyed the "Wild Woozey" because it was something I've never done before. I look forward to going to the low ropes course again.