School Sports News

Uncertainties in Sports: Black Lives Matter Activism

Written by: Meghan Samples

A poll taken by Gallup revealed that “Americans who have a positive view of sports dropped from 45 percent positive in August 2019 to 30 percent last month... The number of citizens who had a negative view shot up from 25 percent last year to 40 percent in August 2020” (Campanile). While Corona Virus is also a contributing factor to the drop in interest, it is the protests that have reallycaused outrage among fans across all sports.

Despite these numbers, players continue their protests by putting their full support into the causes. One Lynx player, Rebekkah Brunson, expresses her fears saying, "Racism and unjust phobic fear of black males and disregard of black females is very real... "When we look at the facts, it's hard to deny that there's a real problem in our society. I'm scared for my brothers and sisters, my nieces and nephews, my future son or daughter” (Shoichet, Martin).

The players have a constitutional right to express their opinions under the first amendment. Where they do so, whether personally or professionally, can sometimes lead to controversy. The real-world consequences that come from expressing personal viewpoints in a professional setting can be difficult when rights could be infringed upon. However, protests ensure that no voice goes unheard and thereby, allow society to work towards positive change. “About.” Black Lives Matter, 22 May 2020, blacklivesmatter.com/about/. Campanile, Carl. “Public Support for Sports Plummets amid BLM Protests, Pandemic: Survey.” New York Post, New York Post, 8 Sept. 2020, nypost.com/2020/09/08/public-support-for-sports-plummets-amid-blm-protests-survey/. Goldman, Tom. “'Tired OfThe Killings': Pro Athletes Refuse To Play To Protest Racial Injustice.” NPR, NPR, 27 Aug. 2020, www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/08/26/906496470/a-dramatic-day-inpro-sports-where-the-action-was-no-action. Shoichet, Catherine E., and Jill Martin. “Off-Duty Cops Walk out over WNBA Players' Black Lives Matter Shirts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 12 July 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/07/12/us/wnba-minnesota-lynx-black-lives-matter12 shirts/index.html.

School Sports News Written by: Alexis Chandler There are many different sports people play. From football that brings large crowds to the stands, to baseball, which is one ofAmerica’s favorite pastimes, Creekviewstudents enjoyplayinga variety of sports. However, this year there are many uncertainties due to the pandemic. It may be difficult for a lot of players to practice and play with the virus going on this year. Manyplayers have alreadygone into quarantine and several games for the year have already been rescheduled. Additionally, all sports have new rules this year to keep everyone safe. For example, players mustwear masks while theypractice, and social distancingis encouraged when possible.

Two individuals were interviewed and here’s what they had to say about how the sports they play plan to continue this year. Taytem Valrio, a senior, plays baseballfor the school. Taytemhas been playing baseball for 8 years. He said he likes playing baseball becauseit's fun. I asked him how things are going with the virus going on and he said, “It’s hard to practice because the fields are closed.”

Hudson Marcus plays soccer. Now a sophomore, he’s been playing since he was 5. He said, “[he] likes playing soccer because it’s fun and [he]'s good at it.” He also said because of the virus going on its hard to practice because he couldn’t really go anywhere. The way several of the players are talking it’s hard for them to even practice.

Players aren't the only ones facing uncertainties. Fans are also having to readjust their expectations. Fans can't go watch games like they usually do because they only allow 25% admittance. Many people are choosing to distance themselves and avoid large crowds. As a result, last year’s spirited Friday nights are now muted.

The way it sounds it’s going to be a challenge to stay safe, practice, and play. I know that all of the coaches and players are going to push through this year and make the best of the sport seasons. Overall, it’s going to be a tough year for all of the coaches, players, parents, and fans uncertain situation. 13 to make the best of a difficult and

Today’s Gamers, Tomorrow’s Engineers

Written by: Lauren Bobo Some teachers or parents may claim that videogames are a detriment to education, and that they distract from meaningful learning developments by monopolizing students’ attention on meaningless and unhelpful tasks. However, video games have evolved in such a way that allows them to perform well, not only as educational tools, butas facilitators for innovation. As an Award-Winning member of the Creekview TSA team and a long- time gaming enthusiast, Codey Borrelli seeks to challenge this notion through utilizing Minecraft’s simple mechanics to create machines that mimic the complexities of real-life technology. “From adistance, Minecraftis a medieval/ magical looking game with only crude technology like a bow and arrow and the very simple mechanic of breaking and assembling pixelated blocks. One wouldn’t expect to be able to build such advanced technology that seems magical in its own right,” said Borrelli. When asked how his unconventional use of the Minecraft medium began, Codey said, “ I’ve always been interested in howcomplex mechanical or electrical things work, and my love for Minecraft as a middle schooler piqued my interest to see if I could replicate real world objects within the cubical limits of Minecraft.” From interactive tic-tac-toe boards to operational calculators, Codey has utilized simple blocks and switches to create carefully engineered masterpieces. He was open about the long process that is behind each one of his machines: “My first big project was a timer, and it was massive and overly complex, and it didn’t work all that well; However, the process of building it introduced me to binary and I built off of that knowledge for future projects. Every time I have built a large project, I gained a little bit of knowledge about logical operators and how to compact the circuit. The process has been long and slow but very rewarding. I don’t think the process is ever over because there’s always something new to learn.” The process of planning, wiring, testing, and refining one of these creations requires an extensive knowledge of the game’s mechanics and operational systems. However, these creations also require a working display of problem-solving skills involving the basics of numerical calculations, as well in-depth knowledge of any given machine’s real-world counterpart. “It teaches practical problem solving and basic circuitry, as I had to research how actual computers function to make many of these machines,” Borrelli said. Through allowing students to express creativity and ingenuity in a controlled space, video games are allowing students to form a foundational knowledge of engineering and mechanical processes subconsciously, as well as other lessons crucial to careers in STEM. “It teaches you that you shouldn’t be limited by your surroundings,” said Borrelli. “With these creations, I’m trying to show people that complex, real world things are able to be replicated in videogames, and that people can really learn something from that process. I would have never gotten the experience or drive to research the workings of a computer had I not been doing it for a Minecraft project. I think these creations should serve as an example for how one can learn and have fun at the same time.” Finally, Borrelli responded to the often-stigmatized view of videogames in the media and by people foreign to the gaming world: “I do think that videogames get a bad rap in multiple accounts. Some say that videogames make kids violent, others say it makes them crazy or that they’re distractions that kids can get addicted to. But every kid is different and personally I think the reason that most kids enjoy videogames is because it is such an expressive, interactive, and satisfying form of art. I feel like most kids play video games to relax or relieve stress. While in is true that there can be misuse in extreme cases, I think that can be said of anything. Videogames are on a relatively new field in our history as humans, and we are still learning about how we can use them for good and how we can utilize them for the betterment of ourselves.” 14

Being a teenager is that awkward transition between being an adult and being an adolescent. We are clobbered with poster phrases like be yourself,you are the boss of your own decisions,be successful, but psychology tells us to askwhy.This is the reality of an orthodox teenager. In this phase we are uncertain about almost everything around us. The constant reminder thatyou have no idea where you will end up is haunting. Some mightdescribe the uncertainty of being a teenager exciting, while others look at themselves and fear where theywill end up in life. The fear of being socially unacceptable is consistent with our craving for attention. We are no longer dependent on adults to survive, so naturally the extent of attention teenagers are used to receiving is limited. The questions multiply as we learn a new aspect of life every day. The curiosity of a child has not yet left our consciousness, but the experience of an adult is not yet in our grasp. The frustration of not knowing aggravates our thirst for knowledge. Some of us do not feel the need to defy our environments, and some have lost or even found themselves in the uncertainty of being in the most contradictory stage of life. Fear. It is fear that drives us away from our healthiestadult self. Specifically fear of the unknown. A 2019 ScholarlyJournal namedExamining the Role and AnxietySensitivityand Intolerance of Uncertainty in theRelationship Between Health Anxiety andLikelihoodof Medical CareUtilizationexplains how the “intolerance of uncertainty—the dispositional fear of the unknown—has demonstrated strong associations with health anxiety across multiple studies in both clinical populations and healthy young and older adult samples.” The relationship between the teenage fear of the unknown is directly correlated to the rising anxiety within the age group. The Intolerance ofUncertaintyhas been defined as the dispositional characteristic tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations. Intolerance of Uncertainty plagues the teenage phase because the thought of uncertainty is all we know, and we aren’t equipped to deal with it. Our parents tell us (most of us) that our job is school. Our job is to make sure that we can make it through to our adult years, which is our next phase of life. Some teens will tell themselves that uncertainty does not affect them. However, this may not be the case for everyone. Getting called a “bad kid” does not help our case. Some teens already feel that the world is against them simplyfrom the fact that they are heavilyexposed to the harmful aspects of society. This exact adolescent may have gotten overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown without even realizing it. Basically, having hit the “button,” the limit, in which they just do not care anymore, causing some to turn to rebellion. “It’s so stressful for everybody because nobody knows what tomorrow is or where we are going to be in two months, one year, five years. Like we don’t know… When you are in your body it is so stressful. You have to be this person everyone wants you to be. This person that knows exactly what they are doing and where they will end up. We don’t,” commented one Orthodox teenager. There are a select few that are able to motivate themselves through this uncertainty with the thought of success. There are some that do not think of rebelling. Some focus on college and their dreams. This is the age ofconstant pressure where the question,“What are yougoingto do with your life?” buries deep into the minds of focused teens. For the teenagers that have been broken by uncertainty,“What am I doing to myself?”rings in their subconscious. For the teens that have dreams and aspirations larger than their ability to be broken, “Will I fail?”makes motivation harder and harder to find. We are surrounded by stories of success and greatness. Surrounded bycelebrities telling us “YOU WILL SUCCEED!”,yet watching people fail in societyevery day. This is hard to rationalize as an irrational teen. We internalize criticism everydaybydoing things like comparingour grades to our peers’ and holdingourselves to an impossible standard. It is a constant uncertaintythat subconsciously sits on our brain, feeding on our fear, that will either make or breakour future. We are driven and subsequently bur ned out due to the fear of our unknown. Unknowns differ from individual to individual, butthe uncertainty of the ever-changing nature of the teenage experience is something we all share. It really does not matter where we are from, what the circumstances of our current situations entail, or things we all worry about but leave unsaid. Uncertaintyis a constant unifier 15 among us all.

Community

Essentially Overworked

Written by: Lauren Bobo From the lull of a routine commute to the repetitive nature of procedural tasks while on the clock, jobs once served as a source of constants and structure, isolated from the typical unpredictability of life outside of them. However, when the Co vid-19 pandemic swept the nation in March of 2020, the employment element of many people’s lives was impacted severely. While many were sent to work from home, put on temporary leave, or even laid off from their jobs as a result of the pandemic, businesses that were declared essential remained operational throughout. Despite these industries retaining their ability to remain open routinely during the pandemic, Creekview students in essential worker positions can attest that things were far from business as usual. What was once a source of near absolute certainty became a daily question, each time with a different answer than the day before. As the first Covid-19 cases were reported in America, confusion was widespread amidst a raging storm of speculation and conflicting information. However, the progression of confusion to panic is one that can spark suddenly and spread like a wildfire. In these early days, stores attempted to delay this inevitable escalation through measures that maintained the illusion of normalcy. “In the first few months, we were told not to wear masks or gloves because it would scare the customers. Many customers apparently complained about us wearing masks at the onset, so we were told to hold out on them until about 2 months in, when they became mandatory,” said Walker Grant, a customer service representative at the Free Home Publix. Managers were often forced into difficult decisions between what was best for the employees and the establishment and what was best to uphold the welfare of their patrons. However, as the pandemic escalated and government mandated quarantines seemed an imminent threat, people flocked to stores in massive hoards. Aisles were flooded with crowds only comparable to those before snowstorms or holidays, eschewing the social distancing advisory from the CDC . “For customer service,” said Walker, “It felt like the week before Christmas every single day for 3 months. I was told that, in those three months, our store made as much money as we’d usually make in a year.” It was only a matter of time before all stores faced stocking shortages, as essential materials were flying from the shelves far faster than they could be restocked. “It was very hectic…We were constantly running out of items like paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies,” said Zack Ewald, a cashier at the Target in Canton Marketplace. Tensions rose among customers and workers alike. Walker Grant recalled, “A good 75% of our stock was sold out in the first week. Most days after that, there was nothing on the shelves at all except for a few things people didn’t want. Most people were more frenzied because of the shortages than they were about the virus. We didn’t even have our stock back on a regular basis until, like, June. Some customers were angry at us.” 16

Community

Essentially Overworked

Written by: Lauren Bobo The concern of stock availability was not only relevant to workers as they tried to provide for their customers; student workers also felt pressure to provide the necessities for their own families. Being at the stores each day meant they knew firsthand just how quickly everything was selling out. Allyson Carter, an employee of the Starbucks at the local Kroger, said, “The workers were scared because even our own families were out of stuff. We had to buy things for our families too, and as soon as we restocked employees would rush to pick up what they could.” With an ever-increasing volume of customers, stores needed more help than ever to manage the crowds. Unfortunately, due to the Virus, Super Markets faced labor shortages as well. “A large margin of our workers decided to self-quarantine,” said Walker. Allyson also expressed that her store was missing many employees, noting that, “ We had a few Covid-19 cases in the store, but they were dealt with pretty much right away There were people who stayed out for months, and I’m not sure they got paid leave.” The consequences of Covid-19 cases and panic buying gave many stores no choice but to overwork the few employees they had left at times despite potential health risks. Grant commented on the rapid increase to his hours: “ At first, I guess it was nice to get more hours. However, that quickly evolved to working every single day. At the height of it all I was working 30-35 hours per week.” Most workers were understanding of their stores considering the extreme circumstances, with Zack noting that his store “…ensured they were doing everything they could to protect their workers.” However, one employee, who has asked to remain anonymous, claimed they felt as though “…if someone got the virus in those first few days, one of the managers would just tell them to sleep it off.”

Unfortunately, despite labor shortages, a boom in business, and the increasing demand for their products, stores were not immune to the nationwide concerns accompanying the rising unemployment rate in America. The title of essential worker could provide little reassurance in uncertain times. Allyson’s particular situation on the line between essential and nonessential worker left her feeling unsure about the future of her job: “In the beginning, I was worried that my job was going to close down. No one was really buying coffee from Starbucks, so our sales tanked… Even though our boss was pretty adamant that they weren’t going to close us down, it was scary because we didn’t know what to expect.” Walker expressed similar feelings of uncertainty about the security of his job : “Many people lost or quit their jobs, and many people were hired almost immediately after them, so no matter what, the feeling of being easily replaceable was in my head.” The stress and uncertainty felt by the entire world in these troubling times affected everyone’s lives in different ways. However, such chaos can occasionally provide a greater sense of clarity about one’s purpose and place in the world. Zack, despite the negative fallout, said, “After witnessing how crucial my job is to help people get through times like these, I have realized how much more important my job is than I originally thought.” Perhaps the most that anyone can hope for in catastrophic circumstances is the ability to feel like they 17 are making positive contributions in any way that they can.

Thanks for reading!