Features
Mt. Carmel SUN
B7
November 20, 2009
Campo begins ‘Sundevil Heroes’ tradition RACHEL MARTIN FEATURES EDITOR
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOSE CAMPO
MC alumnus Joe Tezak poses in his senior picture above. Below, he is pictured with coach Jose Campo, on right, after a life-changing injury.
A little over 10 years ago, MC alumnus Joe Tezak could never have imagined losing the feeling in his legs. But it happened. In a freak accident involving a Murphy fold up bed, Tezak became paralyzed. Once a star wrestler under Coach Jose Campo, Tezak is now confined to a wheelchair. Tezak had the opportunity to tell MC students the story of his injury and how he has continued to be successful, despite it, in a new program called Sundevil Heroes. Campo had the idea for the program when he found out about the Challenged Athletes Foundation. “They raised money to try to help former athletes that are paralyzed or lost their legs to raise money so they can get prosthetic legs or racing wheelchairs,” Campo said. About nine years ago, Campo decided to participate in a triathlon sponsored by the foundation. With the money he raised, the foundation was able to buy a racing wheelchair for Tezak. Then, almost three years ago, another MC alumnus, Joe Grady, lost his arm while serving in the military in Iraq. This summer, Campo realized it would be the 10-year anniversary of Tezak’s accident. Campo decided he wanted to bring back both of his former wrestlers to “be part of the triathlon somehow.” Campo then had the idea to bring Tezak and Grady back to MC to speak to students about their lives and appreciating what you have. Campo wanted students “to hear about successful Mt. Carmel graduates that have not only gone on to college but overcome severe obstacles.” During an Oct. 23 assembly in front of 450 students, Grady and Tezak spoke about how their lives changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. Grady recalled his experience in Iraq and described his fellow troops
as his “brothers.” He was injured during an explosion in Fallujah. Grady was one of two people who survived. Throughout his long recovery in Germany and later Bethesda, Md., Grady said the hardest thing to learn was how to write with his left hand. He is now studying to become an English teacher at the University of Wisconsin. Tezak told the story of his accident by describing the night it occurred. It was New Years of 1999, and Tezak was reminiscing about his high school wrestling days with a fellow MC alumnus. A friend flipped up the Murphy bed where Tezak was sitting. He hit his head and neck on the wall. At first, he only felt a few pops in his neck, but it led to severe paralysis. Tezak said he treated his recovery like wrestling practice. He went to rehab twice a day for three months. Now, he participates in wheelchair rugby and dance. Injuries like these do not only affect the victims. Tezak said he thinks his friends have new perspectives on life because of his injuries. Tezak also thinks some people have the wrong idea about disabled people. “People with disabilities are going to be out there doing things,” he said at the assembly. Tezak was recently inducted into his college Hall of Fame in North Dakota and now lives in Washington, D.C., working for the United States Customs and Border Protection. Despite all of these obstacles, both men said if they had the choice to have their old lives back, they wouldn’t take it. “Despite everything, I don’t think that I would change it,” Grady said. “I enjoy where I am right now.” Tezak agreed, calling his injury a “blessing.” Campo’s reason for beginning this tradition of Sundevil Heroes is to help students realize all that they have. “I think we have a great school,” Campo said. “I love our school. I love our teachers. But I think a lot of kids don’t appreciate what they have.”
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOSE CAMPO
MC alumnus Joe Grady poses in his letterman jacket above. Below, he is shown with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after losing his arm in Iraq.
Boys bathroom quicker stop than girls; unstated rules force males to comply
Bathroom breaks: social meetings for girls; disgusting sinks, long lines daily occurrence
JAY HUEY STAFF WRITER
CATHY MCDERMOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The boys bathroom is generally thought of as a place for guys to go do their business and then come out right away. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there is a lot more to boys’ bathrooms than just a few Number Ones and Number Twos every hour. Most guys would know about the guidelines of the boys bathroom. Nowhere are they written, rarely are they ever spoken about, but males know instinctively what to do and not to do inside the bathroom. During snack, lunch, and passing periods, you can find the boys bathroom more packed than usual. Some boys inside are doing their thing on the urinals, but most of urinals are not occupied. Even with all the empty urinals, a line forms as guys wait for their turn, not wanting to do their business directly next to another. Some may ask, “Why hold it if you can do
something about it?” “The every-other-urinal rule is definitely an important unspoken rule between the guys,” senior Aris Alteza said. “It certainly is uncomfortable to have someone standing right next to you while doing something that’s supposed to be private.” All over the bathroom, there are “rules” related to each appliance. Waiting in line to do a number one is the only option unless you don’t mind doing your business next to another. An open stall is last resort, as some say using one is either inconsiderate or a sign that you’re trying to hide something. “Guys who use stalls to pee either have security issues, or button flies,” junior Alex Heck said. “Either way there are usually enough stalls for the guys who need to take a number two, and if there aren’t it isn’t like they have to wait long.” The biggest pet peeve about guys taking a number one inside the stalls is when guys totally “miss”
the target, regardless whether it was intentional or not. “When haven’t I been to a bathroom with someone pissing on something?” Heck said. “If it isn’t the toilet paper, then it’s the floor, and all of that creates the ‘pleasant’ odor that we’ve come to associate with high school bathrooms.” While girls supposedly pretty themselves up in front of the sink, guys have some strange routines themselves that many consider as uncommon behavior. “I’ve seen guys shave at the bathroom, or do a quick bath. I’ve even seen a guy brush their teeth, which I don’t recommend under any circumstances,” Heck said. We may not be girls, but the bathroom is much more to guys than just a place to pee and poo. Though unspoken, rules are definitely followed each time they visit the bathroom. Behaviors considered to be “strange” are pretty normal to us guys.
It’s break. You get 15 whole minutes to do what you need to do before heading back to endless class lectures and tedious exams. Before you make your way to the Sun Center to talk to your counselor, you make a “quick” stop at the girls bathroom. But what do you know? The line is just about as long as the lines at Walmart on Black Friday. How is it that every girl in the school has to use the bathroom at the same time? Thankfully, the line only appears to be 1000 ft. long because for every one girl that has to actually use the restroom, there are five girls with her for “moral support.” Why girls need an entire posse to take a squat beats me. In fact, wouldn’t you think that it would be a bit awkward for all your best friends to be waiting for you to do
your business? That’s a lot of unnecessary pressure. After standing outside for five minutes, you finally get inside, but upon entering, you lose all breathing room. It makes it difficult for one to figure out who is actually waiting for a stall and who is waiting for a friend. So you spend about two extra minutes asking those around you “Are you in line?” Once you get to the actual front of the line, it becomes more civil. You wait for a stall, do what you got to do and then come out feeling relieved. That is until you realize that every single sink is occupied. But not with girls washing their hands. Instead there are 10 girls for only eight sinks applying their makeup and fixing their hair. You wait patiently, well you wait while tapping your feet with an annoyed look on your face. But
the beauty shop girls don’t even acknowledge your existence, nor do they offer to let you wash your hands. They continue to smear on their eyeliner, while you now have about one minute till they bell rings. Once they have perfectly plastered their face on and locked their flawless hair into place, they, so nicely, move aside and allow you some space to use the sink. You begin washing your hands, only to find foundation smeared across the sink and a hair ball in the drain. Not only that, but the girl who had already occupied the sink is now peering over your shoulder, again fixing her hair. Once done with the sink, you fight your way through the mass of girls back to the door. The bell rings just as you open it, so much for using break to get things done. On the bright side, you survived the girls bathroom during “crunch time.” Congratulations.
CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST