IV ESTATE
Sports
Read Across America DARIAN BANKS PRINT SPORTS EDITOR
Community service gained a larger spotlight recently in the Atlantic 10 with their Student Athlete Advisory Council video competition and press release encouraging all universities to participate in giving back to local communities. Mason SAAC participated in the National Education Association’s Read Across America campaign where athletes volunteered from various sports at Fairfax Villa Elementary to read to the children. “I got involved in Read Across America primarily, because it was a program brought to the student athlete body through SAAC. As a member of SAAC, I was encouraged to participate and decided that I would take the opportunity,” said softball player, Christina Gabriele. The opportunity to give back to the community also brings the Mason athletes together. “I think this pulls the student-athlete community together by allowing us to be active in our community and we can bond over the fact that we just had an opportunity to be positive role models for young children,” said rower, Patricia Kelshaw. Read Across America is an initiative done every year around Dr. Seuss’ birthday to get student athletes actively involved in the community. SAAC frequently sponsors community service efforts for Mason athletes. “It is important for me to do community service, because I enjoy reaching out to the community and people in need.” Kelshaw said. “It always feels good to make a difference.” The athletes are not limited to community service facilitated by SAAC. Every team is encouraged to come up with and execute their own ideas for service. “As a member of the softball team we have participated in numerous canned food drives, babysat at a local shelter, adopted an 8-year-old girl with brain cancer through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, and are now waiting for ‘Go Gold! For Tara,’ a community service event that we hope becomes a signature event for the program,” Gabriele said. This program to raise awareness about childhood cancer is among the examples of events that teams and student-athletes support. “While being a student-athlete, I have participated in the Dulles Day Plane Pull, which is a Special Olympics fundraiser where people raise money to pull an air plane across the ground for 12 feet,” Kelshaw said. “The money gained from that goes toward the Special Olympics program to provide year-round training and athletic competition to more than 11,000 athletes.” Read Across America was a rewarding
experience for the children and the student-athletes alike. “The kids at the elementary school were extremely excited to see us. I was really surprised to see how many questions they had about college, being an athlete, and where I was from originally (Miami, Florida). There was a big emphasis on getting to know us and it definitely brought a smile to my face,” Gabriele said. The positive image of the athletes reading Dr. Seuss books as the children gather around reinforces the desire to learn by showing where school and athletics can lead as Gabriele explained. “The image this creates for the Mason athlete community is one of caring. We really do care about this community, even if we aren’t originally from here,” Gabriele said. “We look for ways
We had an opportunity to be positive role models for young children -Patricia Kelshaw, rower
to give back and when the opportunity presents itself, we do.” Student-athletes have rigorous schedules as they balance schoolwork, practice, and games. The large number of athletic programs at Mason that participated in Read Across America shows that there can always be time made to show appreciation to those that support you. “Read Across America is one of those few instances where you can see basketball, volleyball, softball, lacrosse, and track athletes (just to name a few) all together in the same place, doing the same thing,” Gabriele said.
04.07.2014
15
High intensity interval training
When it comes to cardio I dread it just as much as the next person. Running on a treadmill for miles is not something I want to do to burn fat, but I do enjoy doing high intensity interval training. This method involves switching between very intense bouts with less intense exercise in between. This can also be applied to weight lifting in the gym. Fact: HIIT is a better way of burning fat than running at a steady state cardio for a long period of time. When you run at 80% to 90% of your max heart rate, you burn fat from those stubborn spots for fueling your body throughout the workout. This workout style will increase your metabolism and burn more calories up to 24 hours after your workout. Another benefit of HIIT is that it can help improve your endurance levels. For the workout this week, I will be demonstrating it on a treadmill but this can be done on any cardio machine. Start out at jogging pace for a minute. Then, pick the speed up to a fast run or sprint; whatever fits your fitness level. After 45 seconds to a minute, bring the pace down to a fast walk on an incline of 10 for ninety seconds to a minute. Then, repeat the process for a complete twenty-minute workout. For a challenge, increase the speed of the run and/or increase the incline. Walking at an incline helps target your glutes and thighs.
Finding your maximum heart rate: It’s said that you should exercise for 20 to 30 minutes at your target heart rate for weight loss, but most do not know this magical number. Here’s a quick and simple way to calculate your target heart rate. Let’s Do the Math:
220 beats per minute – your age target heart rate
ANDREA FINFROCK COLUMNIST