Alex Bednarek, Berlin High School, Berlin, Connecticut

My Thanks

23 years of life and the list of things I am thankful for is already endless. First and for most, I am thankful for my beautiful family. I am thankful for my father who has instilled in me the ultimate level of optimism. The things he has taught have been some of the most simplest and yet complex things at the same time. I am thankful for my mother who has given me the drive that I live by. She has taught me to have so much confidence in myself that I never thought I would be able to carry. Words can't describe how thankful I am for my younger brother, my best friend. He has shown that age does not bring wisdom, attitude does.
          I am so lucky to have not one, but seven best friends. I am thankful for them no matter how much or little I see them. I am thankful for them for having the conviction of keeping it real with me the entire time I have known them.
         I am thankful for my entire Springfield family. I am thankful for the maturation process we have been able to share and the legacy, yes legacy we left on that school.
         23 years of life and I could go on for what I am thankful for. Thank you for the people in my life who have supplied me with the motivation that fuels me everyday even if you don't know it. Little lessons in life are the things that carry dreams into reality, and I am thankful for everyone who have been able instill that into me.

Running Up The Score

Sportsmanship is something we are taught at a young age in the world of athletics. Good sportsmanship is viewed as special as winning sometimes in the realm of competition. There comes a time when sportsmanship is also tested with character. In today's world when an opponent seems outmatched it is seen as bad sportsmanship to run up to score. But here lies the conflict of character, as children we are taught to always try our best no matter what. We tell kids try their best and give it their all, but we don't take into consideration what "good" sportsmanship ultimately allows for that. If your child is winning and the score seems to be getting out of hand, it seems hypocritical to tell your child to "ease up." The definition of good sportsmanship would totally support that idea, but the character we are built upon does not. I ask myself, why is it my duty to ease up when I have put in the hard work to become the best I can? Why do I need to pull back because I am working hard just to benefit someone else's feelings. As wrong as that may sound, imagine telling your child, "I want you to go out there and try hard, not to hard, but just a little." We live in a society where we want to have it both ways. We cannot punish people for putting in the time and effort to become great and them because someone else feels bad.

Middletown High School Boys Soccer 2012 Season Highlights

Hashtag Knickstape

Tonight is the night so many of us have been waiting for. The NBA season is finally here! As a Knicks fan, this is where we determine how high we want to put our hopes so that when they come crashing down we know how much face we need to try to save. With the new acquisitions to our team our average age may now be older than the original Harlem Globetrotters. However, I have much faith in Mr. Anthony after the showing he had in London. He is the last one in the core of the '03 draft who has not gotten it done, and this year he has to step up. Time to get it done Knicks Nation. 

          

Dreamers vs. Realists

“There are dreamers, and there are realists in this world.

You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists. But more often than not, the opposite is true.

You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun.

And the realists?

Well, without the dreamers…they might never get off the ground.”

                                                                      - Eric Stonestreet

Everything ain't for Everybody!

"Never give up" may be one of the shortest cliches with one of the tallest orders. Its been about two years since I've graduated college and I still find myself figuring out what this degree Springfield gave me really means. I feel this little piece of paper has simply validated that I've simply only scratched the surface of the "real world." I definitely walked into college thinking my degree would be the key that would begin to open doors for me, but boy was I wrong.  The day after graduation has probably been the biggest reality check I've had since realizing money didn't "grown on trees."
           Sports Journalism has been my plan since graduating college and so far it seems after two years I have taken baby steps with that plan. I think the most annoying word a journalist can hear is "freelance." Freelance to me simply means no stability, and if there's one thing a college student is looking for when they graduate with thousand dollars of loans, its stability. I have been doing so many freelance gigs here and there that have offered that instant gratification of cash, but that doesn't mean much when bills come in. Patience is another one of those words us journalist hate to hear, especially when its coming from someone who has what you want. I've learned with patience though, sometimes you gotta pass on good in order to get to great. That life lesson wasn't learned without its fair share of trial and error.
           Many people wont understand the life of a journalist, hell, I barley do. The random hours and random pay will throw off even the greatest of minds. But I mean hey, everything ain't for everybody, certain people can deal with what it throws at you. I think after my many, many, many, MANY times of trial and error throughout the past two years have really confined my mind into how to flow throughout this business to get to where I want to be. Time is that one thing that seems to take forever when you don't want it to, but will fly by you when you are trying to hold on to every little bit. My parents still don't think I have a job because of the way freelance works. Its always hard to have people understand your drive, but there's one answer I've learned when people ask why you do it. "Why Not," is the greatest answer to all positivity. So to my fellow journalist, keep grinding, I mean hey, the older ones have to fall off eventually.