Whats the big deal?

The buzz that is going around now, as most of you already know, is about Miss USA and her drinking problems;hanging out at bars and engaging in sexual misconduct. I mean come on, what is the big deal? She is 20 years old, who hasn't been to a bar when they were 20 years old or even younger the 20 now-a-days? Is she not supposed to be making out with a guy? I mean what exactly is sexual misconduct?

Okay, so she is supposed to represent the US and be the perfect citizen while "wearing the sash". But who really is a perfect person? She is from a small town in the south and moved to the Big Apple of course she is going to get sucked into the big city party scene.



Mr. Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, is not firing her and taking away her crown, but giving her another chance. She does have to undergo rehab, which is ridiculous but I guess has to be done for some kind of punishment. Nevertheless, there is controversy over that too, some say its a way of PR. I believe if Trump did fire her he would be a hypocrite. His oldest son was an alcoholic, and his other son was seen at bars frequently when he was underage.

With the sexual misconduct thing, if men were able to participate in the pageant and win a sash, do you think the media would give it this much attention? If that person allegedly was seen at bars, and engaging in sexual misconduct I'm sure people wouldn't care.


That's why I say, come on what is the big deal? Let her go out and be an average young women.

The Wrestling Life

In football, usually the small guy finishes last because the larger ones tumble over him and in soccer, the little fast foot work guy can pretty much run circles around the others. However in wrestling, a massive and petite individual can strive.

Recently I attended a wrestling match and was actually enthusiastice about it. Some could say wrestling is barberic and harsh yet, it can be a way to ease anxiety and stress. In wrestling there are weight classes that an athlete can enter depending on how much body fat one has. A larger person can wrestle at 215 lbs. against another of the same weight, and the smaller athlete of 125 lbs. will wrestling no larger weight then that.

A close friend of mine who wrestles in the 150 weight class only weighs about 145 lbs. Therefore he usually gets pounded on by other guys. This seems inadequate, however this is the better part of the wrestling life.

In wrestling vocabulary, most athletes have to "suck" weight or to lose weight to get the their desired weight class. The more lean and toned the wreslter is the easier to prevail over others in the weight class.

In past years, wrestlers have gone to extremes to make weight. Individuals must starve themselves, eating only ice cubes or jello, and run about 10 miles a day with heavy clothing on. This horrible atmosphere can send someone to the hospital with a dehydrated body and a medical bill.

Luckily, they have changed the rules for wrestling. An athelte must get weighted, and checked for how much body fat they have and are tested to find out how much weight they can drop. This is an excellent idea, now wrestlers can lose weight without damage to their body.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Every year around the holidays there is controversy over saying "Merry Christmas" versis "Happy Holidays." People who are not Catholic get affended by others who say "Merry Christmas" when certain individuals do not celebrate the holiday.

This year the controversy was directed toward malls. After Thanksgiving, malls decorate for the holidays with lights, trees, and bows. However, those who do not celebrate this holiday create conflict because it doesn't show fairness at a public place.

One rabbi aimed his religious expressions toward Colonie Center Mall suggesting they display an 18-foot Hanukkah menorah. Rabbi Yaahov Weiss sent up a meeting with the mall officials, and they didn't say no. Yet, they claimed that the Hanukkah menorah was a "religious" symbol whereas, the trees and lights were just "holiday"items. On the other hand, the CEO of the mall said they will represent Hanukkah in some way.

The holiday season is a time to decorate and enjoy life. If going to a public place and an individual gets affended by the decorations, it is a problem. However, I agree with the holiday items. You don't see crosses symbolizing the Christain religion do you? and certainly Santa Claus represents the holidays, not exactly a religious emblem. Nevertheless, blue lights are also an attribute to the jewish holiday, so maybe public places should decorate with these colors.

Whether one celebrates Christmas or Hanukkah, this season is a time for family, friends, and fun. If putting up decorations and making a place look nice is such a conflict, maybe there shouldn't be any decorations at all.

Get your Sexy On!

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show aired December 6th on CBS and like most American's I tuned in to watch, primary because I wanted to see the different kinds of pretty underwear. Other reasons were because Justin Timberlake was performing, and Victoria's Secret Angel Gisele is gorgeous.

The principal reason for this fashion show was to make money, on ratings and sales, and Victoria's Secret had a terrific marketing strategy. Hott models with undergarmets on attracting the males, and a handsome male wearing a suit, attracting the females. Either way VS made huge dollar signs.

Some say that this and other fashion shows give young girls the wrong image. That being thin is unhealthy associating thin people with being anorexic or on cocaine. But if you look at Americans today and how obese the population is, do you really want young girls seeing these images? Not saying that they should be super thin to the point of being unhealthy, but having a good physique. So many commericials are target marketed to children such as fast-food resturants, how come nobody has complained about that? Trying to get children to eat unhealthy products should be illegal, for attempted murder.

People disapprove of fashion shows saying they are degrating to women, yet these supermodels choose to be VS Angels. I doubt they were forced to be on national television prancing around in angel wings and underwear. They are willing to portray themselves as "sex objects" just like the people have the right to watch them.

I didn't see anything wrong with the way the models looked. In fact, I thought they had curvier bodies than average supermodels you see now-a-days. The VS Angels were of different ethnic groups also, not just the blonde haired, blue eyed bombshell that are sterio-typed to be the typical model. Which is making progress for women in the media.

The main goal of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was to sell a product. Not to provoke people to become thin or to create chaos in feminist. Body image depends on you and your own standards of beauty, influenced on your own experiences and real life. Americans have a big problem with obesity and for right now I think that people should be more worried about unhealthy overweight people then the thin. The media has influence only if the people give it power.

Cheerleaders are Athletes without a Sport

Is Cheerleading a sport?

It is one of the controversial questions among cheerleaders and non-cheerleaders and causes much confusion and rage. In the dictionary the word "sport" is defined as "physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engage in competitively." It is the last part of this definition "engage in competitively" that creates the confusion.

According to the Women's Sports Foundation the criteria of a sport is

• A physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of a mass.
• A contest or competition against or with an opponent .
• Is governed by rules which explicitly define the time, space and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared.
• The acknowledged primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants.

The only time cheerleading is a sport is when competing at a cheerleading competition, where you are governed on the routine you perform. There are time limits, competition between the different squads, and rules to follow, for example the bases and back spot must keep their eyes on the flier at all times or the stunt is disqualified. However, the majority of cheerleading squads do not participate in competitions. A cheerleaders main purpose is to unite, entertain, and motivate the spectators and cheer on the athletic team that is playing the game. The most common sports that have cheerleaders are football and basketball.

Those cheerleading teams that do perform on the competitive level are considered a sport. Yet, until the cheerleading squads that do not compete start to, there is little hope cheerleading will become a sport.

Any cheerleader will tell you that they are athletes and yes, they are. They fly, tumble, yell, and dance just like the best football player, flexible gymnast, or poised dancer. With these skills there is no doubt they are athletes.

Cheerleading is the number-one 'sport' responsible for female catastrophic injuries, and more than half among high school and college female athletes. Crazy right? Its not a sport yet causes numerous injuries a year, more than female basketball, field hockey, or soccer.

I have been a cheerleader since I was in the first grade and this basketball season is my third year on varsity. My varsity team does go to competition and in my eyes cheerleading has always and will always be a sport.

The question 'Is Cheerleading a Sport' has caused me many headaches. Fellow classmates have told me that its not a sport, but do they really know what goes in to having an awesome team? Have they ever been to a cheerleading practice? Have they been to a cheerleading competition and see the amazing teams and their routine? The answer to all of these is most likely no. They have no idea how difficult cheerleading really is and the skill one must have. In every competitive cheerleaders eyes you will see their dedication, most cheerleaders cheer because they can't see themselves doing anything different no matter if it is a sport or not.

So, does it really matter that cheerleading is technically not a sport? Don't you think it's more important to be considered an athlete? I do.