prose

Mrs. Nardelli

Honors English 9

14 November 2024

The Great Hit

Standing on the edge of failure, feeling the weight of a challenge that seems impossible to overcome. It’s in these moments, when everything feels like it's falling apart, that I've discovered life’s hidden blessing. Just mere living often throws challenges my way that test my resilience and push me to my limit. Yet, I've come to believe that these challenges are more than just obstacles-- they are blessings in disguise. They shape who I am, reveal hidden strengths, and teach me lessons I might never learn otherwise. This belief didn’t come easily, but through my experiences, I've discovered that each challenge is an opportunity waiting to be embraced.

I still remember the moment that this belief came to life for me. It was a late summer afternoon on the baseball field and the air felt thick. My team was down by one run in the last inning. There were two outs, bases loaded, and it was my turn to bat. As I walked to the plate, my heart pounded so loudly it drowned out the cheers and chatter around me. All I could think about was what would happen if I struck out.

The first pitch came fast-- a strike. I barely saw my hands tighten on the bat as I tried to block out the growing knot in my stomach. The second pitch came, and I swung hard, but I missed. Another strike. Now I was one pitch away from blowing it for everyone. I glanced at the dugout and saw my teammates watching. I glanced at the stands and saw my dad. He didn’t yell or look worried. He just nodded, like he was telling me, “you’ve got this.”

I took a deep breath as the next pitch came. Time slowed down, and I swung. Crack! The ball connected with the bat; I felt it soar in the wind. I ran as hard as I could, barely hearing the roar of my teammates. By the time I slid into home plate, dirt flying everywhere, my team was already celebrating. We’d won the game, and in that moment, all the pressure, all the fear, turned into pride.

That game taught me something I'll never forget: challenges aren’t meant to stop us. They’re meant to push us, to show us what we’re capable of. If I'd let my fear of striking out take over, I wouldn't have even swung the bat. Only then I realized that failure isn’t what defines us-- it's how we respond to it.

Evan Harkin

Mrs. Nardelli

Honors English 9

14 November 2024

Charting My Own Path

I believe in self-direction: The ability to decide what I do with my life without listening to others. When I stand at the crossroads of life, I possess the ability to choose what road I go down. Every day, I choose what I want to do, ranging from a decision that could alter the rest of my life to deciding what I wear to school. My small decisions add up every day. Tomorrow, I might decide to sleep in, causing me to put on random clothes, which in turn leads me to sweat during the school day. Since I am sweaty, some people might give me weird looks.

On the other hand, I can make one poor decision that could land me in big trouble. Throughout my day, I see others make bad choices in the classrooms and especially in the bathrooms. These bad choices can cause heaps of harm to them and the people around them. Every day I can see people make bad choices when they drive, go to class, and talk in school. I must make sure I make the right choices every day to direct my life to where I want it to go. It has always been a dream of mine to play college sports; I need to make sure I work and practice what I need for my sport. Moreover I want to go to an exceptional college, which means I will need excellent grades for my application. When I sit around for a week, I feel terrible because I know that I have waited for what I want in life to come to me instead of striving for it. If I don’t work for my goals, I am not directing my life; instead, I am waiting for something to come to me. It saddens me every day to see people wandering around, listening to others about what to do. They have no direction in what they want to do with their lives. This is why I believe in self-direction.

Ewan Campbell

Mrs. Nardelli

Honors English 9

14 November 2024

Power of Persistence

Life is like an ocean. If I sail the right way, I will get to where I need to be; if I don’t, I will end up in the wrong place. Everyone will end up sailing the wrong way and be found doing the wrong thing, but if I can change my attitude, mindset, and approach, then I will start to sail in the right direction. Being committed and disciplined in one’s sport and everyday life goes a long way. Proving how I can be disciplined and ready to others, creates an example of being a leader. I was always the first one to show up to practice and the last one to leave; I wanted to be a winner. Believing is wanting to prove someone right; I believe that I can prove to anyone that anything is possible and there is nothing impossible.

I went to a championship for the first time in my life. After only wrestling for two months, I was selected to attend the city championship as a first time wrestler. Wrestling is the toughest, most complex battle, and most people don’t fully commit to the sport. Pushing through and knowing my goal, is a key part of something that gets me through matches, practices, and drills. Not a single person told me to show up to wrestling, but I showed up because I found an interest in the sport. Having a coach and partner with the same mindset is how I can get further in life. At practices, I listened and did everything to my full potential. I use all the opportunities I can get to be better than anyone else. I may not be the best wrestler ever but I can work hard enough; show up everyday to be the best.

In wrestling, not giving up and keeping your head straight is how the game will work. I have to dig deep, even when I am feeling exhausted and every muscle in my body is screaming at me to stop. A wrestler like Dan Gable, a two time NCAA division one national champion, world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist, shows that resilience and determination can lead to incredible achievements. Every match is a battle, not just against my opponent, but against my own limits. When I start to push past the pain and keep fighting, I discover a strength I never knew I had before. It’s that relentless drive that turns good wrestlers into champions. Every practice and match session is an opportunity to push my limits and grow stronger, both physically and mentally. I have to embrace the grind, learn from losses, and never give up, no matter how much competition I have.

I prioritize maintaining the right mindset and trying my hardest every single day. It’s all about: maintaining focus, staying positive, and believing in my own abilities no matter how tough my competition is. Wrestling teaches me to push through my own challenges and view setbacks as more opportunities to grow stronger. By keeping my head in the game, I can push through the toughest moments and come out victorious. I remember that every match, practice, drill, and tournament, are moments in my life to grow and learn off of. Surrounding myself with supportive teammates and coaches who uplift me and keep me motivated are what help me strive for success. With that being said, staying disciplined, setting goals, and never losing sight of why I started wrestling in the first place allows me to persevere. With a strong mindset, I will not only excel in wrestling but also in life.

Margot Harris

Ms. Nardelli

Honors English 9

12 December 2024

The Consequences of Dieting

Most think eating less of certain foods or not eating them at all for a while will promise a healthier life; however, skinnier does not always equal healthier. A conducted U.S. study showed that about 61% of all men are unhappy with their weight or body, while 72% of women are also displeased with how they look (Withnell & Bodell). Issues with self images often cause people to look for quick solutions, like weight loss dieting. Taking pills or limiting oneself to only a few certain foods is considered to be harmless by plenty of people, but changing up one’s diet so drastically can affect someone’s body in more areas than just their waist. A person’s mental health and overall well-being can greatly decline after succumbing to these diets. Dieting may be seen as a helpful way to become healthier or lose weight, but the consequences end up outweighing the benefits.

When dieting to lose weight, a person is deprived of necessary nutrients and their physical health suffers. The limited amount of vitamins and minerals a person receives when dieting occurs after cutting out certain foods or food groups. Joint pain, poorer immunity levels, heart disease, and a generally weaker physique can all be negative side effects of weight loss dieting. The low fiber content in fad diets can also commonly lead to constipation or hemorrhoids (“Stay away from fad…”). According to the article “Stay away from fad diets,” “Overweight or obese individuals often follow fad diets to shed the extra kilos but these diets strictly restrict the intake of various food groups. This reduces the entry of essential nutrients into the body.” The body has a balance that dieting disregards, and physical issues can quickly arrive once the balance is disrupted. Therefore, the sudden imbalances caused by dieting weigh heavily on a dieter’s health, even if they start weighing less physically.

Additionally, obsessing over weight and calories does not just cause physical pain, but mental health issues as well. Men and women nowadays are often plagued by edited photos of others that skew their perception of what a ‘beautiful’ or ‘healthy’ body looks like. In an effort to try to obtain a model-like figure by dieting, some can take it too far and end up in a far worse situation than before (Wexler). These fake beauty standards that encompass our perception of what people should and should not look like cause unnecessary anxiety. Guilt surrounding ‘cheat foods’ may take a toll on someone’s mental health, even when those sugary items are counterbalanced by the healthier options (“Why strict diets…”). Consequently, Anorexia and Bulimia, two eating disorders that circle in on having an empty stomach, are only ever worsened by weight loss pills and diets. Samantha Withnell and Lindsay Bodell explain this in their article, "How Dieting, Weight Suppression and Even Misuse of Drugs Like Ozempic Can Contribute to Eating Disorders” by stating that “drugs like Ozempic may also be misused by individuals already struggling with an eating disorder to suppress their appetite, compensate for binge eating episodes or manage fear of weight gain.” Dieting is seen as a miracle by those looking to lose weight; however, there are those who would be better off keeping that weight and looking for other options.

Furthermore, even if a person on a harmful diet is able to ward off most of the physical or mental side-effects, the weight they lose has a good chance of being regained anyway. Because most diets are thought to be a quick and simple way to lose weight, people are likely not to think about long-term outcomes. However, Kathryn Diss writes that, “from cutting out carbs to dropping five kilos in a week ... it is all about a quick fix” ("Fad Diets Can Become…”). Dieting by taking weight loss medications only works when actively using them. Once someone stops taking the drugs, most or all of the weight previously lost is likely to be gained back (Withnell & Bodell). Fad diets, a popular branch of dieting, are meant to work for only a short period of time. Fad diets can help people quickly drop pounds, but that weight is put back on after returning to past eating plans (“Stay away from fad…”). Diets can only help for as long as someone is willing to adhere to them, and being on the same diet for a lifetime is too tricky for most to commit to.

Ultimately, diets and pills that focus on weight loss are more likely to harm than help in the long run. Physical pain can occur right alongside mental damage when food is restricted. Those with eating disorders never benefit from further limiting themselves from certain foods; in fact, these serious mental disorders can worsen and become fatal. Most of those struggles end up not even being worth it, as lost weight is almost always gained back. While some diets are necessary for those with certain health conditions, dieting specifically for the intention of losing weight, is a continuous cycle of one-step-forwards, two-steps-back.

Works Cited

Diss, Kathryn. "Fad Diets Can Become Eating Disorders." Can Diets Be Harmful?, edited by

Amy Francis, Greenhaven Press, 2016. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010463239/OVIC?u=vbcps&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=abb8d60b. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024. Originally published as "When Fad Diets Become Eating Disorders," 2 May 2014.

"Stay away from fad diets." New Nation [Dhaka, Bangladesh], 1 July 2017. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A500487835/OVIC?u=vbcps&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=b44ff2c4. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Wexler, Barbara. "The Influences of Mental Health and Culture on Weight and Eating

Disorders." Weight in America: Obesity, Eating Disorders, and Other Health Risks, 2012 ed., Gale, 2013. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ2069700103/OVIC?u=vbcps&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=f175ce44. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

"Why strict diets are harmful and unnecessary." Nairobi News, 16 Aug. 2023, p. NA. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A761172003/OVIC?u=vbcps&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=cea0afe2. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Withnell, Samantha, and Bodell, Lindsey. "How Dieting, Weight Suppression and Even Misuse

of Drugs Like Ozempic Can Contribute to Eating Disorders." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2024. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/PMDZTZ431648245/OVIC?u=vbcps&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=535fb410. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024. Originally published as "How dieting, weight suppression and even misuse of drugs like Ozempic can contribute to eating disorders," The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024.