Hello and welcome to Anthony's Sport and Society Blog! This blog was created for the Sport and Society course that I am currently participating in. Before I share my opinions and reflections on the various articles we will be discussing throughout the course, I would like to introduce myself and give a bit of my background so that you, the reader, can better understand my viewpoint.
My name is Anthony. The title of this blog has probably given that away. I am a kinesiology student in my first year of graduate school. I am currently running head first through my program and will finish at the end of the summer. Due to the fast pace I have set for my Master's program, I plan on doing a project rather than a thesis. My specialization within kinesiology is motor development and my current project subject is the change in Fitts' law due to aging, though I am just in the planning phase of my project.
While my academic life has been very demanding, there are many things that define me as a person and have a great impact on how I see the world around me. I have been married to my wife for 2 1/2 years and we now have a beautiful 4 1/2 month old daughter. While many people today do not agree with marrying at a young age, it was definitely the right decision for me and my family is my life. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and work with the young men in the youth program at our church, as well as serving as their Scoutmaster in their Scouting program.
I also have a 20 hour graduate assistantship doing administrative, teaching, and research work. I work part-time at the library on campus as a graduate supervisor of the circulation desk. I've worked at least part-time since I was fifteen and can't imagine not being busy all the time. I joined the Army Reserves when I was a senior in high school, spent a year in Iraq, and am currently a Sergeant with my unit.
While I do love sports, they have taken a backseat to my busy life. While in middle and high school I was a competitive fencer. For those that do not know, fencing is a form of sport sword fighting. My weapon was the foil, which requires both extreme speed and accuracy. I was nationally competitive in my sport and competed in over a dozen North American Cups and multiple National Championships. I traveled to California, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and many other states to compete. While many people think that only rich people fence, that was not my case. In return for the fees for my instruction, flights, and registration, I helped to clean and maintain the club I fenced at. The costs that were not covered by this were paid using the money I made working part-time at a pizza joint. Fencing was a way for me to escape from the pressure of school and I miss not only the thrill of competition, but also the friendships that I made.
To be perfectly honest, I am not sure how this course will related to my research interests. My research interests in motor development are more related to the ergonomic side, as well as the fringe of the sports world. The research that I have considered that involve sport are related to the less popular sporting events such as fencing and crew. While I do not think that this course will directly help me in my research, I believe that the main benefits I will receive in this course are in the realm of improving my academic reading skills, academic writing skills, and analyzing society through sport and other means. I enjoy looking at life through many different lenses and if this course helps me to see issues from another's perspective and to realize how sport is a reflection of the greater issues in society, it will achieve my goals.
Hey Anthony, I never realized that you were a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Last semester, I actually gave a 30 minute presentation about Brigham Young University's men's soccer program. It was pretty interesting for a few reasons. One from the sporting perspective, which was that their soccer team is one a few the programs in college sports that does not compete in the NCAA but rather in a semi-professional league. Second was seeing how the religion was an important part of the team's culture. On their online roster, they list where they performed their mission work, which is something usually not seen by many college athletes. By doing the project I learned not only a lot about college soccer, but also a greater understanding about LDS religion and culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that although a Sport in Society class probably will have little direct connection to your research interest, it will still be a great thing for your career because I am sure that being a Sergeant, you must deal with people from many backgrounds. Perhaps something you might learn in this class might help you connect with one of your fellow soldiers in the future.
Hi Anthony,
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent introduction and I commend you for getting an early start on blogging. It appears to me that you are quite disciplined and that in itself is an important asset in grad school as well as in life itself. There are a number of points that you made that I would like to address, but let me start by saying that if you are able to improve your "academic reading skills, academic writing skills, and analyzing society through sport and other means," as well as "to see issues from another's perspective and to realize how sport is a reflection of the greater issues in society," you will have met my goals for this class also!
In regard to the Mormon Church, I read a book that you may be interested in, if you have not already read it (Sports in Zion); it is a history of Mormon recreation from 1890-1940. As for fencing, I wondered if you were familiar with the Jacobson's. I did some research on Sada Jacobson who was one of the leading U.S. fencers in the 2004 Olympics. I hope that you will share more about your experiences in fencing as well as in Iraq.
I look forward to reading more of your blog entries, and thanks again for volunteering to share how to blog!
Dr. Spencer