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“Go run the hill!” Something I heard almost every day from our coaches last year. We were in the middle of the season and our regattas had already started. This practice, we had to sprint against the varsity girls crew. Us being the junior varsity crew, we lost and the consequence was to run the hill thirty times.
That season, I was the steerswoman and I was mostly responsible for the actions that my crew executed. I always felt accountable for any loss that we took, even if it was just during practice, but I didn’t really feel like a leader. To me, it was inane to think that I am better than anyone. I was the same as everyone else, but the only difference was that I had to sit in another seat and I had to keep the boat straight. It was already about six ‘o clock and I didn’t want to run at all. My feet and legs were dirty from the mud and dirt at Keʻehi. Because paddling is during winter season, it was colder and practice that day felt demanding and I was exhausted. Running on the hill that day… I could barely feel anything. My legs were so tired, and I could barely feel my face because the air was fairly cold. I thought to myself, “I can literally just give up at fifteen and finish the fifteen tomorrow.” I didn’t really care too much about it. It’s not like anyone payed attention to me while I was running anyways. Coaches were busy coaching, and everyone just kind of focused on themselves. My crew and I were running for a good couple of minutes. Everyone was so exhausted that we barely had enough oxygen within us to speak. Usually we would be a loud group running up and down the hill, but the only thing I could really hear was heavy breathing. I really just wanted to quit, but something kept me going. Something always keeps me going because that’s just the type of person I was… to just put everything I have into the things that I love to do. We were about half way there and I heard these two girls saying, “You know what? I think I’ll just do them tomorrow. I’m so tired.” But there was this one girl, Nai’a and she kept going, and I just kept going with her. I wasn’t gonna leave her alone. She kept persisting, she was determined to finish and I was going to finish with her. We finished a few more hills and I already saw the girls walking down the hill saying, “Okay, you guys just wanna go then?” Nai’a just kept running and said, “Nah, I’ll stop when Zion stops.” All of the girls that wanted to stop just kept going. Obviously not because they wanted to, but more so because we kept going. In that moment, I just realized so much. I wasn’t really trying to set the bar, be an example or a leader… or anything of that matter. I just had the will to keep going, and I was always going to support my teammates. Most importantly I realized that people do pay attention to me. Some of them even look up to me. I realized that my actions affect more than myself. By just persisting, that could provide inspiration for my crew to keep going. They looked at me as a leader, and I started looking at myself as one too. I learned that being a leader… isn’t so much being better than everyone else. I definitely don’t run the best and I am surely not the best paddler… but I think after this, being a leader to me is just about the drive. I had heart, and unconditional love for what I did. Being a leader... It was never about being the best, or being the most talented. It was about how supportive you were of the team, and how much you were willing to do. How much drive you had. After all, being the best doesn’t matter if you don’t have the attitude for it. 41-942 OluOlu St.
Waimanalo, Hawaiʻi 96795 September 13, 2018 Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation 1000 Ulu'Ohi'a St #309 Kapolei, Hawaiʻi 96707 Dear Department of Parks and Recreation, My family, friends and I have been going to Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park for many years. We have been returning because Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park is where so many sporting events are held. However, many people, along with my family and friends have had problems with some safety issues at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park. Throughout the many years I have been coming here, many facilities are either constantly shutting down or they’re taking a very long time to repair. Roughly last year from October to March, the shower was shut down for a good amount of time (weeks to approximately a little over a month). I recently came to Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park for HCRA States last month, and the shower was working, but one of the restrooms on the field were still off limits from the arson fire years ago, and the playground next to the restroom was still broken. I’s important that restrooms that are broken get attention, because they are used by the public. The bathroom that is broken is the closest one to the tennis courts, and so the people playing tennis would have to walk a bit further to get to the bathroom. As I was reading reviews on Google and Yelp, I read that some people were making other comments saying, “The tennis courts have large cracks in them, making for very dangerous play.” (Nat N.) Recently, a Salt Lake resident and his son were regularly helping to clean up the beach park, but after it got overwhelming, he said, “We can't do anything because it's a little bit too much for us. It's up to the people with machines and trucks and manpower to do it,” Ke’ehi Lagoon Beach Park has many facilities that are constantly being shut down or needs repair as soon as possible, and has also collected an immense amount of trash. I understand that there are about 300 parks on this island, and it’s difficult to keep up with each of them, but I feel Keʻehi Lagoon should be one of the priorities. I tried to call different park districts on the island, and although I didn’t get to find out how much parks were cleaned annually, and how parks were cleaned… The people I spoke to on the phone were friendly (which included people from the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, and West Honolulu Park District). I also understand that there is a maintenance crew that cleans up at the beach park, but a potential plan to effectively clean up the beach park would maybe be to use bigger equipment, such as a tractor. Keʻehi is home base to athletes that play tennis, football, baseball, softball, soccer, people who paddle and also to residents who visit here or choose this place to spend time with their family, etc. There are so many people that visit here annually and I feel that things that have been under repair for years, should be fixed soon. Through it all, Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park will still be home to a lot of these events, and having the shower and the bathroom working (the one closest to the water) will do for now. I am grateful to have the two main facilities working as it has been a problem for a long time before. I have no objection to your policies, nor am I telling you how to run your job, but I truly feel that Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park should be one of the priorities on the list when it comes to repairs, since it will affect many people who come here. Sincerely, Zion David-Ravey Position Statements:
1. Visitors should check the places that they visit first whether that means observing the area, looking up the places they visit for more information about the dangers, or being aware of any signs that are around in the area. 2. The state should do a better job at informing tourists of unsafe areas by putting up more signs around these areas, putting information about the dangers of these attractions on maps that people buy, and blocking off some of the more hazardous areas. 3. The state should not be liable to the actions of all of their visitors because in most cases, visitors should be able to use common sense and see that the area is not safe, some areas are privately owned and the state isn’t allowed to put signs there, and the state can’t just put up signs at every place in Hawai’i. My Position Statement: The state should not be liable to the actions of all of their visitors because some of the areas are privately owned meaning that they can't always put signs there, the state can't just put up signs at every place in Hawai'i and visitors should be able to use common sense and see that the area is hazardous. MEAT Paragraph There are many visitors that come to Hawai'i for the beautiful attractions, but sometimes these attractions don't have signs or anything to inform visitors about these hazards. Unfortunately, when people get hurt while exploring, the first thing that might come to mind is that there should have been something to warn them, and this can make the state liable for any injuries, whether mild or serious. What some people don't understand is that the state can't always inform visitors or residents about a dangerous place because it is privately owned. "Landowners' liability for natural hazards was better defined in the wake of the Mother's Day rockslide in 1999 at Sacred Falls on Oahu, which killed eight people and injured 50 others. The families of four of the people who died and 19 others who were injured filed suit agains the state, and in a 2002 ruling, Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario said the state did not adequately warn visitors that rocks above the trail constituted a potentially fatal hazard." In these types of cases, there isn't really much the state is able to do because of the fact that the property isn't theirs. Sometimes landowners might agree with putting up warning signs to inform people that this is an unsafe site but there are also other landowners that don't agree with that. All in all, the state shouldn't be liable for all of the injuries that people get while attending to these attractions because the state can only control so much. 41-942 OluOlu St.
Waimanalo, Hawaiʻi 96795 September 13, 2018 Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation 1000 Ulu'Ohi'a St #309 Kapolei, Hawaiʻi 96707 Dear Department of Parks and Recreation, My family, friends and I have been going to Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park for many years. We have been returning because Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park is where so many sporting events are held. However, many people, along with my family and friends have had problems with some safety issues at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park. Throughout the many years I have been coming here, many facilities are either constantly shutting down or they’re taking a very long time to repair. Roughly last year from October to March, the shower was shut down for a good amount of time (weeks to approximately a little over a month). I recently came to Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park for HCRA States last month, and the shower was working, but one of the restrooms on the field were still off limits from the arson fire years ago, and the playground next to the restroom was still broken. As I was reading reviews on Google and Yelp, I read that some people were making other comments saying, “The tennis courts have large cracks in them, making for very dangerous play.” (Nat N.) Recently, a Salt Lake resident and his son were regularly helping to clean up the beach park, but after it got overwhelming, he said, “We can't do anything because it's a little bit too much for us. It's up to the people with machines and trucks and manpower to do it,” Ke’ehi Lagoon Beach Park has many facilities that are constantly being shut down or needs repair as soon as possible, and has also collected an immense amount of trash. I understand that there are about 300 parks on this island, and it’s difficult to keep up with each of them, but I feel Keʻehi Lagoon should be one of the priorities. It is home base to athletes that play tennis, football, baseball, softball, soccer, people who paddle and also to residents who visit here or choose this place to spend time with their family, etc. Keʻehi Lagoon is also where HCRA states is occasionally held and where some practices for the Polynesian Bowl are. There are so many people that visit here annually and I feel that it is unacceptable to still have things that still haven’t been repaired for years. Through it all, Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park will still be home to a lot of these events, and having the shower and the bathroom working (the one closest to the water) will do for now. I am grateful to have the two main facilities working as it has been a problem for a long time before. I have no objection to your policies, nor am I telling you how to run your job, but I truly feel that Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park should be one of the priorities on the list when it comes to repairs, since it will affect many people who come here. Sincerely, Zion David-Ravey Many people say it’s the journey and not the destination, and that is true for mostly everything. It’s about enjoying the hike up the mountain, not so much getting to the very top. It’s about racking up the wins throughout the sports season and not so much just the state competition. But in sometimes, it might feel like we just want to get there already, to our destination. As teenagers, it’s an awkward place to be, because teenagers aren’t considered kids, but not yet full adults, which makes it easy to understand why some of us might rush into adulthood. Teen pregnancy in females 15-19 in the United States has plummeted from the 1990s where 61.8 births out of 1,000 to 2015 where there were 20.3 births out of 1,000, but teens are also far more likely to give birth in the United States than any other industrialized country in the world. Childbearing could be a first hand learning experience, but isn’t worth the consequences that it comes with which lead to health issues, problems with education and potentially an unstable environment. Being pregnant as a teen could be slightly beneficial to the teen mother’s overall health, but it could also have a negative impact to the mother’s and baby’s physical and mental health. Pregnancy in teens is harmful to the parent and the child, because it will cause poor physical health, problems for their mental health and could also result in physical health problems for the baby. Pregnancy itself can be beneficial to a woman’s physical and mental health. David Acker, the chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the Women’s Hospital in Boton said, “One group of women in particular, those with diabetes make good use of pregnancy to learn how to better manage their diseases” (parent.com). This is a tremendously great thing, because some people that have experience with diseases could give up and not try their best to deal with it. But, while being in the process of bringing another life into this world, that could possibly give them more motivation to keep going, because they’ll be more considerate. Women will be more conscious of everything they do because they won’t oly affect their own life, but their child’s.“Foods you love may start to taste funny, certain smells may get smellier, you may get touchy about being touched – you get the idea.” (Vitamedmdrx.com). While these senses are sensitive, it can be easier to avoid smoking and other drugs, which results in a healthier pregnancy. Sensitive senses can also be beneficial because it could potentially increase eating more. While this could be a negative effect to some people, it can also be positive for others who need to get more nutrition into their diet. “Some women find their body image actually improves with pregnancy” says Mae Shoemaker, past president of the International Childbirth Education Association (Parent.com). Confidence as a mother is important because if someone feels like they’re capable of doing something, they have a higher chance of executing it compared to if they didn’t believe in themself. In this case, if mothers believe that they can be a suitable mother for the baby, they most likely will be. On the whole, pregnancy can be rewarding because it can provide more motivation and inspiration to some of those that need it. Being pregnant as a teen can cause poor mental and physical health for the parent. “Teen moms are twice as likely to experience postpartum depression as their adult counterparts.” (healthline.com). Postpartum depression is a type of depression that is heavier and usually happens after they have given birth. Postpartum depression can lead to feeling unworthy and could also cause anxiety along with other effects. While being a mother it’s important to have self-confidence, because it will lead to trying their best to fulfill the baby’s needs. The mother will try her best because she feels capable of doing it. But with depression, people can feel incapable which might even lead to giving their baby up for someone else to care for.Poor mental health can change a person’s whole perspective on everything, and can immensely affect how they feel about things. Some teen moms will face depression to a point where they have suicidal thoughts which isn’t healthy at all while being pregnant or taking care of a child. Some thoughts could include harming themselves or their baby which is dangerous because it is life-threatening. Young women are more biologically prone to STD’s and other diseases like anemia, preeclampsia and high blood pressure. (cdc.gov). Younger people in general have more chances of getting diseases which could be a reason not to get pregnant as an adolescent. While having exposure to more diseases, some of them could be inherited to the child. Not only can some diseases be passed down, but it will also be harder to take care of a child while the teen is trying to care for herself. Depending on how serious the disease is for the parent, the child’s needs could be neglected or they might not be receiving the amount of attention that they need. “Teens could experience malnutrition as this is one of the physical health effects they could be impacted with” (reverehealth.com). Malnutrition can make it harder for the adolescent to provide the baby with their necessities. While experiencing malnutrition, it’s another responsibility and thing to take care of while raising a child, which can make it that much more difficult. Also, the way that the mother eats, can affect they way the child eats, so the child might also experience malnutrition. Malnutrition can also affect the teen mom herself. The lack of nutrition can be dangerous because the mother can get sick until she receives the proper nutrition which means this could affect the amount of attention that the baby is getting. Teen pregnancy isn’t worth all of these overall health issues, but pregnancy is worth the wait to avoid some of these consequences. Teen pregnancy can not only harm the teens mental and physical health, but it will also cause unique health problems for the baby. With teen pregnancy, babies are at greater risk low birth weight, infant mortality and developmental delay. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Developmental delay and infant mortality can be really harmful to the child because they might not have all of their organs fully developed, and a lot of organs in our body are necessary to perform certain functions. Low birth weight can also be dangerous because it could potentially cause problems that are more long term. Some of these effects could include delayed motor and social development or learning disabilities. Other negative physical effects for the baby include bleeding in the brain, asthma, and vision/hearing problems (reverehealth.com). These physical effects can be really harmful because they are more long term than they are short. For example, vision and hearing problems, and asthma can stay with someone for a lifetime or they could get better but it would take some time. Bleeding in the brain can also affect the baby in a harmful way because it can result in strokes, loss of brain function and other such as difficulty walking or speaking. Risks of social impairment and mild behavior disorders. Boys are more likely to be rebellious, aggressive and not under control. Girls are more likely to have greater aggressiveness, fearfulness and feelings of inferiority (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). It can be more likely for children to have mild disorders which could potentially make caring for the baby even harder. While having children with a higher chance of having a rebellious attitude, it’s harder to care for their child because the parents are still teenagers, and most likely won’t know what to do. Since children of teenage parents are more likely to have an attitude that is not really under control, those children also have a higher chance of becoming teenage parents compared to their peers who have adult parents. This is most likely due to the example that their parents are setting. Being pregnant as an adolescent can be so risky because not only could mothers potentially set up health problems for themselves (that they would have less of a chance of getting if they weren’t pregnant so early), but also for their children. Although childbearing could be a potential motivator individually, it can cause poor health for the child and mother. Being pregnant as an adolescent mother is unsafe because it won’t only cause overall health problems for the mother, but also for the baby. Pregnancy comes with countless hardships that can only really be fully understood by someone who has went through it. Even though it can cause possible side effects, it is still a beautiful thing to bring new life to this world. But although our bodies are capable of bringing new life into this world, it’s important to also be considerate and aware of the potential consequences to teen pregnancy. It’s better to have higher chances of a healthy pregnancy, and higher chances of being stable enough to fully attend to the baby’s needs than to bring life into this world too early to a point where the child isn’t getting the support they need for a successful life. The outcome of any situation can be beautiful or it can be more difficult than it needs to be, but it’s all about the choices we make. Teen pregnancy in females 15-19 in the United States has plummeted from the 1990s where 61.8 births out of 1,000 to 2015 where there were 20.3 births out of 1,000. Childbearing could be a first hand learning experience, but isn’t worth the consequences that it comes with which lead to health issues, problems with education and potentially an unstable environment. Being pregnant as a teen could be slightly beneficial to the teen mother’s overall health, but it could also have a negative impact to the mother’s and baby’s physical and mental health. Pregnancy in teens is harmful to the parent and the child, because it will cause poor physical health, problems for their mental health and could also result in physical health problems for the baby.
Pregnancy itself can be beneficial to a woman’s physical and mental health. “One group of women in particular, those with diabetes make good use of pregnancy to learn how to better manage their diseases” (parent.com). While pregnancy can be difficult, it is also advantageous because it helps people to cope with their diseases. This is a tremendously great thing, because some people that have experience with diseases could give up and not try their best to deal with it. But, while being in the process of bringing another life into this world, that could possibly give them more motivation to keep going. “Foods you love may start to taste funny, certain smells may get smellier, you may get touchy about being touched – you get the idea.” (Vitamedmdrx.com). Senses can be more sensitive when pregnant, which can be a good thing. While these senses are sensitive, it can be easier to avoid smoking and other drugs, which results in a healthier pregnancy. Sensitive senses can also be beneficial because it could potentially increase eating more. While this could be a negative effect to some people, it can also be positive for others who need to get more nutrition into their diet. “Some women find their body image actually improves with pregnancy, says Mae Shoemaker, past president of the International Childbirth Education Association” (Parent.com). Self-confidence is very essential and important, especially while being pregnant. Confidence as a mother is important because if someone feels like they’re capable of doing something, they have a higher chance of executing it compared to if they didn’t believe in themself. In this case, if mothers believe that they can be a suitable mother for the baby, they most likely will be. On the whole, pregnancy can be rewarding because it can provide more motivation and inspiration to some of those that need it. Being pregnant as a teen can cause poor mental and physical health for the parent. “Teen moms are twice as likely to experience postpartum depression as their adult counterparts.” (healthline.com). Postpartum depression is a type of depression that is heavier and usually happens after they have given birth. Postpartum depression can lead to feeling unworthy and could also cause anxiety along with other effects. While being a mother it’s important to have self-confidence, because it will lead to trying their best to fulfill the baby’s needs. The mother will try her best because she feels capable of doing it. But with depression, people can feel incapable which might even lead to giving their baby up for someone else to care for.Poor mental health can change a person’s whole perspective on everything, and can immensely affect how they feel about things. Some teen moms will face depression to a point where they have suicidal thoughts which isn’t healthy at all while being pregnant or taking care of a child. Some thoughts could include harming themselves or their baby which is dangerous because it is life-threatening. Young women are more biologically prone to STD’s and other diseases like anemia, preeclampsia and high blood pressure. (cdc.gov). Younger people in general have more chances of getting diseases which could be a reason not to get pregnant as an adolescent. While having exposure to more diseases, some of them could be inherited to the child. Not only can some diseases be passed down, but it will also be harder to take care of a child while the teen is trying to care for herself. Depending on how serious the disease is for the parent, the child’s needs could be neglected or they might not be receiving the amount of attention that they need. Teens could experience malnutrition as this is one of the physical health effects they could be impacted with. (reverehealth.com). Malnutrition can make it harder for the adolescent to provide the baby with their necessities. While experiencing malnutrition, it’s another responsibility and thing to take care of while raising a child, which can make it that much more difficult. Also, the way that the mother eats, can affect they way the child eats, so the child might also experience malnutrition. Malnutrition can also affect the teen mom herself. The lack of nutrition can be dangerous because the mother can get sick until she receives the proper nutrition which means this could affect the amount of attention that the baby is getting. Teen pregnancy isn’t worth all of these overall health issues, but pregnancy is worth the wait to avoid some of these consequences. Teen pregnancy can not only harm the teens mental and physical health, but it will also cause unique health problems for the baby. With teen pregnancy, babies are at greater risk low birth weight, infant mortality and developmental delay. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Developmental delay and infant mortality can be really harmful to the child because they might not have all of their organs fully developed, and a lot of organs in our body are necessary to perform certain functions. Low birth weight can also be dangerous because it could potentially cause problems that are more long term. Some of these effects could include delayed motor and social development or learning disabilities. Other negative physical effects for the baby include bleeding in the brain, asthma, and vision/hearing problems (reverehealth.com). These physical effects can be really harmful because they are more long term than they are short. For example, vision and hearing problems, and asthma can stay with someone for a lifetime or they could get better but it would take some time. Bleeding in the brain can also affect the baby in a harmful way because it can result in strokes, loss of brain function and other such as difficulty walking or speaking. Risks of social impairment and mild behavior disorders. Boys are more likely to be rebellious, aggressive and not under control. Girls are more likely to have greater aggressiveness, fearfulness and feelings of inferiority (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). It can be more likely for children to have mild disorders which could potentially make caring for the baby even harder. While having children with a higher chance of having a rebellious attitude, it’s harder to care for their child because the parents are still teenagers, and most likely won’t know what to do. Since children of teenage parents are more likely to have an attitude that is not really under control, those children also have a higher chance of becoming teenage parents compared to their peers who have adult parents. This is most likely due to the example that their parents are setting. Being pregnant as an adolescent can be so risky because not only could mothers potentially set up health problems for themselves (that they would have less of a chance of getting if they weren’t pregnant so early), but also for their children. Although childbearing could be a potential motivator individually, it can cause poor health for the child and mother. Being pregnant as an adolescent mother is unsafe because it won’t only cause overall health problems for the mother, but also for the baby. Our bodies are capable of bringing new life into this world, but it’s important to also be considerate and aware of the potential consequences to teen pregnancy. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
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