Purple one piece

The definition of snow according to google is, “Atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer.” This magical stuff called snow is a lot of fun to ski on.

As I am sitting at Snowbird writing this I realized how lucky I am to have grown up skiing. Snowbird is known as a famous ski resort around the world and I am lucky enough to have it be 45 minutes away from me. I also have eight other resorts within an hour drive. I am a little spoiled with how many ski runs I have access to. I guess those are some of the perks of living in Park City, Utah.

Ever since I was little I have been skiing. I started in preschool with an after school program. I then went on to ski school. I would ski the bunny hill then go into the lodge and get a small hot coco and chicken nuggets. I wore a purple one piece with a bright pink helmet. I was snazzy and I knew it.

Me in my purple one piece at snowbird.

 My friend Kate skied with me from the get-go. We would weave through the people and try not to knock over any little kids. After we got too old for ski school we moved on to the Summit Ski team. For the first year I refused to wear the ski coats for the team because I had my new baby blue one piece that I did not want to give up. Every Saturday we would train gates in the morning then eat lunch and then all mountain skiing. I loved the lunch and eating candy on the lifts. I enjoyed the all mountain skiing and did not mind the racing although it was not my favorite. I only participated in a couple ski races but by far my first one was the best.

On my first ski race it was my birthday and I was turning seven years old. I was in the car with my dad and we were driving up to Brighton. It was about seven in the morning and the song Surprise, Surprise came on the radio. It is a song sung by Bruce Springsteen and he is by far my dads favorite singer. I loved it and sang along with my dad as we were driving up the winding canyon. Once I arrived at the race I was given my bib number which was number one. I got to go first on my first race and it was my birthday. I got in the gate and as they were announcing my name they said it was my birthday. I finished racing and by all means I was not fast but had the time of my life.

After my first race I only did a couple others because racing was not my thing. After four years I quit the team and now I just ski for fun on the weekends. I hit the slopes with my friends and family and sometimes my sister. I secretly miss my one piece but I don’t think I could get away with it anymore. I still think I am snazzy though so no worries.

Happy skiing,
~Corrine

Kind acts make a big difference

“Simple acts of kindness can go a long way,” my mom would tell me. My mom would also quote Mother Teresa. “Kind Words are simple and easy but their echoes are truly endless,” as she would say.

I always rolled my eyes or laughed and made fun of her. Little did she know I actually listened.

A few weeks ago I started my basketball season at the high school. I have played since third grade but only on a junior jazz team. You know who that goes. Parents cheering, saying sorry when you touch another player, missing 100% of your shots and basically having fun. High school was a whole different story. I was excited and very nervous.

I went to tryouts and after I was told that I would be practicing with the freshman/sophomore team as well as the junior varsity/varsity team. That meant about three hours of non stop basketball every day. I was more than excited but after day one I realized how mentally and physically challenging it was.

How does basketball relate to my moms silly quotes you wonder? Well, after I came home every night my parents were kind and supportive. I did not let on about how much it meant to me because that's what being a teenager is all about right? Wrong.

My mom has this little red and green white board hanging on the wall of my kitchen. We usually write chores, or grocery lists on it but my mom started writing inspiring quotes a few weeks ago. They related to what I was struggling with at them time and it really made me feel better. Although I still made fun of her she kept on doing it.
As the week went on I was super tired and having a great time all the same. My dad noticed this and when I came home there were flowers on the table. Attached was a little note saying we love you and keep going. The flowers were red and orange with little tiny red roses in the middle. I was so happy that my dad would do that for me. I thanked him and said how much I liked them but I don’t think he understand how much better he made me feel.

The very next day I was told by the coach that I would just be playing with the junior varsity and varsity team. I only had to attend one practice now and it was with the older girls. I was over the moon and I don’t think I would have had that opportunity without the support of my parents.

My first game is on Tuesday and I am playing junior varsity and getting dressed for varsity but will most likely just sit on the bench. The season lasts until February and hopefully we will have a winning season. As for my parents, I can’t thank them enough. I don’t show enough appreciate for all they do for me and I plan on trying harder to show them how much I care. Acting like a teenager is overrated and although it comes naturally to be rude I am going to try not to be.

My Team
Source: Park City High School Miners

Happy kindness,
~Corrine

Hatred for A-'s

School. It’s a blast. Waking up at six in the morning is definitely my idea of a perfect day.

According to America I am technically a freshman but truly, I am not. I go to Treasure Mountain Junior High. Notice the Junior in that. My school contains eighth and ninth graders so I am the oldest as a freshman. I am not saying it's bad that we are not the little tiny freshman but, I wish we were.

A visual representation of my campus.  Source: Google Maps

My school and the high school are on the same campus so the high school is so close but, so far. I mean, it’s only 1056 yards away. That’s approximately a seven minute walk and I would know because I do it almost every day. Living in a ski town, there tends to be a lot of snow. And as fun as it is to walk in a blizzard, I don’t prefer it. Most sports and activities are at the high school because we are freshmen (but not really). Oh well, only one more year then I will only have to walk five yards to get to the gym.

The thing about high school is that, it is super hard. Eighth grade does come close to ninth grade and defiantly does not prepare you for ninth grade.

The first quarter just concluded and I ended with a 3.975.Yes, it’s very good, but the thing is I have had a 4.0 since fourth grade. The reason why I got a 3.9 is because I got a 93% in Honors English. Technically, that is an A but according to my teacher it is an A-. I was so close and I DID IT but noooooooo.

I hate A-‘s with a burning passion. I am also positive that everyone else does too.

Plus, if we have negatives that drop your grade, why can’t we have positives that boost your grade? It’s extremely dumb.

Grades ruin the whole point of education because that's all we care about. If we are assigned homework but it is not going to be graded, no one will do it. We do bare minimum unless we are graded. We have all had those quizzes that the teacher gives and says they are not graded. Most people just fill in the bubbles however they want. It’s stupid.

All throughout school, some teachers have told me that an A is an A. But little do they know that the little - sign makes a big difference. That one A- prevented me from the glorified 4.0. I know I am exaggerating a lot but I need too.

One thing that really annoys me about teachers is that they think that we only have their class and their class only. Little do they realize that I have another seven classes to account for. Some teachers give out only one hour of homework but if you multiply that by eight, it adds up.

Teachers also tend to think that sports are dumb and they can’t believe we would educational opportunities for exercise. School is important but we need to have a life too.

Not having a 4.0 is most defiantly not the end of the world so all is well but I was just so close. So there is my rant on school and A-. It won’t be the last one of the year and I can promise you that.

Happy finals week,
~Corrine