Monday, September 24, 2012
Embrace It
This week in class we talked about a lot of things. The thing that struck me the most was when we talked about Holley Mangold. Mangold had a very interesting story and her story made me realize a lot. Mangold doesn't let her weight define who she is, she embraces it. This shows me and a lot of people that you should make the best out of what you have.
It may be hard to see now but when I was growing up I was kind of a chubby kid. I didn't realize this until 7th grade when I went to the doctor for a physical to play football. The doctor told me that I was overweight and I was shocked. However, I looked at it in a positive way. In my head I just said that this will make me a better football player. It helped in some areas and hurt I n others. The weight made it harder for other players to tackle me in the pocket( I played quarterback) but it made it harder for me to run away from them too. I used the weight to my advantage tho.
By 9th grade I had gotten taller, I also started weightlifting and sort of transformed my body. To watch my body transform was amazing and I believe it's one of the reasons why I like to workout. To see your hardwork bring results right before your eyes is exciting. By this time I really began to appreciate my body, flaws and all. I learned to appreciate what you were given, kind of just like Holley Mangold.
In all one should always appreciate and embrace themselves physically and mentally. You are who you are and one should embrace it. Be proud of who you are and don't pay attention to what other people think. If people are saying something bad about you then your doing something right.
-Tim Love
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Tim,
ReplyDeleteI really like your take on the Holley Mangold video we saw last week in class. I think it must be liberating to have the kind of attitude you described. It also seems like the most healthy way to view yourself. I'm glad you could appreciate her perspective. Thanks for sharing!
Dr. Spencer
I agree 100% with everything that you said! Today we live in a society where being pretty or the cool thing is being a size 0, but Holly Mangold breaks that stereotype, and she is perfectly fine with the way she is. The way her body build is, that is something that could not be controlled, that is why she has learned to embrace it. I truly believe that because she is able to embrace her weight, it makes her an even more beautiful person than she already is. I had a similar situation to yours Tim when I was younger, I was a pretty solid kid (weight wise), but at the same time I was pretty fast when it came to running. I've played basketball my whole life, and by me being solid, I was able to take strong drives to the basketball hoop, and able to take contact without falling on the ground. I had to just take advantage of the way my body was built, which was something that you said you had to do as well. The day that a person is truly satisfied and happy with themselves is when they stop caring about what society thinks or has to say about them.
ReplyDelete-Turea Moore
Hey Tim,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your input when you talked about Holly Mangold, and even yourself. I believe that in todays society very few people are truly happy with their body, especially if they're overweight. Mangold is an exception, and to see how much joy she shares in her everyday life was a true blessing. I could also relate to you, I was similar through Junior high and high school I was shorter and stocky. Until I put running into my every day routine and grew some more I really changed my lifestyle. When reading your blog, it also reminded me of the video we saw in class of the girls playing soccer and leaving, because society thinks they should become more feminine. Rather then just letting girls do whatever they want to do and enjoy playing sports.
-Brett Creamer
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI think you post is dead on with how society should be today, not only in sports, but in day-to-day life also. It was very refreshing to watch the video in class and listen to her joke and talk about her weight with no problem at all, while at the same time most girls today are trying to lose as much weight as possible. Her story and Roy Nelson (UFC fighter) both have similar body types and they make it work in the sports they've competed in. It's interesting to think about these athletes being successful while most athletes try sculpting their bodies to a certain form for competition. So I'll end with a question, do you think that body type is directly related to athletic performance?
-Ryan Hetrick
Tim,
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection on the H. Mangold discussion. It truly is refreshing to see someone with passion for life and for themselves- in a society that would shame every bit of them otherwise. She not only embraced the body she was given, but defined a new category for female athletes. To be big and strong is acceptable and encouraged more prominently because of her voice. It is so difficult to live in a society that rationalizes degrading an "abnormal" body type, but it needs to be learned that zero, is NOT a size. Especially not what should be the 'standard.' I appreciate you sharing your story also, it further backs the way she has come to terms and the big, beautiful personality she has developed as an athletic role model.
Stephanie Loomis
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThis was really nice to read and I think a lot of younger (even older) athletes, or anyone for that matter, need to understand the importance of what you touched on with this blog. And it doesn't even have to be about weight. Gender and ethnicity have also been key topics that have been the subject of people being singled out or made fun of. Playing basketball and soccer in high school, you don't see a lot of asians playing high school sports because the social norm is that they're either doing something with math or science. Sadly self confidence can't be taught, it's on us to overcome what people may or may not think/say about us. I think people need to see more headlines involving Holly and what she's done than the other random stuff put on yahoo or ESPN. The more people see other people overcoming their obstacles, the more likely they will try to overcome theirs as well. Good blog.
Nate Dudzik
Like everyone else, I completely agree with Tim. In today's society too many people are worried about what others think of them and wish they had it differently. Way too often individuals are doing this rather than embracing it and being thankful for what they do have. Holley Mangold is a true example of this kind of thinking. She doesn't care what others think of her, and if she sees people starring at her she thinks to herself it's because she is looking sexy. She truly is a special person, and her story should definitely be spread a lot more (especially to the youth) because although this type of attitude is more common among successful individuals, it is still rare to find in today's society.
ReplyDelete-Michael Discipio
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThat is a great story. I really appreciate you sharing that and think it is awesome for a D1 College Football player to say that. I agree completely that we should all embrace who we are. Every single person is different in one way or another, so who is right or wrong to define perfect? I don't think there is a clear definition or one way that a person should be!
Wes Gates