(3/1/10) Running an Activity Group
This semester, I’ve decided to co-lead
the videogame activity group for the Honors Program. I
figured that it would be an interesting experience since
activity group hours are basically a part of everyday
life for Honors students. Since I’ve become a leader,
I’ve come to find that it also offers great leadership
and organization experience. Along with that, it’s
actually really fun to make decisions as to what you
want your group to do every week.
The reason I decided to take up this kind
of position was because I wanted to learn how to run an
activity group so that I would one day be able to create
an activity group of my own. The one idea that I’ve been
entertaining for the longest time is to make a Fencing
activity group for Honors so that I can better inform
students about it. Being a Fencer myself, I know how it
is to go around telling people about the Fencing Club
and then having them respond “what’s Fencing?” By
creating this activity group, I hope to better inform
people about it while showing them what the difference
is between swordfights in the movies and the actual
sport.
With that, I’m hoping that I’ll also be
able to show students who attend my group a few of the
skills and disciplines of Fencing. In doing that, I plan
to show them some of the conditioning involved with
Fencing, which includes showing them the proper stances,
teaching them about the different forms of Fencing and
some of the moves that Fencers use to land a hit on
their opponent. And, if my members are interested, I’m
hoping that I can teach them all some exercises that
Fencers use to warm up.
My main goal for this activity group will
be to publicize the Fencing Club more, that way people
will more interested in learning about it and possibly
joining the Fencing Club one of these days.
_________________
(11/16/09) Registration Time!
It’s that time of the semester again, the
time when we all have to start getting ready to create
our schedules for the semester ahead. It’s also that
time of the semester where it feels like everything is
becoming far too overwhelming to even want to be
bothered with thinking about the future. It is indeed
crunch time, and registering for our classes for next
semester is only adding to our ever expanding palette of
essays, tests and projects due for all of our classes.
Being in the Honors Program gives us
Honors students the privilege of being able to register
earlier in the semester than the rest of the students on
campus. It is indeed very advantageous for us, since we
can get into classes that we want before anyone else
does. And it gives us the opportunity get in touch with
our advisors at more convenient times since they haven’t
yet been overwhelmed with the rest of the students that
they look over.
However, since this is the most stressful
time of the semester, preparing our schedules for the
semester to come can be a little hard for some of us.
We’re all at that point where we’re just counting down
the days until the semester ends. Others may feel that
since the semester is going by so fast, that they may be
falling behind in some work that they may have
overlooked. Whatever the case may be, some of us may
feel that creating our schedules for the Spring Semester
is the last thing that we want to worry about.
However, I feel that this is a time to be
optimistic about things. Sure, this has been a
challenging semester for us all. But I think that we
should celebrate the fact that it is coming to an end,
while at the same time, looking forward to a great
semester coming up after winter break. This is the time
when we can choose the classes that we want so that we
can learn about things that intrigue us.
_________________
(11/2/09) Leadership
Being in a club can be
fun. It’s the perfect way to meet people who have
similar interests and make friends. I’m in a number of
clubs, all of which have something that I’m particularly
interested in. For example, I love Lyrically Speaking
because it’s a place where I can let loose my poetic
side and share the deepest parts of my being with others
who love poetry. I’m a part of the English club because
of my love and passion for reading literature and
explicating the meaning behind an author’s work. And I’m
in the Fencing club because of my love for swordplay.
But when you decided to
take up a leadership position within that club, then you
also take up the responsibility of running it and
leading the people in it. You, of course, have your
president who runs everything and your vice president
who supports them. Then you have your secretaries who
keep track of records, times and events. But then you
have the position of treasurer, which is quite possibly
the most challenging position in any club.
Every club requires a
treasurer since they are the ones who maintain the
budget of that club. Not only that, but they also help
to plan for special events such as trips and
fundraisers. I have personal experience in this since I
am the treasurer of the Fencing club. I’ll admit that I
was a bit apprehensive about the position, but after
everything I’ve been through, I’d have to say that is
one of the more rewarding positions you can take up.
I was responsible for
purchasing our fencing gear, an arduous process that did
take some time, effort and patience to get through. It
required me to really be assertive and take charge of
the situation. It’s a complicated job, but in the end,
it’s all worth it. Through being a treasurer, I’ve
become much more organized with files and important
papers that I would normally lost track of. I have also
gotten better with my interpersonal skills, something
that I think everyone will need in their future. And
above all, it’s taught me how to be responsible, because
when you’re a treasurer, you not only help to maintain
the solidarity of a club, you also serve as the monetary
glue that keeps that club together.
_________________
(10/26/09) The Ultimate Stress Relief
Ever have one of those
weeks where it feels like there’s just too much on your
plate? Being in the Honors program can do that to a
person, especially if you’re a Freshmen. Even though the
weeks can go by quickly in college, the amount of stress
that gets piled on can be immense; classes, homework,
clubs, meetings, all of it can get to a person. However,
there are ways to relieve that stress. The best way to
relieve stress that I’ve found is playing videogames.
And who better to play them with than you friends within
the Honors Program.
Within the Videogame
activity group, we do just as the name implies: we play
videogames. Every Friday, we get together in the Honors
house and have our own little version of a stress relief
group. Typically, we each bring in our own multiplayer
games, from fighting to co-op and everything in between.
For large groups, we play on the Wii, either playing Wii
Sports or some other game that someone brings in. A lot
of the time, we end up playing Wii Bowling.
But most of the times, we
take videogames to the next level. The best way to make
friends during the most stressful of times is to get
competitive with them in an intense game. Throwing
taunts at someone, daring them to give it their all, is
quite addictive. And in a lot of ways, it’s very stress
relieving. That, added with the fun and enjoyment that
comes from playing the videogames themselves, makes
being in the Videogames activity group that much more
fun.
And who doesn’t enjoy a
good hour of sitting back and playing videogames with
their buddies? It truly is the ultimate stress relief.
_________________
(10/19/09) Spook Haven
The one thing that’s
better than eating candy for an entire month is scaring
the crap out of people. But why do it once a year, when
you can do it several times throughout the month of
October? Well, to my experience, the best place go when
you want to let loose your inner demons is Spook Haven.
Spook Haven has to be one of the most thrilling haunted
houses that I have ever had the pleasure of working in.
And I would have to say that this past weekend was by
far one of the best spook fests this year.
Saturday was the day when
I truly unleashed my inner monster. In the haunted
house, I was assigned to be a roamer. That meant that I
had the freedom to roam about the warehouse and scare
the pants off of anyone who happen to come by. But it
also meant that I could go outside and chase the
innocent denizens about even after they went through the
haunted house. With that kind of freedom, who wouldn’t
let loose?
By the time half the night
was over with, I had already scared off more than my
share of customers. The fact that it was raining only
added to the horror. Coming out of the shadows and
breathing down someone’s neck could send anyone running
and screaming for their life. But what’s even better is
waiting for people walk away from the haunted house,
allowing them time to think that they are safe. And
then, when the moment is right, dash towards them, your
footsteps loud as you run along the gravel. And then
finally, when they realize that their footsteps aren’t
the only ones they hear, howl at them. More than likely,
they’ll start running and screaming like those people in
horror movies.
Spook Haven is the perfect
opportunity to get some community service hours in while
having the time of your life being the monster you
always wanted to be.
_________________
(10-11-09) What It Means to be a Fencer
If I were to go
around campus to ask everyone if they knew that Lock
Haven University had a Fencing Club, I can bet that 70%
of students and faculty would say that they never even
heard of it. The Fencing club is probably one of the
least known clubs in our campus. But in my personal
opinion, I would have to say that it is also one of most
fun activities to do on campus. I first started fencing
during my freshmen year of college, and it was on my
first night attending one of the meetings that I knew
that I would be hooked into the sport. The very idea of
being able to fight with swords is alluring enough. But
it is the actual practice of it that makes all the hard
nights of training worth it.
You may be wondering, “what’s so great
about fencing?” I could probably write a book as to why
fencing is so great, but I’ll break it down to three
basic things. First, practicing fencing is awesome
exercise. I pretty much avoided the “freshmen 15”
because I went to fencing twice a week. I will admit
that some of the sessions can be brutal, but working
towards getting a fit body is worth it. Plus, if you
can’t seem to find the time to go to the Recreation
Center, coming to the Fencing Club is a good way to work
an exercise regiment into your schedule. Now the second
reason the Fencing Club is so great is because it’s a
great way to make friends. The members of the Fencing
Club are my comrades and buddies, the people who I
compete against and treat as family. In our little
intimate group, the ties that bind us together are
pretty strong.
And finally, fencing as a sport, is an
awesome experience to partake in. Just like Judo,
fencing is considered a martial art, and just like every
other fighting style out there, fencing can be used for
self defense. Now you may be thinking, “what are the
chances of me having a sword on my person when I need to
defend myself?” Sure, fencing may not be “practical” in
today’s society. But some of the basic techniques of
fencing are found in other fighting styles, and so it
can be used as a stepping stone into learning something
more convenient. Plus, fencing also helps you develop
footwork, which can be very useful when you’re trying to
avoid an attack, or to just be quicker than your
pursuer.
But on a serious note, fencing is
definitely something that people should try at least
once in their life. And the Fencing Club in Lock Haven
provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy that
experience.
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Reggie
Pinckney