Brittany's Blurb

Last night the UNC wrestling team (my senior athletic training sport) wrestled Wyoming. It was an intense duel down to the last match. In the end we lost, but the guys wrestled hard. There were a few calls that were disputed amongst the team members, but in the end responsibility for wins or losses lies falls on the team. Having been with the guys all season, it was sad and frustrating to see them loose; but, there were some really good matches. Before this year I really had little to no experience watching or athletic training with wrestling, now I can officially say I have a lot more experience and a lot of respect for the sport. Those guys work hard!

In addition to the regular duel, it was also senior night. I was recognized with the other seniors (the wrestlers) before the duel began. It was really cool to be able to walk onto the mat with the others and be recognized. Athletic training in and of itself is rewarding, but it is also a lot of hard work and long hours. I always tell prospective students or freshman doing observations that athletic training is great if you know it is what you want to do, but you have to be prepared to put in the time and work. Whether or not I had been recognized or if I will be in the future, I will still look back on this year and my experience in the program with fond memories. However, it was really nice to be recognized!

Next week is the half-way point through the semester and next weekend the wrestling regionals will be held here at UNC. After that, wrestling is done (minus those who move on to finals). It is going to be sad when the season ends. During the last 5 weeks of school I will be working with golf and tennis. It will be a good experience due to the fact I haven’t been with either yet, but I will miss the wrestlers. Working with them has been a great experience and I have learned so much about making rehabs, helping and pushing athletes through their rehab, communicating with coaches, and just about working with people. It’s been good, really good.

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at at 7:03 PM 0 comments  

I love winter! I love the snow and frost (not on my car when I’m running late, but it’s ok on trees and the like) and crisp air – all of it. Since I will be moving to England I feel I need to get in the most winter I can while I’m here in Colorado!

Last week it was a beautiful, not to cold Colorado day that quickly turned into a beautiful, snowy night. The next day it was all melted by 1 or 2, but while it was there it just sparkled! I love that about the snow! Frost as well! The other day while I was walking to class I saw about 13 Robins in a frost covered tree. It was so cool. So peaceful. In addition to the beauty the snow brings, it also brings a ton of fun! I remember one time last semester when my roommates went midnight sledding. Campus has some great hills that bring out the crowds whenever the snow comes! After they went sledding, the inner-tube they used stayed in our living room for 2 or 3 weeks. It was a lot of fun AND easy to get to when it came time to go sledding again!

In addition to the great sledding hills on campus, there are a lot of students that ski and snowboard on a regular basis. The hills are only a few hours away, so carpooling up the mountain with a bunch of friends is pretty popular. I know in my group of friends I’m one of the only ones that doesn’t snowboard (I ski, but not often; actually only once. I snowboarded before I skied but have crossed over to skiing thanks to my brother-in-law). It’s always funny when someone comes back from the slopes injured because we all have to evaluate them to see what we think is the problem (due to the fact we’re all in athletic training). It cracks me up because all of us pretty much always come to the same conclusion so if only one of us did the evaluation it would probably be fine! BUT, the moral of the story is that a lot of people go to the mountains to play. Wells Fargo, in the University Center, always offers a buddy pass deal (buy one get one free) which a lot of students take advantage of. It’s a good way to get a pass and stay in your budget! Fun times made cheaper.

I hope you have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at at 6:36 PM 1 comments  

This past week was the week of my birthday. I say week because it was pretty much a weeklong event! On Sunday Rus gave me my present (an awesome Camelback backpack) and we went snowshoeing; on Monday we had dinner with some friends and had cake (funfetti! My fave!); Tuesday…well, it was semi-uneventful; Wednesday – my official b-day!- I went out with Rus, Jess, and my roomies; Thursday I hung out with some athletic training friends; Friday I went and watched a movie with a bunch of girls; Saturday…well, I spent all day at a wrestling tournament. But, as you can see, it was a great week!

Its hard to believe that the semester is just about a third over! This week I had my first presentation and test (on the same day ). The semester is officially in full swing and I know it will be over before I can believe it!

I hope you’re having a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at at 5:15 PM 0 comments  

Due to the fact that I had an AWESOME Christmas break and didn’t share it with all of you yet, I decided to let you know about it! My last Christmas break of my undergrad!! (you may be getting tired of the whole “last ________ of my undergrad” but its my only chance to do it so…keep reading!).

SO, the week after school got out Rus, my younger sister and her boyfriend, and I all drove to Sandpoint, Idaho to visit my older sister and brother-in-law. It was a blast! It snowed at least a foot and a half while were we there so we had a lot of quality time cuddling on the coach to stay warm as well as going on walks in the snow. My sister and brother-in-law have two dogs, Duke and Libby, who are nuts! They’re scared of the oddest things and not scared of the craziest things! For example, Duke is scared of cardboard boxes – like he won’t go within 5 feet of them scared – but once he (and Libby) chased a grizzly bear through the woods. Yeah, they’re nuts! But a lot of fun and great cuddle-buddies (as you can see from the picture.

After the adventure in Sandpoint I went home for a few days for Christmas with my family. It was really good to spend some time with them, especially because I probably won’t be home for Christmas for a few years (but I will be in England!! Woo hoo!!). Next I met up with Rus in Arkansas via missed flight and car ride with people I met in the airport (they were really nice!). We spent the next week with his family in central Arkansas. I have never spent time in the South, at times it did feel like a completely different place! It was great to meet his family. They are wonderful people and I’m really looking forward to joining the family officially. Rus’ sister lives on a ranch, so while we stayed with her we got to ride horses through the woods. It was beautiful and fun! His nieces are crazy! We watched them ride and fly off bucking, young heifers. I’m proud of them for not being afraid; there’s no way I would do that at the age of 22, much less 8 or 11!

Once the week went by we drove back to Colorado. It was good to come home! Wrestling practice was going on the week before school started and it seems like life has been busy ever since. Break was wonderful. It is also good to be back at school and finishing things up! I hope you all had great breaks too! Rest is surely needed.

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at at 6:45 PM 0 comments