New York City.

Thursday.

When my alarm went off at 7am on Thursday morning I was up in a flash. I couldn't wait to load the bus and get away from University for a weekend of hockey in Philadelphia and New York with the team. I made sure I finished all my assignments so I could relax and completely focus on our games.

A team of sleepy eyes dragged themselves on to the bus, teddy bears and bursting travel bags at hand. As always, we were welcomed with a choice of bagels and cream cheeses for our traditional travel breakfast. After one (or two) bagels, we all tried our best to find a nice comfy back breaking, neck twisting position to get some extra sleep. One restroom stop, a lunch break, 6 hours and another bagel later we arrived in Philadelphia.

Hovering in the lobby with bags hauled over our shoulders, we await our names to be called out along with our room number and most importantly, our roommate for the weekend! With a double bed each and with what feels like hundreds of pillows, we all enjoy a weekend out of the dorm beds. But before long we're loading the bus again and heading to our pre-game practice.

Friday.

On game day, we start the morning with foam rolling and stretching which is followed with a team meeting where we will watch video on our opposition and discuss tactics for the game. Our first game of the weekend was against St Josephs. The game wasn't the performance we wanted but we came away with a 3-2 win. After the game we have the joy of locker room showering. Usually the communal showers suck, with weak water pressure, broken shower heads, people yelling for shampoo and the occasional break out of song. Back on the bus we kicked back for a 2 hour journey to New York. Freshman had the honour of participating in 'Bus Karaoke', a very funny UMass tradition. Even the coaches and athletic trainer joined in! On the way we drove past the night time skyline of New York City and upon arrival were greeted with 4 large pizzas. A team of hungry hockey players easily demolished the pizza party in less than 10 minutes.

Saturday.

After breakfast we all jumped in the pool for recovery. Plenty of splashes, laughs, bombs, and whirlpools later the UMass wannabe synchronized swim team is done! After the complications of ordering lunch for over 25 people in Panera, we eventually are all fed and shipped back to the hotel. That afternoon we ventured into New York City to do some shopping and explore the city. Surprisingly, we managed not to lose anyone and we all made it to the restaurant on 7th Ave for dinner. We chose from a range of dishes such as crab cakes, salmon, steak, tuna burger, sea-bass or tacos. Before we knew it we were back on the bus heading back to the hotel, getting an early night for tomorrows game.

Sunday.

All packed up and ready to go we left for the game at 11am. The field was surrounded by skyscrapers and American flags in the outskirts of New York City. Lined up on the field, we listen to the national anthem belted out before the game. Team huddle, deep breath and coaches last words of wisdom. Then it's game time. We battled the whole game with Columbia, a non-conference team. With an encouraging start to the game we quickly gained a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, we failed to hold on to the lead and conceded 2 goals within the last 6 minutes of the 1st half. With many nail-biting moments and some tense goal scoring opportunities we couldn't add to the scoreboard and suffered a 3-2 loss.

A disappointing bus ride back to Massachusetts followed as we really wanted that second win. Even though we didn't get the result we wanted, it was a great weekend filled with memories. With plenty to learn from and lots to work on this week in practice, it was a fun weekend that I'll definitely remember.

Here are some pictures I took whilst we were in New York City...

                   

 

"There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless."

- Simone Beauvoir

Ciao, 

Hannah x

What Would You Do?

As a journalism major, I am challenged to approach and answer ethical dillemas that journalists face every day. Most of my classes are discussion based as we all have different opinions on how seperate situations should be dealt with. As we debate the true role of journalists in society, our professor is there to question our decisions and give us advice based off their experience working in the industry.

The other day in class our professor welcomed us with the question, "Would you carry a gun as a war correspondent?" Now, before I get into the moral arguments surrounding this subject let me paint you a clearer picture.

You are a Journalist in Afganistan. You are embedded within the American military, living and travelling with American soldiers. You have one job: to legally report anything from within the American camp and the enemy, if possible. You chose to put yourself in this high risk environment. You are not there to shoot, kill, ambush or change the course of events. You are purely there to report.

Personally, I don't think I would ever choose to be a war correspondent but for the purpose of this question, we will pretend we are willing to do so. So, now you are surrounded by soldiers who are all armed. They are there to do their job but also protect you and make sure you are safe. Upon your arrival the soldiers offer you a weapon to use for your survival or whenever you think it's necessary. Here's the question, do you take it?

In class, a number of my class mates were quick to say that they would definitely take the weapon. Why? For their survival they answered. To defend themselves in a life or death situation. So you've taken the gun to protect yourself, but will you protect the life of others? Put yourself in the position where you are watching one of your own soldiers about to be shot and killed. You have a gun. You could shoot the enemy. Is it your job to shoot the enemy? If you don't, will you just watch a man die when you could've helped? If you shoot, are you going to carrying on firing? This is where the boundaries are opened up and you find yourself in the difficult position of trying to justify when it is or isn't the right time to use your gun.

Now many of you reading this are probably thinking, "no shit, I'd take a gun to save myself and if I needed to kill the bad guys, I would." You're a journalist, not a soldier. You are not meant to be interfering or changing any natural course of events. It is not your job to shoot. But if you do fire, is that morally right? When you write your article, are you going to include that you contributed to the fighting in Afganistan? If you don't tell your readers you shot and killed people, are you being truthful as a journalist? Remember, as a journalist our number one rule is to relay the truth to the public.

In my eyes, if you decide that you want to be a war correspondent you have to expect the worse. Obviously when you enter a war zone there is a very high risk of death but that is your decision. If I was offered a weapon in that situation I would have to refuse. It's not my job to be armed, nor would it be to shoot or kill. I would have to take a neutral ground and stay unarmed. Imagine a soldier is about to be killed. If you have a gun and shoot the opposition, you live with the guilt of killing when it wasn't your duty to do so. If you have a gun and don't shoot, you live with the guilt of not saving the soldier's life when you could have protected him. For these reasons, I don't think it's right for a journalist to be armed when they're embedded within the military.

This discussion is endless and it's a big issue in the journalism industry. But I challenge you to ask yourself what you would do? On the other hand, if you were reporting in the enemies camp would you shoot at American soldiers to save your life? Would you warn the American military if the enemy is planning an ambush? In my opinion, you cannot be biased as a journalist. You can't pick and chose when you want to be patriotic. It's important that you serve your primary purpose as a journalist, which is to provide the public with the truth. At the end of the day, you are there to do your job not to contribute to the war. Finally, as a journalist if you want to be respected and maintain a good reputation you cannot be biased or have a history of betrayal.

This was just a tiny snippet of the discussion we had in class. I know many of you won't be familiar with journalism practices and ethics, but I hope this gave you an insight into the moral dillemas that journalists have to make. Every journalist has their own views as to what their job is as a reporter. Fundamentally, this is why the media is such a complicated device as every person, company, CEO or news channel has conflicting opinions on the role of modern journalism.

What would you do?

Are you going to take the gun?

"Even the most rational approach to ethics is defenseless if there isn't the will todo what is right." - Alexander Solzhenitsyn

This blog was very different to my usual stuff, but I really hope I got you thinking! Let me know :)

Ciao,

Hannah x 

50 Facts About Me.

Hey!

I'm currently all snuggled up in bed, candles burning, relaxing before our game tomorrow. I had 2 exams this week so I'm enjoying some free time this weekend. We won our first game of the weekend  yesterday 3-0 and we take on St Francis tomorrow at 1pm. 

Things are very busy with me in America right now. With 2 games every weekend, we are well into the heart of our season and things are really starting to pick up. I'm really excited play Championship games and hopefully maintain our title as A10 Champs! I also can't wait for my parents to come and visit. This year is already flying by! The weather is starting to change here in Massachusetts. It's getting a little colder, the trees are changing colour and I just can't wait for Autumn/Fall! Anyway, I thought I'd do a more personal blog post this week, so here are 50 facts about me! 

Enjoy :)

1. My middle name is Ebony.

2. My star sign is Aries.

3. I'm a Journalism Major.

4. Field Hockey is my passion.

5. I don't have a favourite colour.

6. I have 11 piercings.

7. I love bracelets.

8. I have 2 pet mice.

9. I went to boarding school.

10. I'm at University in America.

11. I got an A* in Drama.

12. Diet Coke, always.

13. My favourite film is Shawshank Redemption.

14. I really dislike mushrooms.

15. Cookie Dough is my favourite ice cream flavour.

16. I secretly love video games. Especially FIFA.

17. I have a smashed iPhone 4.

18. I can ski and snowboard.

19. I want to live in Australia.

20. I having an older brother called Tom.

21. I'm very independent.

22. I like all genres of music. Except country.

23. I can water ski and knee board.

24. I was on the school tennis team.

25. My bed is my favourite place.

26. I mostly hate school and studying.

27. I love puppies.

28. I played Lacrosse for 6 years.

29. I have a tattoo.

30. I bite my nails.

31. Heels are my guilty pleasure.

32. I have 10 cousins.

33. White wine over red wine.

34. I naturally tan well.

35. I wish I liked running.

36. I always read sad books.

37. My family is crazy. But I love it.

38. I've been to over 20 different countries.

39. My Flappy Bird high score is 148.

40. I want to have my own business.

41. I once split my chin open.

42. I love musicals.

43. I'm not a morning person.

44. Iced Vanilla Coffee/Latte is my 'go-to'.

45. I've never had braces.

46. My parents own a nursery school.

47. I've been scuba diving in Australia and South Africa.

48. A fire extinguisher broke my ankle.

49. One of my YouTube videos has 23,500 views. lol.

50. I'm grateful for my supportive family, friends and teammates.

That's all! Let me know if you learned anything new about me!

Keep spreading the love :)

Sometimes the things you are most afraid of are the things that make you the happiest.

Ciao,

Hannah x