Materials & Technology 112 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Materials & Technology 112 - Coursework Example Crystallization markedly enhances strength, rigidity, and opacity of a polymer. High density polyethylene, then, is the stiffest of all types of polyethylene due to its high degree of crystallinity. Thereby, high density polyethylene has a greater tensile strength than low density polyethylene. Branching tend to impede crystallization, making a polymer less rigid, more easily to deform, and weaker4. Thus, a 95% crystalline and linear polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has a greater tensile strength than a 95% crystalline and branched PTFE. Molecular weight data for some polymer are tabulated below. Compute (a) the number-average molecular weight, and (b) the weight-average molecular weight. (c) If it is known that this material’s degree of polymerisation is 477, which one of the polymers listed in Table 14.3 of the lecture notes is this polymer? Why? Carbon dioxide diffuses through a high density polyethylene (HDPE) sheet 50 mm thick at a rate of 2.2 ïÆ'  10-8 (cm3 STP)/cm2-s at 325 K. The pressures of carbon dioxide at the two faces are 4000 kPa and 2500 kPa, which are maintained constant. Assuming conditions of steady state, what is the permeability coefficient at 325

Capital Budget Essay Example for Free

Capital Budget Essay Looking at River County plan for several capital acquisitions for the coming year which include the purchase of two new garbage trucks at $150,000 each, one new bulldozer at $240,000, three new riding lawn mowers at $16,000 each, and construction of an activity center in the part for $650,000. The expected lifetime of the various capital items is 10 years for the garbage trucks, 8 years for the bulldozer, 5 years for the lawn mowers, and 40 years for the activity center. Due to the current credit rating of River County, River County was approved for a 6% interest rate on all vehicles and lawn mowers, and a 3% interest on the activity center. The total cost to finance both garbage trucks for one year is $20,380.19 and the total cost is $203,801.90 for 10 years. The yearly cost to finance the bulldozer is $38,648.63 and the total cost is $309,189.04 for 8 years. The total cost of financing all three lawn mowers for a year is $11,395.03 and the total cost for 5 years is $56,975.15. The yearly cost to finance the activity center is $28,120.55 and the total cost is $1,124,822.22 for 40 years. The total cost for the capital budget from year 1 to year 5 will be $126,664.95. The total budget cost from year 6 to year 8 will $115,269.92 and from year 9 to 10 $76,621.29. From year 10 unto year 40, the budget would be $28,120.55 for the activity center. However, River County would pay off the lawn movers in 5 years, bulldozer in 8 years, and garbage trucks in 10 years the issue of depreciation stills needs to be addressed. The current value of the equipment would need to be appraised to determine if it is still operational according to River County standards, or do the equipment need to be replaced. If River County decides to replace the equipment then the revenue from the savage would be used to re-invest in to new equipment and the capital budget would be updated. With the current River County budget the tax revenues received from the county would be more than sufficient, but if there is a budget short fall, River County could issue 5 year municipal bonds to cover the cost. Reference: Finkler, S.A. (2010). Financial management for public, health, and not-for-profit organizations (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Martinson, O. B. (2002). A look at cost accounting in the service industry and the federal government.The Journal of Government Financial Management, 51(1), 18-25. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222373894?accountid=32521 Rodriguez, J. F. (1994). Sound principles: New adaptations. The Government Accountants Journal, 43(3),35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222431343?accountid=32521

Issues with Going Professional in Athletics Career

Issues with Going Professional in Athletics Career Do you think that high school athletes should be able to go professional right after they are done with their high school career? This question is a big argument between many people through out the sports world. This is a big debate because nowadays athletes are becoming bigger, stronger, and faster right out of high school. This is happening because athletes are some of the highest paid people in the world. People in the world are actually breeding for their kids to be a sort of super athlete. Many kids are starting to be trained early in age for sports and to be able to make it further in the sports world. There are some people who believe if high school athletes are physically ready for professionals in a sport that they should be able to go right into it. On the other side of this argument many people believe that high school athletes need to get there education and should go to college where they can play sports and then be drafted to a professional league after their college career is done. In many peoples minds that if an athlete is that ready for professional sports that the athletes should have no problem in collegiate athletics and should standout. Many people believe that the athletes college career will only give them more experience and will help them be better once they are able to make it to the draft and plus they are also getting their education just in case something does happen and they do not make it in the professionals. Many athletes do not make it in professional athletics and by making athletes go to college they can rely on their career and will still be well off in the world. For example, the NFL will not let you enter the draft until you have completed three years in college or in college athletics. This is a ru le to make sure that athletes go to college but after three years many athletes enter the draft and do not finish their career. This is a huge problem because the athlete will not have their career to fall back on. There are only a couple rules athletes must follow for the NBA draft. The first rule is that they must have been in college for one year in order to be entered into the draft. This is because they want athletes to at least try the college experience and to at least be able to make it to college as well. Another rule for the NBA draft is that the athlete must be nineteen years of age and one year removed from high school. These rules were made in the year 2006 and have been enforced ever since. These rules are a very good idea because it makes athletes go to college, which is a good thing. This can also be a bad thing because some athletes can not make it to college and that is a problem for some athletes. The age requirement is a good idea I think because at eighteen years old I dont know if you are ready to play with people like Shaq or someone like that. This rule can work both ways though because there has been many athletes go straight to the draft at eighteen and did very well f or them. A former player says, â€Å"The special ones who can go pro should be allowed to do it.† (Beck H. (2005, June 28)). A key example for this is LeBron James and Dwight Howard! There are amazing athletes and were drafted straight out of high school and were actually first round picks! There have been many players like this such as Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. In some ways many people think that the age requirement is a good idea because it gives you an extra year for your body to grow or even your mind to grow. This helps athletes to be ready to be a professional and it lets them train and get even better than they already are. Many basketball coaches believe that the draft rules are very good and could change the age requirement to twenty if wanted. They believe that making the age requirement later will just encourage young athletes to go to college even more and then they might realize the importance of a college degree and what they can do with it after their basketball career is over. Many coaches believe that a lot of young athletes are not ready to compete at that high of a level many are not use to traveling that much or even being away from their family and friends that much. â€Å"If you can go to war and die for your country, or go to prison for the rest of your life at 17, then you should also be eligible to go pro at 17.†(Freeman, M. (2004)) A lot of athletes will still be maturing mentally and physically if able to be drafted straight from high school. A lot of younger athletes still do not take responsibility for themselves and their actions. With great privileges, comes great responsi bilities and many people think that high school athletes are not ready for these yet! The NFL has different rules to their draft than other professional organizations. In the NFL draft you must have completed three years in college. There is really no age limit in the NFL draft because you can enter it when you are a senior, junior or even a redshirt sophomore. The only requirement is the three years in college. There have been some athletes who have made it to the NFL straight from high school but this took place a very long time ago because the NFL has had tight rules on these types of things for quite a while. In the NHL draft which is the draft for professional hockey has slim to none rules on entering the draft. They are one of the only sports you can be drafted straight to a professional out of high school. There have been quite a few people who have done it and a major athlete who has done great things is Sid â€Å"The Kid† Crosby. He was drafted straight out of high school and was a huge impact on the NHL he is an amazing athlete and takes on all the veterans of the sport. It is said his name is going to be more known than Wayne Gretzgys. He is breaking records and making new ones as he is a magnificent scorer. The reason that hockey does not have a so called age limit is because there are young people that are better than the older people and once your good you are usually good for a long time. Then there is the MLB draft for Major League Baseball. In the MLB you can be drafted right out of high school if you are good enough. Usually if drafted straight out of high school the franchise will put you on their minor league team to test your ability and if you do well they will move you up to the majors. You can be drafted at any time as long as you are not enrolled in some sort of schooling at the time. There are a lot of high school athletes drafted to the MLB especially pitchers because they are the most needed seeming their arms do not last very long. The most high school athletes that enter the draft are from California. This happens because California is a huge state and has very good baseball programs. Immigration is a huge topic among sports these days. For high school athletes going professional immigration is a huge deal. In America we have some of the highest paying sports and the best sports in the world. Many Immigrants know this and are come to America just for sports. For instance, Sammy Sosa is from the Dominican Republic and is an amazing baseball player. His parents and he had him come to America to be able to play baseball professionally and to make money off of a career he loved. In the Dominican Republic there is not as much money there and Sammy could not afford just to play baseball, he had to work and help his family make it in tough times. There are many families bringing their kids to America if they are good at sports because they have a better shot here of making it big and doing something they love while making money. There are Immigrants all over in our high school athletes and they are very good. Their families have made sacrifices for them to be here to play the game they love in hope that they will make it professional. Baseball is a huge sport for this and so is football and basketball also. Immigration makes it so that people can make it here in sports and help take care of their families back home and there are many immigrants being drafted to the professional leagues. Some examples of Immigrants who have made it big here in sports are: Yao Ming, Paul Gasol, Peja Stolakivich, and many more. So as you can see, Immigration ties right into this topic and actually affects it a lot more than most people think. Another major role in this topic is what kind of high school you have attended. This is a big deal because there are basically two types of schools. There are public schools and private schools. As we all know most public schools are very poor funded and usually do not have a lot of money to spare. In private schools they usually have tons of money and could spare some. This is a huge factor for athletes; athletes who attend a private school have more opportunities and privileges than athletes at public schools. For example, private schools usually have very nice facilities and equipment and do not charge very much for athletes to play the game. At a public school the prices are a lot and there are not nice facilities and not very much money in the program. At private schools there are just coaches. They teach at the school also but are very intelligent in there sport. At public schools they take volunteers or pay a teacher very little to do it that has really no experience and not v ery well suited for the job. The private schools usually make better athletes because they can spend time, money, and the right training to make them good. In public schools this is hard and the athletes are kind of at a disadvantage. This affects them making to the Professionals and could make them not even be able to play in college. There are many great athletes out there but some have better situations and will make it farther because of that. This is how public schools affect high school athletes. All in all in my opinion I believe that athletes should be allowed to be drafted straight out of high school but I think there should be specific leagues just for rookies or high school athletes. I believe in like football there should be a league like the MLB. They will have some minor league teams and have all their young athletes play in that. Then if an athlete does very well in this league you can bring him up or send him back down whenever need be. I think this will help a lot on this issue. Dont get me wrong I believe athletes should be student athletes but some people are just not cut out for school. It should be the persons choice and they get to decide. The smart athletes that care about their future will still go to college and get a degree or they will do it online or something like that. Athletes will realize that they need a backup plan because their bodies are not going to last forever. So in my opinion I believe they should be able to go professional.

A Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell Essay -- A Jury of Her Peers Ess

In Susan Glaspell’s, â€Å"A Jury of her Peers†, it is the women who take center stage and captivate the reader’s emotions. Throughout the feministic short story, which was written in 1917, several repeating patterns and symbols help the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the difficulty of prairie life for women and of the bond that women share. The incredible cunning the women in the story demonstrate provides insight into the innate independence that women had even during days of deep sexual discrimination. In â€Å"A Jury of her Peers†, the hardships women of the early twentieth century must endure and the sisterhood that they can still manage to maintain are manifested as a mysterious, small-town murder unfolds. In the beginning of the story, Martha Hale leaves her house in half-disarray to meet with her husband, the county attorney, Mrs. Peters, and Mr. Peters, the county sheriff. The five travel up to the Wright household to investigate the murder of Mr. Wright. Mr. Hale explains to the county attorney that the previous day Mrs. Wright had told him in a shockingly matter-of-fact way that her husband was dead. She had said that he was strangled in their bed by a rope and that she was never awakened by any commotion. It is obvious from her odd laugh and the incoherence of her explanation of her husband’s death that something is emotionally wrong with her. Immediately after Mr. Hale explains his story to the county attorney, the men leave to look around the house for more evidence. While alone together, the women start to talk to each other. Mrs. Hale comments that she would feel uncomfortable to have men roaming in her kitchen, but Mrs. Peters defends them. Her view of the men searching the house is more t... ...box with the bird in it. The men enter with some condescending remarks toward the women to which neither Mrs. Hale nor Mrs. Peters remarks. The county attorney says that it seems pretty clear that Mrs. Wright is guilty but that he has failed to uncover any evidence that would explain any motive. The women do not mention that they have found the bird. They know that proof of motive is the most critical piece of evidence against Mrs. Wright and that when she is tried in court, she will not technically be judged by a group of her peers. Women are not allowed to vote and, therefore, cannot be members of a jury. If the court does establish a motive, Mrs. Wright will surely be convicted by a group of chauvinistic men. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters know the motive but decide to take the law into their own hands and, in doing so, demonstrate both autonomy and fellowship.

Ethical Issues In The Federal Government’s Department Of Defense Essay

If there could be anything in the American government that the world has long been admiring, it would always be its military strength. Besides its technology, high product standards, its money, transportation and educational facilities, the world has been looking up at America because of its excellence in the field war and battle. It would seem for the rest of the world that Uncle Sam’s haven offers a smooth-sailing life that people of different colors race and strive to come over. The big question to dig into is this: â€Å"Is America free of corruption and abuse? The answer to the question is a big no. In this paper, we will try to look into the ethical standards of the Federal Government for the purpose of having a benchmark in our evaluation of the ethical deviations inside the organization. Specifically, we will try to evaluate how the Department of Defense go through the process of procurement and will try to pinpoint where the flaw in such process is, resulting to fraud and abuse. This paper has included actual court cases where the Department of Defense was involved. Through these processes, we will be able to prove that no matter how powerful the policies and laws of the Federal Government, the powerful America cannot control its entire people and prevent them from overriding personal interests and public trust. At the end of this paper, the author hopes to have the readers convinced that Federal laws and policies still have flaws and that should be taken into consideration the soonest possible in order for the American nation and the rest of the world restore its fading trust and confidence over the people behind their security. President George Bush during his term, probably ensuring the public of their trust towards the government, issued a separate order that would serve as guideline for strict compliance of all personnel directly serving the public. Executive Order 12731 of October 17, 1990, entitled â€Å"Principles of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees† orders each government employee to avoid, prevent and help detect fraud and adhere to ethical standards at all times and situations. The first section of the EO12731 provides catchy ethical principles which prevent each employee to â€Å"hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty† and engage in financial transactions using non-public government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest† (section 101-b and c). Subsections of the order also require each employee to act will full honesty in their duties and most importantly they are not allowed to use public office for private gain. The Federal Government, based on its laws and policies, has been straightforward and clear as to guiding its public servants to the proper, ethical behavior they should display all the time. So why are there still countless cases and accusations that have been polluting the air of the public servants? What is more frustrating to know is the fact that even in the Department of Defense, many employees and management personnel has been proven to be contributing to such corruption. The fact of unethical behavior existing in the Federal government is not just an outside observation but is also being recognized by those working inside the organization. In a press release issued by the Ethics Resource Center, it turned out that 52% of the Federal employees are aware and are witnesses of at least one type of misbehavior among their colleagues in the previous year. What is more is that only 30% of federal workers surveyed believe their organizations have well-implemented ethics and compliance programs and that only one in 10 said there is a strong ethical culture in their federal workplace (ERC 2008). Almost one quarter of public sector employees identifies their work environments as conducive to misconduct — places where there is strong pressure to compromise standards, where situations invite wrongdoing and/or employees’ personal values conflict with the values espoused at work† (Harned, Patricia cited in Smith, Ralph 2008). In reference to the reports mentioned above, this paper made an impression that there might be something inside the Federal government that attracts employees to disregard ethical considerations and to prefer personal interests over public trust. One thing obvious thing is money. The Federal government, even though have limited financial resources, has probably been the most liquid source of kickbacks for the â€Å"bad apples in the barrel. † It is worth noting that the â€Å"U. S. government is the largest consumer of prime contracts† (Lander, Gerald et. al. 2008). Using this mere information, we can clearly conclude that there is enough money for the bad apples on hand. Moreover, it would be very easy for us to extract the fact that the money is more attracting for those inside the procurement departments. As to federal spending, reports say that procurement contracts have been the fastest-growing part of the discretionary budget. In fact, procurement spending rose 86%, twice as fast as other discretionary spending, which rose 43% between 2000 and 2005. Moreover, such spending composed of 40 cents per dollar of discretionary spending (Ibid). The figures are quite more than attractive and conducive for the bad apples to abuse the trust and authorities vested on them by the public. Despite the fact that trust is held as the most important asset of the government, there is one thing that even the most powerful government cannot control: greed. It is a human element that the procurement agencies of the government intentionally or unintentionally tolerate. The uncontrollable fact of human greed is even recognized by the Department of Defense. As the spokesman of the Pentagon, Dan Howard has noted, †The acquisition system is sound but there is no system on the face of this earth that completely obviates the human factor – greed. And that is why we have policing systems† (The New York Times, June 26, 1988). The trust placed by the public over the Department of Defense continue to fade as more and more cases of fraud files in court have resulted to countless convictions. In Philadelphia alone, the investigation conducted at the Defense Personnel Support Center, resulted in the indictment of 28 individuals and companies on various fraud charges. Such procurement transactions involved textile and apparel industry which have government contracts on uniforms, tents, boots for the armed forces. Here then is the chance for us to ask these questions: What is the purpose of having ethical standards in the federal government? Are these statements of ethical behaviors for the sake of complying with the SEC requirements? Are the ethical standards unsound or the problem of abuse of power and ethical deviance matters of implementation flaws? Referring particularly to the Department of Defense, it is unlikely that these educated people came short of understanding the ethical concepts. In fact, the department’s publication, Armed Forces Comptroller, the author recognizes the fact that their personnel understand the concept of ethics. The author even stressed that â€Å"most of them are required to attend some form of mandatory ethics training† (Benoit, Diana 2006). The Department of Defense has in fact sound which they consider as forming the ethical foundation of the Dept of Defense personnel. For the purpose of evaluation, let us try to look into these then core concepts. The author stressed that these core concepts â€Å"reflect the standards and expectations of military personnel and federal employees throughout the organization† (Ibid). The first of the ethical concepts is honesty which they define as â€Å"being truthful and straightforward, regardless of grade or rank. Honesty is regarded by the department as an ethical concept that goes beyond being trustworthy that it encourages its employees to do not only what is legal but also what is right. Relative to this, abuse of power and betrayal of trust still include acts or attempts of hiding the truth. If the Department of Defense personnel clearly understand this concept, there should have been no reason to remain silent on issues that involves witnessing ethical deviance inside the organization. The ethical concept of honesty goes beyond the issues of actual money laundering. It encompasses keeping accurate records and completing tasks to the extent of one’s capacity and ability. This means that coming to the office late, going out early; taking breaks more than the allowable time are forms of cheating and thus are unethical behaviors. Cheating the taxpayers could also mean using office supplies for personal activities or lavish consumption of such resources. What is frustrating is that this concept is being disregarded by high ranking employees of the department at a considerably higher level of deception as mentioned above. Simple cheating in record keeping and of utilizing government resources for personal use can be detected and be prevented at the lower level of organization. However, it would be a different thing to know that cheating is even more practiced at the higher level of management who are expected to be the police in the department. In fact, the report released by the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, â€Å"the United States recouped more than $1. billion dollars in settlements and judgments pursuing allegations of fraud and in the next fiscal year, the government recovered a record total of more than $3. 1 billion in settlements and judgments from cases involving claims of fraud† (Lander et. al 2008). Closely related to the ethics of honesty is the concept of integrity which the DOD defines as â€Å"doing the right thing the first time and every time. † In an observation by one of the members of the Special Investigations Unit of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, Special Agent Timothy J. O’Malley recognizes the temptations of fraud in their field. O’Malley said â€Å"police officers face greater temptations than they did just a decade or so ago† (Bladow, J. 1994). As an agent, he can pinpoint the fact that the department handles explosives and illegal drug cases which obviously involve a vast sum of money. Taking O’Malley’s exact words, â€Å"a tremendous amount of illicit cash fuels this market. † Here then lies one uncontrollable factor that we can consider. Money is the central thing that enables the government to run. It is money that is the main reason why people oftentimes compromise integrity and principles with dollars. Money enables the government to provide services to public. Employees have to be paid with salaries, supplies have to be bought, buildings have to be constructed, communication and transportation facilities have to be purchased and improved. In fact, America will never be the most powerful nation in the world without its money spent in technology, education and basic government facilities. Moreover, America cannot in anyway be respected or shall we say be feared by other nations if not for its military strength. It is a rare instance that this nation is being challenged by the terrorists during the 911 event. What this paper would like to point out is that even though money is an uncontrollable element in the federal government and particularly in the procurement agency of the department of Defense, transaction processes involving money are very much controllable. In fact, the DOD has sound policies and procedures expressed in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI). In brief, these regulations and guidelines were codified and implemented for procedure compliance purposes especially on procurement transactions undergone by the department. In its Section 201. 304, FAR requires the â€Å"approval of the USD (AT&L) before including in a department/agency or component supplement, or any other contracting regulation document such as a policy letter or clause book, any policy, procedure, clause, or form that has a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the agency; or has a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors† (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 2004). Where then lays the procedure flaw- on the approving committee or on those who presents the facts of the procurement contracts? The answer does not solely lies on these precepts. The factors that corrupt integrity in the Department of Defense can be traced in the early stage of the hiring process. â€Å"The applicant selection process represents a critical, though sometimes overlooked, component of police ethics programs† (Bonczek, S. and D. Menzel 1994). The authors suggest that the agency should thoroughly conduct interviews, psychological tests, and extensive background checks (Ibid, p. 4). This would then ensure an applicant’s compatibility with the department’s ethical philosophy. This process can be beneficial in the early identification of â€Å"red flags† in an applicant’s personality before he gets into the department. Even if not all of the factors contributing to the unethical behavior of an employee can be detected at this stage, there are considerable preventive measures that are being done here that can prevent a rotten tomato mingle with the good ones inside the basket. The riskier the world becomes, the higher the standards should the department implement in order to maintain, if not to enhance the integrity of the defenders of the American security. As one observer have noted, it is important that high standards in the hiring process be maintained at all times because of the fact that â€Å"diminished standards or incomplete background checks have resulted in the hiring of armed robbers, burglars, and drug dealers as police officers† (D. Holmquist 1993, p. 38). We have to remember that temptations are everywhere and that is one uncontrollable factor inside the department of defense. Because DOD has got much money to offer especially in the procurement transactions, it clearly caters to a tempting environment. However it cannot really be an excuse neither it will justify one’s act of corruption. Deviance to ethical standards is a clear betrayal of trust and a blot in the name of the person, if he even cares enough for it. A recent study established that fast-talking, outgoing, assertive, and self-confident risk takers represent the best candidates for undercover work. While this may come as no surprise, the study also concluded that these personality traits â€Å"are often the same ones predisposing an officer to corruption and psychological distress† (Bladow, p. 12). This suggests that a good apple in the barrel has always the chance of being badly influenced by others. Strict hiring standards are therefore required to be implemented during the hiring process at all levels. â€Å"Police managers must view their hiring standards as components of managing for ethics† (Wells, S. A. 1993, p. 67). Strict adherence to employee selection is a must although diversity in the law enforcement departments must also be considered in order to foster diverse citizenry. â€Å"Agencies should not pursue the goal of a diversified workforce at the expense of one of law enforcement’s most valued asset- integrity† (Travis, M. A. 1994, p. 1717).

Are You a Loser Professor Ramos Blog

Are You a Loser Joining the track team was by far the most unpredictable thing I have ever done. I was about 15 years old in the 10th grade and I wasnt planning on doing any sports in high school, but one day after school I was walking passed the track and I seen how competitive and how much fun the track team was having while they were practicing. As i was walking passed the track my friend rushed to me with a big smile on her face, excited about being on the track team. It had grabbed my attention completely after that, I knew I had to give it a chance. I was so anxious to join the track team, the next day I decided to go to the athletic directors office to get information about the track team. I walked into his office and we spoke for almost an hour! I started by telling him I felt nervous, because I didn’t know much about the sport. Finally, after that talk the athletic director had convinced me to get out my comfort zone and give this sport a try. So later on that day, after school I headed down to the track field for practice and I was already feeling anxious and out of place. I remember wearing my black old school vans with green basketball shorts and a white tank top, while everyone else was wearing tights and their track shoes. Being the only one who was unprepared for practice made me feel like I was already off to a bad start. I just tried to have a positive mindset, so I thought to myself â€Å"at least I know what to wear for next practice†. As practices went by I felt as if i wasn’t improving at all, I remember the coaches criticising me on everything I did. One day the criticism had got to me and I had enough , I thought they were always picking on me. After practice I talked to one of the coaches named coach tracy, he looked like he was in his mid 40’s and he always wore a sombrero he looked like a wise man, I talked to him about not being interested on being on the team anymore. Since there wasnt much time to talk about why I didn’t want to be on the team he asked me to speak with him in his office the next day about it and so I agreed to speak with him. I walked into his office the next day, it smelled like sweaty people in locker room it smelled like and athletes office i guess you can say. I remember walking in and seeing the look on his face changed, he became very serious but also had a face of hope, maybe hope that I would change my mind? I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I walked towards him and sat in the seat that was in front of his desk. The first thing he asked me was â€Å"are you a loser?†, I was in complete shock, and I asked him â€Å"why would you say that?†, he answered saying, â€Å"only losers give up.† He started going on explaining they only criticize me, because they want me to improve in what i do, also that it’s so important to finish what you start, because in life we have to keep moving forward through all the failures and obstacles that life throws at you. This was an eye-opener for me, it made me realize all the things I could’ve accomplished if I never gave up on previous things i’ve been through in life. At that moment I told myself I was going to succeed in all that I do, even if the process is difficult. I continued to attend practice everyday and coach Tracy even offered extra practice days on the weekend, which I decided to attend as well. During all those extra practices coach Tracy took his time with he was very patient, he taught me how to run on my toes, take breaths while running, and he also taught me how to set up my starting blocks. One of the most things I had a difficult time with was starting off, I would pop straight up from the blocks and I did it over about 30 times that day, he did not let me give up, (which I am so thankful for now). Coach Tracy was very motivating, when i felt down about doing something wrong he’d remind me to not let it get to me and keep pushing through the failures. Throughout I started to notice that this sport not only has to do with skillful techniques but it has to do a lot with ha ving a positive mindset. Throughout the season practices I felt as if I didn’t accomplish much, but I kept telling myself I will succeed. Finally one day after a long and rough practice the coaches announced when our first track meet would be. We all gathered around the coaches in a circle as they announced the assigned runs. As he was calling out everyones names and what they were assigned to, I began to feel extremely anxious. I didn’t want to participate at all because I feared all of the possible things that can happen, I thought â€Å"what if people think I suck?’, or even worse, â€Å"what if I get myself disqualified? The entire team would be upset.† All these feelings made me overwhelmed, and then i remembered i need to stay positive to succeed, all the negativity isn’t going to do anything but bring me down. I remember that first track meet, it was about 100 degrees outside and asa team we were all wearing track pants and windbreakers, can you imagine how hot we were? Words cannot explain how hot it was, I felt like I was in a sauna. Eventually we changed into our shorts to warm up for our runs. As time went by and I knew that my call for my run was coming up, I knew i needed to talk to coach Tracy to restore myself, because those feelings of anxiety started to come back. It was like he read my mind, because he came up to me and began to say that it’s my time to show everyone how confident i’ve got and and much improvement i’ve made. When he told me this, I made me feel better, because it’s the truth i’ve worked hard for this and now I get to put the work in action. Next thing you know I heard â€Å"200 meter sprint runners come up!†, my heart dropped, it’s like all the emotions of anxiety came back. I had butterflies as I walked up to the starting blocks, I got into position and â€Å"bang!† the starting gun went off, I ran with all my force and I kept going. When I heard the starting gun go off, I ran with all my force and I was third place I almost let it get to me while running but I didn’t I pushed myself to run faster and keep going and before you knew I was in first place. I seen coach Tracy waiting at the end of the finish line yelling â€Å"finish strong!† It gave me so much motivation knowing that he was there for me when I was terrible and he stood at the finish line when I was winning. The finish of the race was the absolute best feeling. The feeling of accomplishment is one of the best feelings, its indescribable how proud you can make yourself, especially with the support from those who want to see you succeed. All the hard work i’ve put in that season of practice had really paid off. I never knew how much a difference it can be to keep practicing after so many failures, I co uldn’t believe I had almost gave up that season. I knew that remaining positive and keep moving through all the failures will make you accomplish more things in life. That whole track season has made an impact on me all around. It has taught me to not give up on myself in anything, and by the end of the season I was more confident than I have ever been. This sport has showed me that it’s okay make mistakes even after so many failures. Acceptance is key to success, in life we need to learn to accept the failures and hardships we go through in order to grow and become better, and thats what track has helped me learn. Not everything comes easy it takes time and patience to grow. Now that I had that experience with track, it has honestly helped me view things differently in an optimistic way. There are many aspects in my life that track has influenced greatly. I couldn’t have done it without coach Tracy, he has made a big impact on me, he didn’t let me give up, and showed me how much more I can accomplish by being positive and pushing myself to continue to get better. Not only did I grow love for this sport but Track has helped me learn how to accept failure and continue to prosper more in my life for the future by having a positive mindset.