Unnecessary running
By Shelby KunishimaRUNNING really sucks. When I grow up, I'm going to be a successful lawyer who puts criminals behind bars, not by running a mile, but by having had a good education from Punahou School.
I don't want to be an Olympic gold medalist in running, or a first-place winner in the Great Aloha Run, so why does my school make me run for 12 minutes every other week?
It's torture! I always get major side pains after the first lap. I get dizzy and feel like I can't go on, but I know that if I don't make at least more than a mile (four laps), I'll have to run it all over again.
When I hear the whistle that signals the 12 minutes are over, I collapse on the well-worn track.
I understand that everyone has to be fit because it's good for our bodies, but isn't running for 12 minutes in the blazing heat too much? Everyone I know despises the 12 minutes as much as I do.
My question is, what does all this grueling running do for me? I don't plan on having to run later in life. I stay fit from all the other things we do in P.E. I don't mind playing basketball or tennis.
Sports sacrifice has
By Jordan Kotani
big pay-offTHROUGH my life my stepdad has helped me solve my problems and achieve my goals, but not without the sweat on my face and tears in my eyes I remember as if they were yesterday.
When I was about 5, my family would go to Koko Head District Park for picnics. Before I could enjoy all this wonderful fun in the sun, however, I was sent into battle. My stepdad and I would play baseball for an hour and a half. They were the worst hours I have ever endured and I had to go through this hell once a week.
I would have to field ground balls and catch pop flies until I was near fainting. He would blast the vinyl fireballs at me at incredible speeds and all I could do was try to protect myself from receiving a bruise.
I didn't do a very good job. I cried so much that after 10 minutes I had no tears left to shed. I felt like walking home, quitting and yelling at my stepfather. I always stayed there and took the torture, but I faked illness and also a couple of injuries just to get out of playing ball.
My stepdad would sometimes show signs of pity and let me off the hook for a couple of weeks, but that didn't last long. He signed me up for baseball for the Hawaii Kai pony league. The worst part of this whole deal was that my stepdad signed himself up to be coach.
I was devastated. It was going to be a very long, rough season. I was ready for the extra yelling, the long talks at home and the pressures of being the coach's son. My stepdad would yell and holler for every little mistake I made. The other kids would get a pep talk if they goofed up. I thought I was the most unfairly treated boy in the league.
The season ended and we came in fifth in the league. The next year we came in first! I was picked for the all-star team for almost all my years playing baseball. I gained tons of friends from other schools. I loved baseball.
My stepdad and I recently had a talk about the things that I have accomplished over the years. His reason for coaching me so hard was because he wanted me to be someone special. He made me work the hardest, play 100 percent all the time and never quit.
It is because of my stepdad that I have made the Kaiser High School varsity baseball team.
Take my advice, being involved in school activities is a great feeling. You will gain new friends and maybe a fan or two. So if your parents push you to strive hard in life, do it. You will be extremely grateful later on.
Shelby Kunishima is a seventh-grader at Punahou School.
Jordan Kotani is a senior at Kaiser High.Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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