Denzlee Knudsen For The Herald Journal

Published Dec. 19, 2023

The driver greeted each individual passenger as they climbed aboard the Silver Stadium Express. The compact bus shielded passengers from the chill air of the rainy winter morning.

“The First Noel” played over the speakers of the shuttle. The bus driver wore a smile on his face and a baseball cap on his head with felt reindeer antlers sticking straight up from a headband.

The Silver bus pulled out of the stadium parking lot and headed up the hill. It wrapped around the drop-off as students stirred in anticipation to get off.

“Have a great day,” the driver said over the bus’s intercom. “There’s plenty of candy canes here at the front.” He gestured to a white bucket strapped to the dashboard full of individually wrapped miniature candy canes.

Passengers getting off thanked the driver for his service while new passengers hopping on exclaimed their admiration for his festive hat.

Tom Reading loves driving for the Aggie Shuttle and has loved doing so for nearly 15 years. He started driving shuttles for Utah State University in 2009. Driving in circles isn’t his motivation for doing this job but rather for the connections with the university students.

“I like to stay around young adults, keeps me young,” Reading said. “I get to know a lot of you and the great things you do. I see how outgoing you are.”

Reading first was assigned the South Campus route looping Highway 89 and the Lundstrom Student Living Center northeast of Logan Cemetery. Now he can be seen transporting students back and forth from Maverick Stadium and campus.

There are eight various designated routes the Aggie Shuttles may follow, each coordinated by a specific color. The buses run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. while a single evening bus runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

One of the main ways of transportation for USU students is taking the bus from their student housing to campus. For many passengers, riding the bus is a necessary convenience in order to get to class but for a lucky few, riding the bus has become a highlight of their day.

Students who regularly ride the Silver bus touring Maverick stadium know Reading and are always excited to be riding with him.

Ted Muir is a loyal passenger of the Stadium Express taking the route to get to and from campus “everyday.” Of the drivers that take her to campus, “Tom is my favorite.”

“When he dressed up for Halloween, he wore that chicken costume,” Muir said, followed by a laugh. “I like that he has candy sometimes. He always knows people. I think he recognizes me.”

Another steadfast Silver passenger, Olivia Phillips, agreed with Muir’s observations.

“Tom makes an effort to get to know individual people and make them feel like they had a friend they saw that day and I think that’s really sweet,” Phillips said.

Reading will more than gladly take any opportunity to drive the bus for the service of student athletes outside of his shift hours. He has made close connections with the sports teams by taking them to their various tournaments.

“I call the gymnastics team my ‘girls’ and the softball team are my ‘babes,’ I haven’t labeled other teams yet,” Reading said.

Reading doesn’t get to drive USU’s sports teams as much anymore since most teams have other forms of transportation to take them to tournaments or the airport. But Reading will jump on any opportunity to take a sports team to their event.

“I will suggest taking them and they will honor that because I have seniority,” Reading said.

Graduating from USU in 1972, Reading studied to be a seminary and institute teacher, going on to teach for 37 years. During his freshman year of college, he was on the baseball team with a scholarship. Reading served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for two years in England between his freshman and sophomore year.

Reading has gotten a good balance with work life and hobbies. His work hours consist of starting at 7 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, ending his shifts always at 1 p.m. He keeps his Fridays free for extracurricular activities.

Reading will be playing racquetball with friends in the mornings before his 9 o’clock shifts. In the wintertime, he normally goes skiing on his time off.

Gardening and hiking are among Reading’s favorite outside hobbies. He also considers himself a “handyman” when it comes to tools. Aside from working with the Aggie Shuttle, he and his wife work in the Logan temple Thursday evenings.

Another job Reading has had in the past was ski patrol at Beaver Mountain Ski Resort.

Feature story by Denzlee Knudsen

Mar. 29, 2024

Bursting through the front doors of the house, Brittany Lowe threw all of her teaching supplies on the floor by the foot of the stairs. She raced through the kitchen, rummaging cupboards to grab a quick snack.

Lowe gave her husband a peck on the cheek as she brushed past him. “How was work today?” he asked.

She turned around, a bagel clenched between her teeth, and mumbled, “It was rough.” As her husband left the kitchen, she pulled out the cream cheese from the fridge and spat out the bagel onto the counter. 

“I had two kids cry today, one runner during the fire drill, and I need to get nine kids closer to benchmark before next month,” she sighed. “I’m also super worried because if I don’t work some magic to get those kids to where they’re supposed to be, I don’t think I’ll be coming back to teach next year because of my one-year contract.”

Lowe ate her bagel as she rushed to the master bedroom at the back of the house. Her days aren’t typically busy but this day was especially different since she had to have a couple meetings with parents discussing their kindergartener’s behavior issues.

Lowe emerged from the bedroom wearing workout clothes and rejoined her husband in the kitchen to quickly refill her water bottle before leaving again.

Lowe said her goodbyes and headed back out the door. She started the car, took a deep breath in and blasted the Barbie movie’s soundtrack on the speakers as she drove to her second job, teaching classes at Sports Academy.

Lowe’s true comfort zone is instructing adults at the gym. She lets her worries go as she turns on the playlist she had put together that morning at 5.

Lowe has been working at Sports Academy for eight years and has connected with a lot of people in that time. She has close friends who she can share everything with.

Lowe’s friend Roxanne Stewart has been coming to spin ever since her college days more than 20 years ago and the two have bonded well over the years.

“Half the stuff Brittany has said to me about working at a school,” Stewart said, “it’s just nothing that I think I can have the patience for. She has a gift for sure.”

Teaching kindergarten at Adams Elementary has been a life-altering challenge for Lowe, and her career lies in uncertainty as her short-term contract nears its end.

The team of teachers Lowe had walked into were very exhausted only halfway through the 2022-2023 school year. Lowe was hired as the third kindergarten teacher before Logan City School District was back from winter break. She received a third of the students from each of the other classes.

Debbie Hurley, Lowe’s fellow kindergarten teacher, was relieved. With a new teacher, Hurley’s class of 26 energetic 5-year-olds dwindled down to 18 manageable students.

“This year, the class sizes are still much higher than we want, but, man, am I glad to have Brittany around this year,” Hurley said.

Lowe is happy to have so many people around her in both parts of her life who support her as mentors and allies.

“I have friends that we support each other,” Lowe said, “and we keep each other accountable. These girls are my strength. They give me energy.”

Lowe returned to teaching after an eight year hiatus but was used to being around fourth graders when she first taught. When she came back for the last half of the school year, it felt like a trial run. So this year feels like her actual first year back teaching.

“I get my own class now with my own set of rules so really I am a first-year teacher,” Lowe said. “I don’t know exactly what I am doing.”

By the end of May, the majority of kids went from not knowing how to hold a pencil to being able to keep up with first grade. The district expects the school to achieve the same outcome with this new group of kids.

Hurley believes it is possible since the team works like “a well-oiled machine.” However, Lowe has doubts about her own abilities.

Her contract to come back to teaching allowed her to alleviate the other class sizes. But the designated time of her contract has passed. So, Lowe is now waiting to hear if her superiors will let her renew a full contract or have someone else replace her.

“She’s definitely had some learning curves,” said Katie McClellan, the school’s instructional coach. “Brittany’s learned a lot already and she still has much more to learn.”

Lowe feels the pressure of having to meet certain expectations in both her different jobs. Whenever she needs a break during spin, she can hop off her bike at any time to walk around. However, she can’t turn her back around for a single second while in the classroom.

The majority of her weekdays consist of entertaining 21 children to learn how to read, write and count. However, Lowe quickly learned it was much more than that. Helping children who come from many different backgrounds with their educational and behavioral needs has proven to be quite the difficult task. Learning how to line up at the door takes months to comprehend. Some days are better than others.

Wednesday evening spin class never fails to cheer up Lowe after a long, tough day at school. She challenged the attendees, song after song, to “get your heartrate up and your sweat dripping.”

Lowe encouraged the attendees to come back for the early Friday morning session she also teaches.

When Lowe isn’t teaching spin at the gym, she co-teaches high fitness Mondays and Thursdays in the evening. And when she isn’t teaching any class, she still attends spin classes that other instructors teach.

During the school’s last routine fire drill, Lowe had gotten every student safely out of the building and waiting patiently out in the field. When it was time to go back in the school, one of her kids broke away from the line, running to the road. Lowe called over to an aid to watch her class as she sprinted across the field. Lowe wrapped her arms around the little girl’s waist before she had reached the curb and hoisted her in the air. She redirected that student to join the line.

“That’s my motivation to stay in shape,” Lowe breathlessly said to the aid.

Despite the trouble some of the kids give her, Lowe adores walking into her teaching job if that means “seeing their cute little faces light up when something clicks in their heads and they start to get the material.”

At the end of every school day, Lowe takes her class to the playground gates as each of her students get picked up by their parents. The children will see their family and run over to Lowe, giving her a hug. Sometimes the hugs catch her by surprise but she doesn’t mind the young kids clinging to her legs. She knows she has made an impact for these children and they have made an impact on her.

When the last of her students leave to go with their parents, Lowe looks back to see them walking away. There’s a special connection between her and the kids. There’s a deep longing in her, one she hopes will last for years to come.

Feature story by Denzlee Knudsen

Feb. 23, 2024

John-Michael Sutherland’s breath rose into the air as he hunched over his shovel on the sidewalk, lifting and moving the snow near the Saint Jerome Newman Center near Utah State University’s campus.

His lungs were on fire despite the bitter cold. 

His lower back and shoulders refused to continue moving in the same repetitive pattern he had done all morning. But the task gave him solace. He knew why he was there. 

Sutherland didn’t ever mind when it was his turn to get to work scooping the snow off the pavement at the center. But this is a simple act that many people who own properties and businesses around campus can’t seem to replicate.

Logan City Municipal Ordinance 12.08.080 states that it is the resident’s responsibility to make public walkways clear. This ordinance has been in place since 2004, and is stressed every year by Logan City Council.

Street maintenance crew chief Reed Romney reiterates the public’s obligation every winter. “I believe every month from October to March, we have in the newsletter a whole section highlighting these duties,” he said. “Clear your sidewalks that are heavily traversed, make sure vehicles or other obstructions are off the side of the road and don’t dump your snow in the street.”

The city does all it can for the streets so it is up to citizens to do their due-diligence on getting the sidewalks. “It’s for the safety of the elderly, people in wheelchairs and kids walking to school,” Romney said.

Volunteers from the Newman Center, like Sutherland, often help remove snow that remains on adjacent sidewalks. And unbeknownst to them, next door to their church resides someone who hates the thick snow more than anyone. Samuel Thomas, a wheelchair user at Utah State University, rages over those who have seemingly forgotten this basic civic duty. It has even gone to the point where Thomas has struggled in his schooling because of the snow that’s been left on sidewalks — which can make it difficult and sometimes impossible to get to class. 

The automatic doors of 800 Block apartments swung open as Thomas rolled into 3 inches of snow the morning of Jan. 14, with no sign of the weather stopping anytime soon. Gripping the tires at his side, he heaved his wheelchair forward with all the strength he had in his upper body. His chest dipped forward to further propel his weight without launching himself out of his seat. The chair rocked up onto the snow only for it to sink back into the divot it had already created.

Thomas leaned over his knees and dusted away the snow that was blocking his wheels. 

“When the snow reaches my toes, it is completely impassable,” Thomas said. 

Thomas sat back up to try again, this time with more umph. He thrusted his body weight to scoot the wheelchair while he aggressively spun its wheels.

Thomas’ chair bumped forward. The wheels slipped, losing all of what little traction it once had. Thomas spun out and clutched his armrests.

Thomas looked out to the sidewalk 50 feet in front of him. Three measly inches of brand new snow coated the walkway, standing between him and his classes. “I’m not doing this today,” Thomas said as he wheeled himself around to go back to his room.

While Thomas had skipped his first class, Sutherland came back to the church after his morning class. One of 25 volunteers must have shoveled earlier in the morning while Sutherland was on campus, but it looked like it was already time to shovel again.

Sutherland began tossing the snow with the shovel provided by the center. He had to shovel in front of the church and around the corner downhill before starting his schoolwork.

Sutherland sees the chore as being “a moral obligation,” simply a “charity to others.” He does it for the young and old coming to Mass and the university students walking up the steep hill to get to campus. “I find it quite relaxing, actually,” Sutherland said.

Volunteers get organized as early as October in preparation for the upcoming winter. Volunteers include Catholics attending Mass as well as miscellaneous students from campus. Cesar Hernandez, head of organizing the snow removal committee, gets a sign up sheet posted in the foyer for people to put their contact information on.

“He likes to be on top of getting people ready and willing to shovel as early as October or November,” Sutherland said.

Hernandez always looks for people to help in the winter, although he never has to worry much because “there are a lot of people wanting to do a service for the community out of the kindness of their hearts.”

Hernandez is never shocked by people’s willingness but he is astounded by the amount of people willing to provide aid.

“Last year I had several people out here to shovel throughout the entire day because it just kept coming down,” Hernandez said. “But it would still be awesome to have more and more people willing to perform a service; we can never have enough.”

Hernandez debated how much of the sidewalks he’d like to see be cleared. During the construction of 800 Block, his volunteers had expanded their services beyond the center’s property. But seeing that the new business is not fulfilling their civic responsibility, Hernadez concluded that they could reenact their previous favor.

Hernadez plans to get more volunteers to sign up and for more people to work whenever the next time snow comes around. “I promise my volunteers that they will feel accomplished and warm inside and this is perfect that they get more opportunities to do so.”

To Thomas, USU is a very accommodating campus and people are always trying their best. He has voiced his appreciation for those who have done more than required. 

“They don’t have to…but I greatly appreciate that!” Thomas said.

Hernandez plans to grow his team of volunteers before the next snowfall. Without knowing what kind of people will truly benefit from this act, Hernandez is excited about sharing that warmth of service with more people.

Enterprise story by Denzlee Knudsen

Oct. 25, 2023

USU students are able to give back to younger generations through the power of knowledge at Adams Elementary School.

Over 50 Utah State University students consistently volunteer throughout the week for Reading Buds at the elementary school. Reading Buds is a program where college students can volunteer to read with elementary kids during After School Club.

Sondra Knudsen, a kindergarten teacher at Adams, created the program in hopes to make a difference in readers and volunteers’ lives by making community connections. She has witnessed both the USU students and elementary students thrive from this exchange.

“Volunteers look forward to coming every time, and the children’s excitement when their reading bud walks in the door is amazing!” she said. “It’s not just about reading but it’s about the connections.”

The elementary kids have bonded with the volunteers by “having someone care enough to listen to these young readers read,” Mrs. Knudsen said.

Reading Buds has 52 willing volunteers for 80 elementary students. USU outreach representative Julie Dennis said, “It’s so awesome that so many USU students want to help! There are usually multiple people in every grade helping students.”

Many volunteers shared that they were struggling readers when they were in school and now they want to give back and help younger students.

Mrs. Knudsen said some volunteers are elementary education major students so it’s also providing an opportunity for them to see if this is a direction they want to go with their career.

The coordinators in charge of running Reading Buds are thrilled with the success that has flourished in the new school year. “Our students are being given the opportunity to have someone to read to every day,” Mrs. Knudsen said.

Dennis described how helpful the volunteers are for the students as well as for the After School Club staff.

“The After School Club tutor had about eight or nine students just for her.  That’s a lot of kids for one tutor,” Dennis said. “It took some of the stress off of her for me to help every single student.”

The program has generated success within the school, catching the attention of Logan City School District as the coordinators head to the school board meeting Oct. 24 to share their accomplishments.

There is a need in early grades to communicate with non-English speaking students. Spanish speaking volunteers are glad they are able to use their Spanish whenever they get to work with those students who also speak Spanish.

The program’s technical provider, Gavin Knudsen, said, “We have had readers who didn’t even know English beginning to know letter names and sounds as well as basic words in English within a few short months. Every student we work with has shown significant progress and the teachers are very happy with our program so far.”

Despite the program fully running for three months, USU students continue to reach out willing to volunteer.

“We ended our advertising efforts a while ago and yet I am still getting asked questions from people who are interested in joining,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen said the program could very well continue to grow throughout the year since “many more have expressed interest but are unable to come due to a time conflict.”

Knudsen had created a website along with multiple QR codes to get as much information out as possible.

With how many USU students have already joined the program, the coordinators hope Reading Buds will keep going for years in the future.

“I hope that the program continues to provide value to the community and that we can continue to provide USU students with a way to inspire the leaders of tomorrow,” Knudsen said.

“It would be pretty sad if we only had this one awesome year and then nothing happened the next,” Dennis said.

On Mental Health Awareness Day, Oct. 10, 2024, Japanese 2020 Tokyo Olympic tennis athlete and mental health advocate Naomi Osaka was announced Maybelline’s first “Brave Together” ambassador. Maybelline’s initiative strives to provide more support for individuals struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Osaka is a shoe-in for this role based on her previous endorsements for mental health, according to Maybelline.

The Olympian had quite the roller coaster experience during her professional career before standing up for her mental well-being. Osaka won her first Grand Slam title in 2018 against tennis great Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4. Osaka’s rise to fame immediately put her in the spotlight.

Osaka’s accomplishments of winning 4 Grand Slam titles before going to the 2020 Olympics all happened within three years. ESPN has coined her “one of the most accomplished tennis players of the Open Era.”

However, her dreams of being a champion have clashed with the expectations of the public eye, putting more pressure on her. She expounds on this in her Netflix documentary and how, over the years, she has learned to overcome that level of stress.

Osaka’s advocacy of athlete’s mental well-being has been one of her top priorities in her career. She states that after the Slam in 2018, she has dealt with depression. Her fight against the press ever since has given an example to similar athletes to prioritize their own mental state.

Osaka states that she does not like doing interviews, which is something all great athletes have to face after either a tough match or a winning game. The professional tennis player says, “I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media.”

Going into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Covid-19 took a huge hit on society and skewed the world of athletics. Osaka lost the third round to Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousov, causing her to be out of the tournament. Vondrousova won in the third round 6-1, 6-4.

In prior tournaments leading to the Olympic Games, Osaka withdrew as well as avoided press conferences. Osaka wrote for Time her impressions about how the press has handled her experiences in tennis. Her dislike towards facing the public in after-tournament conferences have been speculated to influence her performance at the Tokyo Games.

This behavior is common in sports. Sports psychologist and author Gary Mack wrote in his book “Mind Gym” about athletes enjoying their comfort zone by shying away from the spotlight. “If you don't see yourself succeeding, or you don't feel deserving, you will sabotage yourself,” Mack wrote.

Sacrifices must be made in order to accomplish goals in sports. Osaka made the decision to protect her own mental health by not succumbing to the expectations of the press and the public.

Not only has she stormed the courts with her talent, Osaka also makes waves in the form of protests and boycotts. She has participated in protests aspiring to bring about social justice. Her Japanese and Haitian background in the U.S. spreads her many fans across all three nations.

Osaka’s involvement in bringing about change is a powerful message both she and her agent are pleased to present. “She's very representative of people her age,” Stuart Duguid, Osaka's agent, said.

Professional basketball team Los Angeles Clippers officially announced on Thursday, October 17, 2024, their small forward Kawhi Leonard will indefinitely be out for the upcoming season due to convalescence from his latest injury. Many critics evaluated the LA Clippers’ decision saying the injury-prone Leonard should finally retire rather than stay on the team as a benchwarmer.

Leonard has been on the LA Clippers' team since 2019 and has sustained three various injuries during his time on the team. Leonard has experienced nearly 50 instances over his professional career of 14 years where he had to miss tournaments due to injuries and recovery. His fans are tired of seeing their favorite player sit out so many games and are encouraging him to retire.

In response to the team’s announcement, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins claims that it’s about time Leonard retires. Many others weigh in on this opinion on Twitter/X. Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho bluntly offers his suggestion.

“[Kawhi] missed 35 percent of the playoff games for the Clippers,” Acho said on The Facility. Acho also said Leonard should retire soon or else he’d accuse the player of “stealing checks” from the LA Clippers.

Despite his many injuries, Leonard has had a successful career. He has received many NBA all star and MVP awards as well as securing many wins for his team by beating personal bests. Leonard’s teammates are disappointed he won’t be able to play for the first of the season since Leonard is still dealing with an inflamed knee.

According to a study done on athletes and injuries in 2023, basketball is shown to have the most athletes with multiple injuries. The most common injury in basketball is said to be a lower extremity injury, including injuries related to knees and ankles, with a high rate of repeat infliction to that area.

It has been released that Leonard would probably have to deal with knee issues the rest of his career if he proceeds to play. This opens up more opportunities for Leonard to continue to get injured in the same area and potentially ruin his body for the rest of his life.

Leonard slightly tore his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, which he had surgery for. Then he tore his meniscus in the same knee two years later. The inflammation in his knee is still affecting him as the Clippers head into another season.

In another study done on the psychological effects of a sports injury, athletes will try to shorten their recovery time in order to get back to their sport. It is reported they feel “pressure to return to their position on their team as soon as possible due to feelings of insecurity about being replaced by someone else.”

While it is common to see professional basketball players injured, it typically is expected to see those players get replaced or retire. However, in the case of Leonard, he continues his career despite the many signs of him possibly stepping down from professional basketball. Leonard’s previous teammate Lou Williams defended the well-decorated athlete.

“It's not for Perk or anyone else to dictate when a player should hang up their sneakers,” Williams said. “He’s actively pursuing his comeback with the intent to be among the best in the game.”

Leonard faces pressure now more than any of his prior injuries because of the expectation to retire. But in the words of Leonard, he’s “taking it day by day.”

Several professional athletes got together this past week to support the Full Circle Life Enrichment Center fundraiser to bring awareness to mental health in all levels of sports. The current and retired greats are hoping for this new generation of athletes to be given plenty of mental health help resources.

Many of the sports stars in attendance spoke about needing their own help when dealing with stress, depression and anxiety during their sport. Former professional tennis player and current broadcaster Patrick McEnroe explains that as a former athlete he gets the pressure kids are dealing with nowadays.

Patrick’s brother and fellow tennis pro John McEnroe runs a tennis academy for all ages for national and international players. The establishment prioritizes player’s mental health as stated in their mission statement, “Our coaches challenge players in a positive, supportive way, to build the self-confidence that is essential to a successful competitive player.”

In a study conducted by the NCAA in 2019, it was found that 35 percent of student athletes experience depression and other mental health concerns. Recently, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, those numbers have dropped yet there is still a toll on college athlete’s mental health.

More than half of non-athletes ages 18-34 years express feeling stressed and hopeless, according to the American Psychological Association. In the NCAA’s study, it claims that student athletes experience “higher stress levels” than that of non-student-athletes.

Injuries are a detrimental part of mental health and sports. Injuries are a common force to accelerate or induce feelings of depression in athletes. With the pressure of disappointment from potentially letting their team down, athletes who get injured may be more likely to develop symptoms of depression.

An athlete’s mental health from injury also results from unexpected correlations. There is a possibility that an athlete may lose their sense of identity from being unable to play. They may also feel isolated from not being able to physically keep up with their team.

Athletes who become injured may also develop signs of anxiety in the recovery process. Out of fear of reinjuring themselves, athletes may play it safe when getting back to their activities. This causes extreme levels of fear in athletes.

Athletics is a vital part of an athlete’s life. But taking mental health into consideration also extends beyond the field. New York Jets’ safety Tony Adams advocates the importance of mental health both inside and outside of practice.

“I think if more people did it, I think athletes and people in general would take their mental health more seriously. And I think that it is something that is important in the athletic community, in life as well,” Adams said.

It’s a well-known fact among the fitness community that having an active lifestyle is beneficial to overall health. But in athletics, there are some benefits especially for younger athletes that are more obscure. The Full Circle fundraiser helped bring awareness to mental health resources for youth athletics.

“My message to parents and adults,” McEnroe said, “is acknowledge what's going on with your kids, listen to them, ask questions, don't judge them quickly.”

Former Olympic silver-medalist gymnast Shawn Johnson East on Nov. 4, 2024, gave an interview with Access Hollywood on their segment Behind the Easel. Johnson East talked about her family and all things gymnastics while she painted a picture of her family as stick figures, including the family’s pet dog.

In the interview, Johnson East mentioned her rift between good friend and fellow competitor Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic all-around champion. After the 2008 Olympics, the two gymnasts drifted apart and rekindled their friendship eight years later.

“[The world] said we should also be each other's worst enemies as well,” Johnson East said. “So we didn't speak for eight years.”

Both gymnasts don’t recollect a certain moment that turned their friendship sour. They drifted apart due to the pressures of rivalry under a world stage at a young age. Johnson East at the time of her Olympic debut was 16 years old, and Liukin was 18. “It was a really hard thing to navigate as a kid,” Johnson said about her rivalry with Liukin.

The two girls were each other’s biggest competitor. Liukin, trained by her father Valeri Liukin and former Olympic gymnast himself, honed her skill in gymnastics through artistry and elegance. Johnson East was more of a powerhouse gymnast, similar to the style of gymnastics in recent Olympics. Their skill sets, although various in nature, kept them neck and neck throughout the season.

Friendships in sports are essential and can serve as the potential for lifelong friendships. However, there is a fine line between healthy competition and fierce rivals. The book, “The Psychology of Friendships,” co-written by Mahzad Hojjat and Anne Moyer, touches on the importance of having friends that help individuals grow.

“Competition and rivalry can be healthy and fulfilling in many sporting, social, and professional contexts, and can be important throughout the life span, but its aggressive and unempathetic nature can also threaten the quality of friendships,” the book states.

Johnson East and Liukin were very close during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “We were roommates,” Johnson East said, “I felt like we were under the spotlight and scrutiny so much to be each other’s top, biggest competitors.”

Throughout the Olympics, many spectators around the world commented on the girls’ rivalry, putting the competition above their friendship.

On November 11, 2024, a new study released results on the outcomes of watching sports as a communal activity. This research published the various benefits of being part of a community that watches sports together.

The study by Priority Health highlights the positive effects that through social bonding while watching a game with friends or family can help reduce stress. When fans come together to support a team, they experience a collective sense of joy or relief, which can improve mood and decrease feelings of loneliness.

Social connections formed through shared sports experiences also provide a sense of belonging. Whether gathering at home or attending a live game, those social moments can strengthen relationships and offer a much-needed emotional lift.

Audiences achieve that sense of togetherness regardless of watching together in the same room while the game is played via broadcast or either in the stands watching in person. It is reported that younger sports fans enjoy watching games together in person so they can participate in cheers and in-game traditions. Older watchers have been shown to mostly prefer watching live on television with close friends and family.

The various mix of emotions that can occur while watching a team play can be a bonding experience with fellow fans around you. Experiencing those similar feelings can bring a group of people together

Watching sports can also motivate individuals to get more active themselves. A study published on ResearchGate found a connection between engagement in watching sports and increased physical activity. The excitement of seeing athletes perform most likely inspires fans to take up sports or activities.

The studies show that social interactions during these events can create a sense of togetherness. These connections are important for emotional support and maintaining mental well-being.

On the other hand, prior research done by Harvard also conveys that indulging in excessive sports watching can be detrimental to those benefits. Sitting for extended periods while watching games, coupled with unhealthy snacking, can contribute to sedentary behavior, leading to long-term health problems like obesity or heart disease.

While there are both upsides and downsides to watching sports with other people, depending on the type of leisure, the positives can be seen to outweigh the negative results.

On November 21, 2022, a child came to her parents after school expressing how much pain she was in. The young student from Sevier County told her parents that for their P.E. block they were forced to participate in an “endurance day.”

It was investigated that the P.E. coach made them do “sets of push ups starting at 20, sprinting across the gym, 19, sprinting across the gym, 18,” Shana Kummer, the girl’s mother, said. “Totaling 405 pushups and 34 gym length wind sprints in a 30 minute period.”

The alleged “endurance day” was in response to an incident involving breaking a sign in the boys locker room and was enforced for all sixth grade students as corporal punishment. After two years, a request to release a surveillance video to take to court was made, to which the school district refused.

While reading this story, it reminded me of my own athletic experience. Every workout the children were forced to do as a means to dish out punishment sounded exactly like my time as a child gymnast. Those kinds of workouts put me through pain with asthma and soreness that lasted days.

Exercise as punishment is a popular and even glorified way to discipline athletes. Strength conditioning is an essential part of sports, to train the body to be able to perform high-performance feats. However, there can be a fine line between sufficient exercise and overexertion.

So many other sports and coaches practice with this old-fashioned style since it’s been traditional for generations. There are studied disadvantages in athletes for using this method, however.

A study in 2019 explained how punishment through exercise is the least effective form of discipline. To acquire motor skills for a task, it requires repetition to gain the muscle memory of doing it. In forcing athletes to condition out of punishment, it undermines the reason for repetition.

“Excessive physical punishment will likely lead to many kids not returning next season,” the study stated. “Would you come back when there are a million other things you could do, and you are berated for your lack of skill, yet not taught to improve that skill?”

My coach conditioned us, that’s all he knew. When we were afraid of doing a skill or couldn’t make a correction, we were then threatened with sprinting laps back and forth across the floor, climbing the rope several times, or holding a static position for an unnatural amount of time.

Since my performance at practice one day was lackluster after receiving a mild concussion diagnosed later that night, that resulted in holding a handstand against the wall for five minutes straight. Or pairing up with a teammate to lock him out of his phone as a prank led to the whole team doing 100 lemon squeezers for every minute he was locked out. These punishments took every last bit of fun out of practice and petrified me and my teammates into mindlessly following our coach’s orders.

The 2019 study says that fear, stress and anxiety are “performance inhibitors.” The more coaches push their athletes, the more risk they take in compromising a positive and safe environment. When an environment meant for learning does not have a safe atmosphere, a child’s brain will shut down and no learning will happen.

After the Philadelphia Eagles secured a victory 22-16 against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, December 8, 2024, Eagles’ defensive end Brandon Graham voiced frustrations in regards to some of his teammates. Comments have fluctuated during the Eagles’ NFL season, implying the team is not a well-oiled machine due to drama between their players.

In a post-game interview after the near-loss to the Panthers, wide receiver A.J. Brown was asked what the team needs to work on, to which he bluntly and immediately responded, “Passing.” His actions during the game also visualized his frustrations by slamming his helmet to the ground at one point.

While calling out no player in particular, it was brought to the public’s attention when Graham responded in his weekly radio show calling out rifts in Brown’s friendship with quarterback Jalen Hurts. Graham noted this point of drama to explain the possible reason as to why the team isn’t playing like a team.

“I don't know the whole story, but I know that 1 [Hurts] is trying. 11 [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. They were friends, but things have changed,” Graham said during his show.

Graham goes on to explain that as professional players and friends, they have to find out how to separate personal feelings from business matters. Graham mentioned that they “need to be able to talk things out as men,” whenever there’s issues to be resolved if those personal issues interfere with their ability to perform.

While it is noticed by the community, Hurts is reportedly inconsistent in his playing, according to CBS Sports, and even possibly jeopardized the Eagles’ chance of playing at the Super Bowl. While Brown’s concerns may have been valid, Graham didn’t have to comment on the subject.

Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb weighed in on the topic. “If you got an issue, you come to me,” McNabb said on 94WIP SportsRadio. “Let's not go through the media because now it blows up and now what you said is out there in front of everybody,”

After Graham’s episode aired, it stirred unwanted attention towards Brown’s and Hurts’ relationship. Then the following morning after his show, Graham went to ESPN’s Tim McManus to clarify the situation and right his wrong. In calling out his teammates to be accountable for their actions and behaviors, Graham later took accountability in his own actions.

“I’m going to make sure I apologize to both of them,” Graham said, accepting the mistake he made. “I just didn’t want us to use the media in a bad way. I can’t do that either. If I’ve got something [to say], I’ve got to go to the people, too.”

Publicity on a topic for personal affairs is not a healthy way to address those problems. It was especially trifling to make the issue known in an online fashion just to shed light on something that needed to be fixed. However, Graham did make it known in his message to clarify his previous words that he had no intentions to turn this issue into the contention it did end up becoming.

By saying he’ll apologize in person to the people he wronged, that is a bold way of Graham taking responsibility. Personal apologies statistically mean more to the audience it was intended for and is more effective at rebuilding trust.

A Harvard study found that in-person apologies are deeply enriched with sincerity and understanding. This can reform relationships with those offended, which is something that the Eagles need if they want to continue their nine-victory streak.

Graham is optimistic about this particular tribulation. He believes this will bond him and his teammates closer together. He explained to McManus on ESPN by using the analogy of diamonds forming under pressure.

When it comes to athletes making it to the Olympic stage, that’s a huge honor. It shows dedication, diligence, discipline and determination. So why would some athletes throw all that away once they proved they got their chance?

One week before the Paris Olympics kicked off, 19-year-old Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking. Japan’s current law states that citizens under 20 years of age are not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol. This led the team captain to withdraw from competing and was ultimately sent back home.

It was announced on December 7, 2024, that Miyata would not be punished for her underage drinking and smoking. Missing out on the Olympics was punishment enough for the young athlete.

Penalties throughout each nation’s Olympic committee have various rules and regulations. However, there are more similarities than differences. One of those similarities is inconsistency.

At an Olympic training camp in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics, it was claimed that U.S. gymnast Marvin Kimble was kicked out for having beer in the fridge he and his roommate shared. Kimble at the time 20 years old. In the U.S. it’s known that the legal age for possession of alcohol is 21. Other speculations have been made that Kimble didn’t fit in with the other gymnasts, whether skill-wise or in a discriminatory way, but either way he was not able to qualify for the Olympics.

Kimble was forcefully punished for something in his possession that might not have been his. The roommate whom Kimble shared the fridge with was 24-year-old Sam Mikulak, a 4-time all-around champion before the Rio Olympics. It would make sense that the beer found in the fridge would have belonged to Mikulak. Unfortunately, was Mikulak punished for the possession and consumption of alcohol despite the presence of an underage athlete? Of course not.

One gymnast who was kicked out despite being well within acceptable age limits was 33-year-old Dutch male gymnast Yuri van Gelder. Before the Rio 2016 event finals, in which van Gelder qualified to compete in the rings final, the dubbed “Lord of the Rings” was sent home for violating Olympic village rules for spending a night out drinking. He broke curfew, leaving the village for the night and not coming back until early the next morning. Even though the consumption of alcohol on village premises was prohibited, some have argued that van Gelder technically didn’t violate that rule.

On the opposite side, Japanese legend Kohei Uchimura has been reported to have indulged in serious smoking issues for years. Uchimura announced in 2022 that he would retire from the sport and finished his career being considered as “the greatest male gymnast of all time.” Yet, was he ever punished for his smoking? No.

Japan’s overall rules when it comes to smoking in particular are all over the place. Locals and students have claimed people’s excessive use of cigarettes is due to lack of consistently enforced policy. Over the years, businesses and corporations have changed accessibility to dissuade users from smoking.

Japan’s rules for athletes are vaguely stated. One rule explains that any location that involves the Japan national team, smoking and drinking alcohol is prohibited for athletes of all ages. The following rule reiterates that regulation but can be disregarded “with the permission of the coach.”

When it comes to the Olympic committee’s involvement in regards to smoking, the rule of prohibiting athletes from smoking and drinking has only been a strict thing since 2016. It doesn’t make sense why Uchimura was excused from any kind of punishment. However, when the rules were becoming stricter, Uchimura was to the point in his career where the regulation couldn’t reach him as much.

When she withdrew from the Paris Olympics, Miyata and the Japan Gymnastics Association expressed their regret. Many viewers around the world saw how unfair the punishment was. Not only was Miyata stripped of her chance to represent her country, but the four other girls were competing without a team captain.

Fortunately for the Olympic-deprived gymnast, the JGA saw what was already done in July was penalty enough. They are allowing her to come back and compete.

“We believe that giving her a chance (to make a comeback) and have her move forward toward her goals will prevent a recurrence,” Tadashi Fujita, chief of the Japan Gymnastics Association, said in a press conference discussing Miyata’s repercussions.

In many athletes’ cases, smoking and drinking were ways to alleviate the pressures of competing at a global stage. Even historical gymnasts who reinvented the sport like Olga Korbut indulged in smoking to give her an escape.

A plausible reason why athletes risk their dream and entire career by sneaking around rules is because they can. The chances of them not getting caught are worth the brief moments of calm. And when they are caught, the risks of consequences vary.