Meaning of being a true teammate

On Friday,  Albion College competed in an indoor track meet (an indoor track is 200 meters while an outdoor track is 400 meters) in Indiana. I was in the finals for the hurdles along with three of my teammates.  While my teammate Morgan was running in the same heat as I was, she fell and as she feel she hit me with her legs. Even though I was ahead of her, I turned back and offered her my hand to help her up. We ended up skipping the last remaining hurdles, but it didn’t really matter, which technically meant that the both of us had no time recorded, it mattered more to me that my teammate knew that I was there for her. Unfortunately, Morgan ended up breaking her wrist, but Friday showed me what being on a team really means; it is about being there for each other during a fall or cheering on your teammates as they run the last relay of the meet or sharing a pizza on the way back to campus. Luckily, we have wonderful coaches that want us to be a team first and do our best, and if we win, awesome, but if we don’t win but if we give it our all and were there for each other, then it was a good meet.  Over the course of the season, I will spend more time with my teammates and coaches than I do with my roommate or my own family.  Having wonderful teammates and coaches reminds me why I have stayed with track and field for seven seasons.  Athletics should be about the support of your teammates and not necessarily winning.

This entry is dedicated to my coaches-Hayden, Willie and Steve that continue to be examples, even when they may not be  aware of it.

Have you ever had an experience where you were reminded of why having supporting teammates is essential? Or did you have the opposite experience? Have you ever had a coach that was a really big inspiration?

Erica is a senior at  Albion College, a proud Phi Mu and is looking forward to her next track meet. She can be contacted at intern@collegelifestyles.org

Formal Recruitment Albion Style

Tomorrow kicks off Albion College’s Formal Recruitment; which is three days of serious recruiting with the hope of getting lots of new sisters to share your sisterhood.  The six sororities on campus spend months preparing for Formal Recruitment.  At Albion College, you are unable to join a sorority until after your first semester of college, in hopes that you have adjusted to being at college.

Day one of Formal Recruitment (Friday) involves the women who are signed up for Formal Recruitment going to each of the sorority houses to meet the women. It is generally viewed as a sort of information night/ meet and greet.

Day two of Formal Recruitment (Saturday) is philanthropy day and the women signed up, go and visit four out of the six houses that they preferenced.  At each of the houses, the potential new members (PNMs) make items that goes towards each sororities philanthropy.

Day three of Formal Recruitment (Sunday) is formal desserts where the PNMs go to the houses they preferenced, experience an open ritual and eat lots of yummy desserts.  Later the night, the sororities find out who are their new sisters, which involves cheering out in the cold to welcome to all the new sorority members. Each sorority then goes back to their lodge and has a party to celebrate their new members.

These three days are exhausting but it is so worth it to get new members!

GO GREEK!

Erica Meier is a Phi Mu participating in her last Formal Recruitment at college ever, applying to graduate school for a Master’s of Public Administration and  wishes spring was here. She can be reached at intern@collegelifestyles.org

Erica’s Quick 15

Here are 15 things about Intern Erica.

1. Name: Erica
2. Dream job: NCIS field agent or a writer or working for a non-profit organization
3. One word to describe me: passionate
4. Favorite movie(s): The Blind Side, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Happy Feet, Office Space, Princess Diaries 1 and 2, We are Marshall, 300, Remember the Titans, I think I’ll stop now.
5. Favorite TV Show(s):  NCIS, CSI, CSI New York, Glee, Cold Case, Without A Trace, Mythbusters, Ace of Cakes, Say Yes To the Dress, What Not To Wear, I’m going to stop now.
6. Favorite Color: Orange
7. Coke or Pepsi: Either, put I prefer Cherry Pepsi or Cherry Coke
8. I can’t live without: my friends, my iPod, my computer, my books
9. Pet peeve(s): back stabbing people, people who use others, bad parenting that results in ill behaved children, bad manners
10. This makes me smile: my friends, teammates and sorority sisters and dogs
11. If I had 1 million dollars I would: pay off my student loans, pay my little sister’s way through school, pay off my parent’s house, buy new cars for my parents, my sister and myself and make an anonymous donation to one of my favorite charities.
12. Cats or dogs: Dogs all the way.
13. When I feel blue I: listen to music, go for a run, watch a movie, talk to my friends
14. My friends say I am: a good listener and a good friend
15. Anything else to add: I have earned varsity letters in both high school and college.

Erica Meier is a senior at Albion College, still has 2 weeks of Christmas break left and is excited to go to Florida twice in three months. She can be contacted at intern@collegelifestyles.org

Changing the lives of children

My final interview is on Thursday for Teach For America. I’m nervous but excited. Teach For America is a program that takes college graduates of any major, trains them to be teachers and places them in the school districts that need quality teachers. Teachers are generally sent to inner city schools or rural areas. The application process is extensive; there is an online application with four different deadlines throughout the school year. If you get through the first step, there is a half hour phone interview and if you pass that, you are invited to an in person interview, which lasts all day. Teach For America is looking for dedicated students are willing to make a difference in the lives of children.  I hope to teach in New Orleans or Mississippi or Miami, because these areas are in need of teachers (and they are much warmer than Michigan!)

I choose to apply for Teach For America because I’ve always enjoyed helping people, and my desire to help people has been further enforced by my job working for a non-profit organization, Albion Volunteer Service Organization in Albion, Michigan.  I have also realized that I had an amazing public education that not everyone is able to have and I want to attempt to give children a chance to have a decent public education.  I also believe in giving back to the community, which interestingly enough is sort of reinforced by attending Albion College, which is associated with the Methodist Church. Teach For America also gives me an opportunity to experience life outside what I know and to live in a new place far from home, which will hopefully strengthen my independence.

Have you applied to Teach For America or similar programs? Have you had a Teach For America teacher? What have you done to give back to your community?

Erica Meier is a senior at Albion College, a Phi Mu, and is looking forward to her last week of classes. Erica can be contacted at intern@collegelifestyles.org

On the bench when you would rather be on the field

Sometimes being a student athlete isn’t always about running in a meet or playing in a game. For me right now, being a student athlete is about showing up to practice every day regardless of how I feel or that I am unhappy with getting up two hours earlier three days a week. My practice is different than that of my teammates, while they are running workouts in the local park or on the track, I am spending quality time with the stationary bike and elliptical machine in the fieldhouse. Spending all your time on the elliptical or the bike gets old after awhile, but it is necessary because I have been having trouble with my knees for over a year, which prevents me from running long distances or running hard workouts. At times, I feel like I am doing less than my teammates, but it actually takes more motivation to go sit on the bike for the 1000th time than to go run 200s and 400s on the track. I am not saying that my teammates do not work harder, because I know they do, I just wish I could join them. Being injured also means that I can’t run in meets, so instead I take down my teammates splits at the mile marks and cheer them on. Even though I am not physically running the 3.1 miles, I have been told that cheering on my teammates help them. And helping out your teammates is part of being on a team regardless of your ability to run at that very moment. And sometimes sitting on the sidelines is needed and appreciated, and one day you can return to the field, the track and your teammates will welcome you like you never left.

Have you ever any times where you had to sit out of a sport?

Erica Meier is a senior at Albion College, a CollegeLifestyles(TM) Intern and is getting into rock music that is older than she is. Erica can be contacted at interns@collegelifestyles.org

Tags: albion college, erica, trying hard, xc

Diary of a CL Intern: Monday Edition

August 25, 2009 by Erica  
Filed under Careers, CL ExCLusives!, The Dish, The Intern Dish

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I know today is Tuesday but does that really matter? Mondays tend to be my crazy day and here is why:

6am:wake up(yes you read that correctly, 6am, before the sun is up in Michigan), get dressed, stretch, eat a bagel on my way to cross country practice

6:30-7:30am: cross country practice

7:40-8:10: breakfast with my teammates

8:15: shower, get dressed, check my email and get ready for my first class of the year.

9:10-10am: first class of the year-Research In Social Psychology

10-11am break

11:10am-noon: History Of Rock (which might turn out to be my favorite class of the semester. Dude, we get to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a field trip, how sweet is that?)

Noon-12:30pm: Lunch with some lovely Greek ladies

12:30-1pm: Check email and hang out until my class at 1

1:10-2:30pm: Theory and Methods In Anthropology

2:35-3:00: chill out

3:00-3:35: Physical therapy before cross country practice

4:15-5:45: Cross Country practice

5:50-6:15: Dinner

7-8pm: First Phi Mu meeting of the year

8-11:30pm: have a study party, hang out with my friends and watch tv.

11:30pm: Bed time

This is just a glimpse into one day of my life.

Erica Meier is a senior at Albion College, a CollegeLifestyles(TM) Intern and is glad to be friends and sisters with such wonderful women.

Tags: albion college, erica, Monday, Phi Mu

How Did I End Up Here?

August 5, 2009 by Erica  
Filed under CL ExCLusives!, Sorority Life, The Dish, The Intern Dish

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People ask themselves ‘how did I end up here?’ I ask myself ‘how could I not have ended up here?’

Currently, there are two major decisions in my life that I have not regretted for a moment. The first decision is deciding to attend Albion College. I took at least two or three tours of the campus and I instantly feel in love. I loved the size of the campus, the students I knew who went there, that my professors would actually know my name and I could run and still go to class. I could go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point. Don’t forget one of my on-campus jobs is being a tour guide, so I am quite good at pointing at why I love Albion. I am quite good at pointing out why I love Albion College because without fail on every tour I am asked ‘Why did you choose Albion?’ I could not imagine attending college at any other place but Albion College, Go Brits!

The second major decision that I have not regretted is joining Phi Mu. In Phi Mu, I found a home away from home, a place where I could be myself.  I also found women who know the true meaning of sisterhood, whether that is giving you a shoulder to cry on, listening to how your weekend went or going with you to Steak N Shake at midnight. My sisters make me laugh and pick me up when I am down, and love me for me. I have met women I will be friends with for the rest of my life. Not every moment in life is perfect, but being surrounded by my sisters in Phi Mu has made all the difference in the world. From the moment, I met the sisters of Phi Mu, I knew this is where I belonged and now I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.

Is there any decision that you knew was the right one?

Erica Meier is a Phi Mu sister, CollegeLifestyles(TM) Intern and is looking forward to running her last collegiate cross country season.

Tags: albion college, erica, Phi Mu

A few things about me…

May 28, 2009 by Erica  
Filed under CL ExCLusives!, The Intern Dish

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Hi, I’m Erica, a Michigan native, and senior at Albion College as well as a CollegeLifestyles Intern. I am double majoring in Psychology and Women’s Studies. After graduation, I hope to attend graduate school for a Ph.D. in Social Psychology. My life is based around academics, Greek life and sports. I am a member of Psi Chi, which is the national honorary for psychology. I am a member of Phi Mu Rho Epsilon chapter, where I have served as the PR chair and I am currently the Social co-chair. I am also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota Iota Pi chapter, where I was the Social chair. I am a member of the Albion College Women’s Cross Country and the Track& Field team. And my love of sports also continues off the track; I love watching hockey, softball and basketball. In my spare time, I love spending time with my sorority sisters including late night trips for food, reading books for fun whenever possible, listening to music and having as much fun as possible.

I want to bring a new perspective to CollegeLifestyles, a perspective of a sorority woman who does not live with her sisters, but loves spending time with them. A perspective of a sorority woman who attends a small, private liberal arts college and who has figured out how to balance Greek life, athletics and academics. A perspective of a sorority woman who has lived in the Detroit suburbs all her life and still thinks looking out across Lake St. Clair is worthwhile. A few of my blog ideas are incorporating exercise into your week especially during finals time, covering major sporting events such as the Stanley Cup finals or the Women’s Collegiate World Series and the Women’s Final Four in the spring as well as how to balance a social life and school work.

Tags: albion college, erica, just for fun, sports