No Off-Season Pain, Very Little In-Season Gain
By John Pacheco ©2004 InsideTexasWrestling.com All rights reserved
A query posted not so long ago regarding off-season conditioning got me to thinking about what a comprehensive, off-season program for wrestling might look like. I remember well the off-season routine I used during my four years of college and know plenty of high school standouts who had similar systems that paid big dividends during their high school seasons. And so, while I am obviously not an exercise physiologists, I do have a few suggestions for those wrestlers looking to design an off-season conditioning program.
First, no matter the training routine or facility you choose, there are five areas of conditioning or training you should consider if you do plan to be ready-to-go, next year. In my opinion, the five areas are flexibility, endurance, cardio-vascular, aerobic and power. I promise, if you routinely commit some time to each of the five areas, you will see major improvements in your wrestling. Conversely, if you fail to do anything in each of the five areas, on a regular basis, I promise you will continue to fall behind those more dedicated and so more deserving wrestlers.
Flexibility
Born more out of necessity (my college Judo coach demanded it) then the desire to improve my flexibility, I stretched for 15 minutes, twice a day, on my own. Every morning (after waking up) and evening (before going to bed), I thoroughly stretched my legs, back, neck and shoulders, while using a long, nearly-static stretch. I found the stretching to be extremely beneficial. First, I suffered fewer injuries on the mat. Secondly, I truly believe my increased flexibility allowed me to be a better "counter" wrestler. Unfortunately, stretching is probably the single element of a good off-season routine most oft over-looked by coaches and wrestlers alike.
Endurance training
Yep, just like the countless many wrestlers that went on before me - I also hit the pavement, grass and dirt. I ran between 2 to 3 miles every evening, in hopes of improving the ability of my lungs to process oxygen over an extended period of time. And because I am very susceptible to bouts of boredom, I spent most of those countless miles running on regional park trails. While the distance running provided good endurance training, it also helped me prepare mentally. I hated (and still do) distance running and so it was tough to get up off the couch and force myself out the door.
Fortunately wrestling was very important to me and so I gathered up all the discipline I could find and stayed true to my training plan. The discipline I developed from distance running empowered me to work at the many other areas listed below.
Cardiovascular training
"Oh, the pain of it all!" At first I hated running hills, but quickly learned to love it. Every single morning, after thoroughly stretching of course, I ran the hill behind my college apartment.
The elevation of that "forsaken" hill climbed from sea level to 600 feet, in a very short distance. As you can imagine, by the time I reached the crest of the hill, my lungs felt as if they were on fire and my heart felt it was going to jump from my chest. I ran that hill, ten times each morning, throughout the off-season. Running the hill built-up my cardiovascular strength and prepared me for the team's challenging in-season running program - a 4.5 mile course which included similar climbs.
Later, when I moved to the Sacramento Valley to coach, I substituted football stadium stairs for lack of hills and got similar results. Some might argue that aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning are one in the same (and they're probably right). However I see cardiovascular training as conditioning the heart to handle greater loads for eventually longer periods of time.
Normally, when aerobic training, the heart is working under a moderate training load for a sustained period of time (20 minutes or more). But because sprinting up hills or stairs requires an all-out physical effort, for a shorter period of time (depending on the distance and grade), the heart is working under a considerable load, for relatively short bursts.
Aerobic training
Believe it or not, spinning was around way before the gym bag-toting, "trophy-wives" made it into a fad at every exercise club and gym in America. While in college, I was a huge fan of distance cycling and racing, and had a friend that did both. He taught me the conditioning technique of spinning - turning the pedals of a bicycle at high revolutions per minute (rpm) over a prolonged period of time - during my sophomore year and suggested I use it to build up my "chicken-legs".
Sure enough, I found my friend's advice to be true and immediately saw results in the power and endurance of my legs. In addition, the spinning helped improve my overall aerobic conditioning. I began spinning (with my 10-speed road bike locked in place on a portable training stand) on those evenings I didn't wrestle, while watching television, for 30 minutes at a time. Later as a coach, I recommended spinning and cycling to those wrestlers that couldn't physically or mentally handle running.
Strength training
Admittedly, weight lifting means different things to so many different people and rightfully so. Weight training should be tailored to match an athlete's specific weaknesses and needs, and so should vary accordingly.
I used a system that our college training coach passed to us. The system was based on super-sets, consisting of five exercises. Each exercise required eight to ten repetitions each, with each repetition lasting between seven and eight seconds. I completed four to five super-sets during each weight lifting session.
The five exercises in each super-set were designed to work different groups of muscles, so that the wrestler could move from exercise to exercise, and set to set, without taking long rests between exercises and rounds (In truth, I paused just long enough to catch my breath). For example, the first super-set was made up of five exercises: bench press (wide grip), dips, bicep-curls (narrow grip), lat pull-downs, and inclined sit-ups with weight. I moved from exercise to exercise, completing eight to ten reps each at seven seconds a rep, until all five exercises were completed. After finishing the first round of five exercises, I started over again, until I had successfully completed three rounds of all five exercises. After completing a super-set, I moved on to the next super-set until all 4 super-sets were completed.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Prep stars announce decisions - El Paso Times
Prep stars announce decisions
Lenny Jurado
El Paso Times
Riverside High School senior Ashley Gutierrez made school history Wednesday by signing a letter of intent to play softball with El Paso Community College.
"I'm really excited because I'm the first female in my family and the first softball player from Riverside to get a softball scholarship," she said.
An all-city outfielder, Gutierrez is known for her clutch hitting and defensive skill, which have helped earn her All-District 2-4A honors the past three seasons.
Gutierrez was just as spectacular on the volleyball court, where she ended her career as an all-city setter. She helped the Rangers make the Class 4A regional semifinals in 2003, the first time in school history they'd done so.
In other news:
State-qualifying wrestler Charles "Chuckie" Johnson recently was accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y., where he will compete on RIT's NCAA Division 3 wrestling team.
The Burges senior, who is deaf, qualified for the state championships in the 152-pound weight class despite missing six weeks of the season with an injury.
"It's going to be a new and exciting experience," Johnson said through an interpreter. "I'm also excited about wrestling with hard-core, East Coast wrestlers."
Van Horn golfer Jeff Hensley also will continue athletics beyond high school. The four-time Class 2A regional qualifier signed with University of Texas- Pan American on Wednesday.
Hensley was the 2A state runner-up last season and finished second at this year's 1-2A golf tournament.
"This is really exciting for me. I've been playing for a long time, and I've worked hard for this," he said. "For a small-time guy, this is really big for me. It hasn't really soaked in yet."
Lenny Jurado
El Paso Times
Riverside High School senior Ashley Gutierrez made school history Wednesday by signing a letter of intent to play softball with El Paso Community College.
"I'm really excited because I'm the first female in my family and the first softball player from Riverside to get a softball scholarship," she said.
An all-city outfielder, Gutierrez is known for her clutch hitting and defensive skill, which have helped earn her All-District 2-4A honors the past three seasons.
Gutierrez was just as spectacular on the volleyball court, where she ended her career as an all-city setter. She helped the Rangers make the Class 4A regional semifinals in 2003, the first time in school history they'd done so.
In other news:
State-qualifying wrestler Charles "Chuckie" Johnson recently was accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y., where he will compete on RIT's NCAA Division 3 wrestling team.
The Burges senior, who is deaf, qualified for the state championships in the 152-pound weight class despite missing six weeks of the season with an injury.
"It's going to be a new and exciting experience," Johnson said through an interpreter. "I'm also excited about wrestling with hard-core, East Coast wrestlers."
Van Horn golfer Jeff Hensley also will continue athletics beyond high school. The four-time Class 2A regional qualifier signed with University of Texas- Pan American on Wednesday.
Hensley was the 2A state runner-up last season and finished second at this year's 1-2A golf tournament.
"This is really exciting for me. I've been playing for a long time, and I've worked hard for this," he said. "For a small-time guy, this is really big for me. It hasn't really soaked in yet."
Prayer at Kansas Senate
Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people.
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God." If possible, please share this prayer with your friends and family. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything."
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God." If possible, please share this prayer with your friends and family. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything."
Poor Decisions - The Edge with Coach Doug Reese
Not often in one's life do you get the opportunity to coach a real talent. They are a rare gem to behold. I had that opportunity.
It was all there; work ethic, skill, mental toughness, scholarship, dedication, desire, heart, and leadership. All the components of a champion were in place. We went into the season not with a goal of a fourth straight conference championship, or attempting to re-break his season win record, or set another school takedown mark. No, only one goal was on the table - a national championship.
This was not a goal beyond one's grasp. It wasn't just a possibility. It was attainable. Then in a heartbeat, it was all gone.
A poor decision snowballed into a felony charge. The arrest resulted in five days in jail, a bail hearing, an athletic suspension, and a judge's order to stay off campus and not to leave the state (even to go home for Christmas break!). There is also a university discipline hearing that may involve more penalties (suspension, expulsion) since his actions happened on campus.
In one poor decision came a major loss. The future was bright. The individual had good grades, he was respected by his professors, and the wrestling community was in awe of his skills and friendly, good nature. Now graduation from this university is in question, the season is over; the goals have now become just a far fetched dream. Everything was gone in a heartbeat due to a stupid decision.
Although this example is tragic, it is not rare to see people around us make stupid decisions every day.
It is just common sense that when we break the law, when we make stupid decisions and choices, when we lie, twist the truth and deceive, when we just flat out sin, - we will pay a price. The apostle Paul wrote that, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23 NIV). That is a high price to pay!
The fact of the matter is all of us have sinned and have fallen well short of God's standard (Romans 3:23 NIV). We all have made boneheaded mistakes, done the regrettable, and wished we could have the opportunity to replay the choices we once made. Unfortunately, that is not an option in life. As a result we have a dreaded court date of our own where justice must be served.
As a just and holy God, God can only respond in a way consistent with his perfect nature. He can not allow sin to go unchecked; he has to punish it. Now you may think that some sin doesn't seem that extreme, and sometimes we try to justify it. Sometimes nobody even knows about our sin. But God knows! The bottom line is that God hates sin, which is a result of disobedience to his standard of excellence. Thus, not only does sin break our relationship with him, but he must punish the sinner.
But there is good news according to Paul as he continues in his letter to the Romans, "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23 NIV).
We are all guilty, but God had a game play to save us from our sin. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18 NIV).
The dumbest mistake anyone can make is rejecting God's Son, Jesus Christ. Rejecting Christ is like refusing the offer of a plea agreement to take the death penalty instead! "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (John 3:36 NIV).
The choice is yours! What you decide has eternal consequences. You can choose eternal life (by accepting Jesus as God's Son and asking him into your life) or you can choose eternal death (by rejecting God and his Son). No one can afford to make another poor decision. Choose Christ!
It was all there; work ethic, skill, mental toughness, scholarship, dedication, desire, heart, and leadership. All the components of a champion were in place. We went into the season not with a goal of a fourth straight conference championship, or attempting to re-break his season win record, or set another school takedown mark. No, only one goal was on the table - a national championship.
This was not a goal beyond one's grasp. It wasn't just a possibility. It was attainable. Then in a heartbeat, it was all gone.
A poor decision snowballed into a felony charge. The arrest resulted in five days in jail, a bail hearing, an athletic suspension, and a judge's order to stay off campus and not to leave the state (even to go home for Christmas break!). There is also a university discipline hearing that may involve more penalties (suspension, expulsion) since his actions happened on campus.
In one poor decision came a major loss. The future was bright. The individual had good grades, he was respected by his professors, and the wrestling community was in awe of his skills and friendly, good nature. Now graduation from this university is in question, the season is over; the goals have now become just a far fetched dream. Everything was gone in a heartbeat due to a stupid decision.
Although this example is tragic, it is not rare to see people around us make stupid decisions every day.
It is just common sense that when we break the law, when we make stupid decisions and choices, when we lie, twist the truth and deceive, when we just flat out sin, - we will pay a price. The apostle Paul wrote that, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23 NIV). That is a high price to pay!
The fact of the matter is all of us have sinned and have fallen well short of God's standard (Romans 3:23 NIV). We all have made boneheaded mistakes, done the regrettable, and wished we could have the opportunity to replay the choices we once made. Unfortunately, that is not an option in life. As a result we have a dreaded court date of our own where justice must be served.
As a just and holy God, God can only respond in a way consistent with his perfect nature. He can not allow sin to go unchecked; he has to punish it. Now you may think that some sin doesn't seem that extreme, and sometimes we try to justify it. Sometimes nobody even knows about our sin. But God knows! The bottom line is that God hates sin, which is a result of disobedience to his standard of excellence. Thus, not only does sin break our relationship with him, but he must punish the sinner.
But there is good news according to Paul as he continues in his letter to the Romans, "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23 NIV).
We are all guilty, but God had a game play to save us from our sin. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18 NIV).
The dumbest mistake anyone can make is rejecting God's Son, Jesus Christ. Rejecting Christ is like refusing the offer of a plea agreement to take the death penalty instead! "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (John 3:36 NIV).
The choice is yours! What you decide has eternal consequences. You can choose eternal life (by accepting Jesus as God's Son and asking him into your life) or you can choose eternal death (by rejecting God and his Son). No one can afford to make another poor decision. Choose Christ!
Psogos: Vince Kennedy McMahon - Charles Johnson
(written for English class)
Vince Kennedy McMahon, a third generation wrestling promoter, is the owner and chairman of the sports entrainment company World Wrestling Entertainment. He acquired the company from his father in 1982 and decided to try his ideas with the company in order to get ratings and profit. “McMahon delivers entrainment that’s often violent and sexist.” (Mooneyham). Since then McMahon has corrupted mainstream America with its gimmicks, often bloody and violent matches along with the improper use of women in order to attract large male audience. McMahon and the company have gone through high points and slumps through out the years to present.
During an interview for a wrestling magazine, Stephanie, daughter of Mr. McMahon, talked about when was pregnant and Vince wanted to start a potential incest angle because at the time and nobody knew who the father was. Vince suggested that he should reveal himself as the father, Stephanie turned down the idea and Vince suggested that Shane, her younger brother, should come out and admit that he is the father. She turned that down as well. (Mooneyham).
In the interview with Playboy, he admitted taking steroids and encouraging his employees to take them as well in the 1980s and 1990s and was not bought to public until the government did something about it in 1993. Although he was acquitted by the government through the trial, Vince and his employees should know better, his company was halted for two years following the acquittal. McMahon has gone through sexual harassment situations; recently he was accused of groping a worker at a Boca Raton tanning bar in Florida on February 1, 2006. Later the police declined to press charges on insufficient evidence. Currently McMahon and his company is known for their storylines which are filled with smut, sex, vulgarity, and crude behavior, the purpose of this was to get the attention of the teenage to twenty something males. For that he is on the hot seat for promoting sex, violence and vulgarity on television and he insists he will not stop. "People should pick on MTV or some of the other shows that are more graphic than us when it comes to sex or violence," (Mooneyham). It has been reported that the WWE had begun adding no-harassment clauses to all the contracts for both male and female wrestlers in an attempt to protect the company and its employees from sexual harassment complaints. The claim has since been verified during Q&A sessions on the quarterly stock-holders conference calls.
Aggressive is his middle name, “I love to fight, I always have.” (Playboy). He started getting involved in wrestling at age twelve because of his father who owned the company, called Capitol Wrestling Federation back then. He would spend summers and weekends with his father touring the country, learning the ropes of the business, starting off as a ring announcer and getting more involved in matches. But in order for his company to succeed after purchasing it, he decided to put other companies out of businesses (World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling) which he owns to this day after he put them out of business and bought them at the bankruptcy court. This seems like a monopoly, he is controlling the wrestling reins in mainstream America even though there is another wrestling company, often low in profits and audience but owned by a former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler which disliked working with Mr. McMahon.
Through out the acquisition of the company from his father and other companies as well, he has screwed employees on their contracts such as Bret Hart who was supposed to go out in glory in his final match but went the other way. To this day, Bret Hart will never wrestle in the WWE ring, although he is on good terms with Mr. McMahon and others that he worked with in the past. He is deeply affected by the loss of his younger brother, Owen Hart, who died in an accident while making his ringside entrance during a pay per view. “My kids don't watch wrestling. They don't want to. And if they did want to, as a parent, I wouldn't let them. I've said before, and I'll say it again, wrestling is not for kids anymore." (Mudge) On one segment of Monday Night Raw (a television show) a limousine driver accidentally hit one car that was owned by one of the wrestlers, Mr. McMahon was enraged, he went out to drag him outside the limousine, beat him unconscious and fired him on the spot. What does that teach America?
Vince McMahon is indeed a McMadman for his aberrant doings within the company and the reputation he has built from violence, sexism and crude. It is recommended that his ideas needs to be put to an end once and for all. Every youth in America is attracted to this pile of filth when one should be taught good moral values and to respect women and elders as well.
Works Cited
McMahon, Vince. Interview with Playboy. Playboy Feb. 2001.
Mooneyham, Mike. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004.
Mudge, Jacqueline. Bret Hart: The Story of the Wrestler They Call “the Hitman”. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, September 1999.
Vince Kennedy McMahon, a third generation wrestling promoter, is the owner and chairman of the sports entrainment company World Wrestling Entertainment. He acquired the company from his father in 1982 and decided to try his ideas with the company in order to get ratings and profit. “McMahon delivers entrainment that’s often violent and sexist.” (Mooneyham). Since then McMahon has corrupted mainstream America with its gimmicks, often bloody and violent matches along with the improper use of women in order to attract large male audience. McMahon and the company have gone through high points and slumps through out the years to present.
During an interview for a wrestling magazine, Stephanie, daughter of Mr. McMahon, talked about when was pregnant and Vince wanted to start a potential incest angle because at the time and nobody knew who the father was. Vince suggested that he should reveal himself as the father, Stephanie turned down the idea and Vince suggested that Shane, her younger brother, should come out and admit that he is the father. She turned that down as well. (Mooneyham).
In the interview with Playboy, he admitted taking steroids and encouraging his employees to take them as well in the 1980s and 1990s and was not bought to public until the government did something about it in 1993. Although he was acquitted by the government through the trial, Vince and his employees should know better, his company was halted for two years following the acquittal. McMahon has gone through sexual harassment situations; recently he was accused of groping a worker at a Boca Raton tanning bar in Florida on February 1, 2006. Later the police declined to press charges on insufficient evidence. Currently McMahon and his company is known for their storylines which are filled with smut, sex, vulgarity, and crude behavior, the purpose of this was to get the attention of the teenage to twenty something males. For that he is on the hot seat for promoting sex, violence and vulgarity on television and he insists he will not stop. "People should pick on MTV or some of the other shows that are more graphic than us when it comes to sex or violence," (Mooneyham). It has been reported that the WWE had begun adding no-harassment clauses to all the contracts for both male and female wrestlers in an attempt to protect the company and its employees from sexual harassment complaints. The claim has since been verified during Q&A sessions on the quarterly stock-holders conference calls.
Aggressive is his middle name, “I love to fight, I always have.” (Playboy). He started getting involved in wrestling at age twelve because of his father who owned the company, called Capitol Wrestling Federation back then. He would spend summers and weekends with his father touring the country, learning the ropes of the business, starting off as a ring announcer and getting more involved in matches. But in order for his company to succeed after purchasing it, he decided to put other companies out of businesses (World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling) which he owns to this day after he put them out of business and bought them at the bankruptcy court. This seems like a monopoly, he is controlling the wrestling reins in mainstream America even though there is another wrestling company, often low in profits and audience but owned by a former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler which disliked working with Mr. McMahon.
Through out the acquisition of the company from his father and other companies as well, he has screwed employees on their contracts such as Bret Hart who was supposed to go out in glory in his final match but went the other way. To this day, Bret Hart will never wrestle in the WWE ring, although he is on good terms with Mr. McMahon and others that he worked with in the past. He is deeply affected by the loss of his younger brother, Owen Hart, who died in an accident while making his ringside entrance during a pay per view. “My kids don't watch wrestling. They don't want to. And if they did want to, as a parent, I wouldn't let them. I've said before, and I'll say it again, wrestling is not for kids anymore." (Mudge) On one segment of Monday Night Raw (a television show) a limousine driver accidentally hit one car that was owned by one of the wrestlers, Mr. McMahon was enraged, he went out to drag him outside the limousine, beat him unconscious and fired him on the spot. What does that teach America?
Vince McMahon is indeed a McMadman for his aberrant doings within the company and the reputation he has built from violence, sexism and crude. It is recommended that his ideas needs to be put to an end once and for all. Every youth in America is attracted to this pile of filth when one should be taught good moral values and to respect women and elders as well.
Works Cited
McMahon, Vince. Interview with Playboy. Playboy Feb. 2001.
Mooneyham, Mike. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004.
Mudge, Jacqueline. Bret Hart: The Story of the Wrestler They Call “the Hitman”. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, September 1999.
interview with Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life
You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having "wealth" from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,
"Purpose Driven Life” author and pastor of Saddleback Church in
California.
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, what is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
"Purpose Driven Life” author and pastor of Saddleback Church in
California.
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, what is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
Schools strive to accommodate deaf - El Paso Times
Schools strive to accommodate deaf
By Jodi Garber
El Paso Times
Rosie Yanez needs to bring two extra people to her classes at El Paso Community College to make sure she understands what the professor is saying.
Yanez, 22, doesn't speak English she uses sign language.
As a deaf student at a mainstream college in El Paso, Yanez often struggles to make sure she has an interpreter and a person who takes legible notes.
"I've been mainstreamed all my life," Yanez said through an interpreter. "I don't see the point of going to a deaf college."
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination and requires that they have equal opportunity.
The act requires that schools provide deaf students with "effective communication."
"The college has to make sure they modify their policies and procedures so they don't discriminate," said Lea Marek, an ADA technical assistant at the Southwest ADA Resource Center.
EPCC and the University of Texas at El Paso are working hard to make sure their deaf students get the services they need to be successful, officials from both schools say.
Both schools provide deaf students with an interpreter and a note-taker in each class. Students can also attend tutoring sessions if they need help with classes.
But making sure deaf students can understand classes is the tough part, officials from both schools say.
"With them, communication is the biggest thing," said Susan Lopez, director of Disabled Student Services at UTEP. "And also the English language because English is not their first language."
Most people don't realize that sign language does not translate directly to English, deaf students say. Sign language has three different versions, which means that some students do not understand their interpreters, depending on which version they speak.
Then there is the difficulty of translating college-level classes.
"I can have a translator that can be the best translator in the world, and let's say they're trying to translate a trigonometry course - if you don't understand the theory, how can you translate to the student?" said Tim Nugent, EPCC vice president.
Communication problems can be resolved. If students at either school have trouble understanding their translator, they can request a switch. But the schools cannot always send another translator because the demand is too great.
"Probably one of the most critical issues we're facing is trying to find resources," Nugent said. "Not only money, but also the human resources to be able to offer the services we need."
UTEP's Lopez agrees.
"We have a small population, and that does make it a challenge for finding interpreters," she said. "We lose a lot of interpreters."
Andrew Sanchez, one of UTEP's most highly certified interpreters, said he could be paid much more in other cities.
"There are opportunities out there that are not available in El Paso," Sanchez said.
Nugent said EPCC has a nationally recognized service model for providing services to students with disabilities. Yet he says the program needs to be better.
This year has been particularly difficult for EPCC because the director of the Center for Students with Disabilities took another job, leaving the department without a leader while the disabled-student population continues to grow.
"The number of students with disabilities we are trying to work with here has increased dramatically," Nugent said.
A growing population
Mike McNett, coordinator of disability-support services at EPCC, said the disabled-student population has grown by 500 percent over the past four years. The college has more than 1,000 disabled students. About 75 EPCC students are deaf or hard of hearing, and 15 of those students need interpreters in their classes.
At UTEP, the number of disabled students is smaller but also on the rise. This year there are about 275 disabled students at the university, nine of whom are deaf. Lopez said she knows of two or three more deaf students who are applying for admission.
The smaller number of deaf students at UTEP makes it easier to help them, Lopez said.
"We know the students really well, and we know their preferences and how they work best," she said.
UTEP student Javier Herrera, who is studying graphic design, said he feels empowered.
"If I can understand the writing clearly, I'll keep the note-taker," he said through an interpreter. "If not, I'll try to find someone I understand."
Herrera said the same goes for his interpreters.
Adjusting can be hard
At EPCC, because of stretched resources, making adjustments is not always easy.
Yanez says she has had to drop several classes over the past few years because the interpreters provided by the college have not been qualified. The beginning of this semester was particularly trying. At one point, she had an interpreter but no note-taker in class.
"Since I need to watch the interpreter, it is hard for me to look up and down from the interpreter to the boards and keep up with the teacher," she said.
Now, several weeks into the school year, Yanez says the situation is improving, but some EPCC interpreters are not qualified enough.
EPCC deaf students say they would like all their interpreters to be certified, but many of them are recent graduates from EPCC and do not yet have much experience or certification. Some students are so frustrated with the services provided at EPCC that they want an outside agency to come in and audit the department.
Yanez says she has struggled at the beginning of every semester to get the services she needs, and she wants things to improve not only for herself but also for the deaf students who will study at EPCC in the future.
Hiring a new director
The college is in the process of hiring a new director for the Center for Students With Disabilities. Nugent says a panel will make the selection and that panel will include a disabled student. Yanez and other deaf students want an expert from outside the college to sit on the committee and advocate for the deaf students.
McNett said the college is on the path to making the program better. A new training program has begun to increase the interpreters' skills.
"We need to make sure we're on track with this," he said.
But he pointed out there just aren't enough certified interpreters in El Paso. He said all EPCC interpreters go through an "evaluation process to determine their skill levels" before they are hired.
At UTEP, all interpreters are certified, Lopez said.
"The law says qualified, not certified, but the university feels that qualification comes with certification," she said.
Lopez said that when you come out of the interpreter program at EPCC, "you are not really ready to be an interpreter in a university setting."
But with the shortage of interpreters in El Paso, nobody is left with many choices. Even at UTEP, Lopez said, she would like all interpreters to be certified at Level 3. Most, however are at Level 1. Interpreters can have five different levels of certification in the state of Texas.
Struggle seems worthwhile
Despite difficulties providing services to deaf students, both EPCC and UTEP are seeing positive results.
At EPCC, McNett said hearing-impaired students and other students with disabilities used to have very low grade-point averages.
"In this department, eight years ago, the majority of the students were in remedial or lower-level classes," he said. "Now the hearing-impaired students have grade-point averages that are comparable to other students."
Nugent said that while EPCC's resources are stretched, the influx of disabled students is welcome.
"The ADA was passed and gave more voice to that population and they are now understanding that they have specific rights," he said. "I think it's wonderful."
Jodi Garber may be reached at jgarber@elpasotimes.com
Schools strive to accommodate deaf
By Jodi Garber
El Paso Times
Rosie Yanez needs to bring two extra people to her classes at El Paso Community College to make sure she understands what the professor is saying.
Yanez, 22, doesn't speak English she uses sign language.
As a deaf student at a mainstream college in El Paso, Yanez often struggles to make sure she has an interpreter and a person who takes legible notes.
"I've been mainstreamed all my life," Yanez said through an interpreter. "I don't see the point of going to a deaf college."
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination and requires that they have equal opportunity.
The act requires that schools provide deaf students with "effective communication."
"The college has to make sure they modify their policies and procedures so they don't discriminate," said Lea Marek, an ADA technical assistant at the Southwest ADA Resource Center.
EPCC and the University of Texas at El Paso are working hard to make sure their deaf students get the services they need to be successful, officials from both schools say.
Both schools provide deaf students with an interpreter and a note-taker in each class. Students can also attend tutoring sessions if they need help with classes.
But making sure deaf students can understand classes is the tough part, officials from both schools say.
"With them, communication is the biggest thing," said Susan Lopez, director of Disabled Student Services at UTEP. "And also the English language because English is not their first language."
Most people don't realize that sign language does not translate directly to English, deaf students say. Sign language has three different versions, which means that some students do not understand their interpreters, depending on which version they speak.
Then there is the difficulty of translating college-level classes.
"I can have a translator that can be the best translator in the world, and let's say they're trying to translate a trigonometry course - if you don't understand the theory, how can you translate to the student?" said Tim Nugent, EPCC vice president.
Communication problems can be resolved. If students at either school have trouble understanding their translator, they can request a switch. But the schools cannot always send another translator because the demand is too great.
"Probably one of the most critical issues we're facing is trying to find resources," Nugent said. "Not only money, but also the human resources to be able to offer the services we need."
UTEP's Lopez agrees.
"We have a small population, and that does make it a challenge for finding interpreters," she said. "We lose a lot of interpreters."
Andrew Sanchez, one of UTEP's most highly certified interpreters, said he could be paid much more in other cities.
"There are opportunities out there that are not available in El Paso," Sanchez said.
Nugent said EPCC has a nationally recognized service model for providing services to students with disabilities. Yet he says the program needs to be better.
This year has been particularly difficult for EPCC because the director of the Center for Students with Disabilities took another job, leaving the department without a leader while the disabled-student population continues to grow.
"The number of students with disabilities we are trying to work with here has increased dramatically," Nugent said.
A growing population
Mike McNett, coordinator of disability-support services at EPCC, said the disabled-student population has grown by 500 percent over the past four years. The college has more than 1,000 disabled students. About 75 EPCC students are deaf or hard of hearing, and 15 of those students need interpreters in their classes.
At UTEP, the number of disabled students is smaller but also on the rise. This year there are about 275 disabled students at the university, nine of whom are deaf. Lopez said she knows of two or three more deaf students who are applying for admission.
The smaller number of deaf students at UTEP makes it easier to help them, Lopez said.
"We know the students really well, and we know their preferences and how they work best," she said.
UTEP student Javier Herrera, who is studying graphic design, said he feels empowered.
"If I can understand the writing clearly, I'll keep the note-taker," he said through an interpreter. "If not, I'll try to find someone I understand."
Herrera said the same goes for his interpreters.
Adjusting can be hard
At EPCC, because of stretched resources, making adjustments is not always easy.
Yanez says she has had to drop several classes over the past few years because the interpreters provided by the college have not been qualified. The beginning of this semester was particularly trying. At one point, she had an interpreter but no note-taker in class.
"Since I need to watch the interpreter, it is hard for me to look up and down from the interpreter to the boards and keep up with the teacher," she said.
Now, several weeks into the school year, Yanez says the situation is improving, but some EPCC interpreters are not qualified enough.
EPCC deaf students say they would like all their interpreters to be certified, but many of them are recent graduates from EPCC and do not yet have much experience or certification. Some students are so frustrated with the services provided at EPCC that they want an outside agency to come in and audit the department.
Yanez says she has struggled at the beginning of every semester to get the services she needs, and she wants things to improve not only for herself but also for the deaf students who will study at EPCC in the future.
Hiring a new director
The college is in the process of hiring a new director for the Center for Students With Disabilities. Nugent says a panel will make the selection and that panel will include a disabled student. Yanez and other deaf students want an expert from outside the college to sit on the committee and advocate for the deaf students.
McNett said the college is on the path to making the program better. A new training program has begun to increase the interpreters' skills.
"We need to make sure we're on track with this," he said.
But he pointed out there just aren't enough certified interpreters in El Paso. He said all EPCC interpreters go through an "evaluation process to determine their skill levels" before they are hired.
At UTEP, all interpreters are certified, Lopez said.
"The law says qualified, not certified, but the university feels that qualification comes with certification," she said.
Lopez said that when you come out of the interpreter program at EPCC, "you are not really ready to be an interpreter in a university setting."
But with the shortage of interpreters in El Paso, nobody is left with many choices. Even at UTEP, Lopez said, she would like all interpreters to be certified at Level 3. Most, however are at Level 1. Interpreters can have five different levels of certification in the state of Texas.
Struggle seems worthwhile
Despite difficulties providing services to deaf students, both EPCC and UTEP are seeing positive results.
At EPCC, McNett said hearing-impaired students and other students with disabilities used to have very low grade-point averages.
"In this department, eight years ago, the majority of the students were in remedial or lower-level classes," he said. "Now the hearing-impaired students have grade-point averages that are comparable to other students."
Nugent said that while EPCC's resources are stretched, the influx of disabled students is welcome.
"The ADA was passed and gave more voice to that population and they are now understanding that they have specific rights," he said. "I think it's wonderful."
Jodi Garber may be reached at jgarber@elpasotimes.com
By Jodi Garber
El Paso Times
Rosie Yanez needs to bring two extra people to her classes at El Paso Community College to make sure she understands what the professor is saying.
Yanez, 22, doesn't speak English she uses sign language.
As a deaf student at a mainstream college in El Paso, Yanez often struggles to make sure she has an interpreter and a person who takes legible notes.
"I've been mainstreamed all my life," Yanez said through an interpreter. "I don't see the point of going to a deaf college."
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination and requires that they have equal opportunity.
The act requires that schools provide deaf students with "effective communication."
"The college has to make sure they modify their policies and procedures so they don't discriminate," said Lea Marek, an ADA technical assistant at the Southwest ADA Resource Center.
EPCC and the University of Texas at El Paso are working hard to make sure their deaf students get the services they need to be successful, officials from both schools say.
Both schools provide deaf students with an interpreter and a note-taker in each class. Students can also attend tutoring sessions if they need help with classes.
But making sure deaf students can understand classes is the tough part, officials from both schools say.
"With them, communication is the biggest thing," said Susan Lopez, director of Disabled Student Services at UTEP. "And also the English language because English is not their first language."
Most people don't realize that sign language does not translate directly to English, deaf students say. Sign language has three different versions, which means that some students do not understand their interpreters, depending on which version they speak.
Then there is the difficulty of translating college-level classes.
"I can have a translator that can be the best translator in the world, and let's say they're trying to translate a trigonometry course - if you don't understand the theory, how can you translate to the student?" said Tim Nugent, EPCC vice president.
Communication problems can be resolved. If students at either school have trouble understanding their translator, they can request a switch. But the schools cannot always send another translator because the demand is too great.
"Probably one of the most critical issues we're facing is trying to find resources," Nugent said. "Not only money, but also the human resources to be able to offer the services we need."
UTEP's Lopez agrees.
"We have a small population, and that does make it a challenge for finding interpreters," she said. "We lose a lot of interpreters."
Andrew Sanchez, one of UTEP's most highly certified interpreters, said he could be paid much more in other cities.
"There are opportunities out there that are not available in El Paso," Sanchez said.
Nugent said EPCC has a nationally recognized service model for providing services to students with disabilities. Yet he says the program needs to be better.
This year has been particularly difficult for EPCC because the director of the Center for Students with Disabilities took another job, leaving the department without a leader while the disabled-student population continues to grow.
"The number of students with disabilities we are trying to work with here has increased dramatically," Nugent said.
A growing population
Mike McNett, coordinator of disability-support services at EPCC, said the disabled-student population has grown by 500 percent over the past four years. The college has more than 1,000 disabled students. About 75 EPCC students are deaf or hard of hearing, and 15 of those students need interpreters in their classes.
At UTEP, the number of disabled students is smaller but also on the rise. This year there are about 275 disabled students at the university, nine of whom are deaf. Lopez said she knows of two or three more deaf students who are applying for admission.
The smaller number of deaf students at UTEP makes it easier to help them, Lopez said.
"We know the students really well, and we know their preferences and how they work best," she said.
UTEP student Javier Herrera, who is studying graphic design, said he feels empowered.
"If I can understand the writing clearly, I'll keep the note-taker," he said through an interpreter. "If not, I'll try to find someone I understand."
Herrera said the same goes for his interpreters.
Adjusting can be hard
At EPCC, because of stretched resources, making adjustments is not always easy.
Yanez says she has had to drop several classes over the past few years because the interpreters provided by the college have not been qualified. The beginning of this semester was particularly trying. At one point, she had an interpreter but no note-taker in class.
"Since I need to watch the interpreter, it is hard for me to look up and down from the interpreter to the boards and keep up with the teacher," she said.
Now, several weeks into the school year, Yanez says the situation is improving, but some EPCC interpreters are not qualified enough.
EPCC deaf students say they would like all their interpreters to be certified, but many of them are recent graduates from EPCC and do not yet have much experience or certification. Some students are so frustrated with the services provided at EPCC that they want an outside agency to come in and audit the department.
Yanez says she has struggled at the beginning of every semester to get the services she needs, and she wants things to improve not only for herself but also for the deaf students who will study at EPCC in the future.
Hiring a new director
The college is in the process of hiring a new director for the Center for Students With Disabilities. Nugent says a panel will make the selection and that panel will include a disabled student. Yanez and other deaf students want an expert from outside the college to sit on the committee and advocate for the deaf students.
McNett said the college is on the path to making the program better. A new training program has begun to increase the interpreters' skills.
"We need to make sure we're on track with this," he said.
But he pointed out there just aren't enough certified interpreters in El Paso. He said all EPCC interpreters go through an "evaluation process to determine their skill levels" before they are hired.
At UTEP, all interpreters are certified, Lopez said.
"The law says qualified, not certified, but the university feels that qualification comes with certification," she said.
Lopez said that when you come out of the interpreter program at EPCC, "you are not really ready to be an interpreter in a university setting."
But with the shortage of interpreters in El Paso, nobody is left with many choices. Even at UTEP, Lopez said, she would like all interpreters to be certified at Level 3. Most, however are at Level 1. Interpreters can have five different levels of certification in the state of Texas.
Struggle seems worthwhile
Despite difficulties providing services to deaf students, both EPCC and UTEP are seeing positive results.
At EPCC, McNett said hearing-impaired students and other students with disabilities used to have very low grade-point averages.
"In this department, eight years ago, the majority of the students were in remedial or lower-level classes," he said. "Now the hearing-impaired students have grade-point averages that are comparable to other students."
Nugent said that while EPCC's resources are stretched, the influx of disabled students is welcome.
"The ADA was passed and gave more voice to that population and they are now understanding that they have specific rights," he said. "I think it's wonderful."
Jodi Garber may be reached at jgarber@elpasotimes.com
Schools strive to accommodate deaf
By Jodi Garber
El Paso Times
Rosie Yanez needs to bring two extra people to her classes at El Paso Community College to make sure she understands what the professor is saying.
Yanez, 22, doesn't speak English she uses sign language.
As a deaf student at a mainstream college in El Paso, Yanez often struggles to make sure she has an interpreter and a person who takes legible notes.
"I've been mainstreamed all my life," Yanez said through an interpreter. "I don't see the point of going to a deaf college."
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination and requires that they have equal opportunity.
The act requires that schools provide deaf students with "effective communication."
"The college has to make sure they modify their policies and procedures so they don't discriminate," said Lea Marek, an ADA technical assistant at the Southwest ADA Resource Center.
EPCC and the University of Texas at El Paso are working hard to make sure their deaf students get the services they need to be successful, officials from both schools say.
Both schools provide deaf students with an interpreter and a note-taker in each class. Students can also attend tutoring sessions if they need help with classes.
But making sure deaf students can understand classes is the tough part, officials from both schools say.
"With them, communication is the biggest thing," said Susan Lopez, director of Disabled Student Services at UTEP. "And also the English language because English is not their first language."
Most people don't realize that sign language does not translate directly to English, deaf students say. Sign language has three different versions, which means that some students do not understand their interpreters, depending on which version they speak.
Then there is the difficulty of translating college-level classes.
"I can have a translator that can be the best translator in the world, and let's say they're trying to translate a trigonometry course - if you don't understand the theory, how can you translate to the student?" said Tim Nugent, EPCC vice president.
Communication problems can be resolved. If students at either school have trouble understanding their translator, they can request a switch. But the schools cannot always send another translator because the demand is too great.
"Probably one of the most critical issues we're facing is trying to find resources," Nugent said. "Not only money, but also the human resources to be able to offer the services we need."
UTEP's Lopez agrees.
"We have a small population, and that does make it a challenge for finding interpreters," she said. "We lose a lot of interpreters."
Andrew Sanchez, one of UTEP's most highly certified interpreters, said he could be paid much more in other cities.
"There are opportunities out there that are not available in El Paso," Sanchez said.
Nugent said EPCC has a nationally recognized service model for providing services to students with disabilities. Yet he says the program needs to be better.
This year has been particularly difficult for EPCC because the director of the Center for Students with Disabilities took another job, leaving the department without a leader while the disabled-student population continues to grow.
"The number of students with disabilities we are trying to work with here has increased dramatically," Nugent said.
A growing population
Mike McNett, coordinator of disability-support services at EPCC, said the disabled-student population has grown by 500 percent over the past four years. The college has more than 1,000 disabled students. About 75 EPCC students are deaf or hard of hearing, and 15 of those students need interpreters in their classes.
At UTEP, the number of disabled students is smaller but also on the rise. This year there are about 275 disabled students at the university, nine of whom are deaf. Lopez said she knows of two or three more deaf students who are applying for admission.
The smaller number of deaf students at UTEP makes it easier to help them, Lopez said.
"We know the students really well, and we know their preferences and how they work best," she said.
UTEP student Javier Herrera, who is studying graphic design, said he feels empowered.
"If I can understand the writing clearly, I'll keep the note-taker," he said through an interpreter. "If not, I'll try to find someone I understand."
Herrera said the same goes for his interpreters.
Adjusting can be hard
At EPCC, because of stretched resources, making adjustments is not always easy.
Yanez says she has had to drop several classes over the past few years because the interpreters provided by the college have not been qualified. The beginning of this semester was particularly trying. At one point, she had an interpreter but no note-taker in class.
"Since I need to watch the interpreter, it is hard for me to look up and down from the interpreter to the boards and keep up with the teacher," she said.
Now, several weeks into the school year, Yanez says the situation is improving, but some EPCC interpreters are not qualified enough.
EPCC deaf students say they would like all their interpreters to be certified, but many of them are recent graduates from EPCC and do not yet have much experience or certification. Some students are so frustrated with the services provided at EPCC that they want an outside agency to come in and audit the department.
Yanez says she has struggled at the beginning of every semester to get the services she needs, and she wants things to improve not only for herself but also for the deaf students who will study at EPCC in the future.
Hiring a new director
The college is in the process of hiring a new director for the Center for Students With Disabilities. Nugent says a panel will make the selection and that panel will include a disabled student. Yanez and other deaf students want an expert from outside the college to sit on the committee and advocate for the deaf students.
McNett said the college is on the path to making the program better. A new training program has begun to increase the interpreters' skills.
"We need to make sure we're on track with this," he said.
But he pointed out there just aren't enough certified interpreters in El Paso. He said all EPCC interpreters go through an "evaluation process to determine their skill levels" before they are hired.
At UTEP, all interpreters are certified, Lopez said.
"The law says qualified, not certified, but the university feels that qualification comes with certification," she said.
Lopez said that when you come out of the interpreter program at EPCC, "you are not really ready to be an interpreter in a university setting."
But with the shortage of interpreters in El Paso, nobody is left with many choices. Even at UTEP, Lopez said, she would like all interpreters to be certified at Level 3. Most, however are at Level 1. Interpreters can have five different levels of certification in the state of Texas.
Struggle seems worthwhile
Despite difficulties providing services to deaf students, both EPCC and UTEP are seeing positive results.
At EPCC, McNett said hearing-impaired students and other students with disabilities used to have very low grade-point averages.
"In this department, eight years ago, the majority of the students were in remedial or lower-level classes," he said. "Now the hearing-impaired students have grade-point averages that are comparable to other students."
Nugent said that while EPCC's resources are stretched, the influx of disabled students is welcome.
"The ADA was passed and gave more voice to that population and they are now understanding that they have specific rights," he said. "I think it's wonderful."
Jodi Garber may be reached at jgarber@elpasotimes.com
TEN THINGS GOD WON'T ASK
1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove,
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5...God won't ask what your job title was,
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.
9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.
10...God won't ask how many people you showed this to,
He'll ask if you were ashamed to show it to your friends.
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5...God won't ask what your job title was,
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.
9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.
10...God won't ask how many people you showed this to,
He'll ask if you were ashamed to show it to your friends.
Who Do You Represent? - The Edge with Coach Doug Reese
The winter of 2004 was a tough one on Boston Red Sox All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. The Red Sox put their star shortstop on the trading block hoping to land another top shortstop who was the 2003 MVP in the American League by the name of Alex Rodriquez.
Garciaparra of course was hurt by the trade that the Red Sox front office attempted to pull off. Now in the 2004 season, Garciaparra is entering the last year of his contract. Nomar is not even sure if the Red Sox want him or not for the future. The situation is very unsettling.
You have to wonder what kind of year Nomar will have. Mentally it would seem tough to bounce back from all the distractions and the pain that the loyal athlete suffered while watching his team trying to replace him. Yet, Nomar himself feels confident that he will be able to overcome those feelings because he is just part of something larger.
Garciaparra said any ill will with the front office doesn't carry into the clubhouse. "It's not hard at all," he said. "The uniform represents so much more. When I put it on, I'm representing myself, my teammates and all the other greats who have worn it before."
In your daily life, who are you representing? Are you representing your own self interests or those of the Master Coach?
Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him so that, "... words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should" (Ephesians 6:19-21 NIV).
As an ambassador to Christ, Paul knew who he was representing. An ambassador is not employed to serve his own self interests but that of his government. Paul understood that.
We too are called to represent the interests of Christ in all that we do. Listen closely to the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew:
"Then the King (Jesus) will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
'I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
'I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.
'Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me" (Matthew 25:34-40 THE MESSAGE).
As an ambassador, we do it for Him!
Develop a consciousness that in every play, every rep in life you are representing someone much bigger than you! How you play the game, how you live your life, and how you treat people casts a huge reflection of your heart upon the 'Jumbo-tron' for all to see.
No matter what tough breaks you get, no matter how people treat you, no matter what people say about you - be an ambassador. DO IT FOR HIM!
Garciaparra of course was hurt by the trade that the Red Sox front office attempted to pull off. Now in the 2004 season, Garciaparra is entering the last year of his contract. Nomar is not even sure if the Red Sox want him or not for the future. The situation is very unsettling.
You have to wonder what kind of year Nomar will have. Mentally it would seem tough to bounce back from all the distractions and the pain that the loyal athlete suffered while watching his team trying to replace him. Yet, Nomar himself feels confident that he will be able to overcome those feelings because he is just part of something larger.
Garciaparra said any ill will with the front office doesn't carry into the clubhouse. "It's not hard at all," he said. "The uniform represents so much more. When I put it on, I'm representing myself, my teammates and all the other greats who have worn it before."
In your daily life, who are you representing? Are you representing your own self interests or those of the Master Coach?
Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him so that, "... words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should" (Ephesians 6:19-21 NIV).
As an ambassador to Christ, Paul knew who he was representing. An ambassador is not employed to serve his own self interests but that of his government. Paul understood that.
We too are called to represent the interests of Christ in all that we do. Listen closely to the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew:
"Then the King (Jesus) will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
'I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
'I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.
'Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me" (Matthew 25:34-40 THE MESSAGE).
As an ambassador, we do it for Him!
Develop a consciousness that in every play, every rep in life you are representing someone much bigger than you! How you play the game, how you live your life, and how you treat people casts a huge reflection of your heart upon the 'Jumbo-tron' for all to see.
No matter what tough breaks you get, no matter how people treat you, no matter what people say about you - be an ambassador. DO IT FOR HIM!
TOUGHEST MATCH
My toughest match
Is not in the ring
It’s at the dinner table
At fast food restaurants
Its hearing about the party I can never go to
Its realizing being a great wrestler isn’t a sport
It’s a life
Is not in the ring
It’s at the dinner table
At fast food restaurants
Its hearing about the party I can never go to
Its realizing being a great wrestler isn’t a sport
It’s a life
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