Oh My! Where Do I Begin??

by Anneleisse A., Panther Blogger

Greetings, Ferrum!  It's been awhile since I last blogged and I have much catching up to do!  This year has been full of exciting events so far. Last semester was a busy one because of classes and swimming.

Although I was so busy with schoolwork and swimming, I got to travel to Mexico during my Thanksgiving break for a life-changing experience!  I decided to do something a bit different from my usual travels back home to Colorado; instead, I flew to Cancun, Mexico, where I was able to participate in my first triathlon ever!  The event took place in the Riviera Maya at a park that is one of the 13 natural wonders of Mexico:  Xel-Ha.  It may have been one of the hardest things I have ever done, and at the same time, one of the best experiences ever. The category that I participated in was for Woman Beginners and consisted of 52 participants who had to complete a total of 400-meters swimming, 10k cycling, and 2.5k running.

 

Swimming was the easiest for me just because I'm on the Ferrum swim team, but the rest was more complicated than I thought. I probably should have practiced running and cycling before doing this triathlon, but thankfully, I was able to achieve a 2nd place!  Honestly, I must say I felt pretty accomplished, and I truly recommend anyone to try out this amazing sport if you get the chance. Because I have family down in Cancun, it was exciting to have them there as my cheerleaders. Plus, I got to meet some pretty talented triathletes, one of whom was a girl named Charlotte Cassarrubias who recently competed at Worlds in Auckland, New Zealand. I also met a guy named Rodrigo Ruiz, who is one of the best triathletes in Mexico. Both Charlotte and Rodrigo are great people and truly inspirational!  I'm looking forward to doing a "Sprint" triathlon in six months where I will do a 750-meter swim, 20k bike ride, and a 5k run.

Coming back to school after being on break is always bittersweet, but I must admit that I was pretty excited that I was going to be able to attend my first Snowball this year. This year's theme was "Everything is better in the dark," and boy, it was fun!  I got to meet many people and take time-off from studying and preparing for finals. It was great to see everyone dress up for the night and dance with friends. I am definitely looking forward to next year's dance. If you didn't attend this year, I truly do recommend making an appearance even if you don't want to stay for the whole night. Ferrum has transportation to and from the event, plus it's so much fun you won't ever notice if you don't have a date.

This semester, I am looking forward to blogging again and trying to keep ya'll up-to-date. So far, we are only two week into the Spring semester, but it's looking good so far. As a member of the Ferrum swim team, we are close to the end of our season. We had a meet on Friday in Greensboro against Greensboro College and Sweet Briar where we took third place. With only two meets left on our schedule, we are all working hard to have a strong finish against Guilford College this weekend and against VMI/Washington and Lee on the 26th. Wish us luck!


P.S. - Laurel, Jess, and Lauren -- if you read this, I love you guys, and let's finish this season strong! And Morgan, good job this season and good luck in softball!

Thank you, and I look forward to next time!
- Anneleisse

Swimmers, Take Your Mark...

BY ANNELEISSE, PANTHER BLOGGER

Swimming has been in my life since I can remember. I have been on 5 different teams throughout my lifetime and never did I think we, as a first-year team, were going to be able to accomplish what we accomplished. Thanks to swimming here at Ferrum, I have already had enough great experiences to carry a bucket full of memories.

Our team consisted of five other girls besides me: Katie, who was our only senior on our team and took part of Kappa Alpha Sigma; Kara, a junior who was able to divide her time between swimming, soccer and school; Morgan, a sophomore who also plays softball for Ferrum and is part of Theta Gamma Omega; Lauren, a.k.a “Little Lauren,” is part of Kappa Alpha and is a first-year club swimmer who improved so much throughout the season; and Erin, who may be the sweetest, nicest girl I have ever met. These girls made my experience on the team so much more worth it, and once again, I’d like to take the opportunity to say “GREAT JOB LADIES!”

 Me with two of my teammates

We were able to accomplish much more than just beating our opponents but also improving our times and making new friends. This season consisted of nine meets: three away and the rest home, as well as a training trip. For our training trip, we were down in Florida for a week where we got to practice with bigger, stronger teams. This might be my favorite memory because we did get to go as a team and leave Virginia. Besides that, it was a great way to bond and get to meet my teammates better. All this wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing coach, Lindsay DeLaRosby, who has been both our coach and our friend.

International Hall of Fame Pool in Florida

Practicing 6 days a week and having morning practices can get crazy with trying to manage school work and getting other activities done. Being a student athlete here at Ferrum was not as bad as I thought it would be; no one said it was going to be easy, but thanks to all the help the school offers – from PAL tutors to instructors’ office hours where you can get individual help – I was able to make it onto the Dean’s List. The secret to not overwhelming yourself with stressing out over homework is starting on it when an assignment is first assigned and not doing it the night before it’s due.

If you decide to come to Ferrum, I really do recommend you try out for a team or participate in intramurals. It adds so much more to your college experience and the student body is great at coming out to support.

Night out in Florida with my teammates

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me!

Anneleisse

Saludos (Greetings) from Ferrum College Student Blogger, Anneleisse!

BY ANNELEISSE, A PANTHER BLOGGER 

Student Blogger Anneleisse

Hola, potential Panthers!  My name is Anneleisse and I’m currently a second semester freshman from Castle Rock, Colorado.  I found Ferrum College thanks to their first year swim team and our coach, Lindsay DeLaRosby, who recruited me. Not only did I come to Ferrum because of a sport but also because the size of the school was a great fit considering that I actually want a teacher to remember who I am or at least recognize if I ever need help in the class.

Here at Ferrum, I plan on majoring in Pre-professional science; my long-time goal is to be a dentist, and later on, to participate in creating a foundation for those who can’t afford a dentist. Ferrum has been a great experience so far!  The campus is the perfect size for you to make it on time to classes, everyone is so friendly, and academic help is always available. Although it’s a small campus there are many activities that take place.  Besides being on the swim team, I plan on being part of the Lambda Sigma Honor Society.

Thanks for reading my blog and let me know if you have any questions!