Ski racing 

 

Equipment: pole guards, shin guards, chin guard and Racing helmet.

 

Order of ski racing: U10-U12-U14-U16-U18-fist-world cup

 

Ski racing is really fun there’s three types of ski racing alpine, super G and slalom.

Alpine is usually a normal race on stubbies, super G is when you go so fast around double gates and slalom could be on stubbies or full gates. Full gates are where the pole guards come in. You have to hit the full gates with the arm farthest from the gate.

 

First the girls race then the boys. But before the race your group does a test run to not make it so powdery. Well you do your test run the coaches give you advise on each turn. Now the race,when you get to the bottom of the hill you quickly look at your time and then you go in for lunch. After lunch the run is totally different, the gates are changed, the side of the hill is changed, everything is changed. You do a test run then the girls race then the boys race. After the race you give your pinny back in. Then you take a break to relax in the lodge. After that you go to see who wins 5th place gets a badge 4th place also gets a badge 3rd gets a bronze medal 2nd gets a silver medal and 1rst gets a gold medal.

 

Ways you could get eliminated: falling, missing a gate, straddling a gate and hitting the gate with the wrong hand. If you fall and miss a gate, you could still get up and hike to the gate and re-do it. But that will take away a lot of time. Missing a gate could be going around the wrong side or falling and not getting back up. Straddling a gate is going through a gate, and hitting the gate with the wrong hand is hitting the gate with the hand closest to the gate.                                                                                        

If you were in ski racing you would call it a dnf, it stands for did not finish. Dsq stands for disqualified. 

Not every day is a race or a practice course. Usually it’s just a normal day and we do some training activities. Sometimes we practice the kick start. The kick start is how we push out of the starting box.

 Before it’s time to race we play in the ring. When it’s close to our turn the coaches call us to get in line, then we go to the starting box and start our race.

Usually around each turn there is blue spray paint so you could see which way to go around the gate. If it is a cold and foggy day the blue spray paint will help a lot. Also at the end there is a laser to see what time you get. Most people put their fist down right on the laser for good luck.

At the start of the race you’re going to feel worried. If you fall, if you miss a gate or if you straddle a gate. If you get eliminated it’s very embarrassing. Every year there’s about 4 races and most a lot of people get eliminated. I was lucky that I didn’t get eliminated, only one other of my friends didn’t get eliminated. When i asked my friends that did get eliminated how did they feel they said it’s very embarrassing. So every single race I would feel scared. The second race after i would feel so good because i would know that i won’t fall. After each race when you finish you could look at a list of what time each person got. There are about 60 boys and 60 girls. If you’re from the same ski place as another person you’re on the same team as them but at the same time you’re not. To get a medal you still have to beat your teammates. But if your teammates win a medal you would go and congratulate them. Your time in both races are combined to see who wins

Public Speaking

What is a Virus

By: Benny Sachs

Have you ever wondered how a virus spreads or how it works?

Hello Mrs Bennett and my fellow classmates today I am going to

be discussing and explaining what a virus is. 

Viruses are scary and can sometimes be deadly. They are small infectious agents that seek to find a living organism to act as a host, so that they can cause havoc. Without having a host, a virus cannot survive.  When a virus finds a host it starts to replicate (making more) causing the host to become sick. These microscopic parasites can contain either RNA or DNA, as their genetic material. Genetic material is the instruction manual for all viruses and living organisms. The virus particle or “virion” is encased in a protein coat called a “capsid” which protects the DNA or RNA. 

Viruses spread by using a vector which is a living organism that bears the disease and transports it to another living organism. An example of vectors are mosquitos. They carry viruses that cause diseases such as Ebola or Malaria. Other insects can also carry a virus from one plant’s sap to another plant. Lastly, some believe kids like you and I are the vectors for the novel coronavirus that is causing Covid-19 which can lead to a deadly pneumonia. Viruses among humans can be spread either through “droplets” like when someone coughs and the droplets land on a surface or onto someone directly into their face. These droplets can then find a portal of entry into the human body when a person touches their mouth, eyes or nose. Airborne viruses are more contagious because the virus can travel through the air which easily enters into our lungs when we take a breath of air. This makes a virus more transmissible.

However, not all viruses are deadly or lead to a very bad illness. Everything depends on the virulence of the virus. Virulence is the severity or the harmfulness of a virus. With Ebola if you contract it then your likelihood of survival is low. This makes it a virulent virus. Varicella Zoster virus which causes Chickenpox is not a very virulent virus. It is unlikely to cause death. 

Although, some non virulent viruses can cause death in a host if they have a weak immune system. The immune system is the host’s “army” which is what fights viruses and bacteria. There are people in the world that study viruses, how they work and how they attack people’s immune systems, these people are called Virologists. 

Virologists are typically the people that are able to understand a particular virus and how it can be treated. These people create vaccines that you and I receive throughout our lives, so that we do not get sick. These virologiststell you and I how to prevent a virus. Infections from viruses can be prevented by washing your hands often, coughing or sneezing in your sleeve, avoiding touching your face, wearing masks in public, and physical isolation. 

 

Thank you for listening to my speech about viruses.  

 

  

 

Persuasive Essay

              Why school should end earlier

By Benny

This essay is aimed at achieving the goal of persuading the principal to let school end earlier. Most principals would not be in favor of letting school out earlier because they would think that it is not enough time for the students to learn. To convince the principal to see things my way, I will provide examples and reasons as to why school should end earlier. 

Doctor Mitzmacher and teachers want school to be a long amount of time because they think that it is needed for the students to have enough time to learn. If the school time was shortened then the periods for each subject would be shorter and students may not have as much time to eat or socialize in the playground. 

However, my belief is that If school were to end earlier it would be better for our health and for the principal and teacher’s health. When school is let out earlier the students and teachers have more time to go home and rest, eat proper meals and sleep. 

When leaving school earlier it will allow students to have more time to organize themselves for after school activities. This will decrease the potential for losing items at the JCC such as boots, hats, backpacks and gloves. 

In conclusion, there are more benefits that are addressed in this essay that provide a good persuasive argument that leaving school earlier is better for the whole school then extending the school day.