The Miracle On Ice
By Sterling Bryant This is the story of my first time seeing a Hockey Game, this is the game that I learned of The Soviet Union's reputation for Dominance and this is also the game that I learned that Reputations aren’t everything. The United States Team Starters were Goalie- Jim Craig, Defenseman-Ken Morrow, Defensemen- Mike Ramsey, Center- Mark Johnson, Left wing- Rob Mcclanahan, And Right Wing- Dave Silk and The USSR Team Starters were Goalie- Vladislav Tretiak, Defensemen- Viacheslav Fetisov, Defensemen- Alexei Kasatonov, Center- Vladimir Petrov, Left Wing- Valeri Kharlamov, Right Wing- Boris Mikhailov. “Dmitry! Dmitry!” I hear my Mama calling my name. “Yes Mama?” I call back, trying to look through the hoards of people that were filing into the stadium. After finding her, I navigate my way towards her and my father, who were frantically scanning the crowd looking for me. “Never run off like that again”, my father scolded me. “I just wanted to see the Stadium”, I retorted and my father nodded. We had just arrived in New York from Philadelphia and i was so excited, we were going to watch the Olympic Hockey game between The United States of America and my parents’ home nation, The USSR. I pulled on my father's shirt, signaling that we should hurry up and get inside, he nodded, told my Mother something and together we pulled our eyes away from the stadium and began to walk inside. As we waited in line to get inside my mind was racing. I was going to see Jim Craig!! The best goalie in the world in my opinion. I’ve never seen him play in person and i couldn’t wait. “C’mon Dmitry”, my Mother said. When we found our seats she asked, “Do you want something to eat before it starts”? “No Thanks, When's it going to start”, I moaned impatiently. “The players are still warming up”, my father said, “Look, there’s Jim Craig” “WHERE!” “In front of the goal nearest to us”, He answered. I looked in awe. My favorite player in the world is right in front of me. As i was watching Jim Craig warm up i realized that one day i wanted to be just like him. Then, the players lined up on each side with their respective teams and first played the USSR National Anthem then they played the USA’s. Then the game started. “No Way that the US pulls this out”, Said my Father to my mom and she nodded. “Why not”? I asked. “Well you see Dmitry, there are certain things that people are just better at than other people. Hockey is to The USSR as baseball is to the United States.” was his response and, upon seeing the confusion on my face he continued his explanation. “Originally in the 1890s Russians played Hockey but it was with a ball instead of a puck and it had the rules of field hockey instead of hockey hockey. First, since hockey is played on ice, people in an icy climate will be more adept to moving their bodies in the cold or at least be able to do it better than someone who grows up in California”, he smiles at me. “So since the climate in The Soviet Union is colder they have an advantage?” I asked “Of course,” he replied,” they’ve even earned themselves the nickname “The Big Red Machine” for their Ice Hockey prowess. RIIING. The bell signaling the end of the quarter rings. The Score was 1-0 to The USSR and it looked like they were going to pull away. Maybe Dad was right… I think that my father sensed that i wasn’t seeing this as anything more than a hockey game because he began to tell me how important the game was to the political world if America could pull out a win and how especially important it would be if the Americans were to suffer a heartbreaking loss. “You know that these Olympic games are being held during times of political unrest, right?" he asked me. “Of course”, I replied, “The Cold War, we’re learning about it in school”. “Right, he said, now imagine how superior either one of these countries might feel if they know that they are more dominant than the other in a physically grueling sport like Hockey. It would vastly improve the moral of the winning country. This game, along with the other events that have both the Soviet Union and The United States competing in them, could possibly impact the spirits of the citizens in that respective country and the people fighting in that country as well.” That was a lot of information to soak in for me. So i just resorted to nodding my head and watching the game and trying to process it in tandem. The Second Period had just ended, The United States was falling behind 3-2 and i was watching the Soviet union celebrate their lead prematurely I thought. As I watched Vladislav Tretiak return to his place in front of the Soviet goal post a question popped into my head. “Do you think that America can win?” “I think that we shouldn’t count them out just yet, he said, but I think that the wisdom of experience will always trump the energy of youth” I took this as saying that he thought that Russia would pull away but he was right, you can’t count America out just yet because despite being down 1 point, they did score twice against a revered Soviet Defense. “SHH”, my Mother hissed, it’s the final minute” I have never heard a place get so loud in my life, however as soon as the players got out of the timeout the arena was deadly silent. USA had the puck and the whole Arena watched in amazement as Mike Eruzione skillfully weaved through Red Jerseys until he made his way to the Soviet Goal Post. In the split second between Mike Eruzione getting to the goalpost and him hitting the puck everyone knew what was going to happen. “GOAL”, The PA announcer yelled, “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?” I looked excitedly at my father but when I saw him he looked extremely sullen. At the moment I hadn't even realized the internal conflict that my father would have been facing since he was born in the Soviet Union but moved to America. “What’s wrong?” i asked “Nothing Dmitry, Nothing” “Are you mad because the USSR lost?” “I'm not angry Dmitry, I’m just conflicted” “Didn’t you want the United States to win? I mean, this is our home.” “ No, this is your home, you’ve been here your whole life, this is the only place you’ve known, and all your friends are here. That isn’t the case for me and your Mother, Dmitry. We only decided to come here once we knew your mother was going to have you. Although we reside in America, The Soviet Union will always be home for us. Our families are still there. It’s just a little heartbreaking to see the Country you grew up in take a loss like this in a sport that we were suppose to dominate in.” The full extent of my father's little speech to me didn't hit me until later when i was alone and had time to contemplate everything he said. This was my story on the events that happened at the “Miracle on Ice Hockey” game that I attended with my parents and to this day, the words of the PA announcer stuck with me. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?” Work Cited http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2010/2/28/1330251/shot-totals-in-1980-us-ussr-game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_Ice#The_Soviet_and_American_teams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_the_United_States https://russkiyhockey.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/history-part1/ http://blog.acton.org/archives/82630-how-hockey-helps-us-understand-russia.html http://www.usahockey.com/miracle Sterling is sophomore. He originally wrote this piece for his United States History II class.
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21st Century Issue:
THE “PERFECT” FEMALE BODY By Elizabeth Augustin “This morning on CNN, Christie Brinkley - an American supermodel and actress admits she is currently struggling with body image. She tells us ‘For some reason I still looked in the mirror and I always find something to pick on. I’ve went from too fat, to too thin, to too muscular. It’s hard being a model. You’re always under pressure to be perfect. Except, I don’t think perfect exists.’” “Emily, what are you watching on the news!? It seems interesting.” My friend Jessica screamed from across the kitchen. She eagerly paced across the tv screen, then plopped down on the couch right beside me. “Hmm, I don’t know. Seems my mom’s favorite model is struggling with her body.” I shrugged and gave a sarcastic laugh, rolling my eyes and waving at the TV. “She’s fine. What is she complaining about? She makes girls like us feel bad.” I quickly lifted up my purple panda pajama t-shirt and grabbed my tummy fat. “I mean, what should I say? She has no reason to complain.” Jessica eyed my tummy and gave a dramatic laugh. “Girl, I just came from the kitchen, I’m near overweight. I hog up all the food in your house and you know it.” She nudged me. I gave a quick peek at her stomach. It was poking out from the thin shirt she was wearing. I mean, she did just eat. I grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. The news anchor was speaking now. “2016 was dominated by ridiculous and delusional fitness and health trends. First, the thigh gap. It celebrated woman whose legs don’t touch when there feet are together. Then, came the bikini bridge, where your hips protrude when lying on your back. Even in China they have bizarre challenges including the waist challenge. You hold up a piece of paper which is approximately 8.3 inches and try to see if your waist fits that size. There’s an iPhone 6 challenge to show how skinny your knees are, a 100 Yen challenge for skinny wrists, and a belly button and collarbone challenge! The list goes on!” Anderson Cooper said, setting his papers down. He looked into the camera, his eyebrows raised, and forehead wrinkled. “Let’s hear from you, Don.” I glanced at Jessica who was engaged in the news, for once. She was leaning forward, her hands interlocked. On the TV, Don Lemon was outside a busy New York City street, a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, and a long coat on. He clutched his microphone as a stranger came beside him. This man was an African American guy, and he had two friends with him. One was white, the other Hispanic. “What do you perceive as the perfect female body?” He asked the Hispanic male. “Well, men always prefer women who are more feminine,” He gave a shy smile and shrugged. “You know, more boobs, more booty.” His other two guy friends laughed in the back. “Songs never sing about a flat butt.” Jessica grabbed the remote from my hand and put the sound on mute. “Oh my gosh. You know how I used to smoke right? I was skinny. After I stopped I literally gained 20 lbs. I mean, I do get more compliments on my bigger butt than my perky one. It does feel good to get attention.” “Yeah, Jess. You did seem bony… you almost looked boyish.” I chuckled under my breath. Jess had a lot of curves now. Guys digged it. “You know, I never talked to this about you, it might seem crazy. I’ve never told anyone but, um…” I stopped and took a breath. She’s going to be the first person I ever told my anorexic problem to. “Well, I’ve dealt with anorexia.” She gasped, but I kept going, looking down at the wooden tiles. “I knew I had Mike, my boyfriend who loved me. I knew I had you,” I looked up for a second, then back down. “And my family. I knew I had everything. Potential, support, etc. But, I was disgusted at myself. I resorted to self harm to deal with my emotions.” Jessica jumped out of the couch and covered her mouth. “What!?” She pushed my shoulders and lifted my left sleeve up. Faded cuts were visible. I turned red from embarrassment and teared up. “No way. When was this?” “Ninth grade to twelfth.” I whispered. “ I knew you were skipping meals. No wonder. You look so much healthier now.” I didn’t want to continue this topic so I stalled by unmuting the TV. I was a bit sad. Now the Caucasian guy of the group was speaking. “Honestly, us guys don’t want to be the only ones eating. We’d feel awkward. We associate wide hips with childbearing as crazy as it sounds. It’s subconscious.” Lemon nodded and asked the African American guy something. He smiled at him, but quickly turned serious. “Do you think social media has any part in all of this?” He nodded fast and grabbed the mic, looking dead at the camera. “Body image itself is based off of a mental picture of your figure. It’s how you see yourself. Where do you think these girls get the image from? Most likely social media, magazines, the radio. Songs sang by Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda”, Meagan Trainor’s “All About that Bass.” They promote curvy bodies. This is damaging and enforces an ideal image. Even my girlfriend, she wears a waist trainer to get that small core look. She wants an hourglass body. She’s told me a million times. Gosh, even my boss at work has starved herself. Most of the girls we see on television get surgery to get that perfect body look. Teens and adults really think we could be exactly like that.” He shook his head disappointed, but Don pulled the mic back, in awe. He nodded slow, indicating he was impressed. “Wow, you’re absolutely right. What’s your name, sir?” “Davon Jackson.” He said, smiling. One of his friends came from behind him. “Yeah, man. With apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram… it’s kind of hard not to give in to the hype. It gives us all the tools we need to compare ourselves to others. I’m sure we’d all want to be whatever is getting cherished. We all want to be seen when we walk into a room. The Kardashians are a great example of that. They enforce the idea of a “curvy” body. They go through great extents to look good.” I turned off the TV and gave a loud sigh. I rubbed my temples and looked at Jessica. “They’re so right. Oh my goodness. I need to start loving my body for what it is. I don’t want to give into the trend. I’d rather love what I got.” I started to say. “Same, girl. Oh look, your mom’s walking our way.” She got up and hugged her. “I could hear the TV from upstairs. You know, I had this magazine lying around in my bedroom. Maybe you should take a peek. She took an issue of TIME magazine. Printed in bold was ‘BODY CRAZE.” I opened it up and showed Jessica. She leaned in closer to me. Inside was a bunch of statistics on this matter. My eyes ran across some. “Approx. 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. According to statisticsbrain.com 80% of woman agree media makes them feel insecure. 58% of college girls are pressured to be a certain weight.” I flipped to the back of the magazine where they explained the body type valued in each decade. “Classic Beauty - Ancient Greece Woman with chubby arms and legs are considered beautiful. Food is a sign of health. During the Great Depression men preferred curvy woman because it associated with wealth. 1900 - The Gibson Girl Ideal femininity deciphered as slender, tall, with voluptuous bust and wide hips. 1950 - Post War Remained fuller figured, hourglass women were prized such as Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. 1960 - Twiggy Minimal chest, boyish look was the new sign of beauty. 1980 - Hardbodies Increase and emphasis on fitness. 1970 - Thin Is In Anorexia was common. Ladies took diet pills to decrease hunger. 1990 - Heroin Chic A bony appearance is valued. 2000s - Now Ladies who have an hourglass body is valued like Kim Kardashian. Ladies work out often, but there are still many diabetic people in the U.S. Issues with Anorexia is still common.” was written on the magazine. Jessica shrieked and pointed to a statistic on the magazine. She read it out loud. “81% of ten year olds are afraid of being fat. Geez, that’s young, Emily. They shouldn’t be worried about that yet.” I frowned and turned the page. “Daughter of Billy Joel shares out to us. ‘I don’t have a completely flat tummy, or cellulite free thighs, nor am I a model shape, or height. But, I still feel beautiful. Everyone should too.” “I like that,” I pointed out. “That’s my viewpoint on body image from now on. Trends come and go, but self love is forever.” “We need to start focusing on loving ourselves instead of following the trends. Now, lets go to Planet Fitness then eat ‘til our heart’s content.” Outside, my mom’s car honked. I gave a gigantic smile and said, “Lets.” Elizabeth is a sophomore. She enjoys writing in her spare time. She originally wrote this piece for her United States History class. |
About Epiphany
Epiphany Literary Magazine is a safe space for students at Franklin High School to share their creativity. Archives '16-'20
June 2020
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