Alex nominated his soccer coach, Coach Madison, for the Play It Forward Coach of the Year contest, and won third place. Read his entry here or read what he has to say in this interview:
Name: Alex Davis Age: 15 Favorite Pro sports player: Ronaldo Favorite sport: Soccer Favorite videogame: Fallout 3
Hometown: West Paducah, Kentucky
What soccer position do you play?
Right-Wing Defender.
How did you get into soccer?
My older brother had been playing since he was 4 or so and i always was outside kicking the ball with him, thinking that he was just amazing, so i took it up. I also watched alot of soccer when i was a kid, watching Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos from Brazil play on their respective teams and thus the world of soccer opened up to me.
What made you decide to enter Coach Madison to the Play It Forward contest?
I was sitting in my room one night flipping through a Eurosport catalog and i was looking at a page advertising F50i cleats and i saw this add that said "Nominate your coach for Coach of the Year and you could win a $250 dollar gift card for eurosport." That was enough for me. Plus the D.C. trip for Coach Madison. So i figured why not? So I wrote that paper on him and found a photo of him and put it on there and lo and behold i get an email one day saying that I Alex Davis from the small city of Paducah and my Coach of Heath High School a 1A school with only 500 kids in it won a national contest!
You said Coach Madison took you to the State Championships for 4 years. WHat was that like the first time?
Well this year was the first year for me to be "coached" by Coach Madison but i have been going to his practices and stuff since 7th grade or so. i was also Team Manager for the team their first year to the state tournament and it was exhilarating seeing that many people come to watch high school boys play soccer! It was raining and about 40 degrees and it rained all 90 minutes of play. We went on to lose 3-1 that game, but the feeling was still there, the first time for our school's soccer program for a trip to the elite 8.
Describe your hometown and your school to us:
My hometown is a quiet and quaint little town in western Kentucky. Population is about 22,000 but only about 600 in the region i live in. My school is Heath High School: Home of the Pirates. We have roughly 500 students that attend, and we gain a few every year. You most likely have heard of us because back in 1997 we had a school shooting that gained national attention. We have all of the following sports: Soccer(best),Football,Baseball,Volleyball,Tennis,Cross Country,Basketball,Track,Swimming,and Mountain Biking. We have won a state championship in all but 5. Our colors are Black and Gold. We are the best school in the world!
What do you look for in a coach?
In Coaches I look for someone who can be serious but joking at the same time which fits Coach Madison to perfection. We also have Dustin Craine who is the assistant Coach and head coach of the Junior Varsity. He can always make someone laugh, no matter what.
What do you want to do when you finish high school?
I plan on going into the Army like my father and then attending Virginia University and making a career out of the military.
Is the grass always greener?
No it is not. We were picked not to be ranked at the end our last year's season and that seemed like a 99.9% chance but out of the .1% we became ranked at number 22 in the state.
What do you like about playing soccer?
I like the adrenaline rush you get before a game and knowing that this is the sport I love and that I can't wait to get out on the pitch and do what I do. Our field is the best in the state and we deserve it. I know that in confidence that we have the best coaching staff, fan support, upper player support, quality substitution and the best starting eleven in all of soccer. This allows me to know that if I mess up then 10 guys have my back.
Header or bicycle kick?
Bicycle Kick
Kobe or Shaq? Shaq
Kanye West or Taylor Swift?
Kanye west
Nascar or Kentucky Derby?
Kentucky Derby
Harry Potter or Pirates of the Carribean?
Harry Potter
Habaneros or Jalapenos?
Habaneros
Thanks Alex, and congrats to you and Coach Madison!
"I can't go climbing anymore," said the voice on the other end of the line. "I don't have health insurance, so I just can't risk it." I was confused, frustrated, shocked. No, this wasn't a break-up. I had invited my friend Brian to go rock-climbing. So far, he'd gone with me a few times and had fun, so that he was bailing on me now was unexpected. But he had left his job, and now he had no insurance. We'd have to stick to rock climbing via Nintendo Wii.
That's the world of american-youth-with-no-healthcare. In the past decade, youth would go outside and climb trees, shoot hoops, and generally just be young and alive! But today, when we want to go out and run amuck, we are reminded that if anything were to take an unexpected turn (broken arm, bad cold, head injury) we might suddenly find ourselves in dire financial circumstances due to lack of health insurance. What's necessary, what's not, what's risky and what's safe. Who knows? Not my age demographic!
Us Youth have gotten flack for being 'absent' on the healthcare debates. I don't think it's because we don't care; I think it's because we are confused.
Many of us are so new to healthcare, that we're not exactly sure what to make of it. If you're in the 18- 25 range, you may have just gotten out of college (where health insurance is provided and usually mandatory) or just recently grown too old to be covered under our parents' insurance. As young people just starting our careers, what do we make of the healthcare maze, and how does that reflect our views on the healthcare debate?
I decided to poll a few of my friends to see what their situation is. What I got was three different scenarios altogether:
ALEX
The gist: Alex is the manager of a small business where nobody has gotten around to getting healthcare for the employees. While he's not worried about his health yet, he does wish for dental insurance so he can take care of some cavities.
MIRANDA
The gist: Miranda has worked part-time for 3 years at her work without insurance, and is now trying to make the transition into full time so she finally can. She doesn't like worrying about her lack of insurance, but isn't sure if a national healthcare plan would be better or worse.
BRIAN
The gist: After being out of work for 5 months with no insurance, he's happy to be covered under his new job. He's not sure about all the facts behind the healthcare debate, but likes change (and wouldn't mind giving insurance co's a run for their money).
In conclusion, I think we all care very much - perhaps more than other age groups. But it's hard to get a handle on the issue, and we're total n00bs. We need time, dialogue, information, and maybe a Healthcare videogame. (Um, Sims™ is that a challenge?)
This entry is part of the Youth Media Blog-a-thon on Healthcare hosted by Wiretap and YO! Youth Outlook! Throw in your own two cents!
Vin Scully knows just about anything and everything about baseball and the Dodgers. For all those who are lucky enough to tune in to Vin calling Dodger games, you would also find that he knows just as much about every ball player from any team. One night, as I watched the boys in blue take on the Cincinnati Reds, Chris Dickerson came to the plate. Vin did the usual run-down on the career of Chris and where he was from but he also happened to mention another interesting tidbit about Chris Dickerson's life.
As it turns out, Chris Dickerson, outfielder of the Cincinnati Reds and fellow ball player Jack Cassel of the Cleveland Indians are the founders of WePlayGreen.org, a foundation that brings professional athletes together to inspire communities to build awareness of the growing environmental crisis. Vin emphasized the fact that one of their main objectives is to reduce the use of plastic water bottles.
I was inspired to get ahold of Chris, who is the CEO of WePlayGreen.org. After telling him about Play City, he was more than welcome to have me call him on the phone before a ball game.
Chris Dickerson was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. He has been involved in just about every organized sport starting with soccer in his youth to football and baseball. He attended the University of Nevada where he played college ball for three seasons before he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003. He finally achieved his dream when he was called up by the Cincinnati Reds to make his major league debut in 2008.
It was in college that Chris started to think about our environmental impact and consumption. He started to use BRITA water filters instead of water bottles at home. Documentaries like "An Inconvenient Truth" opened his eyes to what might become of our planet if we don't act now. He even noticed all the plastic that was being used in baseball clubhouses with a lack of recycling receptacles.
From those experiences alone, Chris and his good friend decided to form WePlayGreen.org. He has helped bring environmental awareness to Major League Baseball, and the impact is already being made. Major league teams such as the Dodgers, Indians, and Rays have lessened the use of plastic water bottles by replacing them with Sigg reusable aluminum bottles, a product that Chris has been using for awhile now. MLB has also made a push to set an example along with the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC) by organizing recycling drives such as the huge drive held during the MLB All-Star Game in Yankee stadium.
Major league stadiums such as Seattle's Safeco Field, Houston's Minute Maid Park, and Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark have stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) in the environmental movement by composting waste and grass from the field as well as converting the oil from the fryers in the stadiums to make biodiesel. The Cleveland Indians have even installed solar panels at Progressive Field to power all 1,100 monitors throughout the stadium.
That is barely the tip of the iceberg for what Chris Dickerson plans to do. WePlayGreen will be partnering with LRG Clothing to launch a new line of eco-friendly pre-consumed cotton apparel this fall. On top of his environmental activism, he gives back to the kids in Cincinnati by visiting at-risk youth in surrounding communities to help encourage them to use baseball as a way to keep out of trouble.
For those who are wondering what they can do to get involved, Chris put it simply:
"It's really just the little things that we can do to make a positive impact on our environment. Small things like getting recycling bins in Little League fields or even just installing a BRITA water system at home or using aluminum reusable water bottles can make a huge difference."
Before I got off the phone with Chris, I asked him if there was more activism in store for him after baseball. He plans to make it a full-time thing, and to expand WePlayGreen.org into a large scale endeavor. Major League stadiums doing their part is not enough. He would like to see all high schools and amateur facilities improve their waste management and decrease plastic consumption within the next 5-10 years, as well as implement steps for renewable energy. That's a lot on the table, but he is confident that the little things that we can do now will eventually make a huge impact on our planet.
(From Left to Right: Jenny Corace, VP of Corporate Development, Jack Cassel, Co-Founder, and Chris Dickerson, Founder and CEO)
Be sure to check out WePlayGreen.org for updates and to read all about the athletes that are involved.
During my first conference call with YouthNoise Play City, we all had to introduce ourselves. State your name, where you're from, where you've been, and why you're here.
It turns out everyone has been everywhere, fanatic nomadics who have lived in one place and then moved to another, and now kind of settling down here or there, but prepared to pack up and move on should the need present itself.
I must admit, after everyone else's interesting and quirky descriptions of who they are, where they're from, where they've been, and why they're here, I was a little embarrassed to introduce myself.
My name is Nando Yiv. I've lived in Norwalk, CA all of my life. The furthest I've ever been away from home was when I took a skateboard road trip up to San Francisco. Even then, I was only away for three days. I have always been a huge basketball and baseball enthusiast, but skateboarding is really my thing.
After that part of my phone introduction, I started to feel more comfortable with the other things I was going to talk about. Norwalk is only a stones throw away from Los Angeles. I have access to the biggest events and concerts— basically anything and everything is right around the corner from me. LA is an automatic stop for any major, minor, or miniscule event.
I am here because I believe that I have the ability to effectively turn young people on to bigger issues in this world than clothes, celebrities, and fame. I've been doing it for a long time already, and I believe YouthNoise Play City will allow me to do it on a grander scale.
I love that Play City features so many different people from different walks of life, and I intend to contribute as much as I can to this awesome movement. To me, it's easy to work hard for something if you really care about it. My goal as a blogger at Play City is simple:
1. Meet You.
2. Find out what you care about.
3. Show you what we can do about what you care about.
With those three things, I hope that we can use this platform to really make something good happen.
Theresa, our Regional Coordinator in NYC, passed along some footage of
our Step It Up dancers jamming out to Michael Jackson recently. I
thought I'd share these unique clips with the YN community since this
week has kinda sucked. Lots of folks have passed away, including the
legendary Michael Jackson
(check out Debbie's post, which includes the two MJs facing off!).
I've done a lot of reflecting this week as a result of MJs untimely
death. Not sure if there's some sort of Universal quota that needs to
be filled, but it sure seems crazy that folks are dying left and right
this week (Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Walter Cronkite is reportedly in critical condition).
Anywho,
I thought it was pretty awesome that our Step It Up dancers - a
generation of young people who are the last to experience MJ while he
was a live - bust a move to the greatest bust a mover of our time.
Rest in peace Michael Jackson from all of us here at YouthNoise/Playcity.
And don't forget the June 30th performances are right around the corner! Here's the info:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
1:00pm-8:00pm
The Battle of the Boroughs
Columbia University
Miller Theater
2960 Broadway (@116th Street)
New York, NY 10026
1:00pm to 4:00pm Finalist Tech Rehearsals
5:30pm Doors open for Competition
6:00pm – 8:00pm The Battle of the Boroughs Competition
