Deadlines

There is a new force in my life. It is called The Deadline, and it urges me to stay up until 5 am working on stories for my journalism class (that I was given plenty of time to work on) that are due in about 5 hours. Here's what I have done so far, a student feature:

Melinda "Mindy" Schlemmer is a difficult person to catch up with. But then, that is probably one of the major reasons she received a scholarship to play soccer for SMCC. Fortunately for me, even she has to take break once in a while.

I was able to actually sit down and speak to her during one of these rare breaks, ironically, at her workplace, United Blood Services. When I questioned her about her usual routine, she exuberantly rattled off her classes, described her daily soccer conditioning (on this day, a mere 3-mile run,) her regular trips to an off-campus gym, and of course, her part-time job.

At this point I was beginning to realize that there was much more to this somewhat diminutive freshman than first meets the eye.

Listening as she casually recounted various incidents from the soccer field confirmed my suspicions. Mindy was smiling as she pointed out the rib she had dislocated during a game in October. She laughed as she told me about being punched in the face during a game by a member of the opposing team. When I expressed my surprise that she didn't find such mishaps more discouraging, she told me this next story. That's when I realized: Mindy Schlemmer is a player that gives even better than she gets.

A good example is how she creatively dealt with hecklers at an away game. Displaying a profound understanding of the phrase "Words will never hurt me," she had kicked the soccer ball into the stands and struck a male heckler squarely in his head.

I wasn't sure I believed this story right away, but I was a little afraid to say so. I was spared by her supervisor signaling the end of the break period. I still had some questions so I asked if I could speak to her after she got off of work.
"Well, on Wednesdays we usually play volleyball afterwards," she replied.

Wow.

I thanked her for her time and promised to attend one of her upcoming games. Soccer season starts on July 1st. If you go to a game to see SMCC in action, keep an eye out for Melinda Schlemmer.
And if you're going to support the opposing team, watch your head.

One down, two to go. This one was fun to write up because I'm allowed a much more casual tone.

I desperately need to learn how to be productive before 3 am.