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I want to write about weight training for sprint swimmer because I am also a sprint swimmer.  As a sprinter you need to train the same way in the weight room that you would in the pool. A big misconception that sprinters have is that they have to lift heavy weights all the time to get strong. That would be like doing all resistance training in the pool, which nobody does. Most sprint swimming programs go through different phases of training during a season. Typically they do a variety of endurance, power, and speed work. The same thing needs to be done in the weight room as well. To get the most out of training, you need to change what you do every so often because your body gets used to the same thing over and over again. It wouldn't make sense to do the same workout in the pool every day so why would you do the same thing in the gym every single day. If a season starts in April and goes into September like a typical summer season you need to balance the type of lifting you do. April should consist of endurance lifting, May power lifting, June speed lifting, July power lifting, and August speed lifting. By the end of the summer you will be stronger and faster with more endurance, which is the goal of a sprinter. For example, if you need to be able to go 48 seconds as fast as you can in the 100 free, that requires all of the components discussed above. The fastest sprinters in the world do not really pace the 100. The first 50 split is within a second of their best 50 time. When you take away the time it takes to turn you are looking at only a couple tenths of a second slower. That means the first 50 is approximately 98% effort so you definitely need endurance to finish off the race.

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It is storming right now so I thought I would just write a bunch of facts I know about thunderstorms and lightning from a class I just took.  A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. Thunderstorms result from the rapid upward movement of warm, moist air. They can occur inside warm, moist air masses and at fronts. As the warm, moist air moves upward, it cools, condenses, and forms cumulonimbus clouds that can reach heights of over 20 km. As the rising air reaches its dew point, water droplets and ice form and begin falling the long distance through the clouds towards the Earth's surface. As the droplets fall, they collide with other droplets and become larger. The falling droplets create a downdraft of air that spreads out at the Earth's surface and causes strong winds associated with thunderstorms. Cloud-to-ground lightning frequently occur within the phenomena of thunderstorms and have numerous hazards towards landscapes and populations. One of the more significant hazards lightning can pose is the wildfires they are capable of igniting. Under a regime of low precipitation thunderstorms, where little precipitation is present, rainfall cannot prevent fires from starting when vegetation is dry as lightning produces a concentrated amount of extreme heat. Wildfires can devastate vegetation and the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Wildfires that occur close to urban environments can inflict damages upon infrastructures, buildings, crops, and provide risks to explosions, should the flames be exposed to gas pipes. Direct damage is caused by lightning strikes occurs on occasion. In areas with a high frequency for cloud-to-ground lightning, like Florida, lightning causes several fatalities per year, most commonly to people working outside. 

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Ethanol, aka "alcohol", is perhaps the most widely consumed drug on Earth. With the exception of its effects on heart disease, few people would claim it is good for you. But, because of its legality, omnipresence, and just the fact that it is so much fun, most think very little of having a few beers or even a few six packs. However, it is far from being a harmless vice, even in non-alcoholics. It affects numerous neurotransmitters, metabolic processes, and hormones -- and many of these effects go beyond the time period of intoxication. These have ramifications, not only for general health, but as you will see, body composition as well.  Alcohol seems to be the drink of choice for most college students.  College students love to party on the weekends and consume alcohol to relieve stress that come from school during the week.  Many college students that drink are underage but not a lot of people care that college students are drinking illegally.  It’s the kind of behavior to be expected for college students to be doing.  Most people don’t always start drinking in college, many people start drinking underage when they’re in high school. A single study found, if a society believes that intoxication leads to Sexual behavior, rowdy behavior, or aggression, then people tend to act that way when intoxicated. But if a society believes that intoxication leads to relaxation and tranquil behavior, then it usually leads to those outcomes. Alcohol expectations vary within a society, so these outcomes are not certain. 

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Like any substance, marijuana can be abused. The most common problem attributed to marijuana is frequent overuse, which can induce lethargic behavior, but does not cause serious health problems. Marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, but only while under the influence. Marijuana does not impair long-term memory. Marijuana does not lead to harder drugs. 
Marijuana does not cause brain damage, genetic damage, or damage the immune system. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not kill brain cells or induce violent behavior. Continuous long-term smoking of marijuana can cause bronchitis, but the chance of contracting bronchitis from casual marijuana smoking is minuscule. Respiratory health hazards can be totally eliminated by consuming marijuana via non-smoking methods, such as ingesting marijuana via baked foods, tincture, or vaporizer. Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or alcohol (strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver damage, etc.). Death from a marijuana overdose is impossible. In all of world history, there has never been a single human death attributed to a health problem caused by marijuana. Legalize marijuana and life would be better for most people.

ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS


TOBACCO …………………… 400,000


ALCOHOL …………………… 100,000


ALL LEGAL DRUGS ………….20,000


ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ……….15,000


CAFFEINE …………………….2,000


ASPIRIN ………………………500


MARIJUANA …………………. 0

I don’t use marijuana but just saying… why not legalize such a harmless substance?

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Yesterday was Memorial Day and I thought I would just write about my day and a little about Memorial Day itself.  Every year I have to get up early to go to a Memorial Day parade in Lowell.  This year I went to bed really early and got about 13 hours of sleep so I was well rested the next morning.  For some reason, every year on memorial is the hottest day of the year so far.  The parade is really small with only a few people marching, the very small fort Frye high school marching band, and the 4-H club on a trailer pulled by my grand fathers tractor.  The reason we go every year is because my grand father is a past commander on the American Legion in Lowell so he is charge of leading the march of veterans and shouting commands.  So every year I go watch them do the same Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery.  This year was so hot that I felt bad for my aging grand father marching five miles in 90-degree weather.  It’s pretty impressive that he can still do that.  After it was all over, I went up to his house to replace the chain and sprockets on my four-wheeler and then ride it around a little bit.  He was drunk from having shots at the bar with his veteran buddies.  The advice he gave me was that the first amendment is that you have the right to protect yourself and that you’re not an American unless you have a gun.

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I have two best friends and I really can’t choose between them.  My two best friends are also my room mates.  Adam and matt have been my best friends for a long time.  We met in middle school when we all joined the cross country team in 7^th grade.  We became friend through being team mates.  We all ran cross country and joined the track team for 6 years.  I have been close and hung out with them a lot ever since we met.  Our freshman year, they moved to Devola, which is where I have lived all my life.  We started hanging out a lot more once they moved closer because I could just walk or ride my bike over to their house.  Once we could drive, we would take turns driving to school and to practice.  The three of us and another friend had a combined graduation party because we’ve been friends for so long that we had a lot of people in common to invite.  Last year we didn’t live together but I spent a lot of time going over to their dorm to hangout and we all went out together just about every weekend.  I had a single last year and it’s so small it wasn’t a very good place to hangout.  This year was the first time we lived together and although we get on each others nerves at times, we have similar interests and opinions on things so we can usually work through our problems.

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My favorite place in the whole wide world would probably be where we go camping in the mountains every summer.  I am a member of the Mountain Top Hunting Club in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia.  We don’t actually do any hunting when we go but we go on long ATV adventures and camp out for a week.  Every summer my grandparents take me and my cousins camping in the mountains.  The place that we set up camp is about 30 miles from town.  I usually sleep in a car hauler trailer that we use to bring the bikes up with.  We can’t sleep in tents because the bears can rip through them looking for food (it happened once). 

A general day for me up there starts by waking up early and starting the campfire.  Then, the whole camp (we have a group of about 20-30 people usually) packs lunches and gets ready for the daily ride on the trails.  Everyday the whole group usually rides about 25-40 miles.  After the ride, I usually go down to the lake to swim and wash off (no showers).  After dinner, the whole camp meets up at the campfire where we tell stories, make smores, drink beer and such. 

I always have so much fun up there but the reason that this is my favorite place is definitely because of the amazing natural scenery.  I love being able to just jump on my four-wheeler and go for a ride just to enjoy the nature and views the mountains have to offer.