Adele Blum

Past Entries

Entry 1

Entry 2

September 22, 2003

It is not even the middle of the semester and already I can feel the stress of school weighing me down. Test in one class, paper in another, and still there is a presentation that has to be finished.

One of the hardest things about participating in a varsity sport is balancing your time effectively. There is so much work that has to get done, but practice is draining and it is so hard to concentrate afterwards. Yet somehow we manage to finish it all, on time and well.

Being an NCAA Division III school, our emphasis is more on academics and not athletics. Unlike other divisions, athletic scholarships are not awarded. So, why do we run when we have so much work to concentrate on? The simple answer is, we enjoy it.

I enjoy the aspect of being on a team, being a part of something that only 18 others have decided to be a part of. The competitiveness that comes with every race and the sense of pride that you get when you have a good race or practice is irreplaceable. The feeling of accomplishment that you have run 10 miles on a Sunday morning before the rest of the school has even ventured outside. Not much can feel better than that.

Yes, we might take a lot of naps in order to concentrate on our work, but it eventually gets done. The balance between athletics and schoolwork is difficult, but it's the challenge that we, as a team, crave. We challenge ourselves during races to run our best, but we also challenge ourselves in the classroom to get the best grades we can.

So far, with another great race under our belts, we have conquered every challenge that has been thrown in our direction. With everyone's support this team will conquer it all.

Adele Blum is a senior from Jacksonville, Fla. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.