Concussions

In the past year or two there has been a massive increase in the amount of publicity surrounding the issue of concussions and physical sports. Although it has been all over the news it hasn’t only been in professional sports. Parents of young children have been fighting for stricter rules in sports such as lacrosse and hockey, and the NHL and NFL have molded their rules to create harsher consequences for players who exclusively hit for the head.

            In a world where sports and athletes grow relatively stronger compared to the generations before, but still using the same bodies and basic equipment it is important to monitor the way the game is affecting many athletes, specifically after their playing days are over. In Olympic running alone, 85 years ago the winner of the 100 yd. sprint would be beaten by the man who came in dead last of a qualifying sprint to hopefully get into the Olympics.  This alone is a scary fact when you realize that the same sports are being played. Athletes are getting bigger, faster and stronger, but the brains are still protected by virtually the same piece of plastic and foam. Not to mention, most hits are so jarring that regardless of the helmet the human brain will still be forced to move in such a way that it still hits through the protective membrane into the skull thus creating a concussion and normally a temporary loss of consciousness.

            I have played physical sports my whole life. Iv had no less than four major concussions, as well as 5 minor throughout my hockey, lacrosse and wakeboarding days. At this point doctors know that I should try not to get more but do not know what the “magic” number is or if there even is one. Without a healthy brain, the human body does not function correctly. Everyone immediately thinks of Muhammed Ali and his early onset Alzheimer’s. But, in my opinion it has to be similar to cancer, you can give it a leg up and it will have a better chance of occurring, but many people who have had no contact with cigarettes or smoke may still get lung cancer.

GOOD
I think the basic story is complete- I have a completed hero's journey from end to end.
Good explanation of differences in lifestyle before, during and after- good explanation of transformation and realization of self.
BAD
I definitely try to explain things in too few words. With a technical sport such as kite boarding it is difficult to teach let alone explain in words on paper- I just need to take some time and explain what I am actually trying to say. As Kat said unwrap my ideas.
Good explanation of the journey, but not enough of what I learned from my experiences- Go through my document and elaborate on some important aspects that I just brushed on.

Reading
This portion of the Hero’s Journey talks about the many characters that a hero may meet as he goes along his journey. The characters all play a significant role in forming the character into the person that they become in the conclusion of the story. Each character, the mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shape-shifter, ally, and trickster all take a part in all stories. As the hero meets each of these archetypes he slightly changes and takes into account the role that each is playing in the pursuance of the goal, some may be trying to take him away from his goal while others such as the mentor may be trying to help pursue the goal. The mentor plays a critical role in every story, and can be very different from what one may think a mentor should be or the classic mentor is.

Reflection
The hero and the mentor go hand in hand in every story, which is why they are written one after the other in the text. The hero usually starts out lost in every story, whether it be physically or emotionally. Sometimes he has a calling that he must go to or something he must pursue and the mentor usually helps the hero toward this goal. There are many types of mentors but in all stories the mentor no matter what shape of form taken has a helping quality that pushes the hero towards the goal. The mentor represents the whole self within us, and in all cases whether the mentor takes form within the characters helps the hero represent his or her whole self.

Reaction
I have done this sort of reading and analyzing since highschool and throughout western heritage but I still have found examples of archetypes I have not seen in the books and stories I have read and heard. Hero’s and mentors obviously go together and everyone needs some sort of mentor or multiple mentors throughout their lives to mold them into the person they turn out to be. Most mentors in real life are more role models that shape a person into who they are. In most classic stories the mentor is someone who guides the character along a course to their goal. It is interesting and something I had not thought about as having a bad mentor, or someone who teaches you out of something they have done poorly or done bad, in this case a mentor could be evil or a bad character in the story as long as it sets the hero on his way to a goal.