final draft: author's note

          I was really pretty exited about how this turned out. My final draft is complete, and since there were not very many comments or revisions submitted through workshopping, I turned to the other first-person sources I could refer to. I sent the draft I had to the people closest to me that have also experienced the trail system to get a little feedback about what I as missing when I tried to capture the essence of the trail.  I think I originally missed out on the seasonal nature of the trail and the landscape. I added a little bit more about how there were so many people I saw on the first cool day of summer I caught - and tried to imagine how the trail will look in a few weeks when the leaves change and how quiet the trail will sit when it rains, snows, or with any other inclement weather event.  I also wanted to get in a solid conclusion and really put out an argument for why I love the trail and why other people should (hopefully) feel the same. I made a big proofreading effort, and I tried to diversify my sentence structure from the repetitive nature it had before.

feedback and ch-ch-changes

    The workshop we did for Thursday's class was mostly helpful for my own essay by way of reading others. I get a lot of my inspiration for writing from others and editing goes about the same way. I see patterns in grammatical styles and sentence structures and it makes me want to write that way. My mom was a high school English teacher before I was born, and she teaches elementary school now - and I didn't really realize how much that affected my writing style and editing habits until college. I am far from being a great writer with handbook-verified grammatical skills, but I think genetics definitely help. There was only one workshop edit on my document with a few comments about how I described the trail in context and furthering my argument about why I use it. I expanded a little bit on why I think other people use y favorite trail and I intend to proofread several more times with a fine-toothed comb. Maybe I'll throw in some more of mom's favorite editing tools for the next round of workshopping:

first draft & author's note

Author’s Note:
Obviously, this piece is very much a work in progress as related to its length and grammatical accuracy. Either way, the goal of this piece is to make an argument for the inviting nature and curious juxtaposition of my favorite mountain biking spot in the area. I would hope that readers would want to further explore this space, take up a new outdoors hobby, or just become aware of its meek existence.             The context of this piece is one of exploration of a new hobby, new place, and new attitude as they are altered by just a dirt trail in Corinth. I enjoyed the observation process at this place because it really allowed me to step out of the role I usually assume there. I had to watch dozens of cyclists and runners go by as I typed away on my laptop, feeling very out of place. My rhetorical exploration of the space turned out to nicely parallel my physical exploration of the trail, and the allusions from one to the other didn’t stop there. Several things like the children playing sports helped me draw parallels to my own life and attitude about the space and sport. Sometimes this piece may come off as a little ‘stream-of-consciousness’ and that’s because mountain biking feels that way, too. This sport is about being in the moment, and using as little forethought as possible to make the experience more exciting. I chose this space because it’s probably unique to me. It’s also a new place in my life, and one that holds significance to me as the beginning of a new chapter.

Draft 1:
          North Texas has so many cities named after planes and prairies and the landscape around here does little to disprove this geographical assumption. As a college student with a limited gas budget and a newfound passion for mountain biking, a logistical issue with finding places to pursue my new hobby persists. I really love the youthful feeling of freewheeling over hills and under trees, but there is only so far I can drive to find those things at my beginner-friendly level. Just a half-hour drive down Interstate 35 will land you somewhere near Corinth, Texas. This community calls itself the “Gateway to Success” and my success came in various levels while attempting to mountain bike at my favorite spot right next to City Hall. Just a few years ago, the city of Corinth built and maintained this seven-mile loop of mixed-use trail that sits in between a number of other civic facilities. This city of only about twelve thousand embraces the outdoor lifestyle, as shown by this tucked-away haven in the middle of city life.

            There’s not a road sign or directional map when people arrive to the Corinth City Hall Trail. You exit 35, turn left, park, and you are there. A very non-descript opening in the wooded area that surrounds the City Hall parking lot invites exploration from everyone walking by. Sunlight leaks down between the tree cover throughout the first section of trail, taking off the mysterious edge of what lies beyond. Even just the parking lot scene makes the argument that this place is something special for the outdoors enthusiasts. More than half of the cars at City Hall have no business to handle with the City of Corinth, but they seem to have a few things in common: bike racks on their cars without bikes, running shoes and water bottles littered throughout the vehicle, and various car decals promoting their affiliations with bike clubs, conservation authorities, and more. A steady flow of cyclists, runners, walkers, hikers, and the occasional curious passer-by frequent this opening on a gloriously cool Texas day like this one. After a brutal summer, most of the surrounding grass is still slightly yellowed, but one recent brief storm gave this ground just enough help to firm up for good traction. Traction doesn’t really seem too important until you strap on the helmet and take the first turn into the woods. One steep drop and rise will kick anybody back into survival mode.

            The juxtaposition of these trails between a few key spots in Corinth gives it character.  City Hall on the entrance side of the trail argues a civic edge and an official nature. These trails were not an accident or act of nature, they were an investment and a source of civic pride. Trail maintenance is a topic on City Council meeting agendas, and a few cycling clubs call this loop of dirt paths their home. The only other thing you can see from the parking lot is Denton County’s new railway system for public transit. Parallel to the rail line is a sidewalk that stretches the entire distance, perfect for cyclists less than accustomed to cruising amongst traffic on the streets. The “Rails and Trails” is a perfect lead-up to the trailhead here; It is just a continuation of the fitness-geared escape the trails provide. My personal favorite part of the trail is the third boundary that the city provides. Dozens of youth athletic fields make up most of the back part of the trail, and every quarter of a mile or so of the trail pops out to see kindergarteners playing football or a herd of kids chasing a soccer ball. Too often I go into the trails with a mission in mind (go faster, take turns better, be more confident) and lose the real reason why I mountain bike. I cycle because it’s fun. Flying down hills and taking reckless turns is probably one of the most rejuvenating activities I participate in, and seeing kids with the same innocent attitude toward their hobby gives me that feeling back. Some of the most interesting people to watch fly down the trails were the parents who would slip away from a child’s soccer practice to hit the trails, but every time it popped out onto the fields, they would pause just for a moment to catch their kid make a play.

            The other thing I really enjoy about this space is they way people move through it. The course starts and ends at the same place in the non-descript opening in the corner of the parking lot. Most people, without direction, seem to move the same way through the winding dirt path, so on no occasion that I have been there, ridden there, or observed, have I seen a collision. The mutual respect that cyclists and runners share creates a feeling of camaraderie and common purpose on the trails. From any point of observation, you can hear a faint “on your left” or “right behind you” from a few hundred yards out. The only place in the trails that requires riders to move in the same direction is a single-track section infamously named “Thrasher’s Maze.” Trasher’s is marked with a dilapidated sign no bigger than a sheet of paper and a one-way sign that looks as if it was stolen from the adjacent street. It’s not one-way because they said so, it’s one-way because it is a heinous course if attempted backwards. Very short, steep drops make this not only a great challenge to cyclists but a great source of entertainment for observers on the sports fields.  Thrasher’s Maze would be my choice for anybody looking for a couple of new colorful vocabulary words or some first-aid training practice. On an evening walk or leisurely trail run, the maze has copious amounts of tree cover and a comfortable amount of hills to make for a innocuous workout. It looks easy enough, but the amount of hills that various levels of cyclists can be seen walking their bikes up and the amount of trees that fall victim to human collisions tell the story of a quiet enemy.

obituary: ryan dunn

          Ryan Dunn of MTV's Jackass franchise died in a horriffic car accident in June of 2011. A Philadelphia paper wrote an Obituary on the 34-year-old that was less than a celebration of a short life ended too soon than a review of past misjudgments. They make several evaluative arguments by noting "Mr. Dunn's reputation for bad driving" and an occasion where he "once flipped a car eight times into oncoming traffic with Mr. [Bam] Margera inside." They discuss his friendship with his best friend as "enduring, if hazardous to their health." The claims made about Ryan Dunn in this article were poorly timed, just 2 days after his death and 1 day after they could confirm his identity due to the particularly violent nature of the accident. Claims made by the Inquirer of his "daredevil streak" and his making a "career out of cheating death" were only supported by legal evidence of tickets and movies. Such claims without personal evidence, interview, or any personal relationship without Dunn were out of place in such a strongly worded piece. No matter teh nature of the death or career history, nobody is perfect and I don't think anybody would wnt him to be rememberes in that fashion.

 Obituary: Ryan Dunn/'Jackass' star killed in suburban Philadelphia car crash

but what does it mean?!

          I'm a native of Plano, not too far from Corinth, but far enough that I needed to outsource a little bit to draw some inferences on the meaning of this space the the community. Conveniently enough, the trail head is in the corner of the parking lot of Corinth City Hall. I figured if anybody knew a little bit more, they did. I found enough friendly-looking civic workers and pamphlets to get some answers:
          The trail sits in between 3 really key parts of a Corinthian's life. Obviously City Hall represents an important facet of their community, and also an unusual starting place for a multi-purpose trail. City Hall represents law, responsibility, and duty in this community. Directly behind this building and bordering the back half of the trail system is a series of soccer fields, football fields, and baseball diamonds. This one one of my favorite parts of riding during afternoon hours. If you're taking your ride too seriously, try to keep that going after watching a herd of kindergartners try to play football.  It's a great part of the trail to remember the youthful feeling you get flying down hills and not being quite the best at what you're doing but having fun with it anyway. The final border of the park is the new Denton County transit project "Rail Trail", literally sidewalks bordering their entire light rail track. Corinth is working pretty hard to meet the fitness and health needs of their community in all of these active ways.

experiences of observation

          I finally got out to my observation site by the end of last week when the weather finally got beautiful. I usually start my mountain biking route at the parking lot next to the courthouse, but my favorite part is right after the first major rise and fall of the trail (not to discount how terrifying that first free-fall is and the white-knuckle ninja grip I have on my handle bars on the way back up). After that first event, you can see almost all of the other important parts of the trail. On this particular day, I'm seeing a lot more people here than usual. I started riding here on a 106 degree day, so the weather is starting to bring out the less masochistic athletes of North Texas. There's a good mix of runners, walkers, hikers, mountain bikers, and dog walkers. Larger dogs in particular seem to be getting a big kick out of this trail, the first house you encounter after the first hill either really loves tiny terriers that look the same or they might breed them. Either way, there's probably about 8 of 9 yapping dogs flying across the yard with every passing bike, just hoping to catch a sniff. The dogs passing the yard give ever-so-slightly threatening looks and seem to pick up with the clip they were trotting along at. The humans all move through this space in a pretty similar fashion, though. There's a right way and a wrong way for hikers and cyclists; they move in opposite ways as to not create more collisions than already occur. This is true for all of the course except for one part.
          Thrasher's Maze is a really intimidating name for a quiet little trail in Corinth, but with my pretty insubstantial 5 weeks of training, even I can handle it. It's a single track and very tightly wound section of the park, and most often where you would find me hanging sideways on a tree or walking my bike up and down a steep drop. On this day, people seem to be experiencing Thrasher in the same way that I usually do. There's some successful turns and winds, but also a good amount of yelling, some colorful vocabulary, and unfortunately a little bit of dirt-eating. I'm looking forward to a few more days like that at the trail with the weather so bearable.

corinth city hall trail

          Well, it was a pretty big stretch when I clipped my shoes in to my road bike the first time. If you haven't clipped shoes into bike pedals before, it is terrifying. Get on a moving object with the potential to break bones and attach yourself to it. Pretty counter-intuitive, right? I fell at least 10 times just on my own street, spinning at less than 2 miles per hour. It's been a while since I have made friends with the pavement on my bike now, and I have moved on to new clips, bikes that should hit the ground less, and slightly more protective helmets. My two years of road cycling mastery are a victory in my "learning-new-things" column.
          I'll preface this by saying that I don't like being new or incompetent at things. Same reason I don't particularly enjoy bowling or chess. When my boyfriend and fellow triathlete pals pushed me into considering purchasing my first mountain bike, I didn't even give it a chance. Why would I attach myself to a bike that is probably going to hit trees and rocks at higher velocities? I wouldn't. Conversation over (I thought.) My friends know me a little better than I thought, as soon as I was exposed to the world of shiny pink mountain bikes with matching gloves and neon gear, I couldn't pass it up. This could be the only sport where I could ride a pink bike and simultaneously look pretty hardcore. One week later, I owned a shiny pink mountain bike, matching gloves, and an appropriately safe helmet for my impending ER visit.
          My associates decided this seemingly sketchy 5.6 mile trail behind the City Hall of Corinth, TX was to be the scene of the accident. I was nothing short of terrified. One short drop and gain, and I was ready to turn around, but after that first turn, a little barn. One more turn, 8 puppies in one yard. I didn't know where this trail was going, or if I would leave it alive that day. I had a new appreciation for the unplanned yet intentional nature of the winding single-track and the feelings of being twelve and flying down the street with a playing card clipped on to your bike to sound like a motorcycle. That's mountain biking. That's pretty much the only place I ever ride my mountain bike, and it feels new every day I go back. It's tucked away off of I-35E, somewhere between chaos and tranquility; completely open to the public, but closed off from self-doubt. I could definitely use some more time on those beautiful trails now that the weather is this perfect to analyze the arguments nature makes against my probably short-lived mountain biking career.

Oh, the places I go...

           I spend a good deal of time on the Trinity River. I live on the Trinity, I work across the street from the Trinity, and I do most of my training along its copious amounts of running and cycling paths. Most of the time I spend actually near the river is training an trying to stay focused, and the Trinity is so perfect because it allows me to step back from working hard and see things differently. I do my hardest workouts at Trinity park, and no matter how seriously I try to take myself, I get a little dose of humility and child-like wonder seeing the mini choo-choo train chug by. Most of the races I volunteer at for work start at the duck pond, another one of my favorite parts of the river. It's pretty difficult to feel angry or sad when ducks are frolicking about around the runners, acknowledging only the ones who brought the gaggle something to snack on. The best part of the river I get to see when I go running at about dusk from my apartment, the skyline of downtown all lit up against its reflection on the river. There's something calming about seeing the skyline so still and the river so quiet, but thinking about how much hustle and bustle is out of sight. If nothing else, the river is an absolutely wonderful place to get in a healthy amount of people-watching. I love it for the same reason I love selling running shoes: everybody has a reason to get out and walk/run/ride/etc. When I see that 60-year-old man practically hobbling down the river in short running shorts and a sweatband, all I can think about is what goal he's looking to achieve like running his 50th marathon or maybe just staying healthy enough to play with his grandkids. Everybody on the river has a story, and so does every duck pond, dam, and mini train.

In-Class for 8/30

                The logos and the American flag are a shocking image at first, but I think they really go hand-in-hand. I think this is an appeal to Pathos, because not all of the 30 logos on the flag are corporations Americans are proud to be associated with. Not every American wears Nike, buys Playboy on a monthly basis, or buys their pharmaceuticals from Eli Lilly, but that's what our country is all about. Everybody is so different, and the 13 stripes on the flag remind us that we're all on the same page, even if we're different colors, lengths, or run into certain obstacles. The flag might also argue a Logos appeal because regardless of the undertones these corporations present, they are hugely successful and uniquely American. We can be proud of the millions of dollars these companies bring in and the millions of people they employ whom might not have a job otherwise. I could call it the United State of Everything.

food for thought

          Mark Bittman presents quite the argument in defense of the healthy home-cooked meal that rarely makes its way onto the American dinner table. His use of the three appeals definitely brings out the key points of his argument, but also highlights the weaknesses. The first few paragraphs of this essay rehash his career as a food journalist and author, so the Ethos appeal leads the reader to trust him because of his authority in this field. Having said that, this isn't a food review. This is a piece on trends in American consumption, obesity, animal cruelty, and ethical eating. At least for me, Ethos wasn't the most powerful appeal in this piece. I think the Logos Bittman uses in the essay makes more of an impact. He points out that the only country that eats out more (and arguably as poorly) as we do is Japan. The invention and popularization of the microwave and the growing frozen food industry lead to just as much laziness in food preparation. The rise Americans saw in the speed of food, like fast food, casual dining chains, and frozen food, was matched by the rush to maturity experienced by the animals used for production. Fowl were force-fed to make foods like foie gras much faster and cows are machine-fed and probably never leave the confines of a pen. This appeal can be very closely relates to the Pathos the author uses, since such imagery and statistics are disappointing to hear. Nobody wants to think of themselves and their friends as the immobile, shake-sipping WALL-E humans that Bittman suggests we could all become. The animals not lucky enough to be raised free-range are sentenced to a life of isolation, a devastating image to think about. As an athlete, I'm one of those people who thinks of food as fuel. What you put into your body will show when you put it to the test. The other factor in my food decisions that Bittman fails to mention is money. Eating in a healthy, local, free-range, fresh way is expensive. Poor college kids can't always afford to buy organic, and when the salad at McD's is $7.50 and the McChicken is $1, there's not much of a decision to be made. It's hard to think about animal cruelty when you're starving and on a budget.

In-Class for 8/25

Do you agree that everything is an argument?

I do agree that everything is an argument for SOMETHING. Sometimes it's a little bit more unclear what that something is. Nobody would write a table of statistics and numbers that look like they could be another language if they didn't mean something, explain something, or do something. Every research paper that I mope my way through feels like it will be scanned over once, given an arbitrary letter grade, and deleted forever. If nothing else, turning in that paper make the argument that I put forth enough effort to earn a grade at all. I made an argument that I care about that given document. At base level, I argued that I can use a word processing tool competently (a skill not to be taken for granted after attempting to use number processing tools like Excel.) I think advertisements and opinon pieces are much more ouvert about their argument than choosing an outfit for the three hours of class I attended today, but all three make an argument for something like what you should buy, what you should think, and what kind of respect you deserve (respectively.) The first chapter of the book makes the point that everything is an argument, and there are several different cetegories of arguments. Once you label something like an my empirical research article as "academic argument," it has a more defined purpose for persuasion.

Hello, my name is...

     

   My name is Ellen and I am finally a senior at TCU!  I was born and raised just across the river in Plano, Texas, but I definitely call Cowtown my home now. I will be graduating in May of 2012 with a degree in Sport Psychology with a minor in Psychology as well. I appreciate my training related to the mental game as an athlete myself; I regularly participate in triathlons, duathlons, and running events from 5K to half marathons.



         My goals in writing are surprisingly similar to my goals in everyday athletic endeavors. I am always trying to be a more efficient cyclist, use less energy to run faster, tune a swim stroke to last longer. Similarly, I want my writing to be of a higher quality and more powerful, but take less time to crank out. I'm someone who doesn't necessarily struggle with writing, but if I am producing an important piece, I take astronomical amounts of time to pre-write, write, proofread, get opinions, and so on. I'm getting to the part of my education where the writing I produce is no longer just affecting the grades I receive, but also the jobs I can get and internships I can hold. I have to persuade professors, research committees, and peers that I can be a reliable source of information. Most of the writing I do now has to do with article reviews and my senior research in sport psychology, and even though it's a scientific topic, there is an argument I am trying to make. The academic arguments I make in my research papers seem trivial, but classmates and I hope that our studies will affect the lives of athletes and coaches alike in the future.