About Leah

Email: lmatthew@oswego.edu

Posts by Leah

Leaf-Raking!

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Today representatives from our athletic teams went leaf raking in Oswego!  SAAC (student athlete advisory committee) set up this volunteer activity for us.  It has been something that happens every year, and it’s really cool because we get to help out the older people in the community and also make Oswego look nice!  The athletes split up in teams of 5-10 people and get a list of lawns to rake.  All senior citizens or other people in need have the opportunity to sign up, and I think they are all very grateful for this.  It was great being able to help these people out, but it was also a really fun time!

One of the houses that I went to was a former Women’s Swim coach, Grace Mowatt.  She shared stories with us about when she used to coach the team.  It was really fun hearing about how different things were before, and how our program has evolved.  Grace and her husband even gave us pizza and cider!  At least that was pretty exciting for me… like most other college kids, I always love free food. :-p    I could tell how grateful they were, and that really made the whole thing worthwhile.  At the other house that I raked, I got to jump in a huuuuuge pile of leaves.. that’s always fun, no matter how old you are!  The pic below is right as i was jumping into the pile of leaves… with just my feet sticking out :-p

Community service is something that a lot of people dread doing, or think that it will not be much fun, but I’m telling you right now that it is as fun as you make it.  I used to really hate raking the leaves in my yard growing up because it was a chore that I had to help with every year.   To be honest, the first time I signed up to do the leaf raking in Oswego,  I wasn’t very excited about it, but it ended up being a lot of fun.  I got to go out and do something different for the weekend, I bonded with my teammates, and I made a difference in my community.  That really beats sitting on the couch all day.  I even got back in time to watch the football game!  (GO BILLS!)  The bottom line is, get yourself involved in community service, because there are lots of people out there that need our help.

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Apple Picking in Oswego!

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I love the Fall. Even though it means that its getting colder and raining every other day in Oswego, it’s still such a beautiful time of year. Every Fall, at home I used to go apple picking with my family, but now since I’ve been to college it’s been a while. This year some of the girls and guys from my Swimming and Diving team decided to go. We had a lot of fun picking apples and then making a bunch of pies and stuff after! Being here in Oswego, we have the opportunity to take advantage of doing the apple picking and things like that with some awesome orchards around. The place that we went even had kind of a carnival with games, food, and lots of people. It was definitely fun to get away from schoolwork and normal weekends to do something different. For those of you who are reading this, THERES STILL TIME! Make a day out of it… nothing like apple picking and some Sunday football after with some apple cider and pie 🙂

fellow teammate, Emily!

One of my teammates, Emily!

allmost over… sigh.

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wooowww…. Summer is almost over. it crazy how the cold winter months drag so slowly, yet the warm pleasant ones fly by soo quickly. However, I do have to say that it has been an enjoyable time off of school and at home with my family and friends….lets recap…. I went sailing everyday for 8 hours and got paid. I went to a few regattas and hung with some awesome people. Free concerts every Tuesday in my town, and The Fray concert at Darien lake. Awesome vacation in the Outer Banks with Old Friends. Rode a jetski for the first time, and went wakeboarding. I’m also going to a Bills Preseason game Saturday. … i’d say thats a pretty solid summer. I’ve also been named one of the captains for the swim team and I have been already beginning to plan things for the upcoming season. I am really looking forward to my senior year and what new things it will bring. Also, A shout out to all the new swimming freshmen, you guys are in for an awesome ride 🙂

alright.. kinda late so ill keep it short, but I just wanted to drop a quick line in case you thought I forgot about ‘ya 😉

a little surf-time on the beach 🙂
a little surf-time on the beach :)
<3 Leah

“Summer Lovin'” and new apartment :)

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Heyyyyy Oswego people!!!  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and if you are an incoming freshman you better be super psyched to be entering the best years of your life!  Atleast that is what it has been for me!  I’m going to be a Senior this year and it’t soo hard to believe 🙁  One more year with all my friends here, and one more year with the thing that has ruled my life for the past 3 years; SWIMMING.  As most of you know, I’m on the Swimming and Diving team here at Oswego, and I have loved every minute of it.  Sometimes I forget that I’m here for school :-p  To incoming freshmen, or anyone that did a sport in high school but didn’t continue in college:  Get yourself involved in athletics!  It helps you make great friends and believe it or not keep you structured and organized for your classes.  I know my coach is always on us about school, and if someone is falling a bit behind, he wont hesitate to tell them to shape up!  It’s a great thing to be involved in, and if you are serious about sports and fitness check it out!

Right now I’m actually working on getting in my new apartment for next year!  I’m at home now, but  going up to Oswego tomorrow with my sister to start getting stuff in there.  I’m moving in with a couple of my fellow teammates, who are also amazing friends by the wayy…..shout out to Marianne Munson and Kelly Williams!  I’m going to get everything all settled there, and work at the YMCA in Fulton for June before going home for the rest of the summer.

Well, I think that about covers it for my life as of late….. but I’ll be back in to tell how everything is going at a later date 🙂  Until then, enjoy the sunshine!!!!

Watermelons already?

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So one of my housemates’ boyfriend was soo excited about spring coming that he decided he needed a watermelon. After objections from my housemate Jackie, she finally agreed to go to pricechopper with him to get one. Now I had no idea they even had watermelons at this time of year, but apparently they do…. except that they are about half the size, haha. The preemie-looking watermelon was still a hit at the house, and I think that it reminded us that spring is approaching (finally!) and summer is no too far away. Everyone should use these few days that we have to their advantage. Have a “redneck cookout” on the beach, go for a walk, or a jog if you are feeling athletic, and enjoy the sunshine that Oswego shares with us on rare occasions during the school year. When the sun does come out it IS GORGEOUS, but if you really wanna see gorgeous check out our sunsets! Make a date of it! My reccommendation is walk down to Bevs, grab an icecream, and sit by the water and watch this amazing natural wonder. It helps remind be why I love Oswego, despite the pretty crazy winters.

check that out!

SUNYACS!

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Heyy guys, I haven’t updated in a while but things have been totally hectic with the new semester starting, and my SUNYAC CHAMPIONSHIPS that i just had this weekend.  I was totally stoked for the big meet, and our team has been training for this sole meet the entire season.  This is the only meet that we are given enough rest and recovery time to actually preform at our best.  It’s something we wait for the entire season, and I was so glad that the time was finally here when we get to show everyone what we can actually do!  The meet went really well, the girls scoring second overall, and the guys 4th.  Both of our teams being in the top half of the conference was an awesome accomplishment.

We had many records set on both the men and women’s sides by Eileen Macmann, Jenny Vanetten, Jake VanEtten, Nicole Dean, the women’s 800 freestyle relay including Jenny VanEtten, Nicole Dean, Alycia Mullins, and Hannah Slaga, and the 400 medley relay including Kara Sitnik, Jenny VanEtten, Hannah Slaga, and Alycia Mullins.

We also had a bunch of people swim B-cut times for the NCAA National meet.  Forgive me if I forget someone but in individual events qualifying B-cuts we had Jenny VanEtten, Kara Sitnik, Nicole Dean, Eileen Macmann, Shawn Merlin, and Eric Messina.  we also had relays qualify including the 200 Medley with Kara Sitnik, myself (Leah Matthews), Hannah Slaga, and Kelly Williams, and also the 400 medley with Kara Sitnik, Jenny VanEtten,  Hannah Slaga, and Alycia Mullins.   I think almost everyone went best times in their races, and overall both the men and women preformed well.

The next step for us is to see if any of the swimmers that made B-cuts get invited to the National meet.  We will not find that out for a few more weeks, but we will wait in anticipation in hopes that we will be able to send someone to this prestigious meet.

Aside from athletics, there are actually other things that go on at college that I sometimes forget about when I’m wrapped up in my swimming….ACADEMICS!  I started my 2nd block in Education this semester, and I am really looking forward to some more experience in the classroom.  This semester, I am at Huntington K-8 school, and I am helping out in a 6th grade English classroom.  My host teacher is really awesome, and I think I am going to learn a ton.  Whats great about Oswego’s education program here is that prospective teachers get a lot of hours in the classroom, and are able to dive right into the magic of the classroom and learning so that they can be better prepared for student teaching and their professional future.  This semester I will be spending 25-30 hours just in a classroom observing and helping out wherever I can.  I am really excited and I think I am going to learn a lot that I wouldn’t be able to learn on campus.

If you are an Oswego student, I hope your semester is starting off smoothly, and If you are a prospective student, I hope you pay us a visit soon! I knew there are a bunch of opportunities for tours and things like that, so definitely check it out and see what we are all about!

GO LAKERS!

<3 Leah

The gorgeous facility at ECC

ME! swimming breaststroke

exam timeeeee :(

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And so we enter the point in the semester that we all dread; final projects and exams.  For me, i usually always have atleast one presentation, at least 2 projects, and a couple papers to write for the end of the semester.  Luckily I was smart this time and began working on them early so everything wasn’t put off until the end.  I strongly advise at least starting your finals projects and papers, so you have an idea of what you will be doing towards the end… i know this info might be a little too late now, but maybe for next semester advice…. get everything started early!

Exams are also a pain in the butt, especially if they are cumulative.  fortunately i only have 2 this semester, which is nice, and after this week I’m pretty much done except for those exams.  Mt favorite place to study or  write final papers is the library…. i know i know, its sounds nerdy, but the library is really my favorite place on campus.  If you haven’t been there you should really check it out.  theres tons of resources and  lots of helpful people.  even if you don’t need anything from the library, its a great place to get some work done.  The third floor is completely quiet, and I swear time flys up there, and I actually get things done!  When I go with friends we usually either go to the reference room or the 2nd floor for a less-quiet, but still studious atmosphere.  However, watch out for the second floor, because there are lots of interesting magazines that tend to distract me from doing work!  But seriously, go check out the library, its a great place to study and find resources 🙂

Thanksgiving and broken car.

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ok I’ve got a good thanksgiving story for you all :-p

Welll… let me just start by saying that my car is a 1986 Saab. That should explain a lot.

Anyways, towards the last few days that I was in Oswego, my car started getting louder and louder when one day, i turned the key, and this roar came from the engine that was completely new to me. I was running late for class, so i was like, “oh well, I sound like a race car for today.. no big deal”. I’m used to things happening to my car, and a loud engine did not seem very out of the ordinary, since my car is old enough to legally drink in any country.

Later that day, I called my dad and he said there was something wrong with the exhaust system most likely, probably the catalytic converter. he said, “just make it home to Buffalo, and ill fix it when you get here”.

When I got home and my dad had a chance to look at my car, he informed me that the entire catalytic converter was now missing from my car’s ensemble. Of course I had no idea when or where I lost it, which probably angered whoever was driving behind me at that point.. :-/ He told me that he would have to order a new one, and that wouldn’t come until around christmas time. So he decided he would just attach the two pipes underneath my car so that it wouldn’t be loud anymore, and I could go back to school and deal with it until christmas… sounded like a plan to me.

After a very filling and refreshing thanksgiving break, I began the journey back to Oswego. Everything was going great and I was on the Ontario parkway around Brockport. Low and behold my ever-so-exciting car decided to yell at me again, fist softly whining, and eventually crescendoed into the roar much like the one before. Except this time, when I took my foot off the gas I heard clunking and clanking underneath my car, which I concluded to be the pipes dragging on the pavement. To say the least, i was extremely frustrated and upset; mostly at my father, who claims the name “mister fix-it” and thinks he can repair anything. Lucky for me, I have an aunt in Rochester with an extra car who was gracious enough to let me switch it with the race car. At the moment, my poor little Saab is sitting in my aunts driveway, awaiting repair and my return for christmas break.

Of course also at this time it was beginning to snow/slush, and I was trying to make it back for practice at school at 5:00. to make a long story…still too long, i got stuck behind a bunch of grandmas and got to practice 30 minutes late.

So, whats the moral of this story? I’m not really sure except that you should probably give yourself lots of time to get back to Oswego in the winter time, and you probably shouldn’t own a 1986 Saab. Although I love my little race car, it throws a lot of curve balls at me, and every trip is an adventure. other than that, I had a great Thanksgiving! My exchange student from high school from Germany goes to school in the US now, so she flew in for a visit which was really nice, and naturally we both ate way more food than our swim coaches would like to know. :-p

Hope everyones Thanksgiving was as exciting as mine, I’ll get back to you soon!

<3 Leah

Swim for the cure

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Hey guyss!

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for a few days now, but on last Thursday (11/6), The Men’s and Women’s Swim team participated in a National fund-raiser called “The Hour Of Power”, which is a program that raises money for cancer.  The theme of this year’s fund raiser was “Cancer Sucks”.  On Thursday, Many Collegiate and Club Swimming teams all participated from their respective practice pools.  Starting at 5:00 we split up into 6 different relays (one relay per lane), and did continuous 50 relay sprints for an hour.  Prior to this event the swimmers ask different people or companies to sponsor them for this event, thus matriculating a profit that is all given solely to cancer research.  This was a really fun event to do, and the atmosphere that I felt during the actual event was very powerful.  Although it was very difficult, our team held together well and swam in good spirits for the event.  I feel that everyone gave it their all, and this proved to be a very moving event for our team.  I’m not sure how much money we raised, but it felt good to know we were swimming towards a cure to this detrimental disease.

Cancer is a horrible  disease that has effected an immense amount of lives, and many people that are close to me.  I really enjoyed participating in this fund raiser because cancer really does “suck” and any opportunity that I get to help others get answers to finding a cure, I’ll take.

Our first meet against LeMoyne!!!

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Yesterday’s meet was an awesome way for the Lady Lakers to start off the season.  The women’s team came into the meet as underdogs, as we have  a really young team with the majority of the swimmers in the freshmen and sophomore class.  LeMoyne is a Division 2 school and we didn’t think we were going to win the meet.  However, we preformed much better than expected by both ourselves and our coach.  We started off the first relay with a close win, and that started off the meet with a great energy for the women.  We then went on to get a lot of seconds and thirds along with wins in the 50 freestyle, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 and 500 freestyle, and the 200 IM.  everyone swam great in-season times and it led to our unexpected but satisfying win!  Hopefully we can keep this up for the remainder of the season, and I will definitely keep you posted.  Our next meet is the Cortland Relays @ Cortland next Saturday.

I also got invited to be in two honor societies this week.  I am currently applying for the Leadership Honor society and the International Education Honor Society.  I’m not just saying this to brag or tell you all how awesome I am, but to let you guys know that  you should look into this stuff because there are a ton of honor societies and things of the like out there to get involved in and it looks really great on job applications and for when you apply for masters programs and such!

It football day so I’m going to go watch my Bills kick some butt and I will all talk to you laterrr!