Contrary to popular belief, teachers don’t just sit in their classrooms and think about ways to pile on the homework. Along with enriching the minds of the next generation, two Blue Valley Southwest teachers spend time outside of school keeping busy with some interesting activities.
Physics teacher Aaron Ballew has been juggling since he was 8 years old. He says he got started after his dad used to juggle for him when he was little.
“I used to watch him and thought it was cool,” Ballew said. “I actually officially became a juggler at a Renaissance Fair and have a certificate to prove it.”
The art of mastering a pattern of throwing, catching and releasing does not come easily to most people.
“I still haven’t mastered it,” Ballew said. “But it only took a couple of weeks to get the routine going.”
For the beginning of each school year, Ballew uses juggling as an ice breaker for his new students.
“Usually they are pretty impressed and a little surprised,” Ballew said. “They always want to know if I can juggle more.”
Juggling definitions state that two times through with every single ball is called a juggle.
“I can do five balls with that,” Ballew said. “A flash is where you go through the entire routine once and I can do that with six.”
Now moving on from throwing and catching to pushing and shoving, roller derby is a sport that not many are familiar with. It involves the team skating around in circles while trying to block, jam and lap the members of the opposing team. Communications Arts teacher Laura Wilcoxon began her roller derby career this summer.
“I have a friend who does roller derby,” Wilcoxon said. “I went and watched her play one time and thought it was awesome and decided to try it out.”
After sustaining an injury to her MCL and a condition known as chondromalacia, or severe blistering of the knee, Wilcoxon was out of practice.
“The hardest thing was getting back on the skates after three weeks,” Wilcoxon said. “It was almost as if I had never skated before. We also have to do 25 laps in five minutes which I am still really bad at.”
Roller derby is an aggressive sport and not for the faint of heart.
“I like roller derby because it’s girls like me,” Wilcoxon said. “I’ve never been a fan of chick flicks or read Nicholas Sparks so I fit in really well. And a lot of them are more tattooed than me — I’m talking complete tattoo sleeves on each arm.”
In roller derby, it is tradition for the team members to have nicknames to put on the back of their jerseys.
“My ideas are ‘Insomniac’ because I have insomnia,” Wilcoxon said. “or ‘Pass-A-Fist’, it sounds nice but still is a little violent.”
“I used to watch him and thought it was cool,” Ballew said. “I actually officially became a juggler at a Renaissance Fair and have a certificate to prove it.”
The art of mastering a pattern of throwing, catching and releasing does not come easily to most people.
“I still haven’t mastered it,” Ballew said. “But it only took a couple of weeks to get the routine going.”
For the beginning of each school year, Ballew uses juggling as an ice breaker for his new students.
“Usually they are pretty impressed and a little surprised,” Ballew said. “They always want to know if I can juggle more.”
Juggling definitions state that two times through with every single ball is called a juggle.
“I can do five balls with that,” Ballew said. “A flash is where you go through the entire routine once and I can do that with six.”
Now moving on from throwing and catching to pushing and shoving, roller derby is a sport that not many are familiar with. It involves the team skating around in circles while trying to block, jam and lap the members of the opposing team. Communications Arts teacher Laura Wilcoxon began her roller derby career this summer.
“I have a friend who does roller derby,” Wilcoxon said. “I went and watched her play one time and thought it was awesome and decided to try it out.”
After sustaining an injury to her MCL and a condition known as chondromalacia, or severe blistering of the knee, Wilcoxon was out of practice.
“The hardest thing was getting back on the skates after three weeks,” Wilcoxon said. “It was almost as if I had never skated before. We also have to do 25 laps in five minutes which I am still really bad at.”
Roller derby is an aggressive sport and not for the faint of heart.
“I like roller derby because it’s girls like me,” Wilcoxon said. “I’ve never been a fan of chick flicks or read Nicholas Sparks so I fit in really well. And a lot of them are more tattooed than me — I’m talking complete tattoo sleeves on each arm.”
In roller derby, it is tradition for the team members to have nicknames to put on the back of their jerseys.
“My ideas are ‘Insomniac’ because I have insomnia,” Wilcoxon said. “or ‘Pass-A-Fist’, it sounds nice but still is a little violent.”