Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Getting Involved”

September-October 2012

 

Every year UNC has Fall Fest. Fall Fest is a time when every club UNC has to offer comes out on South Road to recruit new members. The upperclassmen on my hall even explained if you don’t want to do any clubs it is always a good time to get free stuff. After hearing it was something that every freshman should do, I couldn’t wait to attend! However, when August 19^th rolled around, so did a treacherous storm. A storm that not only flooded the roads, but a storm that canceled Fall Fest. Everyone was devastated because it had only been canceled one other time that the University had held it. How was I supposed to get involved??

Of course they had a back-up plan and had a mini-fall fest in the Pit, but not near the excitement was in the air since everyone was still angry at the fact that they canceled the real Fall Fest. During the mini-fall fest I was able to get a ton of free food and cups that the different clubs were giving out. However, since the mini-fall fest had to be scheduled at a different time most of the clubs couldn’t be there at the same time. This made it so hard for people like me because I had no idea what clubs was out there.  So it was pretty much up to me if I wanted to get involved, and I encourage you if your “Fall Fest” is rained out, you still need to get involved in some way or another.

I guess you can say I got involved like most freshman. I gave out my email to almost all of the clubs, took their flyers, and told them I would see them at the first meeting. When finally I realized I was holding a stack of about 10 club information cards I realized it was time to end my time at the mini-fall fest.

Even though that sounds absurd, taking as many papers as possible is the best bet. If you don’t know what is out there you will never have the opportunity to experience something life changing. However, I am kind of glad Fall Fest was canceled because I would have been bombarded with emails for that first week.

The first month of college was a time for me to try everything, and when I say everything, I mean trying things that I would have never dreamed of doing. My adventures have consisted of intramurals, church groups, major based clubs, and trying out for a variety of teams.

When I decided I was going to come to Carolina I was determined to play every sport possible that the intramural office offered. The process however is much more complicated than I thought. I knew I wanted to play flag football my first semester, so I started recruiting the first day I was on campus. After convincing about a dozen guys to join my team I was ready to create our squad online. The intramural office makes you create an online account on a website called Imleagues. The most surprising thing about it was that it made you take a test in order to play flag football. I had never taken a test to play a sport, but in order to play intramural flag football you have to.  The website also allows you to create a team name, and that was definitely my favorite part.

When “First-Year Swag” hit the field on that warm summer night in September, they didn’t know what hit them. (Nothing hit them lol) Let’s just say our first game didn’t go as planned and we ended up losing on a mercy rule. However, FYS is getting better and by senior year we will be competing for the intramural championship. Although we might have to consider a name change because we will be sporting the “Four-Year Swag!”

Intramural sports are a great way to get involved with friends and the University. They allow you to have fun and creative, win or lose.

If you have any religious background, my advice would be to get involved with a church or campus ministry. By growing up a Baptist, I knew I wanted to keep my spiritual faith going. I also knew there would be plenty of organizations in college, but I wanted to find the perfect one. I have soon realized that there are a ton of Christian organizations that I enjoy, but am finding that when I just attend one I get much more out of the service. My time here at UNC has consisted of me attending Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Cornerstone, and Reach UNC. By attending these different organizations I hope that I will be able to find the one that will benefit me most.

I have also attended different churches on campus. I believe that it is very important to have a balanced life and by having a balanced life means have a spiritual relationship. My experiences with churches on the campus have been very different. The first week I attended a very contemporary church called, “The Summit, the second week I went to the Baptist church on campus, which was slightly contemporary, and the third week I went to the Methodist church that was very traditional. I am not saying that one is better than the other, but I believe in order to have a spiritual relationship on college, you have to find the church that works for you. I have found that “The Summit” is the best fit for me. I enjoy the service better because of the contemporary music they play, and the preacher usually speaks directly to the college students in the audience. The more I attend “The Summit” the more I realize that I was meant to find this church, and God is leading me down a path that I can’t control. It is truly awesome to let God work in your life because you never know what he can do.

When trying to figure out what you want to major in, it’s a good idea to get involved with a club that catches your interest. I decided to join the marketing club because I think that is what I want to major in. The club is also used to find out if that is what you actually want to do. Colleges have major-based clubs to allow students with the same interests work together on projects. One of the perks of being in the marketing club is that we have our meeting inside of the Kenan Flagler Business School. The first time I walked into the building I was in awe. The B-school is located in its own area of campus, and as soon as I walked in to door of McColl, I was in love. On my way to our meeting room, I found a room that looked like a mini New York stock exchange. By seeing the resources that the business school had I knew this is where I wanted to be. I will definitely use that as motivation. Even if you don’t know what you want to major in, it’s a great idea to try out a major based club that sparks some kind of interest.

I don’t remember if I told you, but I have always been an athlete. Ever since I was born I was throwing some kind of ball. During high school I participated in football, basketball, and tennis. Sports have always been my life, and figured I would keep that tradition going in college. However, I never thought I would try out for the cheerleading team. I know I seem repetitive when I say college is full of opportunity, but I still have a hard time believing that I tried out for cheerleading. I am probably the farthest thing from a cheerleader, but I gave it a try.

At convocation, all of the cheerleaders were handing out flyers about cheerleading try outs. I grabbed one of the papers just to be nice and slipped it in my pocket. I really don’t remember thinking anything about it until I made it back to my dorm. The paper said, “No experience required…. benefits include FREE Nike Gear, FREE Tickets to sporting events.. and a few more things I can’t recall. After reading the paper about five times, I told myself, “why not?” Let’s make this long story very short and say that I tried. It was actually very fun, but challenging. The only negative behind it was that the time commitment was far too much that I could handle. The coach told me that I would start out at JV, and if I could improve I would eventually be able to cheer at the varsity level. After contemplating if I should do it or not, I decided it was in my best interest to focus more on school work. However, I am glad that I tried because it is something that I will forever remember. I was also sacred that my dad was going to disown me, so it was a good decision to not partake in cheerleading.

Alright, after trying out for cheerleading I had to redeem myself, and try out for JV Basketball. I knew that I wouldn’t make the team, but the major incentive for trying out was playing basketball in the Dean E. Smith Center. Wait, what? Austin Helms, gets to play in the Dean E. Smith Center? The same kid that has dreamed of playing in this gym since he was five years old. Sorry for that, but it just didn’t seem real that I would have the chance to play in a gym that legends have played in. I can still remember shooting in the backyard, and pretending that I made the final shot in a Duke vs. UNC game. I know I wasn’t actually playing for UNC, but I was playing in the gym that they played in, and that was probably the closest I would ever get to any kind of college basketball.

On October 3^rd, 2012 I took the floor. I took the floor in shock and with so much excitement that I didn’t know what to do. I just kept looking around just to make sure that I was not having a dream. This moment in my life was so surreal. I guess it seemed so amazing because I was always used to watching the games on T.V. and never thought I would have the chance to play on the court. But, then, I saw a white head pop into the gym. A white head, that belonged to the one, the only, Roy Williams. Now I was not only playing basketball in a gym that I had always dreamed about, but I was playing in front of one of the NCAA’s best basketball coaches. After staring at him for quite some time I realized it was time for me to actually play, and not stare at Coach Williams.

 The tryout went relatively well, but I know the JV basketball team was above my level. I just went to tryouts for the opportunity to play in the Smith Center. Also, I would like to inform you that I scored multiple baskets in the Dean Dome, and will be bragging about that until I die.  I know this may seem silly, but few people get to experience the thrill of playing in the Smith Center. Let’s just say my Facebook status that night got close to 50 likes, “That moment when Coach Williams watches you play, and you realize you're running sprints in a gym where legends have played. #priceless #goheels #wontforget.”

In the two months I have been on campus I have also become a Carolina fanatic. Before I was a student I was a diehard basketball fan, but I am now a fan in every sport UNC has to offer. I attend all of the sporting events, and don’t miss a football game. (I usually don’t miss the games that give you points to get basketball tickets) The coolest experience I have had with the sports here is painting up for football games. My parents even texted me during one of the games and informed me I got some camera time. But, what can I say, when you show enough spirit to throw on blue paint you better get on T.V. While in college learn the fight song, and some of the cheers, they really make the games a blast!

When you get to college, don’t forget to get involved. In some way or another, college will light your world on fire. You will find something that will spark your interest. I know that my experiences are rare, but if you really want to try it all, you most certainly can. Go and get it, the only person who is stopping you, is that beautiful person in the mirror!!