Gymaniac

It is extremely hard to believe that it has been 5 years since my hometown, state, and the entire gulf coast was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was watching the storm come ashore on the television, and the next morning watching it tear through Baton Rouge. We were extremely fortunate, having only minor damage but so many people suffered much greater devastation. It seemed then, that we would never rebuild and return to some state of normalcy, but the strides we have taken in these five years has been nothing short of the grace of God. Our communities are back and stronger together. I remember posting a journal entry on my MySpace account exactly one year after the Hurricane hit, and I felt it would be good to go back and reflect on that event and see what I wrote. I still believe every word that I wrote and and extremely thankful that those prayers have been answered and are still being answered to this day. Here is that post:

August 29th, 2006

"One year later.

Exactly one year ago today Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the LA MS border.. You all know what kind of devastation this hurricane caused..We have all felt what this hurricane did. Yes it may have been nice to have a few days off of school, but just remember all the lives that were lost because of this. I am asking everyone who reads this to say a prayer for all of those effected by this disaster.. This hurricane was the msot costly hurricane in the history of the US. We have all lived through a very important and life changing part of history. Please remember that. The rebuilding has only just begun and will last for many years to come. So please, on this one year anniversary, remember all of those people left stranded and with not a single possession to themselves except for the clothes on their back. Remember all of the people who did not evacuate and were killed by the rising waters. Remember the elderly, who could not escape the storm and were lost. All I am asking is for just a few minutes, stop and pray for all of those that were effected by this catastrophic disaster. Time will go on and cities will be rebuilt, but the ones lost will never be comng back to their homes.."

Wow. So much has happened since my last post. So many great things! This was a very busy summer for me. Knocking out three weeks of summer school and then I was back home in Baton Rouge for my month of leave- and what a month it was... After not being home since December of 2009, that day was a homecoming long overdue. It was so great to be back in my hometown, with my family and with my friends. I've learned to make the most of every trip I get home now, they seem to become more and more spaced out.

My families original plan for our annual summer vacation was to head down to Destin, FL for a week on the beach-that trip has become sort of a family tradition for the Browns- but the Oil Spill in the Gulf threw a rather large wrench in our plans. Not to worry--Plan B seemed to become a reality about as quickly as it was thought of. HAWAII! That's right, with an unexplainable amount of that good ole' "Southern Hospitality" from my mom's long-time friends, Brian and Penny Rower, we were able to spend 11 days on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. I've got to say, hands-down that was the best vacation we have taken as a family. No need for a hotel, a rental car, or to even to worry about food, we couldn't have asked for better hosts during our vacation.

After a LONG (I think I can say that word is an understatement)day of traveling from Houston, to Phoenix (12 hour layover due to plane maintenance issues)and finally to Honolulu, we were there! Our first full day on the island, we were able to attend, now CDR Rower's promotion ceremony. After that, me and Cameron drove down (in a convertible, might I add) to Waikiki Beach to check out the local spots. The beaches and water there was unlike anything I have ever seen, any pictures or videos you see truly don't do it justice--AMAZING!

We did everything from snorkeling at Sharks Cove, the "Jumping Rock" and Waimea Bay, hiking Diamond Head Crater, SCUBA diving off the coast of Honolulu, to Pearl Harbor and so many more things than I can write about. That vacation is one I will never forget and hopefully, I'll be back there in the future as an officer on the Army post on Oahu.

This past Saturday I witnessed my second West Point graduation. Watching them one by one receive their diplomas, and then watch them take their oath and be finished with their 4 year experience make what we go through that much more worth it. It is such an awesome ceremony, filled with so many traditions, it makes you proud to be attending this school. Something that big and that important definitely gives you a sense of pride to be a part of it. This past weekends graduation marks the fourth occasion that I have seen/heard the President of the United States in my two years at West Point. How many people can say that?

Well, the time is 1:00AM (0100 for all you military people) and it is officially my last day of academics for my second year here at West Point. I really didn't think it would go this fast but, here we are.

I realize I should probably be asleep right now but I was getting all of my stuff together for my English final in the morning when I came across a page of quotes I found online a few months ago. I read through them and realized that they couldn't fit any better with the way I am feeling. My hardest final, my last final, is tomorrow and I am a little nervous. I've always been taught that "what you think about, you bring about" and that's what these quotes are all about:

"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance." --Lee Iacocca

"Persist and persevere, and you will find most things that are attainable, possible." --Lord Chesterfield

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." --Norman Vincent Peale

"If it is to be, it is up to me." --William Johnson (This has been my favorite quote for years, and I was really glad to finally find who said it.)

"Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never,- in nothing great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." --Winston Churchill

"Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record from day to day, and you are a success." --William J.H. Boetcker

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination." --Tommy Lasorda


Hopefully these quotes will inspire you to keep working towards your goals and to keep pushing through. They were definitely the words I needed to hear as I go into my last day of finals of my Sophomore year.

So I promised myself that I would keep up my journal/blog while I was here at West Point, and admittedly I haven't been. That's all about to change. It took a lecture I had for my English class for me to remember my journal and how important it is for me to keep it up. Pico Iyer, the author of a book we just read in my English class, told us how important it is to keep a detailed journal of your life. I then wrote about that point in an in-class essay for my class. So here I am again--ready to pick back up where I left off, well sort of.

This year has been an amazing year for me, a year of growth, and unexpected events. Without a doubt, Yuk year is 10X better than plebe year was, socially. Academically it feels like they cranked up the heat to full blast and let us go. This entire year has been tough academically, but I've managed to keep up. I am doing really well this year, grades are all good and I'm enjoying my classes, well most of them.

Gymnastics has been a roller-coaster. Being able to compete this year with the team has been amazing, I wish I could have done it last year, but hey, everything happens for a reason. I LOVE competing and this year reminded me of that. But this year didn't come without its struggles. My feet decided that they were going to suffer every injury possible in one season. For those of you who don't know, I am flat-footed, VERY flat-footed. Besides a few shin-splints here and there they never gave me too many problems, well this year changed all of that. The shin-splints got so bad that it hurt to walk, I went in to the doctor and got x-rays to make sure that it wasn't a stress fracture. Negative, just keep working through it and they will eventually go away. Next were the Achilles tendons. Achilles tendinitis is not fun at all. The sensation that your achilles tendons might pop or tear is painful to say the least. Some treatment and exercises finally got rid of this problem. Next was my plantar fasciitis. The constant pounding on flat feet aggravated them and the doctor said that it's possible they are tearing. Great. A tape job and more treatment started to subside this problem but not without another. The tape job was stretching a muscle that I never really used before which caused another terrible pain in my legs. Meanwhile competing every weekend while all of this is going on. My ankles hated me to say the least. With no breaks to stop and heal, my ankles and feet finally decided to just give out on me. The 2010 ECAC conference meet was my worst meet of the year and it just so happened to be th one that my mom and brother flew out to watch. Oh well...Now that the season is over, I've got time to heal and get stronger. I amazed myself at how much I learned and was able to do in one competition season, and it makes me want to work that much harder to see where I can go next year. I'm shooting for NCAAs and nothing less!!

I still plan on posting all of my letters I wrote during Beast, I just have to find the time to sit down and type them out. Soon hopefully.

My second year of College is almost over, and I cannot believe. I was reading my old posts tonight and laughed when I read the one about my first year almost being over. Time is flying!

I'm back now and fully plan to keep this thing updated. It's too valuable not too. Until next time...

(12th-May-2009 ) Wow...I cannot believe it. I just two short days I will be officially done with my first year of college.. And in only 10 days I will no longer be a plebe. I have been here for 11 months now, it doesn't seem like it has been that long at all. I just read my last post again, from the first day of classes this semester. So much has happened that I didn't write about (not my fault for some of it). In the course of this semester I have: competed at 4 NCAA competitions to include the Eastern Conference Championships, broke my hand in three places (working on getting a copy of those x-rays), traveled to the East Coast for the first time in my life, seen the Rocky mountains for the first time in my life, and a lot more. Looking back, this year has been a year full of firsts for me. I've experienced a LOT this year and learned a lot of things about myself.

I get to look forward now to an awesome summer with a lot of time home to spend with family and friends. I only have to come back to West Point for 4 weeks this summer and the rest will be at home. It feels nice to begin to be treated like a normal person again. I'm no longer just another fourth class cadet, I've gotten to know people, respect them, and gained respect from them as well. Life is all about what you make of it. School this year went by MUCH smoother than last semester did. Finally in my groove of how I work best here and things are going great. My grades are higher, less stress and more time to relax.

Now that I am all healed and strong again, I can finally start working out full time again. I didn't realize how much I loved this sport until I wasn't allowed to do any kind of gymnastics for 8 weeks. It's definitely an addiction. I am definitely going to start blogging often again, I like to be able to look back on my thoughts as I go through the West Point experience.

Here are those x-ray pictures I promised..


In this picture, you can see the three fractures on my three metacarpals. They were "spiral fractures" which means the fracture actually spiraled around the bone.



This side view shows the closest fracture and how much it actually broke. Fun times..

(10th-Dec-2008) It is so hard to believe that my first semester at West Point and at college is coming to a close. These past 6 months have been some of the most trying, difficult, and exciting times of my life. I have done so many things that I never thought that I would ever do and accomplished much more than I imagined. There are only 8 days until I am home for the holidays and it isn't coming fast enough. Getting off that plane in Louisiana is the best feeling I could imagine and seeing my family again just makes it perfect. This will be my first real time home, I will be home for 10 days. All I have left of school is finals and it is definitely not going to be easy. They are going to take a lot of hard work but I know that I am going to be prepared for them. Plebe life has turned out to be a lot different than I had originally expected. It's not some 24 hour lockdown that people made it out to be, we actually have fun. We find ways and make our own fun. Definitely made some lasting memories this past semester. The President of the United States came and spoke to us yesterday, that was something that I will never forget. What an honor to be able to receive a speech from the Commander in Chief, one of the most well known people in the world.
The Weather already is shaping up to be a brutal winter. I've already seen snow a few times and its only December. The cold itself isn't so bad, its the wind that is the kicker. It really started to sink in as we drove back from Philadelphia this weekend when I saw ponds and lakes that were frozen over completely, something I have never seen before. We'll see how this winter turns out, hopefully not too rough. Well, its back to homework and studying...just counting down the days until I am home again!

( 21st-Sep-2008 ) It's sunday night again, another busy school week is about to begin. The overwhelming stress of school is finally beginning to subside. I am finally getting the hang of academics here. I knew it would be hard, but not this stressful. As everyday passes, it gets a little better. It's hard to get back into the groove of things after a relaxing weekend. Back to the ole' grind. Tomorrow, im thinking, will be my most stressful day of the week. Its another one of those "Thayer Weeks" where youve got a lot coming up and papers due, tests to take. Its a lot to handle. I can do it though, that's what Ive got to keep telling myself. A positive attitude is what gets me through the week. I keep praying that I find something out about my pass home. Everyday that goes by without my approval, I want to get home more. 3 and a half months away from home and family is a LONG time, and I need to get back home, if only for the weekend. I want it so bad, this slow process is killing me. I guess I need to pray for patience. It's not in my hands, prayer is what I need to turn to. I have my second boxing evaluation tomorrow which I am ready to just get through. I am getting the hang of the class and is starting to become more enjoyable now that I can defend myself from getting punched in the face for an hour. It's definitely not my favorite class, but I am more than half way through the course and am just ready to finish.
It is so wierd to look back and think that I have been here for this long. With the academic year especially, the weeks seem to go by slow, but when I stop and look back on it, I have been in school for 5 weeks. WOW.. I hope that the school year will continue to go by this quickly. I am counting down the days until my first real vacation from west point, thanksgiving. West Point is great, but I just need to get away. We keep talking about stress and its effects on the body, along with sleep deprivation...it all applies to us here..we are going through it all. They wore our bodies down during Beast to rebuild them stronger, and now that same process is happening to our minds during academics. I know things are sucking right now with school, it has been overwhelming at times, but things are going to get better. This process is only going to make me a stronger student and leader in the long run. Beast had its fair share of stressful situations, but academic year has introduced its own forms of stress. Prayer and my faith are once again what I fall back on for strength. My family has been such great support this entire time, even in academics. It is a true source of relief for me. I love being able to call when I am down and them be understanding and willing to do what they can to help and encourage. I am truly blessed to have such a great family.
Well, wish me luck this week, keep me in your prayers. I will make it through this week and continue to push through and do the best I can in my studies.

( 14th-Sep-2008 ) This was an entry that I typed out on my train ride back from NYC on Labor Day weekend:
Today is the last day of my first leave from West Point. This weekend was by far the most fun I've had since I've been at West Point. To be able to leave campus and be "normal" again was great. New York City is awesome. I love everything about it. It is a great place to just let loose and have a good time. We just kind of played it by ear which made it even more fun. Me and my teammates got along really well. We had a great time the enitre time we were there. It is a little upsetting to have to go back to the hustle and bustle of West Point, but hey, that's part of it. I am still loving West Point. I has its ups and downs but overall it is an amazing school. I do not regret my decision to come here and have the full intention of staying all four years. The friends that I have made already I know are going to help me make it through these next four years at West Point and our future in the Army. My family is at home enduring through Hurricane Gustav. I just talked to them and they said that they haven't seen another hurricane this strong come through Baton Rouge before. I am very worried for them but have been praying for them constantly. I know God will keep them safe.

(27th-Aug-2008 ) Now that I am done with Beast, probably one of the most trying times of my life, Ive got a lot to look back on. When I get the time, I am going to start posting some of the letters that I wrote during Beast. Here is an entry that I wrote out on August 6,2008:

It is amazing to see how God works in our lives. I have learned in these last 6 weeks, more than ever, that God is ALWAYS there for you when you need Him; through the good ties and the bad. During Basic Training, I learned the power of prayer. Even a simple prayer, or just talking to Him helps you get through whatever you are struggling with. Learning to thank Him for the small things, to praise Him as well as ask for His guidance. I learned just how powerful and mighty God is. He helped me get through my morning PT, my ruck marches, and just the everyday stresses and struggles of Beast. When the world breaks you down, God is there to take care of you and build you back, stronger than you were before. I was shocked to see how prominent religion is at USMA. It was definitely a welcomed surprise. Having such a strong religious body here at West Point has definitely helped me and encouraged me to keep my faith strong and learn to trust in God, because through His strength and wisdom all things are possible. I have every intention and expectation of staying strong in my faith and letting it be visible to those around me.

(28th-Jun-2008) Today was my last "full" day in Baton Rouge and it was great. I enjoyed every minute of it and am really going to miss it all. In addition to that today was my last day at C.G.'s....walking out of there for the last time today was really hard. That place has been my second home for these past 13 years and everyone there has become family. I have made friends there that I will have forever and having to say goodbye to them made it hard. I know I will see them again at Christmas but it seems so far away. And my team....I am the last "original" team member at C.G.'s so I have seen it grow and flourish these past years. James and Chad are two amazing coaches as well as people. I've really gotten close to my team, especially this year. I hope they continue to do great things as they have done in the past.

Now that I am home and have time to think, I have realized that I am not as nervous as I thought I would be at this point. I guess this is good, I feel good. I feel very prepared physically, mentally and spiritually. I know these next six weeks are going to be hard but I am very blessed to have the physical preparation as well as the spiritual preparation needed to make them much easier.

So this past week I've made a conscious effort to tell myself my goals and affirmations ( thank you mom :D ) I really think that is part of the reason why I feel as good as I do. I WILL make it through Boot Camp. I WILL succeed at West Point. I WILL succeed in gymnastics these next four years. I WILL succeed as a student. I have also promised myself to stay close to the Lord throughout college. I've heard from people that it is easy to slip out of your religious habits once you leave home, but I've also been told how much God can help you through our life especially in times like these and I truly believe that. I feel like this is where God wants me to be and He will help me succeed.

Well, saying goodbye is hard, but its not forever. I am truly going to miss BR and everyone in it. I want everyone to know that I can get mail while at West Point during Boot Camp. SO please please write me! :D My address is:
New Cadet: Chase Brown - Company C-1
P.O. Box 0668
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York 10997-0668

Adios everyone! I will post again I'm sure before Monday and for sure as soon as I get my lap top!
GOD BLESS!