A Sporty Girl

So, under the demands of Dr. Cooper, I am finally beginning a blog for the first time ever--not that I have ever held anything against blogs. In fact, I'm surprised I have not jumped on the bandwagon before now, being the obsessive writer that I am who writes for thirty minutes in a journal every night before bed. Before we go there, though, let me back up a little.

My brother and I at last Spring's Conference Meet-->

I am junior at Bellarmine, studying communications without a clue as to where I am going with it. My name is Rita and my last name is not Peat. In fact, "Peat" is nothing more than a nickname I have had since the age of three and there isn't even much of a story to it except that my dad has a way of evolving words and names until they are something completely new. (Once earning the name "Peat" I started learning how to write and this spelling of the name is what phonix-sense told me was correct and I've kept it that way since.)

Now, it is through my sports ties that this name has actually stuck around. From my earliest days of running around a 400-meter track as a sixth grader, my father always belted out my name to cheer me on. Soon teammates, friends, and coaches were picking it up and finding it catchy. Many find it odd at first to call a girl "Peat," but say "RitaPeat" aloud a couple of times and you too might find that it's got somewhat of a ring to it. However, I do still respond to Rita alone.

So yes, I am a runner to this day--thus my tie-in to the sports world. I have been running for Bellarmine's Track and Field team since my freshman year while throwing in one season of cross country, but being a 400/800-meter runner, I opted for fall track training.

My sports world reaches far beyond the 400-meters of a track, though. I sported the #10 jersey on the basketball court through my sophomore year in high school, giving it up focus on running, but stayed on the bench as a manager my final two years of school. Football was once a mystery to me, until I assisted in keeping scoring stats at one of my older brother's games in high school. I quickly became addicted and found myself traveling with the team, carrying my laptop to the press box game after game to keep official stats . I have also been writing about sports since being asked to help with the county newspaper high school coverage. This is where I was forced to learn a little about all sports. My first assignment was a tennis game and, well, who knew love was found on the tennis courts? Not me! Obviously, I was forced to learn quickly! I spent the next three years covering everything from tennis, volleyball and golf, to softball and track, as well as submitting editorials from time to time.

Today my wide array of sports involvement comes through The Concord. In dire need of a sports editor my freshman year, I was asked to step up, and, not knowing what I was getting into, I agreed. It is my fifth semester as editor and it is quite a job keeping up with every BU sports team out there! However, I have caught myself with somewhat of an addiction to it. Unfortunately, with only so much time in a girl's life--and any student for that matter--only so much coverage can be printed in The Concord week after week. That's where this blog is going to come in handy. With four student-athletes working together, we hope to bring you an inside look to Bellarmine athletics that you aren't going to find elsewhere. So, stay tuned...get the details that lie behind the scoreboard.