Bridgit Sullivan

A Green Christmas?

February 12, 2016 by Bridgit Sullivan

Paddleboarders in Saranac Lake on Christmas Eve (Adirondack Enterprise Photo: Catherine Moore

Usually Lake Placid has seen a few feet of snow and several days of below zero weather at this time of year, but this Christmas felt more like early fall than winter. In the past few weeks, there has only been a dusting of snow and the daily lows are only in the 40s. Now I love warm weather and clear roads as much as the next girl, but this should be a sign that there is something seriously wrong with the Earth. I would say hell might be freezing over right now, but it’s just too warm!!

Lake Placid’s economy, along with the economies of many other northern resort towns, relies on tourism – especially in the winter months. Whiteface Mountain brings thousands of skiers and snowboarders to town each year. Those skiers and snowboarders will need a place to stay, hotels. They will need food to eat, local restaurants. And they will want to remember their trip, souvenir shops. The Olympic Center, home of the 1980 Miracle on Ice, is a hub for hockey tournaments all year long, and the outdoor oval is one of the most important pieces of our Olympic history. People from all over come to town around Christmas and New Years and rent skates to live their own Olympic fantasy on the oval.

North Elba Town Supervisor Roby Politi ’68 (r) dressed for the season as he golfed with his son on Christmas day (Photo: Craig Wood Golf Course).

The Winter Olympics started in 1924 and have been hosted by nineteen communities. Although we are sheltered by the High Peaks, Lake Placid, the only two-time Winter Olympic host, is jeopardized by climate change. By 2050, only ten of the nineteen sites will be cold enough to host the winter games, and by 2100, only six of them will be. How crazy is that? Without changing our lifestyles and making an effort to turn around the effects humans have had on this Earth, we will lose one of the most celebrated sporting events in the world.

While you have a great time opening presents and being surrounded by people you love and the joy of Christmas, don’t forget to think about the Earth and what we can do for it in the coming year.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World

Defying the Stereotype

December 15, 2015 by Bridgit Sullivan

: US National Team star Hilary Knight celebrates a goal at the 2013 World Championships in Ottawa. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick AP)

When I think about girls’ hockey, I think of my team and the countless hours of practice and training we put in each week. I think of Cammi Granato, Karen Bye, Meghan Duggan, and Hilary Knight; women who have revolutionized the game and pioneered the way so that other young girls can grow up playing the best sport in the world. I think of the skating that we do when we can’t carry out a drill correctly or as well as we should be able to. I think of the high that comes after winning a big game, and the disappointment of losing a close one. However, that’s not what many people see. When some people think about women’s hockey they see women that will never be as good as men. They see pink gear and no checking and lesbians. They see stereotypes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Real World, Sports

Many Women Live a Nightmare Every Day

November 4, 2015 by Bridgit Sullivan

“Malala Yousafzai. wanted to learn and share the gift of education with the people around her, and she was shot for it.” (Photo by Russell Watkins/Department for International Development via Wikimedia Commons)

Between 100 and 200,000 years ago, our species originated in Africa and dispersed around the world. During this time, a woman now referred to as Mitochondrial Eve lived. She is the most recent common ancestor of every living human by a direct, unbroken maternal line, connecting all of us into one giant family of 7.125 billion. However, there are still obvious differences between us in our regions, religions, cultures, and civilizations. We have no control over our skin color, it is determined by the amount of Melanin in our skin, an evolutionary scale based on where we live in accordance to our distance from the sun. Our religions are based on regional and historical differences. Despite these differences, we are all a product of one woman from one area. For us, however, it has become a way to scrutinize and terrorize each other: skin color, religion, ideology, and cultural belief. Our country is plagued with terrorism, whether it be foreign or domestic, and our world is oppressed by widespread suffering and hate. While we always have the fear of a possible attack or act of terror, it is a reality for the people of Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They live the nightmare every day. [Read more…]