Stepping into Athletic Retirement

Last night it hit me like a bag of 10 pound bricks...OMG - I AM OLD! I had this realization last night as I was coaching the high school division of my church's track team (FABC track...Running For Jesus)!!! Anyways, the 16-18 age group asked me to run 200's with them. A rational thought process would have gone something like this... "Hmm... Four 200's at a 30 second pace ... haven't worked out since prior to my Puerto Rico Spring Break trip (i.e. beginning of March), and even those workouts weren't track sprints, but the eliptical machine and "Abs & Glutes" classes at Bally's." That rational thought process would have led to an even more rational answer which would have been something like, "Sorry girls, I need to get into some sort of shape before I can hop on this track and keep up with your 16 y/o end of the season track speed." BUT INSTEAD, the Erin Richelle irrational thought process went a bit more like, "Well, 30 second pace isn't that fast, and after all I did run track in h/s and college, actually I might be able to show these young girls a thing or two, and afterall this will motivate me to start working out." Needless to say I accepted the girls challenge, first two 200's no problem, third one I was feeling, by the fourth one I was like OMG - when we reached the 100 M. mark I was feeling it all up in the calves. When the girls switched gears and put on their full speed, I realized I had no more gears left...I was like the "one speed fits all" bikes from back in the day.



I had to try my best to try to make my voice not sound all faint and what not after the workout, and try not to pant so hard...I couldn't let the young girls see they had gotten the best of me! From now on I will DEFINITELY be keeping my work clothes on when I go to practice...so there will be absolutely no chance for me to have another lapse in judgment that could temporarily put me into a 24 y/o cardiac arrest of sorts...



Hello, my name is Erin Richelle, and I have officially stepped into athletic retirement...

Self-Defining Black Girl Moment!!!

Ok, so we are going to totally ignore the big, fat, pink Elephant in the room (the fact that the last time I posted fingerwaves and waterfalls were still popular hairstyles)...

So onto my self-defining black girl moment, hereinafter, ("SDBGM"). Yesterday I volunteered at my old internship as a legal team leader as we ensured the integrity of one of the biggest elections in Philadelphia history...finding a new mayor to replace the oh so street, Mayor Street. Anyways, during election day I spent 8 hours sending my citizen and legal field teams to different parts of the city that were experiencing problems (voter intimidation, long lines, broken machines, illegal sample ballots, etc).

Early on during my shift I called one of my citizen teams - quickly I recognized his voice to be that of a black man (his last name sorta gave it away too)! So after we get over the logistics of the afternoon - he asked me if I was a lawyer? I explain that I will be a 3L at Nova this fall, etc. etc. etc. He goes on to explain he's taking the LSAT in August, and applying for admission for the class of 2011. Then he asked the penultimate question...the question that led me to even write this post...ARE YOU READY (duh duh duhhhh!!!)... He asks, "are you a member of BLSA???" Now, for you non-legal types, BLSA stands for Black Law Student Association!!! So unless he thought I was the token WG in BLSA, clearly he recognized my voice - as that of a BG!!!

OMG - me...OVER THE PHONE...YOU COULD TELL I WAS A BLACK GIRL?!?! WOW...not the Erin Richelle whose mother, Joscelyn Alana always asks her to grow out of her white girl voice phase, not the same Erin Richelle who moments before making the biggest speech of her life at a national sorority convention was told by her regional director, not to use her valley girl voice, not the same Erin Richelle whose 5 your old too gangster for TV godsister said, "my cousin Brittney says people who say like a lot - talk like white girls" then rolled her eyes and stared at me in front of our entire family at our last family dinner (biatch), not the same Erin Richelle who has constantly argued with Samantha & Erica about who talks less like a white girl...YES - that same Erin Richelle!!!

I have attempted to rationalize the tone of my voice by the fact that I grew up in Wallingford, PA (in 4th grade I was the only BG in the entire class, and 1 of 2 in 5th grade), I went to Univ. of Richmond (not VUU, not even VCU) and I currently go to Villanova Univ. I mean, when some people were watching "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" in the early 90's I was watching "Clueless." Clearly, I am merely a product of my environment...

Even over a headset telephone, face unseen - this mystery black man knew, that I Erin Richelle was a black girl!!! Snaps for me and my SDBGM...and for all of you silly broads who still think I talk like a WG...can put that in your pink pipe and smoke it!!!