University of Maryland has Four NSCA All-Americans

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently named four Maryland student-athletes Strength and Conditioning All-Americans. The quartet of Amanda McCann (softball), Jimmy Sheptock (wrestling), Jake Stinnett (baseball) and Moriah Young (track and field) is among 229 total collegiate and high school athletes the NSCA recognized with the honor. Athletes are selected based on nominations from their strength coaches.

"This is a tremendous honor for our department," said Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports Mike Szemborski. "Having four student-athletes attain this accolade speaks to the dedication and work ethic of all Terrapin student-athletes. It is a privilege to work with these student athletes every day and we're grateful the NSCA has given us a way to acknowledge their commitment to training."

Assistant Strength Coach Matt McManus on McCann- "Amanda has worked hard in all aspects of her training to turn herself from a walk-on into a starter and leader on the softball team. She represents Maryland well and has earned the respect of her teammates through her tireless work ethic and positive attitude."

Assistant Strength Coach Brent Kwiatkowski on Sheptock- "Jimmy Sheptock is a grinder. Jimmy has consistently proven to be a leader on our team and a role model for our younger athletes. He does things the right way. He is extremely dedicated to his physical development, which has resulted in consistent gains in the weight room and increased performance on the mat. As a sophomore, Jimmy was an ACC Champion at 174 pounds and as a junior won the ACC at 184."

Assistant Strength Coach Seth Diters on Stinnett- "Jake is a true leader both on and off the field. He is someone that all the underclassmen look up to and respect. He does all the little things right and is truly deserving of this recognition." Kwiatkowski on Young- "Moriah is the type of student-athlete that steps into the weight room and commands attention, not because she is loud and seeks out attention, but because of the way she carries herself and her consistent effort and dedication to her development. She is an extremely coachable athlete and a great leader. Through hard work and perseverance, Moriah has set school records in the squat, clean and bench press in the past year. Moriah has shown consistent improvement in her events, finishing second in the ACC in the weight throw in 2012 and she currently has the second longest throw in Maryland history in the hammer."
The National Strength and Conditioning Association has named four Maryland student athletes Strength and Conditioning All-Americans.  These athletes come from the softball, wrestling, baseball, and track and field teams.  These athletes are selected based on nominations from strength coaches.  You can find out more information at UMTERPS.

Spring Break Safety Tips

 Are you excited for a crazy spring break?  Before you head to the beach, check out these safety tips for your travel arrangements.  You can never be too safe when going to a foreign place.  We hope everyone has a safe and happy spring break!



Follow these spring break travel safety tips from experts so that you can have some peace of mind and your child can get their kicks the smart way.

Booking the trip

Your child's spring break begins before they actually get in a plane, train or automobile. Many people choose to make their own travel arrangements, but sometimes it's easier to book a trip with a tour operator. Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, says, "Make sure you choose a reputable company with experience running trips to the area you wish to visit."
Banas offers the following suggestions:

Booking

Book a tour through a student travel agency. StudentUniverse, STA and Travel CUTS all partner with well-established spring break tour operators.

Be informed

Get information about unfamiliar tour operators. Contact the Student and Youth Travel Association or the Better Business Bureau for details about a company's reputation.

Educate

Choose a tour operator that educates travelers about their destination. Melissa Cocca of StudentCity.com says her company has mandatory destination-specific safety orientations for students upon arrival.

Do the research

"Every country's laws, customs and standards for safety and healthy differ"

For some kids, this spring break journey may be their first big trip. But even if your child is a seasoned traveler, it's important to learn as much as possible about the destination before departure. Every country's laws, customs and standards for safety and healthy differ, says Banas.
"Learn about the local people's cultural beliefs. Women especially should be aware of cultural attitudes regarding dress and behavior to avoid harassment or worse," says Banas. She also suggests that it's wise to learn at least a few words or phrases in the local language. "Learning how to say 'help' or 'police' or 'I need a doctor' may prove invaluable later on."

More tips from Banas

Get background information about a specific destination. The U.S. State Department website has Consular Information Sheets for about 170 countries as well as travel tips written especially for students. Bonus: This site also posts travel warnings and public announcements detailing any serious crime, terrorism, health risks, natural disasters or other dangers for specific countries.

Know your rights, or lack thereof. Learn about the laws governing alcohol consumption and other activities in your child's chosen destination. Penalties for behaviors such as public drunkenness or drunk driving may be much harsher than in the States. Having U.S. citizenship isn't enough to save your child from being prosecuted under a foreign country's justice system.

Read up. Check out the website of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in your child's chosen destination. Read guidebooks and the materials provided by your tour operator or university travel office. Even visit online travel forums such as Lonely Planet Thorn Tree to talk about a particular city or country.

Get info about possible scams. Find out if there any are particular areas that should be avoided in the destination of choice and the crimes and scams common to that area. For example, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico warns that local police in Cancun's hotel district have been known to extort tourists for bribes.

Protect your health. Steve Dasseos, president of Trip Insurance Store, advises that you learn as much as you can about your health insurance policies before your child travels to a foreign country, including if your child will have coverage outside of the U.S. and how much you would have to pay out of pocket for medical treatment.

Pack carefully

Packing for spring break is about more than taking the right clothes and toiletries. "What you bring and what you leave behind can make a big difference," says Banas, who also suggests the following:

Forget the bling

Discourage your child from taking along expensive (or expensive-looking) jewelry or wads of cash that could make them attractive targets for thieves. They also shouldn't take along any unnecessary items they'd regret losing, such as iPods or DVD players.

Make copies

Make sure your child provides you with various ways to get in touch with them, a copy of their itinerary and copies of important documents such as their passport. CrimeZilla.com advises that your child should also pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of their passport information page to make replacement easier in case the passport is lost or stolen.

Have I.D.

Your spring breaker should be sure to take all necessary forms of identification with them, as well as information for the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and a phone number for their tour operator, school travel office or travel agent.

St. Patrick's Day Drink Holders

Are you having a St. Patrick's Day Party, or are you attending one?  These DIY Crafts are super easy to make, and they will help you figure out whose drink is whose.  All you need is some different color card stock, scissors, and straws.   You can follow the directions below and make the straws in different colors.  This way you know what drink belongs to everyone.  For more great DIY St. Patty's Day crafts, you can click on Martha Stewart.



As a nod to Saint Patrick's Day, let your kids create their own luck with four-leaf-clover straw toppers. Shamrocks fashioned from green card stock make for an instantly festive table.

Tools and Materials

Card stock
Scissors
Bendable drinking straws, in green

Shamrock Straw Toppers How-To

1. Cut card stock into 5-inch squares.
2. Fold each square in half diagonally, creating a triangle, and then fold in half once more to make a smaller triangle. Trim off outer points as indicated.
3. Unfold paper halfway, as shown. Cut a small V at the bottom, in the center.
4. Unfold shamrock, and crease diagonally, reversing the direction of the fold; repeat to make another diagonal crease. Slide card-stock shamrock onto one end of a green straw. Make a wish, and have a sip!

The 2013 Terps Football Schedule

Are you ready for some Football at the University?  The University of Maryland Terps have released their football schedule for next year.  They are playing some great opponents in and out of their conference.  This year the Terps will be playing at Connecticut and West Virginia for two of their non-conference games.  You can buy tickets and find out more on the Maryland Athletics page.

DIY Art Gallery

Did you ever want to have art pieces hanging around your house?  Now you can do it for a low price.  Check out this easy step by step tutorial about how to make art pieces out of posters.  Please see apartment therapy with any questions you might have.

This tutorial is inexpensive, easy, and best of all: low-risk. I was in need of some art for our bathroom, and it needed to be rather large and until I can afford what I've really got my heart set on — rather cheap.

I decided to take a poster that I liked (picked up at a craft store for around $10) and skip the large expensive frame. Instead, I made it look like a wrapped canvas, using a cheap old thrift store canvas I had lying around. Warning: this project is not for the perfectionist! If you're looking for large-scale art on a budget, and can accept some minor flaws, this is the project for you! I completed this project in less than 20 minutes.

What You Need

• poster
• canvas just a bit smaller than the poster
• adhesive such as mod podge
• brush
• staple gun or stapler

Instructions

1. Lay out your poster.



2. Place canvas on top to be sure you have enough room to fold the edges around.



3. Spread out your adhesive.





4. Starting at the bottom or top, carefully press your poster onto the gluey canvas, taking care to smooth out air bubbles. Note: I didn't photograph this step because I needed both hands — and you will too!

5. Flip the whole thing over and smooth it out.



6. Flip back over and use your fingers, a dry towel, or a brayer to smooth out any extra wrinkles.



7. Flip back over, and carefully wrap the edges around to the back of the canvas. Secure in place with staples.



8. Fold corners neatly like wrapping a present and secure with staples.





10. Hang, and enjoy!

Track and Field Team Heading to Conference Championship

The University of Maryland track and field team is hoping to continue its early season success at this weekend's Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, hosted by Virginia Tech at the Rector Field House.

The Terrapins begin competing on Friday with some preliminary rounds of track events starting at noon. The first field event will start at 12:30 p.m. The meet then continues Saturday at 11 a.m., with the awards ceremony capping of the championships at 4 p.m. For a full schedule of events, please click the according link above.

So far this season, Maryland has had multiple standout performances from its student-athletes, highlighted by a steady balance from both upper and underclassmen.

One of Maryland's best events is the high jump and will take place Friday evening. With three student-athletes among the best in the ACC, the high jump will be one of the events to keep an eye on this weekend.

Sophomore Amber Melville cleared 6'0 in the high jump at the Virginia Tech Elite meet to become the first female in over 30 years to reach this height in indoor program history. Junior Amina Smith has also looked strong in this event, reaching a height of 5'10 early in the season. Sophomore Thea LaFond jumped at 5'8.5 at the Virginia Tech Elite meet.

LaFond has shown her versatility, earning a career best in the triple jump and 60 hurdles so far this season, in addition to her best mark in the high jump.

The Virginia Tech Elite meet also served as a highlighted event for the Terps with strong performances in the 800m by Julie Sinkovitz and Myah Hicks. Arielle Statham also earned a season best performance in the 400m.

The throwing events have also proven to be a strong area for the Terps, led by senior Moriah Young and freshman Chioma Onyekwere. Young set a lifetime best in the weight and shot put this indoor season. Onyekwere, who has been helped by Young all season, is following in Young's footsteps with strong improvements each competition.

There are various ways to keep up with the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. In addition to the links above, fans can follow the action on Twitter: For more information see UM Terps.

The University of Maryland track and field team is heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship hosted by Virginia Tech.  The meet starts Friday with preliminaries and ends Saturday afternoon.  The team has had many stand out performances by the student athletes throughout the season, and they are hoping to do well in the meet.

A Valentines Party Treat

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Hearts

You may use any size heart cutters you like to make these shortbreads; the chocolate is optional. For the most beautiful cookies, don't reroll the scraps.

Martha Stewart Living, February 2000

• Yield Makes 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch heart cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more, for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon canola oil or pure vegetable shortening

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 18 minutes. (Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.)
4. In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil. Dip half or one third of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to dry, or place them on a piece of parchment paper in the freezer for 10 minutes. Serve.
   For more information see Martha Stewart.