Radford University - Beehive Yearbook (Radford, VA)

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 Struggling to survive number 999. To Hoffman, the going got a bit rough as he inched towards the last 5,000 sit-ups from his goal. cing the thrill from publishing their first book. A Journey Through Appalachia, these young authors of English 132 autograph a ..in How i Dana Ertzner, Kimberly Brockman, Meg Poffenberger, Joanna Pruitt, f ler (Back Row) Angeli Kaiash, i, David 1'rovoM Dr. Grace Edwards-. Linda Johnson, Carolyn Page Caroline Breiter (Not Pictured) Kim Cox and Heba Webb. Outstanding Students 17

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Standing out above the crowd “The potential we have is so great that the only thing lacking is a positive attitude and initial motivation.” “I feel that we can achieve anything if we only set our minds to it and convince ourselves that it’s possible and within our grasp.” These were the words of one tired but satisfied August Hoffman. Jr., one of 15 outstanding students who, with determination, motivation, and hours upon hours of research, accomplished some fairly outstanding goals. For Hoffman, that goal was the breaking of a double world record for continuous sit-ups. For the other 14 students, theirs was to publish a book on Appalachia. Inside the Radford Barbell Club, on a Saturday afternoon. Hoffman laid on the carpet, pulling his upper torso towards his knees in rapid succession for nine and a half hours until he reached the magic number of 26,051. Within that time, Angel Bustamonte’s 1077 record of 26,000 situps in 11 hours and 44 minutes had crumbled. In breaking the record. Hoffman fulfilled a longtime goal which also supported his masters’ thesis in clinical psychology- “This was an opportunity for me not only to demonstrate the hypothesis of my thesis, but also to explore my own physical limits in terms of endurance.” With six months of intensive physical and mental training, a supportive crowd cheering with every successful sit-up, and in accordance with the Guinness Book of World Records’ regulations, Hoffman easily endured the long hours of pain and agony that rode on the heels of victory. He could break for bathroom privileges as well as several brief intervals for a snack con- sisting of raw eggs, honey and chocolate bars. As he neared the previous record of 26,000, the crowd of about 40 pushed him farther towards the realization of his astounding goal. “The crowd was great .. . when I started to get up to 26,000, they began to count out loud,” he recalled. “That was very encouraging so I just kept on going.” But more than just the encouraging crowd, the mental and physical preparations. Hoffman’s strong belief in himself was the real clincher. “1 feel that there’s a strong relationship between what people think they can do (selfperception) and what they actually do — especially in sports. At first, they didn’t think they could do it. They didn’t think they had the potential to write, then publish, their own book. But for the students of honors Knglish 132, A Journey Through Appalachia was the fruits of their dormant potential. When Dr. Grace Edwards, professor of this mainly freshman honors class, approached the potential authors with the idea of compiling a book as their final project, they were somewhat apprehensive; yet, they voted unanimously to do it. After hearing Edwards’ idea, Meg Poffenberger, a freshman from Luray, Va., thought. “Gosh, we can’t write a book. It’ll be a lot of work and a drag.” But after she saw the Final product, she soon changed her mind. I was pleased with the results.” Though they may not have had much confidence in themselves. Edwards knew these students could do it. After all, they were special. Because of their high SAT scores, they were exempt from English 131. Just as they were some- what apprehensive about writing the book, so were these special students apprehensive about the class itself. “I didn’t want to learn about it (Appalachia) at first, said Poffenberger. But, gradually, as they became exposed to the Appalachian region, its people and its customs, they began to understand, and, more importantly, to learn. “By studying the region, people realized that Appalachia wasn’t a lot of hillbillies.” said Dave Provost, a freshman whose family just moved to Virginia from New Hampshire. “There were educated people in the colonies who'd studied the Greek classics, but when they retreated to the mountains, survival became their main focus, not Oedipus.” After hours of research, writing and polishing the papers tnat would eventually turn into their first book, the students spent the next Five weeks outside of class trying to survive the world of publishing. It took dedication, organization, commitment, and, above all, cooperation. “Everyone got along really well, like a family,” said Carolyn Page, author of the paper entitled The Impact of the Depression in Appalachia.” Alas, the fruits of their efforts blossomed into a book complete with sketches, photos, and an assortment of colorful topics from Appalachian superstitions to funeral customs. After tasting the sweet fruit of bis victory, Hoffman had said, “There’s a great need for research to be done in so many areas. Perhaps, we, as individuals, can devote more time to some of these areas.” Record-breaker. AuKU-t Hoffman takes a short break during: his nine and a half hour workout. Within that time he did 26,051 sit-ups. 4 16 Student Life Feature

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