Ranch Reflections are articles written by students who want to share their experiences, thoughts, and concerns. This is a great opportunity for students to branch out beyond traditional news stories.

Jennifer Miranda—LRHS News

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)—Winter Break is over and Mustangs come back with their own unique stories from their two weeks. My story involves being trampled in the streets of New York on New Year’s Eve.

Ever since my brother and his wife moved to New York, my parents and I have taken advantage of the opportunity to experience events such as watching the Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving and now watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.

If there is one thing to learn from my experience it is that if anybody plans to spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square, arrive early.

In order to enter the venue, each of the one million people arriving has to go through security. There were only two cops managing it and telling each person to take off their jackets in 20-degree weather. There was no line to get past security, but a few hundred people pushing through in order to get to the front. It was physically impossible for me to move any part of my body. The only way that I moved two steps every ten minutes was by other people carrying my body as they pushed through. After a half hour of pushing and trampling, my family and I finally made it through, only to go through another security entrance.

Once again, we went through a mob of people and after another half hour, at 9 p.m., finally made inside just as One Direction came on the stage. Once you are past security, everything else is a breeze. People are still very close together, but with enough space to move your limbs. The view from where we stood and the stage was like being in the back of a concert: you can see the stage, but you are better off watching the large screens on the sides (especially if you are 5’2” and crowded by one million people).

We watched great performances by entertainers such as One Direction, Jencarlos Canela and Taylor Swift, but, of course, the best moment of the night was the last ten seconds of 2014. Everybody chanted with excitement as every thrilling second went by. Finally when the countdown reached zero, confetti came out of nowhere and then everybody shared his or her New Year’s kiss.

The countdown was not just for the arrival of 2015, but it was the countdown to start running towards the subway trains. One of the scariest experiences one could ever have is to be in a crowd of one-million revelers running towards the same location. We finally made it home at 3am.

Although arriving and leaving seemed like near-death experiences, actually being present at the event that we have watched on TV every New Year’s Eve is now one of the greatest memories I have.