Ok well first of all I have found it really hard to write as much now that I am back in the swing of going to school. I like being back at school though. Finding useless facts in media guides and posting them here is what kept me sane over break. Sad I know. But I will write as often as I can.
I was very happy that we won both games yesterday in basketball. The women only gave up 7 points in the first half. The record for fewest points in a half against UConn is 6. The three at the end of the half killed a new record. The record for fewest in a game against UConn is 20.
Jeff Adrien was the player of the game for the men. 19 rebounds in a game is impressive.
Maya Moore was the player of the game for the women. However Tiffany Hayes knocking down 2 three pointers is the most important thing for UConn in the long run.
Now to the reason for this post. I finally read through Mel Thomas's book. It was a great book. A page turner for me. Order it and read it if you haven't already. I bought it with my school books on Tuesday and already finished it.
Mel Thomas is someone I'll never forget. Out of nowhere I got to go to the Women's Basketball Media Day. I was in awe when I got there. I was like a kid in a candy store. I got to stand in the center of Gampel Pavilion. Not that many people get to do that. Especially with one of the best basketball programs in the country standing with you. The person I was with was like, "Tim are you ok?" I was just in shock because I appreciated the moment and luck of being able to be on the floor with the UConn Women's Basketball team.
Most guys here at UConn or in the state or even country don't really understand the significance. To me the UConn Women's Basketball team is what my state is known for. They are the Yankees to New York and maybe Red Sox to Boston. It is what the area is known for. Connecticut is an interesting place. We are in between and overshadowed by New York and Boston. People in Connecticut are proud to be from Connecticut but we tend to gravitate to either a Boston affiliation or New York affiliation. Being from Stamford I have the New York affiliation and sometimes people say I have a slight New York accent. On top of that we have no pro sports teams that unite the state. (we recently got the Connecticut Sun, and used to have the Hartford Whalers) Still nothing really unites us. The typical Connecticut Sports fan is a Yankees and Giants fan West of New Haven and a Red Sox and Patriots fan East of New Haven. There are also Mets and Jets fans in the state too. A smaller minority in terms of those other teams. And most of them frequent the West of New Haven territory. I am a Mets fan, but for football I root for America's team, the Cowboys. In the NHL and NBA Connecticut is once again split between the New York and Boston teams. But you know what, one team transcends all of Connecticut. That team is the Girls Basketball team. They bring the state together. Especially among older fans. The Men's Team has a lot of fans too but the women's fans come off as being more passionate. I appreciate how much the UConn Women's team means to the state and the University and all of the achievements that they have. That's why I was in awe when I stepped on to the court with them. Even if it was just to ask them questions.
So back to Mel. Mel was the first person I ever interviewed. I'll never forget it either. Before I spoke to her I told her how she was like my alarm clock because whenever I got up last year I could hear (and as I looked out the window, see) the Women's team yelling and talking as they past below my dorm on their way to eat Breakfast. Mel was so easy to talk to and I had no idea how to perform interviews. I had no experience and no guidelines, I just did what felt natural to me. It went great and I was so proud of myself for being able to talk to Mel Thomas and not look like an idiot. Not too long ago, around 8th or 9th grade I was a fat, awkward slob who never ever would have been able to talk to someone like Mel Thomas. Heck I probably couldn't even look in the mirror at that age.
Through hard word I was able to change myself. I became healthy for the first time in my life. I started making good choices and got into cycling and weightlifting. I became really fit and still live an active lifestyle. (I just need to learn how to eat healthy!) To be honest I poured my heart and soul into getting healthy. Nothing could stop me. I was focused and never ever gave in to temptations to take a day off. I wanted to be healthy so I wouldn't succumb to a Heart Attack or stroke like many others in my family I have. I was determined to change so I could make myself a better person. So your wondering how does this relate to Mel Thomas and her book?
Mel poured her heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears into going for a National Championship. Just as I had done to become healthy. Unlike myself, Mel came up short. She didn't get a chance to win a National Championship and that sucks. But what's worse is that she didn't have the chance to be on the floor against Stanford and make a difference in the game. She tore her ACL. The night after the Syracuse game Mel talks about how she cried all night and couldn't sleep after the injury. All she had worked so hard for, she would come up short on. She wouldn't be able to compete for a national championship. She'd have to watch her teammates play. I stayed up for about an hour, hour and a half after the Syracuse game or after I heard about her injury (not sure which) thinking about Mel and how unfair it was for this to happen to her. She worked so hard, for four years, for this one last chance to reach her goal. To do the impossible. I thought about what it was like when I had to push myself to get healthy. What if I got injured trying my hardest to reach my goal? What would my life be like if that happened to me?
I told that to some people and they laughed at me. They thought I was weird for staying up and thinking about how unfair it was for Mel Thomas to be injured. They were thinking "He wasn't friends with her. Why should he care?" Unlike them, I understand what it's like to do something that I thought was impossible. The thought of doing what I did but coming up short would have sucked. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I actually did fall short, like Mel did.
I also loved Mel because of how hard she played the game. She was always on the floor out hustling and out working everyone. I love players like that.
Sports isn't all about numbers, it's also about life. I love the numbers part, but I love the life part of it a whole lot more than most people.
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