Geno

I may have posted this before but I found some Geno stories.

Geno took out all of the staff before a game when they were on the road and got expensive wine and whatever they wanted for dinner at a nice restaurant.

Also when Franklin Pierce went and played UCONN in an exhibition game Geno came over to the Franklin Pierce bench before the game to talk to two of the injured players, Cynthia Gaudet and Tori I believe.  He apparently mentioned some of their stats from the year before and tried to boost their spirits.

Geno Auriemma is a good guy.   

Brian Williams

Elon had a wonderful commencement speech given by NBC News Anchor Brian Williams. 

To me Brian Williams is the voice of America.  Every major news story is one that he covers. 

His son went to school at Elon and is graduating. 

I wanted to say something about the speech, but here it is.  No one who was there will forget it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njY8IINfFFw

In case you don't know who writes this...

In case you have no idea who is writing this...well I will give you a guess...

They are in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6oPiIhpdBL0

And if you aren't smart enough to figure it out then I feel sorry for you. 

I'm really happy for Caroline McCaslin and I hope she does well at the NCAA Regionals.   The photo I took of her was the first photo that I took that made it online on our school's website.

She is a great person and amazing all around student-athlete who works extremely hard and is very humble.

While I love all of the freshman athletes at our school, Caroline is in my opinion the best freshman athlete.   Not many freshman made NCAA's at our school and got to represent the school nationally.  Not many did as well as she did outside of track either.      

Edit Things!

I don't want to be harsh here. People who work in sports are very busy.  They have so much going on.  They typically work well past 40 hours and don't usually get compensated for doing that.  I have high standards, as do most people who work in athletics.  They wouldn't have a job without them.

With that being said, I really don't get a couple of things.

While I make grammatical errors and mistakes here, I'm also not writing a press release.  It amazes me how often some of the releases from UCONN contain grammatical mistakes.  Careless mistakes, that really don't make the department look good.

The latest thing I caught was the Athletics Re-Branding Video.  It's an amazing video.  I could not make something like that.  I could however make sure that there weren't a few random screen slides between Caroline Doty and Andre Blake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLxnhB3GG0I

You just can't have that error in a branding video to unveil a new logo.  If that video is showing what we are all about, it's hard not to notice and take off for the fact that there is an error in the video.

I'm just saying that maybe an intern or student worker needs to come in at a big school to just proofread and edit things.  An extra pair of eyes never hurts, and can help prevent embarrassing mishaps.  

I wonder

How many times have athletes injured themselves on campus doing dumb things that they lie to their coaches about?

What would athletes lie about?  What are some interesting situations they get in?  Well I can't list them all.  Here are some interesting ones.

I hurt my leg by falling last night....
What they might mean is that they were drunk and fell and twisted an ankle or something. 

The cross country runners who sneak cake past coaches at banquets...sit with different teams at banquets to eat dessert

"I take notes, but the teacher collects them at the end of class and we don't get them back." 

"I have to leave class early, I have an interview. "

This isn't lying but...another favorite...Cross Country runners who get spotted by their cross country coach during pre-season eating ice-cream on campus.  Atleast the coach was nice enough to wave.  

"I need new gear. Give me a marker or a pen.  I'll get some marks on it and they will give me new gear."

Having one person go to class and then mass text everyone to show up when they see a class check.  Then all of a sudden you see three athletes running together...late to class.   

There are so many other ones.  I'd love to have some posted by others.  I've been had and lied to.  I know it.  

Spoiled

I was spoiled at UCONN.

I mean I really had it better as a staff member for a soccer team than the football team at a mid-major...or any school at a mid major.

A year has gone by.  I'm guessing that all of the teams in the athletic department had maybe a dozen trips with flights.  Maybe less.

I remember having flights back to back weeks.

I remember flying on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

I always was jealous of the basketball teams that flew to Syracuse.

I bet most athletes at a mid major are jealous of me for getting to fly.  Period.

As for hotels, I know that the teams at this mid major would never ever stay at the places we stayed at.  As a staff member I got Double Tree, Mariott, Embassy Suites and Crowne Plaza...and god forbid at one point a Ramada.  At a mid major it's Motel 6, Best Western (Which surprisingly I ended up at once)  or tents on the side of the road.

Ok maybe not tents on the side of the road, but you get the point.

The gear.  I got to keep my gear.  The head of ticketing at a mid major had to give back his gear.  You get more gear as a staff member at a big school...I mean a team manager, a volunteer, an anything, than the head of ticketing at a small school.   

I got hats, gloves, jackets, sweatshirts, pullovers, soccer pants, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, polo shirts and even sneakers.

At a mid major I got a polo shirt and a donated pull over.  I am begging to have gear stolen for me.  I could pay to have stuff embriodered.

Pay for gear?  I'm too spoiled for that.

I actually laughed at the idea...although I sort of might end up doing it. 

So I have an appreciation for what I had at UCONN.  An appreciation that I hope isn't lost on the athletes that go there.  Because even though you might not get treated like basketball, you are treated better than 98% of all other college athletic teams.

It just takes some time and perspective to realize that. 

Running Plan

I got my running program/workout from aforementioned runner who couldn't walk or talk after her race on Sunday.
 Everyone would love it if I couldn't talk. 

Should be interesting, and I can't wait to get started.  I'm glad I will get a few days to prepare for the plan.  I could use another day or two or three to push myself before.

The goal is to get me in 5k shape.  From there maybe marathon eventually?

It would be hilarious if I ran unattached to a cross country meet with kids I advise in it.  But I won't do that. 

UNC Chapel Hill did have a faculty/staff mile run.  I was impressed because they had some really great times. 

This is How You End Your Career

You end your career by giving it your all.

You end a track race by not being able to talk.

When you can't talk or walk when it's over and it's your last race it's extra special.  It means you won.

I will try to put more details to this soon.  More context and more details.

But I will never forget how hard Chrissy Pacewicz pushed herself in her final collegiate event.  It was special to watch, especially the end of it.  After she crossed the line she seemed to be full of emotion.  She looked like she wanted to cry and then she fell into the arms of one of her teammates.  She actually wasn't full of emotion.  She was just in lots of pain.  Then she just dropped of sheer exhaustion.  It was artistic and poetic.  I wish there was a camera right above her on the ground to capture that moment.  The end and going out a winner.  Going out knowing that she gave it her all and should have no regrets.  This was one of those special moments that reminds you of why you enjoy working in college athletics.

It was one hell of a way to end a college career.  A career of running herself to death.  Pushing herself so her lungs burned.  It was amazing to watch.  It is my favorite athletic moment that I have watched at Elon. 

Post the freaking schedule!

I really want to see the UCWS schedule so I can see if I can get to a game.  I want to watch the team and the players I still know. 

Looking at the roster the amount is probably down to only about ten players.  I remember when I knew every players favorite post game drink. 

Skoges a senior? 

Seems like yesterday I had to restrain her from wearing a light up grille (not something you cook on..these were like light up teeth) while giving a tour to recruits.

Seems like yesterday I had to listen to Skoges and Devin complain about carrying everything on trips.  I remember being a pain in the ass to them and made sure they got the camera cases through security without any problems.

To be fair it really did suck that they got stuck carrying everything.

I'd be excited to watch everyone I know play.  If I got to a game I'm not sure if I'd want the best team on the field, I'd just want the players I know to play. 

I hope to see Julie and Cuevas play because I missed out on that in 2011.  It would make my day to see Julie and Lew score at a game I went to.

As of now I don't know that I will be getting to a game.  I hope to, but I plan to be in North Carolina in the fall.  It's up to the team to get to the NCAA's here.   

Unique Track Background

I really love Track and Field and Cross Country.

One of the runners I meet with is from the Czech Republic.  She has so much swagger, and I love her because she says whatever is on her mind.  Some of things she says are not exactly polite when you say it in English, but she means for it to be polite.  She will say "I don't like" but in her accent it's just comes off as being nice.   I asked her about her background and running track in high school.  She didn't.

Instead she told me that other than a few random track meets she did orienteering.  I have no idea how a coach found her if all she did was as she said "Run and Think" in the woods.

Here is a video on it.  Looks really cool!  I love being in the woods too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVQGRaLNBOk