Ohio State

Every year, it seems, I see various posts on social media from friends who bemoan the reality that the Ohio State Buckeyes have a large following, even from people who have never attended school there. Heck, many of those same fans actually attend or attended school at another school, often an in-state school like Kent State, Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio U, etc. yet you'll still find them sporting Ohio State gear at some point. Why is that, and is it all that unusual?

I'm one of those who fit in that mold of being an Ohio State fan but never having attended classes there. Even so, it's not like I have no connections to the school; my grandpa got his PhD from Ohio State and two of my aunts have advanced degrees from OSU (one a master's, one a PhD). Just from that, I was raised in a very pro-OSU environment, on top of the fact that OSU games are mostly broadcast on local TV every week, so it was easy to watch. At the same time, though, that same grandpa also took me to virtually all of my early Kent State athletic events (football, and men's and women's basketball) and he and my grandma are long-time financial supporters of KSU athletics even with their attachment to OSU. Come to think of it, the only OSU athletic event my grandma has been to that I can remember was when she and my aunt (who was finishing her PhD at Ohio State at the time) went to the 1997 Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, the thriller where OSU came back to beat Arizona State 20-17.

In my lifetime, I have been to five Ohio State football games, three of which were held in Columbus and one in Cleveland. The first two were in the mid-1990s when that aforementioned aunt was there getting her PhD in sport management. As a grad student, she had football tickets, so I was able to go to one game in 1996 with her and one of her friends (#3 OSU 38, #4 Penn State 7), and then my sister and I attended a game in 1997 (#7 OSU 24, #11 Iowa 7). The next time I was at a game in Ohio Stadium was just this past year, when OSU beat Kent State 66-0. For that game, I wore my yellow KSU hat, a blue KSU shirt, and my red OSU fleece jacket. I was most definitely conflicted!

Inside Ohio Stadium this past September sporting my KSU and OSU gear. I was pleasantly surprised how many KSU fans I saw at the stadium, though!

Outside Ohio Stadium with my sister Katie. It was our 2nd trip to Ohio Stadium together and first since 1997! 

I've been to two road games, one in 2009 when OSU beat Toledo 38-0 in Cleveland and then in 2013 when OSU won 56-0 at Purdue. That game was my first true OSU road game and came as a result of my sister and brother-in-law living about an hour and a half from West Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University) and tickets for that game being as low as $10. It was the first OSU game for my youngest sister and brother-in-law, who like me are both KSU alums.

OSU vs. Toledo game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, September 2009, with my friend Michelle. It was a "home" game for Toledo, but the crowd was almost all dressed in scarlet and gray.

OSU vs. Purdue game last November (2013) in West Lafayette with my sister Becky. The game was Purdue's "blackout" game, but there were as many, if not more, fans in red than black. 

Now, compared to my attendance at Kent State athletic events, my OSU support is almost non-existent. This season I've already been to more than five KSU athletic events, which is the norm every year. Obviously distance is a factor (I can walk to KSU...Columbus is a two-hour drive from here), but so is cost (KSU events are significantly less expensive). Heck, even my the OSU game I went to this year was also a road-trip for KSU! Pretty much all of the OSU games I watch are on TV. But for KSU? Well, see just a few examples of my trips to KSU athletic events...

KSU vs. Akron men's basketball game in 2011

KSU at Toledo in men's basketball in 2012, one of several road trips I've taken for KSU. I've seen KSU play in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green, and even in Logan, Utah!

KSU at Bowling Green in football in 2012, my first road trip for KSU football

KSU home game this past fall!

Now, with my experience in mind, why is it that so many people are fans even though, like me, they never went to OSU as a student? First and foremost, people need to understand that such a situation is hardly unique for the state of Ohio. OSU is easily the largest school in the state and has the most successful big-time football program over generations. The same is true for states like Michigan (UM and Michigan State), Texas (UT, Texas A&M), Nebraska, Wisconsin, Alabama (UA and Auburn), and others, as well as for schools like Notre Dame with Catholics and BYU with Latter-day Saints. (I have to say, it's quite ironic when I see Notre Dame fans in Ohio complain about OSU fans who never went to OSU...there's a good chance they never attended Notre Dame either, which has an enrollment of less than 10,000). Pretty much any major college team that wins consistently is going to have a large amount of fans who have a broader connection to the team (i.e. a casual connection like the same state or similar), but not to the school itself. In other words, you have fans and alumni of The Ohio State University and you have fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The latter group is similar to fans of professional teams. 99.9999% of the fans of pro teams never played for that team, they just typically follow them either because it is (or was) their local team or they like a specific player. Again, this is not unique to Ohio or Ohio State; its something that happens all over the sports world.

While not the only Division I school, Ohio State is also currently the only school in Ohio to play in one of the "Power Five" conferences. Of the remaining Division I football programs in Ohio, six play in the Mid-American Conference (Miami, Ohio U, Toledo, Bowling Green, Akron, & Kent State), one plays in the American Athletic Conference (Cincinnati), and the others play at the FCS level (Dayton & Youngstown State). Wright State and Cleveland State are Division I schools as well, but do not sponsor football. Because of that, while the other Division I FBS schools are technically eligible to play in the new College Football Playoff, the likelihood of any of the teams outside the "Power Five" conferences is very low.

The other factor that people seem to miss is the support for the Buckeyes is far more in football than it is for basketball. Yes, Ohio State draws well for basketball, but nowhere near what they draw for football. For instance, I mentioned the OSU-Toledo game I attended in Cleveland back in 2009. That game drew over 71,000, almost all of whom were Ohio State fans. Two years earlier, OSU played Cleveland State at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and while OSU had a very large crowd there, the 20,652-seat arena was nowhere near full (announced attendance of 12,715), even though it was the season immediately after OSU made the national title game. (They did draw well in Cleveland when they played at the Q for the first two rounds of the 2011 NCAA tournament, though their games were not the only games played there. The games, though, were sold out). Even in Columbus, OSU basketball isn't sold out consistently. Conversely, the schools that have consistently great basketball teams, but not so much in football (Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.) have much better fan support in basketball when they travel, similar to OSU in football. For instance, ask someone who identifies as a Duke fan (but never went to school there or even lived in the state of North Carolina) and there's a pretty good chance they are fans of Duke men's basketball, not football.

Two views (top: north and west stands; bottom: south and east stands) of Cleveland Browns Stadium during the OSU-Toledo game in September 2009. Attendance was announced at 71,727, overwhelmingly Ohio State fans

Ohio State vs. Cleveland State in men's basketball in December 2007 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. 

There are many factors into why people follow certain teams in sports, but I guess it surprises me when some act like it's a crime to follow a college team that a person doesn't have a direct connection to. In the end, major college athletics attract fans regardless of alumni status for a variety of reasons, but the biggest is simply the success of a given team. Like with me, I was raised rooting for OSU, but when it came time to go to college, the best choice for me wasn't Ohio State. That didn't really affect my fan support of OSU football, though just so everyone knows, in the rare times that KSU does play OSU in any sport, I ALWAYS root for my hometown school and alma mater, even in football (and yes, KSU beating OSU in football would be an upset of mammoth proportions).

That said, GO BUCKS! and GO FLASHES!

Second Verse Same as the First!

I'm back using the laptop again after I had some major problems getting it to start just before I left Utah.  It would turn on, but wouldn't get past the "Welcome" screen.  It also wouldn't shut down (I left it in "shutting down" mode and came back 3 hours later and the "shutting down" screen was still up.  After running the full Checkdisk (CHKDSK), which took like 8 hours, and then startup repair, it finally opened today, though it still has some problems.  I'm hoping the problems are software related and not hardware related.  I already have Windows 7 ready to install, which I hope to do this weekend.  I was thankfully able to get all my important files copied to my desktop (and will eventually copy them again to my external hard drive), so I can start over.  All I need to do now is get the license keys for Microsoft Office programs so I can reinstall them after I add Windows 7.  My laptop is an HP Pavilion tx2000z, a tablet PC, complete with fingerprint reader and touch screen.  I got it in late May or early June 2008, just before I started grad school, so it's coming on 4 years.  My desktop (Dell) is almost 5 years old (got it March 2007) and is definitely showing its age.  All the more reason to get a better job, so I can replace them when that time comes!  While the laptop was out and I wasn't home to use the desktop, I was able to use my iPod Touch to access most of the websites I check the most.  Mobile's great and all, but not all the time, especially for typing!

Another year, another run with This is Kirtland!

My laptop problem is my first major "event" of 2012, which began for me in Utah.  It was the first New Year's for me in Utah since I spent New Year's Eve 2001 in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah.  It was great to be out in Utah with several members of my immediate family, and to have a change in the usual routine for Christmas.  As with any change in the year, I've definitely been reflecting on the past year, as most people do.  2011 overall wasn't a whole lot different than 2010 or 2009 in terms of progress.  That's not to say that nothing good happened in 2011, but it certainly wasn't as eventful in the areas I had hoped for when I looked ahead one year ago.  In many ways I feel stuck in neutral as far as finding that first full-time job and really taking off with life.  I'm still subbing and still at the same house.  There is some hope on the horizon, though, so at this point I'm cautiously optimistic that 2012 will bring some long-awaited progress in my life!  By the end of this year, there will definitely be some changes in any event in terms of employment.  Hopefully those changes will be an improvement over the current circumstances.

Singing the national anthem for the first time at a Major League game
was a total thrill!

The three biggest events of the year for me personally happened almost a month apart and were both unexpected events, or at least somewhat unexpected.  First was my surgery on August 25 to have my gallbladder removed. I had been having abdominal pains every few months and I just attributed it to indigestion.  The days leading up to the surgery, I had very intense abdominal pains that lasted a good 2 days and eliminated my appetite, not to mention made it somewhat painful to take deep breaths.  At first, there was fear of appendicitis, but I wasn't experiencing any of the symptoms.  After seemingly recovering from the stomach pains, I got extreme abdominal pains early in the morning of August 24th, so I had Mom take me to the ER in Ravenna around 5:30 AM.  There it was determined that my gallbladder was in need of removal, so I had surgery scheduled the next day.  It was the first time I've ever checked into a hospital and stayed overnight.  The surgery went well, but the gallbladder was so swollen it was ready to burst, so rather than going laparoscopically, they had to do a traditional incision that is about 7 inches long.  I still have a nice scar from that incision and the staples that were used to close it (and were removed about 2 weeks later).  Paying the whole medical bill is an on-going process, but thankfully I have been able to make steady payments to the myriad of bills!

Pre-surgery picture.  I was in the hospital a total of 4 days and 3 nights

My next biggest surprise was the first of 2011, when the Cleveland Indians called me on March 3 (the day after my birthday) and asked me to sing the national anthem at the game April 5th.  I had been sending audition CDs to the Indians for years, so it was nice to finally hear from them.  Even better was that (in an even bigger surprise), I was asked to sing again at the September 24th game too!  Both performances were great experiences and I hope to be able to sing for the Tribe again in 2012.  I also sang for the Akron Aeros again on Good Friday.  It was fun, but very cold and wet!

 The other somewhat unexpected event of 2011 was that I got a new car.  Actually, I got 2 new cars, well, new to me.  In April, my grandparents bought a brand-new Ford Taurus and subsequently gave me their 2005 Buick LeSabre (the ultimate grandparents car!).  The biggest surprise there was that their new car was red, BRIGHT red, from two people who have owned mostly blue, green, or gray cars the last few decades (the LeSabre is gray).  I knew they had been leaning towards getting a new car, but I didn't even know they were looking until they had already bought the new Taurus.  Well, at that point I tried to sell my existing 1998 Oldsmobile 88 LS (which had a host of problems) and the LeSabre with hopes of using the money to get a newer, smaller car.  Well, I struggled to find anyone willing to buy either car, so I was resigned to just keeping the newer LeSabre and going for a newer (and smaller) car when I finally got a job.  Well, things were going well until my trip to Pennsylvania and New York in August and I ended up having to have the LeSabre shipped back to Ohio after the brake rods rusted through, which happened in New York City on the way back from JFK airport.  All that got the wheels going fast on getting a different car, one that wasn't going to completely bankrupt me by having problem after problem.  With my mom's help, we got the main problems fixed on both cars and tried to sell them on the open market, but that didn't work. The LeSabre was sold to VanDevere Buick in Akron for $7,000 and I traded the Olds in (for a whopping $700) when I got my new car at Park Honda in Akron. I ended up getting a 2008 Honda Civic EX, which so far I have absolutely loved.  It's obviously much smaller than my previous cars (major plus), has great gas mileage, and my most favorite feature is the power moonroof.  I took it on its first major trip in November (to Louisiana and back) and it did pretty well!  

First time in the new car...this was the day AFTER I sang for the Indians
and got horribly sunburned during the game!

My new car right after I brought it home!

I had my share of travels this past year, which I very much enjoyed.  My first trip was to Bowling Green, Ohio, to see Kent State play BG in men's basketball and to visit my friend Michelle.  It's always fun to visit, plus we got to see a great game (and a KSU victory)!  The interesting part of the trip to BG was that I took it during the week (Tuesday) even though I had work the next day at Roosevelt (which also happened to be my 29th birthday).  I got back to Kent around midnight and then went to work ay 7 AM.  Yeah, I was tired, but it was totally worth it.  Other travels included three trips to Nashville (March, August, and November).  The November trip to Nashville was for Thanksgiving and also included a same-day trip to and from Monroe, Louisiana, to visit a friend there.  The most adventurous trip of 2011 was the Ridinger family gathering in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania near the town of Bushkill at the Tree Top Villas. That included three trips into New York City, which was just under 2 hours from where we were staying.  I took a solo trip to Manhattan one day (which included parking in Manhattan for free!), the crazy trip to JFK to drop my sister's friend Natalie off at the airport (the entire trip to and from JFK took like 9 hours or something outrageous because of traffic!), and then a group trip to Manhattan with my dad, sisters, and brother-in-law.  The two sightseeing trips were tons of fun and I enjoyed where we stayed and the time we had with each other.  My other biog trip is what ended 2011: my trip to Utah to visit with my sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew for Christmas and New Years with Mom.  It was a lot of fun, plus I enjoyed being able to see a few of my old friends I don't get to see very much anymore.  Christmas with a 2-year old is rather entertaining as well!

2011 Ridinger family photo

Birthday trip to BG with Michelle!

March 5 game in Kent with Katie!

Christmas morning at Becky & David's

Nate liked the wooden train I got him (Mom found it; I financed it!)

And of course, no year would be complete without another appearance in This is Kirtland! which I did this summer for the 6th year.  2011 was my debut as Lorenzo Snow, a part I thoroughly enjoyed.

After a show, from Brenda Ebie

And lastly, I finally rejoined the Kent Historical Society in October and started putting my love of local history to work. I'm in charge of planning a 90th anniversary of the Davey school building (the original Roosevelt High School), to take place this coming September.  It's been great working with everyone at KHS and having my excitement for local history appreciated! It was enough to get me to start my newest blog, Happenin' History, and share what I'm learning about history even more.  I've learned so much more about Kent's history than I ever imagined (especially the schools).  Joining the Facebook group "You Know you are from Kent if/when...." has been a lot of fun and educational!!  Now, here's to hoping 2012 is a good one!  Oh, and I just noticed that this is my 200th actual post on this blog!  Wow!

Go Kent! 2011 Edition

This week was my 29th birthday, so I decided to celebrate I'd take a little road trip over to Bowling Green to see Kent State play the Bowling Green Falcons at Anderson Arena.  Next season the team will move to a new arena (the Stroh Center) and since I have a little connection to Anderson Arena's namesake, Harold Anderson, I figured I might as well make the trip to see a game there one more time.  On top of that, seeing my good friend Michelle made it a fairly easy decision even though I normally wouldn't make a trip like that on a school night knowing I had to sub the next day.  Oh well, I was totally tired the next day but it was so worth it!

Right near the end of the game at Anderson Arena

For starters, my connection to Harold Anderson is my Great-Grandpa Wetzel.  He and Harold Anderson played basketball together at a YMCA in Akron when they were growing up.  Anderson ended up coaching at the University of Toledo from 1934-1942 and then at BGSU from 1942-1963.  He was probably the most successful coach at BG, so it's of no surprise they named the arena after him that opened in 1960.  I went to a game at Anderson Arena 3 years ago with my sister Katie and ended up seeing Kent State lose in an upset.  This year, however, I was able to see KSU pull of a 63-57 win that ended up clinching a share of the overall MAC title for the 2nd year in a row.  I had a great time hanging out with Michelle too!

Inside the MAC Center just before the end of the game

I got to see Kent State play again yesterday as they hosted the arch-rival Akron Zips at the MAC Center in the season finale that was broadcast nationally on ESPN2.  It was the first Kent-Akron men's basketball game I'd been to at the MAC Center since 2008 (though I attended the KSU vs. Akron MAC Championship game in March 2008 in Cleveland and then sang the national anthem at the 2009 game in Kent).  My only disappointment was that the planned "gold out" didn't really happen.  Either a lot of people didn't get the memo or they just ignored it.  Either way, while there was a lof of yellow in the stands, it wasn't as complete as Akron's "white out" last year at the JAR Arena.  I, however, was in my gold gear and so was Katie.  The game sold out, so I was a little worried Katie wouldn't be able to get a ticket, but she did and we had a blast together watching Kent State beat the Zips 79-68 after trailing at halftime 31-27.  Like I said, beating a rival is always enjoyable, but even more so when something is on the line.  Last year was a winner-take-all game where the winner was the overall conference champion and top seed in the tournament.  This year it wasn't the case as much as Akron's loss on Tuesday eliminated them from the conference title or #1 seed.  For Kent, though, the win clinched the outright regular season title for the second straight year (first time that has happened in the MAC since 1990).  Interestingly enough, KSU coach Geno Ford is the first MAC head coach to win two consecutive outright conference titles since none other than Harold Anderson back in 1962 and 1963.

Right at the end of the game...you can see the final score
in the background on the left :)

Katie and I had a great time, even though we didn't exactly have the greatest seats sitting up in the balcony section in one of the corners.  It's not like seats in that building are THAT far away, but since I'm used to sitting wherever I want, it seemed much further away than I'm used to!  It was nice to see the MAC Center totally full and very loud.  I wish it could be like that every game.  When I was growing up, the team wasn't that good, so I didn't see a crowd in the balcony sections until I was in high school.  Most crowds were around 2,000 or less!  I was also happy to see not nearly as many Akron fans there as I have seen in some years past.  There have been times it was almost a 60-40 split.  Not sure exactly how many, but probably in the neighborhood of an 80-20 split this time.  Most of the Akron fans were in the lower deck section for visitors or in the balcony sections right behind that.  On our side of the arena there were a few very scattered Akron fans that were quite vocal during the first half, but were much more quiet the second half.  Gee, I wonder why?  Katie had to take her old KSU shirt apart because the sleeves were too short (I got that shirt for her like 8 years ago).  We turned her extra sleeves into what I termed "rally sleeves" that we waved around like rally towels.  Those sitting in the lower sections were given white rally towels, so we joined in with them. :)

Celebrate!

Now on to the MAC Tournament.  After losing in the quarterfinals last year, I'm definitely nervous for this year.  We will most likely have to play Buffalo, a team we really don't match up with all that well.  Buffalo killed the Flashes earlier in the season at Buffalo and then only a big comeback helped KSU beat the Bulls in Kent just about 2 weeks ago.  As is my normal tradition, if KSU gets to the championship game, I'll make the short trip to Cleveland to see.  I won't go to any other round since I don't have that much time and money!

My thoughts on "The Decision"

Unless you have been in a cave for the last few weeks or simply don't read the news, chances are you have certainly heard about all the drama surrounding LeBron James and his eventual decision July 9 to sign with the Miami Heat after 7 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Not only was this dragged out about as long as it possibly could with new rumors seemingly every day or more, but it culminated with a ONE HOUR ESPN special that James himself named "The Decision" and announced he was "taking his talents to South Beach" in addition to an entire program about himself.  There was quite a negative reaction as you may have guessed from Cleveland fans, even though a lot of us had been expecting that he'd leave anyway.

As a Cavs fan of course I'm disappointed to see a player of this magnitude leave.  As a Cleveland sports fan I've seen it all before: Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and more.  It seems if a Cleveland player in any sport does well, off they go.  I have a hard time believing LeBron would've ever played for the Cavs if he hadn't been drafted.   But even then, most people (myself included) aren't so upset he's leaving but HOW he decided to leave: dragging everyone through a drama-filled dog and pony show that was all about him.  On top of that, now there's just tons of misinformation out there about WHY he left.

"The Cavs has 7 years and didn't do anything."  Yes, the Cavs had 7 years, but to say they didn't do "anything" is incredibly misleading and inaccurate.  The first 2-3 years don't really count because we have to remember the Cavs were only able to draft James because they were bad enough to be in the lottery.  It's pretty difficult to go from a 17-65 team one year to a championship team the next.  In James' first season, the Cavs improved quite a bit, but still didn't even make the playoffs.  The Cavs didn't even make the playoffs until James' third season.  Changing a team involves not only good management, but also players on market who want to come to the team or are available from other teams via trade.  On top of that, the current owner didn't arrive until 2005, so there was a total change in management and direction at that point.  Finally, just take a look at how well the Cavs have done the last few years, the last 2 seasons in particular.  Both seasons they finished with the best regular-season record in the NBA and were the HEAVY favorites to win the title, only to lose in the playoffs.  How convenient we have hindsight to say the team "wasn't that good" when in reality most people (not just Cavs fans) were stunned how easily the Cavs were beaten by the Magic in 2009 and the Celtics in 2010.  The fact the Cavs didn't win the NBA title in '09 or '10 was not the fault of management for assembling the team.  The only group to blame with the overall number one seed falls early is the team itself.

"LeBron doesn't owe fans anything."  This is the biggest fallacy of all.  Basketball (and all pro sports) is ENTERTAINMENT.  They exist ONLY because of fan support, so athletes and entertainers DO owe fans A LOT; they owe fans their very existence.  Fans are willing to spend money on game tickets, merchandise, TV packages, and more.  If fans didn't spend the money, a team wouldn't pay someone MILLIONS of dollars to play basketball the same way a film company wouldn't pay an actor millions to star in a film if it wasn't going to draw fans.  All businesses have to appreciate their customers or they will lose them, but especially non-essential business like entertainment.  I don't think anyone expects LeBron to give us free tickets or anything; most people just wanted a simple "hey thanks for all the support.  It means a lot and I will miss you all.  This isn't because of you..."  kind of thing.  And not just Cavs fans either, but those fans who have cheered him on from grade school through high school in Akron.  Don't forget, fans regularly filled the 5,500-seat Rhodes Arena in Akron while James was in high school and his team played there.  In fact, his school, tiny St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, regularly outdrew the NCAA Division I University of Akron Zips in their own building while LeBron played there.

The more I see of professional sports like this, the more I question the point of it all.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE watching sports and "getting into the game."  Even then, I can only go so far and have little sympathy for professional athletes making statements regarding "what's best for my family" when the two choices they have both involve making millions of dollars a year.  As long as we accept, as a culture, that it's OK to live in absolute excess, we will always have poverty; the "haves" and the "have nots".  By no means am I arguing for socialism or communism, no, what I'm arguing for is a voluntary change in our mindset as opposed to a legislated change (i.e. "redistribution of wealth").  As long as there are people willing to spend big bucks on entertainment, entertainers will continue to be paid outrageous salaries.  Not just athletes, but all entertainers.  And remember, I LOVE being an entertainer; I love performing and would love to entertain for a living.  But can I honestly say I think an entertainer plays the same important role in our society as, say, a teacher?  Not at all.  If the NBA went bankrupt tomorrow and shut down, yes, a lot of people would be out of work from food vendors to executives.  But would the world stop turning because we didn't have pro basketball?  Hardly.  Now, say the schools go bankrupt and shut down.  How would that affect our world?  I'd say quite a bit.  Substitute any of our "essential" services (healthcare, law enforcement, military, etc.) into "schools" and you can see my point.  In the end, pro sports and entertainment are great outlets for people, but we don't NEED them in their expensive "professional" states to entertain ourselves.

In the end, I'm still a Cavs fan as I learned long ago not to get attached to certain players because you end up getting burned more times than not.  I could totally relate to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's open letter to the fans criticizing LeBron James.  Not sure I would've said the same things or in the same way, but heck, he paid the guy millions of dollars and pretty much did everything he could to build the franchise around him, so I'd be pissed too!  Yes, LeBron has the right and ability to take his "talents" wherever he wants, but as fans we also have the right and ability to express our opinions on the matter.  All I can say is go Cavs and I hope James has the same "success" he had in the playoffs with the Cavaliers!

GO KENT!

It's always nice to win a rivalry game, but it's even sweeter when the game means something more than bragging rights. Such was the case once again between Kent State and Akron, who played last night in Akron in front of an ESPN2 national audience to decide the Mid-American Conference regular season champion as well as the MAC East division champion and #1 seed to the upcoming conference tournament. Both teams were 22-8 overall and 12-3 in the MAC, far better than any other team (next best records were Buffalo, Miami, and Central Michigan all at 9-7). Going into this game, I fully expected something similar to the game two years ago when Kent had to hold off a furious Akron rally to win on an Al Fisher three-pointer with just a few seconds left. Even after Kent State's surprisingly easy 87-70 win over Akron this past January, I didn't expect a repeat of that at the JAR (James A. Rhodes Arena), where Akron was 77-11 over the past few years and had planned a "whiteout". Well, turns out it WAS a repeat of that game in January as Kent State rolled to a 74-61 win over Akron in a game even Akron coach Keith Dambrot said wasn't as close as the score. Deep down I thought it was possible again, but didn't want to say it, mostly because I thought it was just wishful thinking and have been dead wrong about such things before! After Kent's win in January, many Akron fans posted comments online to the effect of "well just wait till we get them at our place in March" and "the home team always wins in this series." My comment back was basically if the problems that led to Akron's loss weren't addressed in the second meeting, the result really wouldn't be much different no matter where it was played. Turns out I was right as the game had pretty much the same script as far as Kent shooting the ball well, getting inside, solid defense, and out-rebounding the Zips. Other than the initial energy burst to start the game, Kent was in control throughout. Akron opened an 11-5 lead and would never lead again. Kent led by 19 midway through the second half and Akron never got closer than 12 the rest of the way. And I must say, clearly hearing "WE ARE...KENT STATE" on TV live from the JAR was pretty awesome!

What's amazing to me is that this is Kent's 4th MAC regular season title and all have happened in the last 10 years ('02, '06, '08, '10). Basketball is one of the oldest sports at Kent State (first game in 1913, first intercollegiate game in 1915), yet only since 1999 have they done much of anything. When they won 19 games last year it was regarded as a huge letdown; people complain when we have crowds under 4,000. I remember growing up seeing maybe a few people sitting in the balcony sections at the MAC Center and having crowds that didn't even top 2,000. There was a time prior to 1999 when the Kent State women's basketball team (which was regularly in the MAC title hunt during the 1990s and early 2000s) was drawing almost as many fans as the men. It was also during that time that MAC tournament play meant one-and-done for KSU and time to think about Spring sports. Even more impressive is that Kent State has been able to maintain the success despite going through 4 different head coaches in that time; not because of firings but because of wealthier programs coming in and hiring KSU coaches!

Well, now it's on to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. Kent State opens play against Ohio or Ball State on Thursday March 11. There is already talk of a rematch in the MAC Tournament Championship game, but first both teams have to win their respective games. Kent State and Akron have played three times previously in the MAC tournament: Kent won an opening round game in Akron in 1998, Akron won in Cleveland in the semifinals in 2007, and Kent won in Cleveland in the MAC championship game in 2008 (which I attended). The 1998 game is significant in relation to this because prior to that meeting, Akron had beaten Kent twice easily by over 20 points at Kent (their first win in Kent since the 1960s) and at Akron. Everyone expected another Akron blowout since the game was at Akron (Akron's first time ever in the MAC tournament), but Kent pulled the stunner 95-88, which at the time ended a 9-game losing streak for Kent in the MAC tournament. The next year KSU won the tournament for the first time ever. While I'm sure Akron fans would love to see the same thing happen here -- and there certainly is a possibility -- the biggest difference is that in 1998, Akron was making their first appearance EVER in the MAC tournament; this will hardly be Kent's first appearance in the tournament or even the championship game should they get there. In the other 2 meetings, both were also the 3rd meeting of the year, but resulted in 3 game sweeps for each team. But hey, that's why they play the games! And, should Kent State get there, I will make the short trip to Cleveland to cheer them on. Go Kent!

Picture credits: The first picture is from the Record-Courier article "Beatdown for Banner" from the March 5th issue. This was the featured picture in the print edition sports section as well. I liked it not only because of the dramatic angle, but also the two people in yellow in the background sticking out like a sore thumb. I'm still not a fan of Kent State's black uniforms though. The second picture comes from the Flickr photostream of Kate Sheets, a KSU alum who is now a law student at the University of Akron. I liked the view of the whole arena with so you can see the whiteout and where the Kent fans fit in. Very cool view!

Multi-tasking at the game

Here I am at the Kent State vs. Buffalo men's basketball game at the MAC Center and would you know, but I'm multi-tasking by blogging while I watch the game. I've seemingly fallen off the earth in terms of blogging the last month as student teaching has pretty much taken over my life. I've become almost religious in getting to bed by 10:30 every night so that I get as close to 8 hours of sleep as possible. Only now, at the end of week 6, do I feel like I'm in some sort of routine and am not as tired as I have been during the day. However, come Monday I will basically assume my cooperating teacher's full schedule, meaning I'll be going non-stop for pretty much the entire day after my first period planning time. I can do it, but it isn't going to be busy and hard. I am currently planning for four classes full-time and I do the physical and vocal warm-ups for two of the choirs. After Monday I will add an additional general music class (so I'll have all three) and will assume a larger role in the other two choirs. This will only last for about 3 weeks before I start turning classes back over to my cooperating teacher as my time runs down. I must say it was music to my ears to hear my cooperating teacher ask today how I wanted to handle "turning classes back over" to him. That means time is marching on and we're at a point I can even think about how things will end! After tomorrow I will be halfway done...incredible!

Student teaching has been quite the experience. Since I'm not done with it yet, I don't really want to go into all the major details yet (I'm fully aware this is a public blog), but let's just say I've had some highs and some major lows. There have been two times thus far that it was hard to be motivated to stay or show up, but I did and have seemingly worked through the incredibly hard times. Now I'm heading down the homestretch and am excited, but also anxious. Now the big challenge is finding a job and staying local if at all possible. And let's not forget just finishing student teaching itself and doing well in the process. I still have six weeks (not counting the Spring Break at my school the first full week of April) so I'm not done yet.

Good riddance 2008!

Well well, here it is, the last day of 2008. I must say I am not sad at all to see this year end! While no year passes without ANY good happening, it seems this year was extra full of challenges for myself and this family, not to mention the nation and world as a whole. All in all, this has been a rough year for a heck of a lot of people!

Of course the bad things that have happened to me and this family have been well-documented on this blog, at least the major stuff. The whole situation with the house is the obvious winner for bad news and gets 2009 off to a rough start. A lot of the grief I have had with certain people at Kent State has had a shadowing effect as well and again, some of that will carry into 2009 too. The house situation seems to be related to a lot of the other problems we have, family relations in particular, but the good news is that it will almost certainly be resolved in 2009. Whether or not that resolution is to our liking remains to be seen of course. The only thing that could make finding out about this situation any worse would be actually losing the house. What I do find interesting is that while most of our major problems have to do with money, they are largely unrelated to the economic problems around the world. Even in the 1990's when the country was booming, we were never that well off.

For me, the biggest thing I am looking forward to is graduating in May, though before I get to that point two things have to happen: I have to pass student teaching satisfactorily and I have to pass another section the Praxis. Both are things I am certainly capable of, but nevertheless they are hardly simple things, especially student teaching. The good news is that I already know most of the students I will be teaching and they know me, so going in come January 26 won't be a huge event or much of a mystery. Once I get through that part of my life, I can finally move beyond being independent, something I have longed for.

With all the bad stuff that has happened, though, I thought I'd look back at the year and reflect on the good that has happened. First, we are still in the house and I am grateful for that. When Dad told us in May there were fears we would be out of the house by the end of the summer. Only when that didn't actually look imminent did I finally start taking care of summer projects, most of which I did after I bought a much-needed chainsaw. Another plus for 2008 was graduate school even though it has brought it's fair share of frustration and stress. My summer classes were things I actually enjoyed going to and the people I was around were people that made me feel good about myself. That carried over into Fall, and while I really almost detested all of my undergraduate classes (except the Instrument for Choral Majors class), I enjoyed at least being at my graduate classes . Not only did I enjoy the people I was around, but I also enjoyed the class structure and actually having meaningful discussions. My undergrad classes really lacked that. Along with that, I have enjoyed being at Southeast Middle School and Southeast Intermediate School and am mostly looking forward to student teaching there at the end of January.

One of the biggest things I was grateful for and got to do a lot of in 2008 was sing, particularly the national anthem. I lost count how many times I did it in 2008 as I sang for almost every home game for both the men's and women's basketball teams at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio and I got my fair share of KSU games too. The game in January against Akron was a highlight, but I thought I did better at the game against Miami just over a month later, which had almost as big a crowd as the Akron game. I have been able to sing at 2 more KSU men's games already this season, plus I got to sing at this community breakfast in Stow on July 3 which was a lot of fun and a great experience. It's funny yet sad that the biggest chances I've had to sing, despite being a music major, have been in athletics, not in anything from the KSU School of Music or the BYU-Idaho Department of Music. The only solo time I ever had at either school was in studio class (called "master class" at BYU-Idaho) and my own recital in December 2006 where about 15 or less people showed up. It wasn't that I didn't try out for solos (though eventually I did), but I was just never "what they were looking for" I guess. Along with singing the national anthem, I got to go to a TON of sporting events this year, mostly high school and college and a few Cleveland Indians games. I always enjoy attending sporting events, though too often I do so alone!

Of course I got a good amount of singing time in church too both at my ward and at the stake level too. It was pretty exciting to sing for a stake meeting, which I did back in September. I really enjoyed singing in the Christmas program at Church on December 21st as well. I love to sing and while songs like the "Star-Spangled Banner" can be very difficult, I really enjoy singing them. The "Star-Spangled Banner" in particular can be very difficult for even experienced singers, but I have come to really like it (come to think of it I always have) because it opens itself to a lot of creativity and interpretation, plus I have always thought my voice fits it pretty well.

Another highlight for me was the trip I took with Katie to visit Andy and Heather in the Washington, DC area during Spring Break in March. Not only did I get to see several sites that I had been wanting to see, but I got to spend a lot of time with Katie and of course Andy and Heather. It's funny how being apart changes relationships. Growing up my brother and I were very different people who had similar interests. I couldn't stand to be around him, particularly in high school. It was bad enough that, as I have mentioned before, I only wrote him a few times while he was on his mission because I really didn't have that much to say to him. Well, since he got back from his mission, we have gotten along much better and enjoy being around each other, though since then we haven't been together much over a week. Even during Andy and Heather's latest Christmas visit, we didn't see them every day (they were here for a week). Added to the better relationship with Andy is Heather. She's just someone I enjoy being around because she's so genuine. Even though we really didn't spend a whole lot of time with either of them while we were in the area (they were both busy with work and school), the time we were able was a lot of fun. I'm very anxious to see where they end up for Heather's residency!

There are many other joys in my life that I experienced or began in 2008. For one, I'm still in Primary playing the piano, plus I have had the awesome experience of being executive secretary and all that comes with that calling, plus as acting choir director, I have been able to do a lot more now that we have Brother Brian Ebie at the helm of our music program and at the organ. What a difference! I've also really enjoyed teaching piano to my three students. The family is a joy to be around and I'm learning a lot about being a teacher at the same time (plus it keeps me on my toes with my own piano playing along with Primary). And let's not forget the purchase of my Ipod Touch and my super awesome laptop. Both are things that I have used and enjoyed since getting them this summer.

There are many little things I need to focus on this coming year, mostly things like reading my scriptures regularly, writing in my journal regularly again, and getting to bed at a consistent time, epsecially since I'll be at school so much from now on. Once school starts I'll get on a pretty regular schedule since every day will be the same classes for me and time I need to leave. But anyway, there were definitely lots of wonderful things (sure there are more I'll remember soon!) that happened in 2008, but it goes to show the magnitude of our current situation and how much it is hanging over us. Here's to a better 2009!

Trying the facial hair thing again

For those of you who see me on a regular basis, this post comes at no surprise...but for those who don't see me that often or haven't seen me in a few weeks may notice something different about me. Yes, I've grown pretty much full facial hair for the time being. Part of it is just for the experience, but it mostly came out of not shaving last week and deciding "what the heck?" This isn't the first time I've had facial hair, though, as I had a goatee at the end of summer 2004 that I shaved off shortly after arriving at BYU-Idaho that fall. I had it all of three weeks or so. This is the first time I've had anything close to a beard though. I don't know how long I'll keep this as it definitely takes some getting used to.

In other news, I'll be talking to the director of the school of music tomorrow morning about my grade. I'm thinking it might end up being more of me letting her know how I feel insulted and belittled by how this has been handled so far, particularly in how my e-mails have not been answered. I'm not sure how much I can challenge a grade when it's currently labeled as "incomplete" plus I've never formally challenged a grade before even though there are times I probably should have.

I was able to sing a few times on Sunday for our Christmas sacrament meeting. I sang a small solo with the Primary kids in a song called "What Can I Give Him?" and then sang "O Holy Night" with the organ accompaniment. I also directed the choir in singing "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" which I thought went pretty well. I thought the entire sacrament meeting went pretty well as we had six musical numbers separated by five speakers. We ended up going over by just 10 minutes or so. None of the speakers spoke for more than 5 minutes, so it flowed really well and didn't seem too long at all. I also sang the national anthem at the Kent State men's basketball game against UNC-Greensboro on Thursday. I thought I did a decent job and found out later some people from church were at the game and heard me sing as did Katie, Becky, and David.

Unexpected Occurrances

I had an unexpected chance to sing the National Anthem at Kent State again this past weekend. I sang for Mid-American Conference women's gymnastics championship, which Kent State hosted for the fifth time on Saturday, March 29. It was certainly a different experience singing for the meet versus a basketball game for several reasons: first, when I sang at the men's basketball games, as I mentioned before I sang at center court with no one else on the floor; not even the teams. At this meet, I was on the floor with seven teams. I wish I could've gotten a picture of it. I'll have to check with the University Photographer to see if he got any. Because all seven teams were on the floor, I couldn't stand in the middle, so I stood just in front and to the left of the area used for the floor exercise (near the bottom left corner of the picture of myself!). Second, not only were the teams already on the floor, but all seven had been introduced as well, something that never happened at any of the basketball games I sang at except the Roosevelt game. If I sang with the teams on the floor (which I did at KSU women's games and all Lake Erie College games), I sang before the teams were introduced. I think I like singing after the player introductions just because it flows into the game better. I'm not sure how I can explain that, but it just seems like a better place to fit it all in, plus the home fans are standing anyway due to player introductions.

As for my singing, I thought it went pretty well. It wasn't my best, but certainly not bad. I was just thrilled to get the chance to sing at a conference championship. I got an e-mail from Chris, the guy in charge of special events at the MAC Center, earlier in the week. I was a bit surprised to see an e-mail from him at all, but once I read it, I sent an immediate YES response back. Not only was it a conference championship, but I've never sung for a gymnastics meet ever, so I guess now I can add it to the list of sporting events I've sung at!

The meet itself was actually very enjoyable. I hadn't been to any gymnastics meet since 2004 when I would go to the meets because I had a friend, Earline, who was on the team. It's SO much more fun to go to sporting events when you go with someone or you know someone on the team. I mean we weren't best friends or anything, but we knew each other from church and the LDS student organization. I ran into her at the meet on Saturday as her sister is now a freshman on KSU's team. If she didn't remember exactly who I was, she certainly didn't act like it. It was good to see her again. I always had a high opinion of her as a person and wondered where she went after I left Kent State in 2004 and went to BYU-Idaho. Turns out she's back in Florida studying something I'm somewhat familiar with: sport management. My aunt has a phD in it and teaches at Old Dominion University, so I'm familiar with it at least, plus I helped here and there getting surveys ready to send and hearing about the results while she was working on her doctrate at Ohio State in the late 1990's. Anyway, Kent State did REALLY well at the meet. They ended up winning by almost two points. In gymnastics, where scores are typically decided in tenths and even hundredths of points, winning by an entire point is a pretty "easy" win. Winning by two is a rout (earlier in the season KSU won a meet by six points...that would be like winning a basketball game by almost 100 points I think!). Not only that, but Kent State had individual winners on all four events. About the only thing they didn't win was the individual all-around. I'd say that was a pretty dominating performance! The only things I didn't really like were the ushers (well, one in particular) and the layout of the floor. Because all the event areas were set up, the lower level seating was all retracted, so only the balconies were available. That was OK for most of the meet, but things that got anywhere near the lower wall were unseen by people in the balcony. The vault in particular was virtually impossible to see without standing up if you were sitting on the east side of the MAC Center (opposite the press area). As for the one usher...geez these people take their little areas a bit too seriously. I was standing in one of the corner areas snapping a picture of the floor and was there all of 30 seconds when the nearby usher was like "can you find your seat?" "This area is for her," as she pointed to the camerawoman I was standing a few feet from. I was just like "I know. I'm just getting a quick picture." I wasn't even IN the area, I was behind it and it's not like I was blocking anyone's view or a walkway, nor was I there for an excessive amount of time. That happened when I took pictures at the Akron game back in January too. It's like the ushers establish their little kingdoms in their areas. I understand they are trying to do their job, but how come I can never get an usher to enforce the aisles in the student sections or keep extra rows from forming in front of the bleachers? Hmmmm....But heaven forbid I stand near the camera area for 30 seconds to take a picture!

The only other news of the day was Kent State men's basketball coach Jim Christian resigning to take the job at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth. I was surprised it was to TCU, but not at all surprised he left. We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Guess he's going to get paid over twice the amount he was getting paid at Kent ($250,000 per year, highest in the Mid-American Conference) and TCU has better facilities than KSU. It won't be an easy job though. TCU is one of the Mountain West Conference's also-rans and hasn't done squat since 1998, not to mention the fact that it's a major "football school" in football-crazy Texas. Hopefully Jim Christian will have better success turning TCU into a contender than his predecessors at Kent State did at the first post-KSU jobs. Both went to big-name schools (Rutgers and Arkansas) only to end up getting fired at the end. Although coach Christian did great things in maintaining the high level here at Kent, he never had to build a team up from scratch like he will at TCU. Good luck!! Thanks for all the great times at KSU!

Another "good" thing about this is that it's early enough that Kent State can get a new coach and get recruiting without much of a break. Really, the season isn't even over yet, so at least we're not well into the recruiting season when this happened. Also, whenever a school loses a coach like this, it gives them a chance to evaluate the program and where it is and serves as an impetus for improvements in facilities and other ameneties. One thing coach Christian said about TCU that he really liked was their brand-new practice facility for basketball. At KSU, practice is held at the MAC Center, so if the MAC Center is being used for other sports (five teams use the MAC Center during the school year), there really isn't anywhere to hold a true practice. Earlier in March, when the MAC Center hosted the Mid-American Conference wrestling tournament, the men's basketball team had to practice at the KSU Rec & Wellness Center, hardly an ideal place to hold a practice (though it IS a nice facility, don't get me wrong!)! The KSU athletic director has stated he would like to build a practice facility on campus, so maybe this is the thing that gets it rolling. We aren't just competing with MAC schools, but all division I schools. As much as I like the MAC Center as a place to play basketball, it is due for an upgrade or replacement at least for basketball. I'd like to see a new arena/convocation center built and the MAC Center become the home for the volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams. Then it could just be the MAC (Memorial Athletic Center). With a renovation, it could be a great place for those three sports and even women's basketball. I'd like to see a new arena built at the corner of Loop Road and Summit Street where several dorms are currently located. They're scheduled to be torn down this summer (small group dorms), so the area would be available. Not only would it be a highly visible location on campus, but it would also be adjacent to several large parking lots. I just don't want them to build a new center out by Dix Stadium. Keep in near the heart of campus!

**Well, I didn't even get to post this and Kent State already has a new coach! Top assistant Geno Ford got promoted on April 2, so it should keep things moving smoothly for KSU!

Notes on pictures: 1. Just me behind the press area at the MAC Center just prior to the Mid-American Conference meet on March 29. 2. Layout of the MAC Center during the gymnastics championship. Can you see where the Kent fans were sitting?

"Rematch a Mismatch!"

Well, in case you didn't hear, yes, Kent State was able to not only win the MAC tournament title this year, but sweep Akron in three straight in the process. I attended the MAC tournament championship game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and even I was surprised just how big a margin of victory Kent State won by. After winning 75-69 in Kent in January and then surviving that near-collapse with a 61-58 win March 9 in Akron, I expected a close game if not an Akron win. A lot of the Akron players and fans expected Akron to win as well, mostly because Akron had a lot more to play for. The thought, at least, was that since Kent State was virtually guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament and Akron needed to win the MAC tournament to get in that Kent would just not play as hard, blah blah blah. Well, Kent came to play and Akron did not. I admit, I was worried given the recent close games and the fact that Kent barely beat Miami (Ohio) in a very physical game last night 49-47, while Akron had little trouble beating #2 seed Western Michigan, a team that had beaten the Zips by 20 when they played during the regular season. I would find I had little to worry about. Akron only led briefly during the first half, but only by four at the most (13-9) as they got some three-pointers to fall. Kent ended the first half on a 16-1 run to go up 33-20 at the half. Akron was never closer than ten the entire rest of the game. I was happily stunned by the outcome. Sure, winning the MAC tournament is always fun and now we get to play in the NCAA tournament, but beating Akron in the process makes it even sweeter, not to mention we returned the favor of winning all three games against them this year. They did that to us last year.

This was my first trip to Quicken Loans Arena ("the Q", formerly known as Gund Arena) since the 2004 MAC tournament championship game when Kent State lost to Western Michigan. The Q looks even better than I remember as it now has a better scoreboard (though it took some getting used to in reading it) and really nice seats. All of the seats at the Q are cushioned and actually pretty comfortable. They're also that wine color now instead of the old "Cavalier blue" (a shade of bright blue used in the Cavs' old logo) they were when the building opened in 1994. I've only been in a few NBA arenas, so I can't really compare it to the others. The only other arenas I've been in are the old Richfield Coliseum (which the Q replaced) and Salt Lake City's Energy Solutions Arena (formerly the Delta Center). I can definitely say the Q is WAY nicer than the Energy Solutions Arena, that's for sure! Energy Solutions Arena isn't bad; the Q is just way nicer and it's a much more interesting building, plus almost all the seats in the Energy Solutions Arena aren't cushioned; they're just plastic. Anyway, I enjoyed my visit to the Q tonight, though it would've been more fun if I had had someone to go with. I seriously need a sports-minded friend who actually lives nearby!

I was a little disappointed in the size of the crowd. The listed attendance was just short of 13,000, which isn't that bad considering a sellout at KSU is 6,327 and 5,500 at Akron, but I always figured that a Kent State vs. Akron championship game would draw close to a sellout at the Q (which holds 20,520). Not even close as the third level of seating was curtained off. The game didn't even set the MAC record for attendance, which is over 14,000 at the 2002 championship when Kent State beat Bowling Green. I got to the game an hour early because I thought it might sell out. Oh well. I'd say the crowd itself was about 50-50 or maybe a slight majority of Kent State fans, at least from my vantage point and looking around when each team scored. If we did have a majority, it wasn't by very much.

I ended up sitting in one of the unofficial KSU student sections, in the middle level in the corner. They weren't bad seats at all, except the bulky shot clock blocks a little bit of the view. I wish the MAC would have the students sit in the end zone sections, especially in a game featuring local rivals like this where both schools could easily bring large student sections. Sadly, I doubt such a thing will happen as the ticket prices prove that the tournament isn't about the students, it's about the money. There were some fun signs from the section and thankfully someone got pictures of them and posted them on Facebook. The best one was the "Fea the oo" sign, which was mocking the "WE DON'T THOW STUFF" sign from the March 9th game. I still can't believe that first sign was even made. I can understand typing mistakes, but a spelling mistake on a huge painted sign? Must've been done in a huge hurry is all I can imagine...glad it wasn't me. I had enough problems going to Cleveland feeling stupid after I missed the parking garage ticket machine and had to get out of my car and walk up to it (usually downtown for games you just pay upfront, so that's what I expected), and then when I bought my ticket I had the hardest time figuring out where to sign the receipt because it was under my thumb. The lady at the ticket counter was very nice and showed me. I felt like quite the idiot...oh well, you know...Kent read, Kent right, Kent State!

Speaking of Kent State, though, I got home last evening after the game to find the official paperwork welcoming me into the Master of Arts in Teaching program, so it's now official: I will be a grad student at Kent this summer. I just need to fill out some more paperwork and send it back, basically showing that I accept. Most of what came was stuff to help me get familiarized with Kent State (instructions on registration, campus map, etc.) so I'm ahead of the game there! I will start classes sometime in June.

Now, though, it's Spring Break, so I'm off to the Washington, DC area with my sister Katie to visit my brother Andy, sister-in-law Heather, and some friends and just to get out of town for a few days!

Notes on pictures: 1. Top half of the sports page of the local Record-Courier here in Kent for Sunday; 2. Me at Quicken Loans Arena just before the start of the second half; 3. Picture of two of the signs from the KSU students "Fea the oo" and "Hey Akron, "throw" has an "R" in it!". I was sitting just in front of this, just out of the bottom left corner of the picture; 4. The final seconds tick off the clock of Kent State's 74-55 win!