Curses, Foiled Again

Because of the lovely Ohio weather we have all come to know and love, our plans have are subject to change at the drop of a ... raindrop. Tonight we were to attend the OSU softball game against Miami University in the hopes of seeing a rousing Ohio rivalry and achieve 2/36. Here I am, in my living room, typing on my laptop, watching an occasional drizzle out my picture window. We are not discouraged! (Mr. S that's for you) We will try again next Tuesday, May 1st for the second game of a double header against Wright State. We welcome Buckeyes and Rowdy Raiders alike to come out and share your support.

Panic Subsides...

After scouring the spring sport schedules and our OEA calenders (those of you who are also teachers in this great state that is round on the ends and HI in the middle know exactly which ones I am talking about) we have found an opening! I can rest easy now knowing that we will be going into the summer months with 2 out of 36 checked off my shirt.

Softball it is folks! A and I will be attending the softball game against Miami of Ohio Wednesday. They are playing a double header starting at 5:00. We would be proud to induct any new Honorary Members who feel so inclined to tune themselves into the 36 in 36 sports family.

Panic Strikes!

I must admit I feel quite harried at the end of this spring sports season. Both A and I have fairly busy schedules (yes I know some of you are thinking, "They obviously have enough time to think up, blog about, and try to follow through with this ridiculous scheme of theirs"). I'm beginning to panic because we may not be able to attend any more sporting events before summer quarter, which incidentally there are no sporting events scheduled for the summer months so this means we have to double up in other seasons to achieve our 36 in 36. M/W Lacrosse, M/W Tennis, M/W Golf, M/W Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, and M Volleyball are spring sports for those of you wondering. Yikes!

Jeni's

We planned to spend last Sunday watching tennis, but it didn't happen. Instead Brent, M and I decided to spend our time touring our great city. Fortunately for us, the tour began with a trip to Jeni's ice cream. Magnificent! I had Thai Chili ice cream where I experienced for the first time in my life spicy ice cream. I know sounds weird...but it was good. Next time we have the good fortunate to visit Jeni's I will be having the Strawberry and Rose Petal...not quite as exotic as Thai chili but it tasted oh-so-good. Thanks for a fun day M and Brent!

If any of you fans out there know of any other uniquely Columbus eateries that we should try in the event of another sporting snaffoo (sp?) please comment and let us know. If we can't attend events we will be happy to spend time indulging ourselves instead!

#42

For those of you 36 in 36 readers not plugged in to the sports world, today marks the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. In 1947, before public education or the army were integrated, before the Civil Rights movement, and before guaranteed voting rights for all citizens, #42 Jackie Robinson stepped on to Ebbet's field as a Brooklyn Dodger. Even though he remained hitless in his debut, he was awarded the Rookie of the Year trophy that season.

Today Dodger players take the field donning #42 on their jerseys honoring one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century. The number was retired ten years ago for the 50th anniversary not only for the Dodgers franchise but throughout the entire league. (In fact any player playing this evening throughout the major leagues was given the go ahead to wear the number if they so chose.)

As I was watching the ceremonies preceding this evenings game I am reminded why I am a sports enthusiast. Sport (and by "sport" I mean games, competition, and play from board games to professional athletics) offers us the opportunity to reveal character as participants or observers. Whether taking turns swinging bats at an annual picinic, discussing strategy, or intense competition, sport allows us to share laughter, thought, and struggle on fairly neutral ground. In the long run we know that it is not truely the game that matters but what we learned of the participants that does.

It was through this neutral venue that a young man was able to bear his heart in the face of criticism and death threats.

You Live you Learn

Life lesson for Sunday April 15th, 2007:
If you want to attend an indoor tennis match you must arrive early! Seating is limited.

A, M, and Brent were excited to induct a new Honorary Member, "Trophy Life," today at the men's tennis match. Unfortunately because seating already was filled we were unable to attend our second event. Fret not faithful readers and hopeful honorary members, we will persevere.

Imus, Shame, Shame: Stringer, Standing O

Glad this man is gone. Thanks CBS. He will DEFINITELY NOT be receiving an invitation to join us for our 36 in 36 tour. -A

M has secretly liked IMUS in the past. She is now sitting on the fence about him, because she is mildly incensed by his comments. Question #1: Which word do you think was more inflammatory 36 in 36 fans- the word referring to unkempt hair or the word referring to the young ladies personal character? (Remember, students may be reading so answer with tact.)

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Mostly, I feel for C. Vivian Stringer, coach of the Rutger's women's team. In my viewing of women's basketball over time, she truly stands out as a woman of character who wants to develop character (click to listen to interview with PBS Tavis Smiley) in her players. This past season she took a team that started with a 5-5 record at the beginning of the year to a competitor in the national championship game.

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In December she told her players that if they weren't playing like Rutgers athletes, they would no get the rewards of Rutgers athletes and took away their locker-room privileges, laundry services, and any other perks they received until she began seeing them play with drive and desire. She doesn't seem to be the kind of woman who puts up with anything other than her athletes best.

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I must admit that I myself have referred to specific athletes in uncomplimentary ways. I do not know these players personally, only through their actions on the court. It is probably unfair for me to use any uncomplimentary language referring to the character of a person unless I have had specific dealings with the person. So for all of you out there waiting for apologies from me, here it goes: I will no longer make character judgements based solely on a persons athletic endeavors (I do reserve the right to comment on unfair play or underhanded actions viewed on the court).

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Imus, I am down with freedom of speech and press and disappointed that you chose to insult a the players in a program that has been built by such a classy woman when there are so many other worthy candidates for your scorn out there.

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Quote from Stringer's statement to the press after said incident: "Should we not, as adults, send a message of encouragement to young people to aspire to the highest levels as my team did this season?" M and A say yes! Men's tennis here we come with our message of encouragement.

Men's Tennis

It's a big match. NO.3 OSU versus No. 9 Illinois. Here are some specifics if you'd like to join us for the Men's Tennis event on Sunday, April 15th. The match starts at noon and we have reliable information that tells us it could last anywhere between 2-3 hours. As I understand it the indoor tennis facilities are on Kenny close to west campus. Check out Ohio State's website listed on the right.

Hope to see you there!

Go Bucks!

SNOW BYRDS

Paul Byrd (Cleveland Indians pitcher) may have wanted to tough out the snow in order to get another tally in the win column. It didn't work for him in the home opener against the Mariners and it's not going to work for us either. Although I think we look mighty cute in our OSU stocking caps. (See pic)

If the baseball game Sunday is postponed or cancelled due to snow or inclement weather, don't expect to see our two darling faces at the game. We will save that enthusiasm for month 24-36 of our 36 in 36. Instead we will most likely be found watching men's tennis indoors (hopefully). In these early stages we are still able to pick and choose sporting events based on climate. Trust me we are still committed to our quest but, are you kidding me, wouldn't you rather sit in the warmth than in the cold/wet/snowy weather of mid-April in Ohio?

Fret not future major leaguers, we will definitely bring out T-shirt clad selves to see a full 9 innings soon.

Honorary Members

One of the things I am most excited about during our sports adventure is sharing the experience with any willing, or non-willing but easily coerced participants, friends, and family. Not that I am expecting this to become a state-wide, national, or even international initiative, but the potential is there.

The following is a list of Honorary 36 in 36 members:

April 1st-

MIKE and MARY- (although they didn't take in the lacrosse game that was our official event, they decided to watch a softball game that was being played concurrently)

BYRON- ( officially at the sports complex to take in a tennis match but due to a rain delay, we ran into him in the parking lot and he was easily convinced to watch women's lacrosse until the tennis match began)

Upcoming Baseball Outing

We are currently planning a 36 in 36 outing to the OSU Men's Baseball game at 1:05 pm on April 14th. We'd love to have you join us! Look for the shirts, they will identify us! Plans are subject to change (we're busy women) so please check back to the blog frequently for possible schedule alterations.
Until then...

GO BUCKS!

Taxdollars at work

M- my cousin A is a pro at this blogging thing, me... not so much. She is the brains behind the blog. For all of you 36 in 36 fans out there I have posted the philosophy behind this madness under "philosophy." I would also like to give a hoot and holler to my colleagues students at the Glen. (Since I met Jim Tressel I had to show all my older students this blog.) Don't worry all you taxpayers out there, I am not wasting academic time on this, I have turned this into a lesson about showing appreciation to those who go unappreciated. This is Character Education at it's finest (with a little bit of the WOW factor). It's the week before spring break, I need something to grab their attention!

38th National Collegiate Volleyball Championship

THE Ohio State University is hosting the 38th annual NCAA Volleyball Championship at St. John Arena on May 3rd - May 5th. Click here for ticket information.

NOT JUST FOOTBALL COUNTRY

GO BUCKS

Moral Behind the Madness

As the co-creator of "36 in 36" I feel compelled to explain how the idea began. My husband Brent and I are fairly dedicated supporters of girls's high school and women's college basketball. In the course of our own lifespan, women's athletics are also experiencing their own "coming of age." I appreciate and anticipate the growing pains that come along with the maturation of women's athletics. Women's athletics as novelty has come and gone, Title IX has assurred equality, some athletes have become household names (Mia Hamm, the Williams sisters, Katie Smith-maybe that's just because I am a Bucknut), and now women's athletics are in the stages of acheiving legitamacy in the eyes of the American public (ESPN carries all 63 women's March Madness games on their family of networks).

To dedicate oneself and strive for excellence in anything that receives little but intrinsic value, in my opinion, has and always will be worthy cause. As A alluded to on 4/1; as a culture we have lost the beauty and importance of allowing ourselves to experience intrinsic value.

Brent and I have often wondered what the experience of athletes who remain unreconized is like? What about the "practice players," the benchwarmers, the obscure sport participants? Why do they volunteer for the rigors of academia, hectic travel schedules, and gruelling practices especially in the midst of the fervor surrounding particular athletes and athletic events? I'm sure that most of you have seen the commercials being aired during March Madness that say something like "there are 300,000 NCAA athletes, most of which go pro in something other than sports." These ads makes me glad to think that there are people who I will encounter throughout my life who, as young people, had the drive to acheive their personal bests just for the sake of pushing themselves, rather than for the attention they get for doing so. If only we all could dedicate and persue personal bests in regards to those endeavors which are most important to us whether publicly recognized or not.

So, as a tribute to those who strive for excellence regardless of the the outcomes (athletic or non), A and myself (and Brent for as many as possible) will attend events with excitement and gusto. We are unsure of where this journey will take us and how it will effect our psyche but we do know that as fans of sport we are excited to venture into some new venues!

April 1, 2007 Women's Lacrosse

The weather was awesome for April 1 in Ohio. It was 70 degrees and partly sunny. The Buckeyes pulled off a 9-8 win over University of California Berkley in overtime. M, B, and A where joined by M and B's friend, Byron. We are were impressed with the athleticism demonstrated by these women. They run and run and run. And when they are not running they are avoiding the lacrosse sticks that are being swung at their heads. Oh yea, B thought the uniforms were pretty cool.

Pictures

Top: Lacrosse athletes in action

Middle: A and B at the lacrosse game during time out.

Bottom: M celebrates our first victory. We think we are definitely good luck charms.

Shirts

M designed our shirts and did most of the ironing. Give her a hand, folks! She did an AWESOME job!

In the Begining

The idea was for M to watch all 36 Buckeye varsity sports. Once her cousin A heard the idea, she decided to join in the fun. As the main idea was discussed amongst various people more ideas emerged...make a shirt, make a deadline, record scores, make a scrapbook, and, yes, also a blog. M designed a shirt (see blog); the deadline was 36 months; and the blog was officially started today.
Coincidentally, our 36 sports in 36 months challenge started today, April 1, 2007. We have until March 31, 2010 to attend all 36 varsity sporting events. Jim Tressel joined us for the inaugural event...ok, M actually flagged him down in the middle of the parking lot of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. B, M's husband and co-creator of the idea, snapped our picture (while holding purses...hee hee). It was a great way to start our festivities.
We cannot take all the credit for making our dream come to fruition, there are people to thank in the infant stages of our journey. 1) Our husbands. B is our manager and will handle all fan mail :) as well as join us for most of the events. T is part of OSU's athletics department and has provided valuable information such as locations, directions and general admission tickets. Many thanks to both of them. 2) Any one who will join us in future activities. We look forward to spending time with you and rooting on our Buckeyes together. Keep posted on events we plan on attending.

GO BUCKS!