May 5: This Only Makes Sense

There’s this phrase that gets used every so often by Towson fans. It’s humbling. Depressing. Void of hope. Dooming. Ominous. Spoken by the lips of the severely jaded.

It’s all these things, and one more.

True.

‘S.O.T.’ Same old Towson.

I have vowed never to use it. It’s all too indicative of an attitude that has deflated the student body through the years. We only have four years to be here. Lets not have the wind taken out of our sails by those who have seen the bad and the ugly far more than the good. It’s most often uttered (well…typed) by members of CAAZone, our conference’s official message board. And that is not all that surprising, being that most of the people on the message board are alums, who have seen plenty of games similar to tonight’s.

As someone who has always been an advocate of the athletic department’s, and whose input is almost always requested in regards to student attendance and conduct at games, the phrase pisses me off. But the only reason that’s the case is the fact that it is absolutely the truth.

S.O.T. Is.

So it should come as no surprise that Delaware (who Towson’s Lacrosse team beat on the road earlier in the year) reeled off six of the game’s last seven goals to win 10-7 in the CAA Championship game. At Johnny Unitas Stadium. In front of our people. For the rights to an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

As if students weren’t already cynical enough. Now this. And it is far from unprecedented. In last year’s semis (also at Johnny U.), the Hens scored with :04 left on the clock to eliminate Towson.

Now you understand today’s title.

Now, that’s not to say it’s all bad. Ask me about the 2004 Championship, Towson’s second straight. Ask me about the 2005 Homecoming Football game against No. 5 Delaware. Ask me about Gary Neal. Ask me about the Basketball team beating VCU in 2006. Or beating UNC-Wilmington in 2004. Ask me about the Volleyball team winning it’s first CAA title later that same year. There are plenty more. It’s just human nature to more readily recall the bad than the good.

If you did actually inquire about the 2005 Homecoming game I would probably tell you that it ranks in my top-5 memories as a sports fan. Somewhere behind the Sixers beating L.A. in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals. And the Eagles beating Atlanta to finally make it to the Super Bowl in 2005.

Here’s why it was so huge:

1. We had never beaten an Atlantic 10 opponent. It was our second season in the league, and we had only really come close on one other occasion. At Delaware in our first A10 game. They stole it from us. It was only appropriate that we get it back.

2. It was Delaware. Aside from the loss in 2004, there is plenty of animosity to go around between Towson fans and the fighting chickens.

3. UD was ranked 5th in the country at the time.

4. Did I mention it was Homecoming? Nearly 11,000 people packed the stadium. That’s a lot for our standards (Alabama had 90,000 at their recent Spring Game, to put things in perspective).

5. There were ‘Choke the Chicken’ t-shirts. How awesome is that? (Editor’s note: It wasn’t until I googled the phrase ‘choke the chicken’ that I realized it has a rather obscene double-meaning. For our purpose lets maintain the innocence of the phrase.)

Towson flat out dominated the first 35 minutes of play, hopping out to a 21-3 lead. It was only a matter of time before the Hens made their push (remember, S.O.T., right?). They went on to score 21 straight. 21 STRAIGHT! At this point I was prepared to drown myself in a Gatorade bucket. Running back Nick Williams responded with a TD run. Delaware QB Ronny Riccio did the same, giving us the ball back with 1:17, no timeouts, and one Sean Schaefer (Quarterback–slash–immortal).

42-yard pass to Andrae Brown on  3rd and 10.

20-yard pass to Marcus Lee.

3-yard run and diving touchdown by Williams.

And I felt true joy.

Riccio ended up throwing an interception, brought in by Philly’s own Eric Clark (first career INT).  That ended the game, one of the best I have ever seen in person or ever for that matter. Who knew an Atlantic 10 game would have that kind of impact on me.

Crap, I almost forgot one last thing.

6. It was my birthday.

I just remember hugging everyone who was within 20 feet of me. High-fives to all the players, some of which even wished me a happy birthday. Singing the fight song. And watching the post game fireworks. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my college career.

In other words, it’s not all bad.

Yeah, there’s a phrase. Thankfully, there is also an exception.

April 29: On the Way Out

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the waning moments of my college career. It finally hit me today. Sort of.

Since the spring semester of my freshman year I have been on the The Towerlight staff. My Sundays and Wednesdays have been dedicated, in one way or another and to varying degrees, to putting out Monday’s and Thursday’s issues. That’s not even beginning to take into consideration the hundreds of games I have covered over the last three-plus years. This has been the case this semester more than any other. My responsibilities were heightened as Associate Sports Editor. I have literally spent full days in the office reading, writing, editing, and podcasting. It’s been stressful, frustrating, exhausting, and at times aggravating. But, as I have said before, it has been my most enjoyable semester at the paper.

And as of tomorrow afternoon, my time as an official member of the sports staff will be over.

Towerlight elections are held a couple weeks before the end of each term so as to give the new regime a chance to get their feet wet before they are truly thrown into the fire at the start of the next semester. With hundreds of issues as a Assistant or Associate Sports Editor behind me, I will be demoted to Senior Writer, along with current Editor in Chief Brian Stelter.

It’s a bit strange.

‘The office’ has become such a major part of my life. I have scheduled my classes around the newspaper. Developed some of my most cherished relationships at Towson in University Union room 313. And have countless memories dating back to my first talk with former Sports Editor Brent Kennedy.

I don’t know if I ever intended to pursue a newspaper job after college. But my time at the Towerlight has solidified writing as a passion, and at the very least a career possibility. It may not be a full-time vocation. But it is something I hope to continue doing in some capacity for the rest of my life. My name may never again be found in a newspaper’s staff box. But whenever someone asks me what I plan on doing after college, I always mention that I plan on pursuing opportunities as a freelance writer (hopefully in the magazine side of things). It’s a unique craft. One I have developed an extremely deep appreciation for.

This is certainly not to say that my days with The Towerlight are finished. I still plan on dedicating a significant portion of my Sundays and Wednesdays to the paper. Not being obligated to go in is like getting a day off of school when you’re a kid. You don’t really know what to do with yourself.

But it won’t be the same. No real responsibilities, other than the occasional story (and the looming Senior Commentary). Things will get done without me (not like they wouldn’t have otherwise…but you know what I mean). My presence is no longer necessary.

My days are either numbered, or over. Depends on how you look at it. But hey, one of my final articles was a Women’s Volleyball spring update, and thanks to Jermon Bushrod, I finished up my official days with my third career cover story. That adds him to the list of people I owe immense gratitude to for a great four years with the paper.

Thanks.

In a little while
I’ll be gone
The moment’s already passed
Yeah it’s gone
And I’m not here
This isn’t happening
I’m not here
I’m not here
-Thom Yorke, Radiohead

*The above picture is the Donut Cake that PSmith literally dreamt up. His girlfriend Kate brought it in this afternoon to help celebrate his 22nd birthday. I wasn’t kidding about the dream thing. A few weeks ago a donut cake, comprised of chocolate frosted donuts, appeared in a dream of his. To be honest I’m a bit surprised I didn’t come up with this idea myself. And in case you’re wondering, it was delicious. Happy birthday, Pat.

April 21: Is This Weird? Part II

Remember that little obsession of mine I let you in on about a week or so ago? The whole Towson Volleyball thing. Sure, it’s admittedly a bit obscure. Not exactly a staple of many college sports fans’ list of must-see games. But it is the absolute truth.

I love women’s college volleyball. There, I said it.

If you had told me, at any point in my life prior to arriving at Towson, that a volleyball tournament would be the highlight of my day week, I probably would have pointed you in the direction of the nearest mental health clinic (there’s one conveniently located just around the corner from Towson’s campus). But that was the case today. The matches didn’t even count. It was a spring season tournament. With matches that lasted just two games (rather than best out of 5). And it was hosted by Loyola College, so I (kind of) had to go out of my way to see it.

No. I did not have to pay.

I already gave you my dissertation about the closeness I have developed with the team through my three years as their Towerlight beat writer. But I will say, it is cool to have a team you can proudly say you know more about than 100% of the world’s population (excluding the players and coaches, of course). I’m talking the type of information not available in media guides and player bios. It’s a byproduct of earning the team’s trust, and looking to get them as much pub as possible.

Anyways. Towson Volleyball was finally back in my life, even if it was just for the afternoon.

This is the first of a few fairly busy weekends leading up to graduation. Here’s what else is coming up.

Saturday, April 28: Tigerfest. Towson’s annual Spring festival. The blood alcohol level on campus will be far beyond the legal limit. If the Tiger statue in front of Stephens Hall was forced to take a breathalyzer, it would immediately be locked up for public intoxication. Usually it ends up being a pretty miserable day. And this year Dashboard Confessional will be taking the stage to cheer everyone up! I won’t use this medium to trash the band, but the Facebook group ‘Beers Not Tears: Anti-Dashboard Tigerfest’ will:

“Last I checked, Tigerfest was a day where students got together to drink and get crazy to some fun, festive music to close out the school year. Not a day where we go watch some melancholy, over-sensitive soul whining about his problems over underwhelming, mid-tempo rock music.”

Ouch. Some high school people are supposed to be making the trip down I-95 for the festival, so it should be fun. Also, I have a Towson Volleyball end of the year banquet that I have been cordially invited to (yep). So that will all have to be sorted out.

April 13: Is this Weird?

I never covered the football or basketball teams for The Towerlight. Never gave it much consideration. I could have easily had one or both beats, but it was never a major priority for me. I enjoyed going to games. I enjoyed talking to players and coaches. I enjoyed dissecting each win or loss. But I was never all that concerned with having my name precede each of their stories in the paper.

But if someone–even for just second–considered taking away my Towson Women’s Volleyball beat? Hell would be raised.

I think most sportswriters would tell you that it is easy to get attached to a team, even after covering them for a single season. Try three. I was assigned to Volleyball the Fall semester of my sophomore year, and this past Fall was my third and final year with the team, and my final official beat with The Towerlight. It was pretty hard to see the season end.

That last sentence was a gross understatement. I suffered vicious withdrawal symptoms for about four and a half months. Endured unbearable headaches. Rarely ate anything more than saltines and water. Checked their 2006 schedule every 7-or-so minutes to see if any games had been added. The few times I could sleep, it was with a volleyball (stolen from the athletic department) and often interrupted by nightmares of me shanking a serve to lose the conference championship match. I was in a bad place.

So I was understandably ecstatic when I ran into head coach Paul Koncir on Tuesday and he told me about an upcoming tournament at nearby Loyola College. I will be in attendance.

Maybe it was the fact that this was my final year on the beat, but I focused more of my energy on the team this year than any prior. I was always an advocate for the team, part beat writer, part marketing director. I wanted everyone to share the dedication I had developed to this team. In planning out each issue of the paper I made sure Volleyball got just due. My goal was to get them on the back cover each Monday and Thursday. With plenty of space for my extensive game recaps, and pictures to run alongside. In my mind they were always the lead story.

I traveled to matches. Went to Delaware (1 hour) and George Mason (1-2 hours+ Washington D.C. traffic) with their Sports Information Director, Eric Rhew. When the CAA Tournament rolled around (6 hours away at Hofstra University), I managed to get a spot on the team bus and a room in the team hotel. I sat back in disbelief when their season came to an end at the hands of rival VCU in their first match of the tournament (I swear I was more nervous than most of the team prior to the match). It was difficult enough to see their season end. On top of that I knew I would never be able to follow this team quite the same way ever again.

I sat through a subdued team dinner after the game. Was a fly on the wall of their postgame team meeting at the hotel afterwards. And sat in Koncir’s room for nearly two hours afterwards talking about the team. The players. The season. The opponents. The future. I talked coaching strategy. There was one point where I was absolutely sure he was going to offer me his available assistant coaching position. To this day I am 100% sure I would have accepted without a moment’s hesitation and drastically chanced the course of my life.

Mom, Dad. I’m going to coach Women’s Volleyball for the rest of my life.

But he never asked. Oh well.

Since the season ended it has been a running joke amongst the staff of the paper and the team itself that I will put off getting a job and remain their beat writer for another year. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still considering it.

Somehow I have gotten this far without mentioning the above picture. I’m sure you have already figured out that the two and a half people shown above are all on the team. Ally Perko, Maddie Haseltine, and Lindsey Neighbors (from L to R). I wrote two feature stories on the team during the season. One was on Koncir, who was in his first year as a head coach. The other was on Perko and Haseltine.

Aside from being really good at volleyball (both will have a shot at breaking the program’s career kills record) the two are virtually inseparable. No surprise when I run into one, I run into both. That happened today, and I hung out with them and a few other members of the team for close to an hour as they gave away lemonade as part of an athletic department fundraiser.

I would have posted this picture instead, unfortunately the nine other members of the Wu-Tang clan weren’t around.