Guys and Dolls

The men’s basketball team lost a special friend last fall whom they are not sure will ever be replaced: Diva.

Diva is a four-foot doll dressed in a pair of jeans and a cute little shirt with her name written across the front.

“We actually bought it on a road trip,” said junior Jamie Jackson. “We were at a truck stop and our bus driver was getting gas.” Jackson said there was a large rack full of the dolls inside the station and when they saw Diva, a purchase was necessary and would be a perfect tool for freshmen orientation.

“We didn’t really know what we were going to do but we had to get it,” said Jackson.

Devising a plan did not take long.

“We decided that when you come in as a freshman, each freshman has to carry Diva with him for a week at a time and if you leave Diva unattended and one of the upperclassmen got her, you had to do the Diva Run.” The Diva Run consisted of running the length of the court with Diva in hand.

Freshmen were required to carry Diva with them to classes, keep her in their room and were even told they had to bring her to the showers. “The only place Diva cannot be taken by one of the upperclassmen was in the gym,” Jackson said, referring to it as “base.”

Diva would take a step back from the team’s scene and return to her assigned corner, properly named “Diva’s Corner,” when official practice began every season.

Unfortunately, Diva was misplaced at the end of her season this past fall. “I’m hoping she’ll show up in the gym somewhere,” said Jackson. However, he also said that if she does not, there will be no replacing Diva and a new freshmen orientation ritual will begin. “It won’t be as fun as having Diva with the guys...because, basically, it was grown men walking around with a four foot doll.”

For the men’s basketball team, when Diva went to her corner at the beginning of the season, it meant it was time to get serious all around. The team spends countless hours together in the gym, on the bus and at the games. Jackson did say that the guys do have an appreciation for needing time beyond that to have fun together that does not pertain to basketball.

“We went bowling (as a team) for the first time as a team last year,” Jackson said. “Were on a losing streak—four games in a row—and to relieve some of our stress and to get us together—to bond us—Coach D got all the coaching staff and players tog ether and made it mandatory to go…so instead of practice we went bowling.”

This past season the team never had any mandatory outings, but according to Jackson, there were multiple times when quite a few team members carried on the bowling tradition.

Road trips for the basketball team typically do not have planned excitement; however, the guys have found themselves in some trouble due to wintry weather at times.

**Adam Brames, Jamie Jackson and Matt Otte (pictured), of the men's basketball team, live together along with Matt Pait**

Last season a snow storm hit as the team traveled to Indianapolis causing one of their coldest adventures.

"For some reason a mile away from an exit our bus driver decides he needs to pull off and wipe off the windshield,” Jackson said, explaining that the road could not be seen and the bus ended up out of the emergency lane and into the grass where the bus ended up stuck.

“We had to get out of bus and walk mile in a blizzard to a truck stop—then the truck stop kicks us out because we’re not going to eat in the restaurant.” The guys ended up walking to a McDonalds where they all bought cheap Happy Meals while they thawed out. They never made it to the game that day.

The team spends countless hours together, whether it be on the court, in the locker room, on the bus or in the snow. And when they aren’t with one another, one of them may be lucky enough to have the company of a lovely lady named Diva.

**Photos by Michael Mahlbacher and Marisa Larkin**

Laughs, Snacks, and Goals

“Secret Santas” tend to be a popular game around the holiday season, but for the Bellarmine softball team, it was after the Christmas season that their “secret pal” system began.

The softball’s spring season consists of a lot of road trips and the girls have a system that enables them to give each other a little boost for both the long rides, and the games ahead. The ladies exchange names prior to the season’s beginning and for the entire season they randomly buy gifts for that person. (team, above, at Daytona Beach while competing in Spring tournament.)

“We started when we got back from Christmas,” said senior catcher Adrienne Price. “We don’t do it for every game, but we usually do it for away games.” Price said the gifts can range from snacks and goodies to gag gifts relating to certain inside jokes within the team and sometimes they even get festive. “We just did Easter baskets,” she said.

“It’s a fun little thing,” Price said, adding with a laugh, “It’s a girl thing. The baseball team doesn’t do it.”

Aside from their secret exchanges, Price said the team tries to have get-togethers when there is time. “Sometimes in the fall we’ll have days like Fridays that are ‘fun days’,” she said. These “fun days” tend to be chances for the girls to put up their typical balls and bats and try their hand at another sport, like volleyball or basketball.

The Lady Knights have found a way of contributing to their play by use of their off-the-field closeness. Price said that before each game every class of girls (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors) creates a list of goals for that particular game they hope to accomplish.

The team is currently struggling through a tough season, as they are ranked last in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Their closeness, however, is one thing that is helping the girls continue to have fun, no matter their rank.

“We don’t point fingers at each other,” said Price.

Price is one of five seniors (photo to right)—all of whom have been starting since their freshman year—and the team is very meaningful to them all. “We get along so well. It helps when we can take that on the field.”

So, despite the disappointments of losses, the girls still have their own goals they are accomplishing, while continuously sharing laughs, snacks or whatever surprise gift may come from a secret pal.

**photos provided by Kimberly Locke, Katie Wolsiefer, and Abigail Hardy**

Bellarmine Track and Cross Country Star Prevailing Despite Setbacks (pt. 3)

Katie Hickey's success and leadership are not easily replaced, as the team found it hard to rebound without her.

“During cross country losing (Katie) was a big impact because she was our number one runner,” Horton said, “ but she still lead and handled (the injury) well. Others stepped up, but to replace someone like her it is a team effort.”

Hickey also praised some of her teammates for stepping up during her absence.

“A lot of freshmen have stepped up and done well.” Hickey said, “Stephanie Clouser has been doing well and should be stellar in the future. Cristin Samuels has also been doing well. With all our other runners stepping up we should be alright.”

(here you see freshmen Cristin Samuels)

There is hope on the horizon however, as she is starting to get back into shape, and could possibly compete at the end of this outdoor track season.

“She is just starting back to running,” Horton stated, “she wont do any indoor track meets, but we won’t rush her either, she has an outside chance of competing in nationals.”

These sentiments were also echoed by Hickey.

“Today was my first time running and I was really excited.” Hickey said,” (Running) is great, I’m addicted! I might try and come back for out door, but we will have to wait and see, the coaches tell me not to rush anything.”

While taking time off from running, Hickey has also taken a big part in the Bellarmine Pep Club., where she holds the title of president. From this spot she has assembled many great activities to further strengthen the student support of Bellarmine athletics.

Some of the activities she helped to organize can be seen in these links:

http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/news.asp?id=649

http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/news.asp?id=550

Bellarmine Track and Cross Country Star Prevailing Despite Setbacks (pt. 2)

This was uncharted waters for the young Hickey who at the time was a sophomore who had never accomplished such a feat.

“You can’t imagine, it was amazing.” Hickey said, “I was nervous though, I was a very low seed, but the coaches told me it was a learning experience, most were seniors and I was just a sophomore. They just told me to do my best because I was capable of doing well.”

However, as the expectations grew, injuries to her hamstring hampered her performance on the field, leaving teammates room to step up, and Hickey frustrated on the sidelines and unsure of her future.

This article is the one from the Bellarmine athletics site that gives a preview for the season that just ended, as you can see by this Hickey was expected to the one of the most relied on runners.
http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/news.asp?id=397

Bellarmine distance running Coach Kris Horton had nothing but praises for the now junior, Hickey.

“(Katie) is very positive, talented, and hardworking,” Horton said, “sometimes she works so hard I have to put a leash on her. She is always doing something.”
He also acknowledged her accomplishments from the past season. Even then she was fighting injuries, as well as being young against many older competitors.

“All the coaches kept telling Katie to keep her sights set on nationals.” Horton continued, “She did have her setbacks (referring to Katie’s nagging injuries), but every time she raced, she raced well.”

Next time I will conclude my postings on Katie, they will include more from Katie herself, as well as some of her off the field activities.

Jimmy V's Arthur Ashe Award

Jimmy V had many memorable moments throughout his career. He is a man that succeeded in all of his dreams that were on his "little-white note card." Although, the greatest thing about Jimmy V is not what he did for himself, but the impression he left on millions of other people.

When Jimmy V was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 1993 inaugural ESPY's, he changed the lives of many. The Arthur Ashe Award is an honor that goes above performing well in an athletic event. It is given to people involved in sports that have had to overcome issues bigger than losing a game. It is handed out at ESPN's annual sports awards show as one of the main honors.

Jimmy V's legendary acceptance speech was full of advice, encouragement, and humor that caught the attention of everyone that was tuned in. During the speech Jimmy V stated, " I'm a very emotional and passionate man. I can't help it. That’s being the son of Rocco and Angelina Valvano. It comes with the territory. We hug, we kiss, we love." After that emotional confession, there was not a dry-eye in the audience as Jimmy V was giving one of the last speeches of his life.

Even though he had a horrible time getting to NYC because of health issues, no one would have been able to tell by the way he presented himself on stage. He appeared at his prime, and that is one of his characteristics that makes him such a hero to so many people.

On April 28, 1993, Jimmy V passed away with a challenge for the people in this world. "Try if you can to support, whether its AIDS or the cancer foundation, so that someone else might survive, might prosper and might actually be cured of this dreaded disease."

The Jimmy V Foundation is a brilliant charity that hopes to continue to raise millions of dollars for cancer research. Because of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and ESPN, Jimmy V was able to get his message out to millions of people.

Coach David Smith

Bellarmine women's basketball coach, David Smith, has had a very successful career with many accolades under his belt. He recently has gotten his most prestige honor yet, being part of a list of the best NCAA women's coaches. I have had the honor to play under him for a season. He is a very aggressive coach that deserves every honor that he receives.
There are many different requirements that must be completed to receive this noble honor. The list took all Division I, II, & III coaches into consideration. The requirements are as follows:
* Coached a national championship team
* Elected to the Hall of Fame
* Won 500 games
* Coached three teams to the Final Four
* Post a career winning percentage about .700 with at least 150 wins
Coach Smith received the honor because of his winning percentage of 70.9 (499-205). Being a part of the team, I hope to help him get in with more than one category. He is one win away from his 500th win. Hopefully we can accomplish the victory for him early in next years season.Even though as a team we are anxious for the mark, he does not feel the urgency. " My 500th win is just a number. If it was my last year then I could see why I would be a little disapointed,"Smith stated. "But I have many years to come and hope to reach my 600th and 700th wins."
He also came close to surpassing other prerequisites; he has taken four teams to the Sweet Sixteen. He even got close to a national championship in 1996 with his Shippenburg team that ended with a national runner-up finish.
Coach Smith is obviously a very successful coach with many more good things to come. He is in a league with Tennessee's Pat Summit and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma , who join him on the list. The honors that he receives also help with the recognition that the players and the school get. So as a small community here at Bellarmine, everyone needs to continue to support the athletic programs and the good things that come out of it.

Bobby Valvano's Background

I am going to be doing my feature article on the Jimmy V Foundation. Jimmy V's brother,Bob, recently came and spoke in my Sports and Media class. I hope to be interviewing Bobby Valvano one-on-one so I can get some inside scoop on how exactly the foundation works and how it got its start. The following is a little background of B.Valvano. He speaks about life and how to be good at giving an interview. I learned alot and he gave very vital information. Not only did he give good information, he is very experienced and the following biography is what I personally learned from Valvano's speech.
Bobby Valvano is a very ambitious, hard-working, and successful man. Since he graduated from Junior Wesleyan College, he has held titles that few people can claim. He began the first chapter of his career by becoming the youngest ever Division I coach. For 20 years he bounced around between Divisions I, II, and III, coaching basketball. Once he completed that chapter, he began doing what he is currently doing today; a little bit of everything. He currently is a host for ESPN radio, which airs on 420 stations across the country. In his free time from that, he participates in many other sports related events. He hosts a golf show, commentates NCAA basketball games, and writes a column for the New Albany Times. Valvano is full of experience and knowledge that anyone could learn from.
One of the main things that has brought Valvano so much success is the characteristic that he is unbelievably versatile. Employers can count on him to successfully produce, regardless of what they are calling upon him to do. Valvano stresses the fact that to strive in the communications field, a person must have a wide range of talent. Even if a person has more ability in one area, they have to at least be willing to learn other aspects of a job. Not only is that true in the communication world, it is true in most parts of life.
Valvano broke down the basics of how to be good at his job. Although his radio station has a lot of factual information, probably the most crowd-appeasing portion is the interview fragment. With experience, he has become more knowledgeable about the key elements of interviewing. One key to a good interview is being able to listen. When an interviewer gets a response; many times the response leads into another question regarding the original question. That sequence leads to a better story or broadcast.
Another characteristic to a good interviewer is he/she has to be brave. The best stories are when the interviewee gives interesting information that has not been reported yet. For that information to be given, the tuff questions must be asked.
Like Valvano said, the media are the eyes and the ears of the public. When a person is performing an interview, they must hold into respect how important the information is to the public. The interviewer must be prepared and professional during the meeting. There is a ladder of respect that each interviewer needs to climb when attempting to get a story. Normally the more respect that is shown, the higher up the ladder the interviewer climbs.
Valvano has a very impressive resume. He knows what it takes to win over an employer, and understands what many company's are looking for. The things he said employers are looking for are a smart, passionate person that is willing to learn and be open-minded.
He talked about a lot of things that we have learned about in class. We had a whole section about interviewing, and he made it very clear through experience on how to go about getting a good one. Within most things in the media, a person has to be objective. It is important not to mix too much personal opinion into stories that are written. We learned in class what an important attribute that is when reporting.
There are many things that I can do to help myself enter Valvano's profession. I am currently in the process of trying to get an internship with a media network. I am a strong believer in using every resource that is available. In this profession, it is very much about who a person knows or builds relationships with. Throughout the process of the whole ordeal, I have learned that I have to be brave and dive into what is going on around me. I have had to overcome a little bit of shyness that I have to hopefully set myself up for a successful career.
"Pick what you do with your time because you can't get it back," stated Valvano. That quote is very relevant to everything in life. I was impressed with Valvano and all of the advice that he handed to us. I think that he gave myself and the rest of the class a lot of inspiration to go out and get the job done regardless of what field we end up in.