To start, I must say that the sole reason I created an account here on Blogspot/Blogger was so that I could comment on Michael Tkach's fantastic review of Radiohead's In Rainbows. That man should be writing for Pitchfork.
Hmmm. I think I'll use the Georgia script for this, my first entry (that's called foreshadowing).
Since I'm lazy, here's the first half of my Running2Win log entry from last night:
What a great day today. First of all, my future (at least the next two years or so) is no longer a mystery. Today, just before practice, Coach Ward from Augusta State University in Georgia (right by the Augusta National golf course, home of the Master's...awesome) offered me the job as GA and I accepted (it was really a no-brainer). This really helps since I'm currently paying my own way through undergrad and have surely accumulated a nasty amount of debt by now. There was really no way for me to realistically earn my Master's without somehow finding a way to get it for free. Not only is there a tuition waiver though, there's a stipend that will help my living situation (you know, so that I might find food and nourishment). It's an all girls cross country team there, but they're very competitive within their conference (the Peach Belt) and in NCAA DII. I can't wait to start hitting the phones for them in January, hopefully lock up a few recruits and just learn a lot about myself, the sport and my future. It should be a great experience and I'm thankful for the opportunity.
I found out moments before practice (miles @ threshold in 'the Boyer') so I tried to calm down and stay focused on the task at hand, but once I got back from Hoernemann I phoned more people than I typically do in a month. That list included my Mother (naturally), my Faja, my Seester, Dan Graber (but that was futile since he's lost his cell phone), the afformentioned Michael T, T-Money (currently residing in WV), Sean Williams (the brotha I stayed with in Colorado this summer...who is, ironically enough, considering coming back to Ohio to do the same thing I'm doing...except hopefully under former Olympian Mark Croghan at Kent State), Brendon Moody (who better to receive advice from than someone who has gone through the entire situation himself), Eric "Ham-Bone" Hamner (see Brendon Moody), Jus10 Dickman (we had other issues to discuss, but he understands and appreciates news like this as much as anyone) and probably a few more people that I'm forgetting at the moment.
I really am blessed to get this position and if I'm ever in a situation later in life to mentor an athlete who is looking to do the same thing I would tell them to go about in a completely different manner than I did. My sophomore year of college I e-mailed former Mount Union harrier Joe Eby--who found tremendous success gaining a GA position at DePauw and followed that with a full-time Assistant spot at Allegheny--and asked him what his advice would be to a young runner aspiring to someday acquire a GA position. Joe replied that I should obviously find the schools that offered the degree I was seeking and then to send out an incredible mass of letters (one to each of the schools). I believe he said he sent out nearly 30 letters while he was an undergrad and only received a single response--that being from DePauw, which ended up being a great situation.
Since I received that advice I had always "meant" to fight for an assistanship in that manner but really never "got around to it." Basically I had let myself down, got distracted, lost focus and instead of 30 options, realistically had about four. The first was to stay at Heidelberg. Lucas was kind enough to offer me a position here, but I knew that wouldn't be ideal for several reasons. First, I would be coaching former teammates. I just can't see that realistically working to their benefit. My past experiences with them would bring about too much bias, even if I worked hard at ignoring those feelings. Plus, that would mean that by the time I earned my Master's, I would have lived in Tiffin for the past 6 and a half years, and that just wasn't appealing to me. I love it here and have no regrets on coming here, but life is short and I truly believe that I need exposure elsewhere...especially considering that fact that I'm not engaged (or close to it) or anything. It's just me right now, so I can be a little more selfish than most.
The second option was to wait until the fall of '08 and to coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. This seemed very realistic after talking to the coach, and I would receive the all-important tuition waiver, but that would mean I would be working a dead-end job for over half-a-year (from January until September) in preparation for school. I would much prefer the situation I find myself in now...and that is: I graduate in December and then a couple weeks later, begin classes at Augusta in January. This way, I don't miss a beat. I'm not just floating around for a signficant period of time.
The third option was to earn my M.A.T. at Colorado College in Colorado, Springs near where I stayed this summer. However, I would have to pay for my education there in full as they do not need any G.A.'s right now, only volunteer assistants. It's beautiful there, and I'm definitely going to miss that state (I truthfully think I might settle down there someday) but financially that wouldn't be a realistic option.
Well, last night the best-case scenario came true and in about two and a half months I'll be living in Georgia. It will really be a completely new chapter in my life and is something I'm looking forward to.
Hmmm. I think I'll use the Georgia script for this, my first entry (that's called foreshadowing).
Since I'm lazy, here's the first half of my Running2Win log entry from last night:
What a great day today. First of all, my future (at least the next two years or so) is no longer a mystery. Today, just before practice, Coach Ward from Augusta State University in Georgia (right by the Augusta National golf course, home of the Master's...awesome) offered me the job as GA and I accepted (it was really a no-brainer). This really helps since I'm currently paying my own way through undergrad and have surely accumulated a nasty amount of debt by now. There was really no way for me to realistically earn my Master's without somehow finding a way to get it for free. Not only is there a tuition waiver though, there's a stipend that will help my living situation (you know, so that I might find food and nourishment). It's an all girls cross country team there, but they're very competitive within their conference (the Peach Belt) and in NCAA DII. I can't wait to start hitting the phones for them in January, hopefully lock up a few recruits and just learn a lot about myself, the sport and my future. It should be a great experience and I'm thankful for the opportunity.
I found out moments before practice (miles @ threshold in 'the Boyer') so I tried to calm down and stay focused on the task at hand, but once I got back from Hoernemann I phoned more people than I typically do in a month. That list included my Mother (naturally), my Faja, my Seester, Dan Graber (but that was futile since he's lost his cell phone), the afformentioned Michael T, T-Money (currently residing in WV), Sean Williams (the brotha I stayed with in Colorado this summer...who is, ironically enough, considering coming back to Ohio to do the same thing I'm doing...except hopefully under former Olympian Mark Croghan at Kent State), Brendon Moody (who better to receive advice from than someone who has gone through the entire situation himself), Eric "Ham-Bone" Hamner (see Brendon Moody), Jus10 Dickman (we had other issues to discuss, but he understands and appreciates news like this as much as anyone) and probably a few more people that I'm forgetting at the moment.
I really am blessed to get this position and if I'm ever in a situation later in life to mentor an athlete who is looking to do the same thing I would tell them to go about in a completely different manner than I did. My sophomore year of college I e-mailed former Mount Union harrier Joe Eby--who found tremendous success gaining a GA position at DePauw and followed that with a full-time Assistant spot at Allegheny--and asked him what his advice would be to a young runner aspiring to someday acquire a GA position. Joe replied that I should obviously find the schools that offered the degree I was seeking and then to send out an incredible mass of letters (one to each of the schools). I believe he said he sent out nearly 30 letters while he was an undergrad and only received a single response--that being from DePauw, which ended up being a great situation.
Since I received that advice I had always "meant" to fight for an assistanship in that manner but really never "got around to it." Basically I had let myself down, got distracted, lost focus and instead of 30 options, realistically had about four. The first was to stay at Heidelberg. Lucas was kind enough to offer me a position here, but I knew that wouldn't be ideal for several reasons. First, I would be coaching former teammates. I just can't see that realistically working to their benefit. My past experiences with them would bring about too much bias, even if I worked hard at ignoring those feelings. Plus, that would mean that by the time I earned my Master's, I would have lived in Tiffin for the past 6 and a half years, and that just wasn't appealing to me. I love it here and have no regrets on coming here, but life is short and I truly believe that I need exposure elsewhere...especially considering that fact that I'm not engaged (or close to it) or anything. It's just me right now, so I can be a little more selfish than most.
The second option was to wait until the fall of '08 and to coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. This seemed very realistic after talking to the coach, and I would receive the all-important tuition waiver, but that would mean I would be working a dead-end job for over half-a-year (from January until September) in preparation for school. I would much prefer the situation I find myself in now...and that is: I graduate in December and then a couple weeks later, begin classes at Augusta in January. This way, I don't miss a beat. I'm not just floating around for a signficant period of time.
The third option was to earn my M.A.T. at Colorado College in Colorado, Springs near where I stayed this summer. However, I would have to pay for my education there in full as they do not need any G.A.'s right now, only volunteer assistants. It's beautiful there, and I'm definitely going to miss that state (I truthfully think I might settle down there someday) but financially that wouldn't be a realistic option.
Well, last night the best-case scenario came true and in about two and a half months I'll be living in Georgia. It will really be a completely new chapter in my life and is something I'm looking forward to.
PS: I'm honored to be featured in Brendon Moody's latest blog entry.
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