Last night the student activities department hosted an event in the HPERC called “WITTness Wednesday”. The event was Wittenberg’s version of the NCAA Division I’s Midnight Madness that many big school’s celebrate at the first practice of the basketball season.

What a BLAST! We had an awesome MC in Ryan Gresham, one of our awesome Wittenberg student-athlete alums and current admission counselor. Alongside Ryan was a DJ playing music all night. The first 50 students that came into the gym received a free WITTness Wednesday t-shirt as well as a free slice of pizza and drink. Once inside the gym, students had the opportunity to compete in shooting games for prizes such as basketball t-shirts and plastic drinking cups. Following the student competitions, our team, the men’s team and the cheer squad were introduced to the crowd of students. The team then had the chance to scrimmage and preview the team for the season. There was an excellent turnout and the students in the stands had great energy!

This was our first year hosting the event and I look forward to making it an annual event - a fun, exciting way to kick off the season!

http://www.mascotfaceoff.com/

DO NOT DELAY - CLICK the LINK TODAY!

Help our Tiger mascot win the first-ever mascot face-off between the Wittenberg Tigers and the Wooster Scots! You have until the Witt-Wooster football game on Saturday, November 14, to click once a day and help our Tiger beat the Scot! Place the voting link in your favorites bookmark and cast your vote daily!

Make sure you watch the video too - it is a riot!

This is a great competition between longtime rivals! Show your support and stay tuned for the results during the Witt-Wooster football game on November 14.

Gooooooooooooo TIGERS!

This past weekend was Homecoming here at Wittenberg. It was a great weekend all around with lots of alumni on campus and our athletic teams turning in successful performances. Although the weather was not spectacular, we had many great events that brought people out to enjoy one another and catch up on their days at Witt.

In our student center, they opened Founder’s which will be a new place for students, faculty and staff to gather - it’s across from the game room in the bottom level of the student center. The renovation of what used to be Wally’s Pub is terrific and Founder’s should be a great place for people to gather and spend time without having to go off campus. They had the grand unveiling on Friday night where there was standing room only capacity and performances by Just Eve and WittMen Crew. A fun way to kick off a fun place!

Saturday morning started with a Tiger Tailgate and Award’s Breakfast. The football team beat Carnegie Mellon 28-7 to continue their undefeated season at 7-0. The women’s soccer team battled a tough game en route to their 4th tie of the season and a 4-2-1 NCAC record; on the men’s side, soccer lost to Denison 2-4.  Swimming and Diving was off campus but had a great showing at their conference relays with both men’s and women’s teams finishing 4th. Volleyball also competed off campus during Homecoming weekend going 2-1 at Heidelberg against top national opponents.

The weekend for us, the basketball team, was one of celebration too. The team did an amazing job of helping to celebrate what has been one of the most memorable weekends in my Wittenberg lifetime. On Thursday night we had red velvet cake. On Friday, I walked into my office with red and white streamers everywhere and into practice with the team wearing my picture on their shirts (hilarious!). I was so happy that they embraced being a part of my Hall of Honor induction. Never, when I was in their shoes, would I have thought that I would have been a part of such a prestigious group of former athletes here at Wittenberg with a tradition of success as rich as we have. But the reward for hard work most often surpasses what one can ever imagine. I am thrilled I can share with this current team this particular reward for my passion and dedication to the game I love. I can feel their passion and energy for this game grow with each practice we complete and can sense their desire in team grow more and more each day - this is the best feeling of Homecoming to me.

What an AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME team we have!!!

At the end of practice today, the seniors ran out of the gym only to return with not one, not two, but THREE red velvet cakes! One rectangular and two circular cakes all topped with creamy white frosting and decorations (sprinkles!) to boot. HOORAY! Red velvet cake is my favorite! After a good, hard practice we enjoyed a slice of the delectable treat.

We have officially been through one full (calendar) week of practice. The cake wasn’t celebrating that accomplishment, but it was a nice coincidence. We got to  celebrate Wittenberg basketball - the past and present for a moment at the end of practice today. A very appropriate occasion for red velvet cake, in my opinion.

It has only been two days since I last saw the team, but it has been a lonely two days. Whether you call it a perk or a downfall, getting attached to your team is an inevitable fate. Their chatter on the court, their determined faces during drills, their improvement over each and every rep, there is so much reward to embrace in each practice environment.

The players have worked hard the first three days so a little two day break is good for their bodies and their minds. And, just as they need a break from the grind, so do I; a break gives all of us the ability to refocus and get back at it harder. I look forward to having them back on the court refreshed and ready again to go. I look forward to the chatter, the determination, the improvement. I look forward to getting this “lonely” coach back surrounded by excellent company out on the court.

Our first three days of practice coincided with mid-term week. This mid-term week led up to our fall break. From being in the classroom myself, I understand the value of concluding a portion of your course material before a four-day break as it creates a natural opportunity to start fresh when the students return to the classroom. A common by-product of this approach, because most professors do proceed with this timeline, is that the stress levels of the students become elevated - in many cases ridiculously elevated.

Here is where sport is, once again, a wonderful component to have in one’s life. Working out relieves stress, it takes your mind off of what normally is consuming it and releases endorphins that make you feel better. During this time of mid-terms (and it will inevitably happen again at the end of the semester during finals) the team is encouraged to use practice as a time to leave the school work behind for a couple of hours and use basketball as an outlet. I am IMPRESSED with the level of focus the team has demonstrated through this week of mid-terms, better than I have seen in the past. Even though it is the first three days, the indication that this team is choosing to be disciplined is clear. There is a lot to learn at the beginning of any season and the team is doing a fabulous job of knowing gym time is basketball time, not time to worry about their biology exam or English paper. The team is finding a way to stay focused on basketball when the time requires them to do so. It’s a compliment to the upper-class players that they have devised a plan for handling these times in the semester that normally create higher anxiety levels and, oftentimes, the inability to focus. Their success in handling this situation sets a great template for the new players to follow.

What all of this translates to is a fantastic first three days of practice - covering a lot of information while working hard and making clear strides in a short amount of time. Focus and discipline through adverse situations is a valuable trait to have. I’m happy to see the team developing that trait.

An excellent tone has been set.

Yesterday was our first official day on the court … so grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat! There is nothing like hearing the basketballs bouncing on the hardwood and listening to the sound of the ball waxing through the net. The team is in great shape and worked very hard in our first session - it gives me so much energy! I love the excitement that is generated from the intensity of drills done well and the constant chatter our team continually builds. We have a short pre-season as our first scrimmage is on October 30th against Otterbein, always a tough competitor in the OAC. Knowing that the journey to our first scrimmage is a short one, the team has come in focused and ready to go! The upper class players are doing a great job of helping the new players get acclimated to their new practice environment - always a great sign of team cohesion and program pride.

Now that the season has begun you can expect to see more frequent posts from me as well as additional posts from Coach Cody, my assistant, and some of our team members. Check back in often to follow the Tigers through the exciting 2009-2010 season. Keep an eye on our web page too for updates on games and news around our season! http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics/wbasketball/

Happy Basketball Season … up, up and AWAY!!!

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for one of our five seniors, Stephanie Boardman, as she was recently awarded the Pam Evans Smith Memorial Scholarship for her senior year. The scholarship is awarded to two women entering their senior year that have demonstrated excellent academic performance while being engaged within the campus community. The other recipient this year was Danielle Remington who happens to not only be one of Stephanie’s roomies but also one of our student trainers for the basketball team.

I am SO PROUD of Stephanie and Danielle and I know Coach Smith is incredibly proud of Stephanie too! A true testament of what it really means to say “hard work pays”!

Read more about Stephanie and Danielle on the Wittenberg web: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics/news/2009releases/09_22.html

It is hard to believe that anything, any day can get better when the weather is impeccable, however, I heard our webmaster and assistant swim coach, Bob Rafferty, make a simple statement to a recruit one day: “Wittenberg only gets better beyond the weather”. Wittenberg is a beautiful campus year round and when the weather is delightful it elevates that beauty tenfold. It seems like, when Mother Nature is cooperating, that the weather is what makes this place incredible. But, as Bob so perfectly stated, this place only DOES get better beyond the weather. The students, the staff, the faculty, the class sizes, the 100+ student organizations, the athletics, the hollow, the friendly smiles - are all a part of what makes Wittenberg better beyond the weather.

There are places beyond Wittenberg that are lovely compliments to our campus as well such as Buck Creek, John Bryant State Park, Mad River and Glen Helen, to pen a quick list. Some of the team members went out to Glen Helen last Saturday to hike and hit Young’s Dairy afterwards for homemade ice cream. With, again, incredible weather on their side, it made for a memorable and delicious way to start their weekend off right! Combine a great place with wonderful teammates and a bit of scrumptious ice cream and one can truly see how Wittenberg DOES get better beyond the weather!

Welcome to our class of 2013 (from left to right) - Abby Small, Aimee Carpenter, Ann Tomko, Ashanta Robinson, Kim Replogle, Kelsee Rehm, Sarah Skidmore and Brenna Burkhart (not pictured, Kirsten Holmes)

WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

I haven’t written a post in quite some time because of, what I believe, an energy shortage, an emotional energy shortage. At the end of the summer recruiting travel and personal time away from the office, I was in an enormous need for the ENERGY of our campus to come back to life! I’m so excited to have the campus back buzzing with excitement for a new year. Some students have the look of anticipation for a new life experience as they are just beginning their journey here at Wittenberg. Other students have a look of determination as they are continuing their quest for knowledge acquisition. Either way the start of a new school year brings a much-needed blast of electricity to the campus which I can’t help but soak up and get rejuvenated!

The hardest part of the school year beginning right now is that our basketball season doesn’t actually start for another month and a half. It is torture to have the team members here and not be able to see and work with them on a regular basis. The team takes this time to get to know one another and get settled in for the school year which inevitably helps them master their time management concerns once the season does roll around. The fall is also a great time to enjoy some of our other successful teams here at Witt with the start of football, volleyball, soccer, field hockey and cross country seasons.  While the fall brings the start of school and our new players here to campus, I am eager to share our upcoming season with you - please let me know if you have any comments or questions about our program.

With perfect weather looming around the bend, this is one of the greatest times of the year - for me, this is my New Year’s Day Celebration!