Marist Memories inspired by Mug Night

While I drink a nice cold bud light from my Rennies mug an urge to blog once again came over me so here I am typing away. Every time I drink from that mug, I'm reminded of the glory days, the best four years of my life, and specifically senior year living with eight of my closest friends. I know this September I won't be going back to Marist. This is now the third time I've faced this realization and I've become at peace with this.

 I've heard the expression before that you can take the kid out of college, but you can never take the college out of the kid. I feel this holds even truer with my college experience. Walking across that stage a little over two years ago may have signified the end of college for me, but I take those experiences, memories and friendships I made everywhere I go in life. Through many ups and downs I learned so much about myself and the friends that I am blessed to have around me. As selfish as I might sound I feel that I could not have experienced a better 4 years anywhere else in the country and because of that I now share this unique bond with everyone else who has attended Marist.

I started a new job a little over month ago, where I am currently very happy. As a recent graduate the two questions that I always fielded were where did you work before and where did you go to college. Every time someone asks the later a smile crosses my face and I happily say Marist College. I am damn proud to have attended to that school. There might be colleges that carry greater weight in a conversation about academic or athletic prowess or even another metric used to compare. None of that talk ever phases me because choosing where to go to school might be the best decision I ever made.

Whenever someone asks where I went to college, I secretly hope that they too attended Marist College. I feel I share a special bond with every person that also attended. I want so badly to delve into that conversation comparing experiences. Two weeks ago I was out celebrating my birthday with many college friends and randomly ran into a group that had also graduated from Marist. There were some that I was friendly with and others that I did not hang out with at all, but it felt as if I had been reunited with long lost friends seeing and talking to them. I had kids I didn't hangout with offering to buy me shots, asking how I was doing, making sure I was doing well and it all felt normal, well better than that it felt great. The exchange was not awkward, contrived, or insincere, but rather normal for people who had shared that Marist experience.

  Many people I went to college with can easily recognize me when I am out as that tall goofy kid, who can't dance, drank more than he should, and was always at McDonald's. In my four years never once was I picked on, made fun of, or talked about in a negative light to my face. Maybe there is a secret anti-Tim Keegan group somewhere out there on Facebook, but I'll assume that isn't true. In high school I wasn't the most popular guy and there were definitely those I believed didn't like me. I had my group of friends and there were definitely many great people who attended high school with me, but it wasn't the same. Early on in high school I was definitely picked on a bit in gym class as the scrawny runner and after school in the locker room changing next to the football team as I stood in stark contrast next to them. In many ways I was an easy target for an immature teenager seeking to flex his social muscles and make himself appear cool. I wouldn't say I was bullied in high school because I wasn't; there were just some moments, but I feel there were many people in those shoes that experienced those moments; I witnessed them. This was not the case at Marist. Some truly great guys played football at Marist and I was lucky to make friends with many of them. I was still a scrawny runner, but there was a respect level there for the work I put into my sport. Everyone seemed so much to care for one another and that is what I truly value about my college experience.

I didn't really plan on writing this blog post, it just kinda happened. I'm sorry if it never followed the ebbs and flows of a well written post or did not come to some gargantuan conclusion. And maybe this post carried too much emotion for some; blame it on the bud lights. Side note, I will never graduate from or be too good for cheap beer. Always remember your roots. But maybe, just maybe, this connected with some of you who feel this exact same way. I hope it did. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.

Trials and Tribulations of a Nets Fan

It’s been awhile since I last wrote a blog post; wish there were enough hours in the day to squeeze in all my grandiose plans and ambitions, but alas there are not.  I took the audit part of the CPA exam today and before starting to prepare for my next part BEC, I figured I’d write a quick blog for the one or two people who read this thing.  I decided I’d venture into a new topic, sports and particularly the trials and tribulations being a Nets fan, as we rapidly approach the playoffs.

                This season for me as a Nets fan has been a pretty awesome one.   I’ve found myself venturing down memory lane often throughout the season and it has in so many ways been the culmination of my childhood dreams seeing the Nets on Long Island (technically Brooklyn) and as a relevant franchise.  The key to understanding how I became a Nets fan is to understand how I was raised.  My parents never spent money on things that weren’t deemed necessary and were always looking for a deal.  We didn’t have MSG network growing up as my dad was a Mets and Islanders fan and couldn’t care for the Yankees, Knicks and Rangers, teams that were on MSG at the time.  Therefore, he couldn’t substantiate paying $5 more a month for MSG.  All my classmates were Knicks fan growing up as they were the only New York team to root for, but I didn’t have MSG and couldn’t watch them.  Therefore I gravitated to the one team I could watch, the New Jersey Nets, which played on FSNY, the same channel as the Mets.  As I started watching more and more and became more attached I started itching to go to games.  Before the days of camera phones and Stubhub, McDonald’s offered a great deal to get people in the seats for Nets game where they offered McDonald’s meal vouchers, 4 tickets to the game and a disposable camera to take pictures at the game, all for less than it would cost for about a single ticket to the Garden.  There were many times in my youth I can remember cramming into the car to catch a Nets game in Jersey, usually a loss.  These were the days where I use to think a young Sam Cassell was the greatest player alive, Kerry Kittles the best shooter, Keith Van Horn and his tube socks that even Coach Pete would be envious of, was a world beater, and Jayson Williams, a murderer, was a beast on the boards; couple these guys with the likes of Lucious Harris and Kendall Gill and they were my heroes.  I watched a few of the shows that kids my age watched, but the Nets games were my favorite thing to watch.  I can still vividly recall that year we snuck into the playoffs, 1997-98, and drew Jordan’s Bulls. Naively, I thought we had a chance to win the series, but after staying up for game 3 and experiencing the sweep I ran upstairs and cried myself to sleep thinking life wasn’t fair, scar was right.  I shut off the Upper Deck light next to my bed, with the spindle of six basketball cards, those six guys, my heroes.

                     Four years later, after three straight missed postseasons we became the talk of the league.  Rod Thorn our GM was active over the period drafting, making trades, and shaping the team.  One of my favorite players Sam Cassell was moved for a young point guard Stephon Marbury and the Nets selected with the number one pick in the 2000 draft a standout from the University of Cincinnati, Kenyon Martin.  During the 2001-2002 offseason Rod Thorn made a number of great moves.  He drafted Eddie Griffin a prolific scorer from Seton Hall with character issues with the 6^th overall pick and flipped him on draft night for 3 1^st round picks used on Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong.  Later that offseason he sent Marbury packing in a trade that returned a true Godsend Jason Kidd.  Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin formed over the next few years a trio that will always have a special place in my heart.   *Editor’s note it is weird seeing two of these guys currently in Knicks uniforms.* Jason Kidd led this Nets in what should’ve been an MVP season to the NBA finals that year.  I experienced what it finally felt like to win a playoff series and make it there.  We were no match for the Lakers and got swept that year, but the journey to get to the finals was something I’ll never forget.  Here in New York, especially with the Yankees, anything short of a championship is considered a failure.  However, that season was such a huge success to finally see the bottom dweller Nets make it all the way to the Finals.  I still look back on the run with such fond memories.  The following year the Nets were back at it and once again made it to the Finals where the stole two games from the Spurs, but lost in 6.  That would be the last time I’ve experienced what is like to be in the NBA finals from a fans perspective.  

There were some great moments over the next few seasons including sweeping the Knicks the following season, trading for Vince Carter a couple years later, although none greater than that feeling of making it to the finals.  Getting Vince Carter in particular was awesome.  Any child of my generation can vividly recall Vince Carter’s slam dunk contest from his Raptors days, the greatest dunk contest I can remember, back when the dunk contest meant something.  For a week after that dunk contest my friend Eric and I would try to replicate that in between the legs dunk on a little tike’s basketball hoop to no avail.  It felt incredible to trade for him and be able to watch him on a nightly basis.  Jason Kidd was traded halfway through the 2007-08 season and we got progressively worse as a team.  I went to Marist during some of their dormant years.  I followed them less in college as we didn’t get YES network, the channel that broadcasted the Nets, and they failed to make the playoffs all four years.  My junior year saw their worst performance in team history as they won just twelve games.

Fast-forward to this season as my interest was renewed following the 2011-12 season and their move to their new home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  The Nets made a number of high profile moves in the offseason resigning All Star Deron Williams, promising young center Brook Lopez, trading for an overpaid multiple time All Star Joe Johnson, resigning a mid season acquisition Gerald Wallace and resigning a guy better known for his short lived marriage to Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries.  My childhood passion for this team was restored this year and it feels so good.  I think the numbers of games I’ve missed this year I can count on one hand and in a way it has brought me closer to my dad.  Watching games with him, discussing the team over breakfast in the morning has been great.  After not having gone to a game in a number years I finally made it to this year.  I splurged on seats 13 rows up from the baseline and had a phenomenal time with some great friends; an experience that I will never forget.  If the playoff seeds stay the same the Nets will draw the Bulls in the opening round, coming full circle from the first playoff series I recall when Jordan’s Bulls swept the Nets and I cried myself to sleep.  I’ve been monitoring ticket sales on Stubhub and soon will spending the money to see the Nets enact some revenge and win one back for the seven year old Tim Keegan.  I’m proud to call myself a fan of this franchise and cannot wait to cheer my heart for them in the playoffs.  Lets go Nets!

Light next to my bed with all the guys I grew up watching.

Lessons Learned from College

                Last weekend I was playing a board game with my family when my mother asked me if I had any advice to pass along to her coworker’s daughter who was going to be a freshman at Marist College.  I immediately thought of the standard responses, leave your door open, invest in a good fake id, be responsible, do not procrastinate and I thought what I would give to be in that position once again.  I also knew that she probably heard that same advice too many times so after so contemplation I came up with this list of important lessons I learned during college that I would pass on to anyone ready to embark on a journey known as college, the best four years of your life.  My cousin gave me a similar list of lessons he learned during his 20’s after I graduated which was an immense help.  Just of note if you already graduated college it would be awesome to see if you could relate to what I’m about to say, have any advice of your own.  Also, this post is geared towards those about to attend Marist College, but these lessons can be applied anywhere and in the real world as well.

 Leave your Door Open

                As a freshman during the first few weeks of school it is a good idea to leave your door open.  People will pop in say hi, introduce themselves, and it is a great way to meet new people.  Throughout college and life it is a good idea to keep your door open as you never know who is ready to walk through if you let them.  A team, club, or major should never determine the people who will exclusively become your friends.  I’ll admit freely that most of my closest friends at Marist College were on the track team with me.  However, I’m also blessed to have met truly awesome people beyond the track team.  My Facebook status the night of senior formal was how I believed the best people in the world attended Marist College and a year later there is a not a doubt in my mind that is true.  I met some of my best friends the final weeks and months of my senior year so it is never too late to meet someone who can change your life for the better. 

                Always keep yourself open to new opportunities that may present themselves.  If there was one thing I regret from my college experience it was never taking the opportunity to study abroad.  I was too invested in athletics to put that aside and immerse myself in another culture.  I wish I had done a spring attachment in another country that would have afforded me a chance to experience life abroad while still helping my team domestically.  Take advantage of spring breaks as an opportunity to go away with friends.  It is the chance to have a great time with friends without looming exams or assignments to break up the party.  Throughout high school life is very structured.  You have class Monday – Friday, likely go to bed around the same time each time and wake up around the same time each morning.  If you had parents like mine you likely had curfews on the weekend.  There is nothing preventing you from grabbing life by the horns and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way in college. 

Do not Judge

                I’m not going to make the claim that Marist is a diverse school, but likely you’ll meet people different from the group of friends you had during high school.  High school, or at least my experience, is defined by clicks with little social interaction outside a homogenous group of friends that share similar thoughts and mindsets.  It is therefore easy to get to college and decide hey that doesn’t look like someone I want to be friends with.  It is also likely you never gave someone like that a chance back in high school.  Many people are so quick to judge and label another in college.  The only thing that girl you labeled a slut is a guilty of is being misunderstood.  It seems at times we know a person’s entire story before we have the chance to open the book.  I myself have been in the position before and I hate every time I’m guilty of it.  Often we are completely wrong when we judge another and other times there are reasons why a person acts a certain way.  You never know the type of demons someone is battling until you first give yourself the chance to get to know them.  Just because someone chooses differently what to do with their body, has beliefs contrary to your own or carries themselves in a different manner doesn’t necessarily make her bad person.  Often times we are quick to point out the splinter in another person’s eye, but are too blind to notice the beam in our own. If you’re gay you’re gay, if your religious views differ from mine at least you have something to believe in, if your skin color is different than mine it doesn’t matter we’re one family at Marist and at the end of the day none of this matters.  If you walk in a move-in day and your roommate is already on his headset yelling for backup on World of Warcraft then I would suggest walking back out going to housing and requesting a room change ASAP and then question your decision to put Sheehan as your number housing preference.  Actually, I’d suggest doing none of that.  What’s the worst thing that can happen when you reach out and get to know someone else?  You learn something new about someone and find out a little bit more about yourself in the process.

The Greatest Person you can be is Yourself

                College is largely about discovery, discovering who you are and who you want to be.  If you think you have all the answers to life at the tender age of eighteen you are mistaken.  I’m twenty-three and my shit is far from together.  Although my ducks are still not in a row, I can take solace in knowing I’m happy with the person I am at the moment.  I’m an imperfect person, but I’ve grown to accept my imperfections and work on improving my weaknesses.

                In college I was a clown.  I was that guy dancing by himself on a platform after too much to drink at the local watering hole, Rennies.  I heard rumblings, “look at the kid he is an embarrassment, joke, idiot, etc.”  I never let that stuff get to me because at the end of the day I was having a great time and I was giving my friends a good laugh.  I’d rather go out and make an embarrassment of myself than sit back and judge others.  I’ve not always been comfortable in my own skin, but I learned to be throughout college.  The people in your life who you feel the need to impress are usually not worth the effort.  True friends will like you for who you are and not for who they want you to be.

                I would tell you that I never gave into peer pressure while in college, but that would be a blatant lie.  If you asked me to do something there’s a good chance I’d do it; if you told me I wouldn’t do something then there was a great chance I was going to do it.  Those decisions usually resulted in me waking up the next morning and asking the question why did I do that, or the even better, “you’re tell me I did what?!?”  Peer pressure is omnipresent in college and you will be waging a constant battle of vice vs. virtue.  I’m not going to give that paternal advice you’ve probably already received, the, “You go to college to receive an education and not to party.”  It is all about knowing when to say yes and when to say no.  Some of my greatest stories from college have come from when I decided to say yes to peer pressure, but I likely would have graduated with a much lower GPA if I always said yes.  Life and college is a large balancing act between what you can and cannot do.  The best advice I can offer is get your work done early. The pressure is much more subdued when you choose not to procrastinate.

Create Your own Jerk Squad

                Jerk Squad was an idea developed by a few Marist College juniors two years before I got to the school.  By the time my freshman year arrived it had evolved into its current state, a meal shared by friends at 9:00 Wednesdays in the cabaret after night class.  Most members were participants on the track and field team and everyone was a dude, the one requirement.  It was a great way to break up the week, have a meal with friends, and shoot the shit.  We had our awards at the end of the year called the Jerkies, similar to the Dundies on the Office, Secret Santa around Christmas time, and celebrated a myriad of holidays and events in between.  Throughout college I had a number of different traditions that helped break up the week, give me something to look forward to, and provide an opportunity to hang out with friends.  My freshman year we’d gather in my friend Nicks room every week for Rob & Big, Tuesday nights most semesters were a volleyball night, sophomore year we’d have family dinners on Sundays, Junior year we’d have Tuesday night drinking organized by everyone’s favorite Orientation Leader Colin Johnson at 56 Sunset, and my Senior year it was mug nights every Wednesday followed by McDonalds with our favorite cab driver Phatz. 

                Create traditions of your own.  Intramural sports are always fun as they provide an opportunity to be active and compete without the pressure of varsity athletics.  Find a TV show that you enjoy watching and find a place to watch it every week.  It’s always great to have something to look forward to every week and an opportunity to gather with friends.  When those nights come around in the real world and your calendar is empty it will be something you miss.

Don’t Let Dreams be Dreams

                My good friend Ryan Brown actually texted me this advice last weekend as it holds weight even after college.  At a young age we were probably asked the question what we want to be when we grow up.  As we age our dreams seem to get supplanted by the “realistic.”  There are people at every corner in life that will inform you that your dreams and goals are unattainable and that you should focus on something more obtainable.  That reassuring voice in our head that tells us yes we can gets drowned out by our critics and those “realists” as we age.  We then realize more and more that we are settling for less than our best.  If you have high career aspirations in a field where there are no jobs don’t let your dreams die; just know you will have to work that much harder.  Bright, hard working people will always find success in life.  

                I barely passed the ELA exam in fourth grade and my mother got the notion in my head that I was a horrific writer.  When I got to college I knew I couldn’t hack it as a writer because this notion had been reinforced throughout my life.  I was also informed by others throughout life that I couldn’t make it in any other field.  By the time I got to college I decided to become a business/accounting major because I hadn’t been informed I was lousy at the subject, mostly because I had never tried.  Don’t let the voices of others force into a decision.  I wound up enjoying accounting, but I consider myself lucky.  There are so many people that hate going to work each day because earlier in life they were dissuaded from perusing their goals by all their detractors.   

                If you dream of achieving success in athletics or an endeavor outside academics then train hard.  It is much easier to balance athletics and school than it is to balance athletics, work, and a family.  If you’re ever to going to get after it this is the time in your life to realize your potential.  I no longer run, but it feels good knowing I put the effort in and enjoyed the results in college.  If you have a dream guy or girl, then put yourself out there.  You might get rejected, but it’s better than thinking back on what could have been.  I’m admittedly no relationship expert, but I do know there’s nothing wrong with taking a chance.  If you've spent your first 18 years of life as a dreamer then it is finally time to become a doer and make your dreams a reality.

               

  I miss Marist College and could write a whole other post on everything I miss from college.  But I also know I’m blessed to have attended such a wonderful school.  I learned so much during those four years, made memories I’ll treasure forever, and met some of the greatest people imaginable.    There is little sense reflecting more on the glory days, but I know with the foundation I was given I have the tools to be successful in life.

Lessons Learned from the Olympics (a little late)

                The Olympics on the surface is presented as a celebration of athletics where athletes vie to represent their countries in the best possible manner on a global platform.  Countries are pitted against each other as the daily medal count serves as a reminder of which country has produced the greatest athletes.  On a deeper level the Olympics is a celebration of athletics at the highest level where athletes train their entire lives for this one opportunity to prove themselves at the highest level of competition.  I never really get into the Olympics as a form of blind patriotism to root for America in the medal standings.  I do always want to see Americans succeed and represent our country well, but it’s the stories behind the athletes competing that really get me excited.  I’ll watch any sport that is on during the Olympics and really enjoy the stories NBC airs highlighting how certain athletes battled adversity in their lives to get to this moment.

 As a former track and field athlete track is my favorite sport to watch during the Games as I know more about the stories behind the athletes competing and the hard work it takes to succeed at the highest level.  It is the one time every four years that the world tunes into track and field and feigns interest in the sport.  Even World Championships excluding coverage for Usain Bolt get a pass by mainstream media.  Therefore, there is even greater scrutiny on how well these athletes perform at the Games since it is where their legacies are formed and cemented.  Jim Ryun, arguably the greatest American distance runner of all time, has been proclaimed a choker by many for his inability to capture gold at the Olympics.  Billy Mills iconic victory with the quote “Every passion has it destiny” has been framed in the rooms of many Americans.  There were many positive moments from these Olympic Games, Oscar Pistorius, a man with prosthetic legs advanced in 400m, Galen Rupp won the silver medal becoming the first American to medal in the 10,000 meter in 48 years, Mo Fareh captured the hearts of his home country as he won double gold, Usain Bolt cemented himself as a track and field legend and David Rudisha smashed the world record in the 800.  However, with the good also came some real low moments from the Games. 

I’ve always been drawn to athletes who weren’t world beaters in high school and did not attend big time running schools.  I have a tough time getting behind those runners who have had all the resources behind them to help them succeed.  The success of a blue collar athlete who has overcome obstacles is all the more satisfying.  Morgan Uceny fits the bill of the type of runner who I want to see succeed.  She was not a Footlocker national finalist in high school, in fact she didn’t even run cross country her junior or senior year.  After high school she attended Cornell, a school better known for their academics than their athletics.  After years of steady improvement she broke out in a major way in 2011.  She had the number one time in the world heading into last year’s World Championships in Deagu.  Many viewed her has the favorite to win or at least medal, but tragically she tripped, fell, and finished tenth far behind her number one world ranking.  Fast forward to this year Uceny won the Olympic trials out in Eugene, qualified for her 1^st Olympic Games and made it into the finals.  There was no way history could repeat itself.  It was unfathomable to even think she could fall again on the world’s biggest stage.   Heading into the final lap she was right in the thick of things, in a post race interview she said she felt good and was in position to medal.  And then the unthinkable happened her left foot was clipped and down she went.  She slammed the track repeatedly her hands, broke down in tears and did not get up until the race was over.  History had repeated itself on the biggest stage in sports and one could not help, but feel for her.

If I ever made it to the Olympics all I could ask for is a fair shake, to know I left everything out on the track.  I could walk away with my head held high knowing I gave it my all against the best in the world.  But to get tripped, fall, and walk away with the thought of what could have been is a horrible feeling.  If there is any takeaway from something like this it is to focus on the journey and not the destination.  Often in life we focus so much on the end game and how we wish to perform once we are there rather than enjoy the journey.  During my time at Marist a cross country season was defined in my eyes on how we performed at one meet, regionals.  Throughout my four years we were pretty much locked into 2^nd place in the MAAC.  No matter how well ran we were never going to beat Iona, a top ten team nationally, and baring some disaster we were going to beat the rest of teams.  Therefore, all the focus was on regionals.  A top ten finish was viewed as a successful season, somewhere between eleven and fifteen was average and beyond fifteen was a subpar season.  The immense pressure placed on one race resulted in some of the highest and lowest moments of my running career.  However, when I look back at my running career some of my finest moments came during the ride.  That one fifteen mile long run hungover early Sunday that you dread going into, but ending up firing on all cylinders as you head back down route 9 from Culinary.  Thousand meter repeats at Bowdoin that gradually get faster with each progressive one until you feel that sensation on this day you’re unbeatable.  Those are the moments I felt alive, that I truly enjoyed and missed.  One race should never define a career, person, or a team.  Despite that one race no one can look at Morgan Uceny and say she, someone who is living out her dream on a daily basis, is not a success.  At the end of the day we might not get that victory we sought out after in the beginning, but that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the ride and maybe we’ll learn to get by on little victories.   

Giving Thanks

First, before I get into this post I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who complimented me on the blog this past weekend. It means more than you know to hear those kind words. It is the main motivating force that keeps me writing, that I wrote something enjoyable, inspiring, or useful.
With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching I thought I'd write something of meaning or at least make the attempt. This holiday, in my opinion, has always been about three major f's, football, family and feasting. I love eating entirely more food than I should, watching football, and spending time with family.  All of which is well and good, but this Thanksgiving I plan on spending a little more time appreciating all I have to be thankful for and letting them know.
Earlier this year one of my closest childhood friends passed away in a horrific accident.  It was heart wrenching seeing the pain and suffering of his family and friends in losing someone way too early. I suffered too in a certainly lesser extent and in a different way. I can remember that day I heard of the news of his passing like it was yesterday. Immediately I recalled all the good times we shared and couldn't believe it was true. I could accept the fact that someone could lose their life at the tender age of 21 especially when he had so much to look forward to in life. After the sudden rush of grief, sorrow, and disbelief I became overcome with a feeling of guilt. Why hadn't I been there for him recently, why hadn't I put in a stronger effort to stay close after he moved, like he had been there for me. There was nothing I could do at the moment, there was no getting him back, I couldn't finally be there. Life is a gift and you never know when it might end.  Since my friends death in March I know two others who have passed away too young.
Love, a one syllable word that phonetically is not difficult to pronounce, yet sometimes it is so difficult.  Despite all steps taken towards greater equality we still live in a predominately homophobic society. Sensitivity in a male still correlates to weakness in the eyes of many. There are many males in society who fear saying I love you to another guy in fear of being labeled weak or a fag. Even just merely expressing you care for another guy as a friend is uncomfortable for many. Drake has received criticism from a number of cynics because of the emotion he put into his album with some calling him gay, weak, etc. Saying you love a girl you are not in a relationship with for an extensive period of time is equally frowned upon as it is not common practice to drop the "L Bomb" until one has dated someone for an extensive period of time.
The fact that life is finite has allowed me to better appreciate everything I have in life. I'm blessed to be surrounded by the best family and friends in the world and I will not take that for granted. There are a large number of people in my life that I can say I love. I really do have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
Thanks for reading and I really appreciate any and all feedback.

The Importance of Team

                Before someone jumps down my throat for “stealing the idea” I’ll come forward and admit that this blog post is in response to two articles I recently read by Donn Cabral, runnerup at nationals in the steeplechase, and Dan Chenoweth, a HEPs champion.  Both individuals are out my league intellectually and athletically, but I want to draw upon their writings in a less eloquent matter.  Here’s the links to both articles and I highly suggest reading them both:http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/xc/2010-11/releases/110707_Dan_Chenoweth_Essay    http://instride.org/archives/1021

                Deciding to attend Marist College was by far the best decision of my life.  I used up all my official visits before visiting Marist and was forced to visit unofficially.  It really wasn’t a big deal as Marist is essentially 13rd grade for St. Anthony’s students so I knew people with whom I could stay.  Having taken so many official visits I did have a measuring stick it which to compare schools, but it wasn’t really necessary.  I know it sounds cliché, but from the moment I stepped foot on Marist’s campus I felt home;  I knew that was where I wanted to spend the proverbial best four years of my life.  It wasn’t the strong athletic or academic reputation that drew me to Marist it was the team.  The track and field and cross country teams are so much more than the Webster definition, a number of persons associated together in work or activity.  That definition does not give justice to what the Marist track team is, a family.

                Puberty is a time of life characterized by great physical change in an individual.  College, on the other hand, is a time of great emotional and spiritual change.  Throughout challenging ourselves in the classroom, devoting hours to a sport or activity, partying way more than we should, we are constantly learning; learning about who we are, who we want to be, and our place in this world.  I came into college thinking I had everything figured out; I left college realizing how naïve I truly was.  To say I learned a lot about myself throughout college would be an understatement.  Some of the highest and lowest points of my life occurred during those four years.  Throughout my four years I always had my team, my family, with me, to celebrate my victories and to pick me up and dust me off when I fell. 

                At Marist student involvement is at the crux of their mission; the entire housing selection is predicated on this notion.  Students sign up for various activities to try to bolster their priority points so they can select Fulton, the upper echelon of housing reserved for the “best and brightest” Marist students.  Throughout four years my friends and I were never Fulton material and that is something I’m perfectly ok with.  I never availed myself all of the activities Marist had to offer, I never got involved the same way other students did.  However, I truly wonder how many students can say they were part of something special.  Excluding trivial intramural teams, I participated in one activity at Marist, but that one activity helped define me, a runner.

                  Sure, I am no longer a runner at the moment, but I know I was part of something special at Marist.  Putting on my singlet before every meet was a privilege, not a right.  It was privilege to represent all the Marist harriers who came before me, my current teammates and those that will come after me.  All my greatest memories were made possible because I was a member of the cross country and track and field teams at Marist.  I was on the track when Rolek broke the school record and able to share in the elation of the hardest working runner and best leader I’ve ever met.  I was on the course when Will Griffin shocked everyone as a freshman at regionals and Dave and Girma both nailed it on the same day.  It was awesome being able to see how happy Pete was that day when our team finally finished in the top 10.  Last year, it was equally incredible when Web stepped up, had a career day, and helped secure our second top 10 finish in school history.  It felt great to see a teammate and good friend of mine have a performance like that after narrowly missing the regionals roster the previous two years.  Sure, I never broke a school record or stepped up like Web did last year, but I was lucky to be able to share in those moments.  And as great as the moments were on the course it was truly awesome to spend four years creating memories off the course as well.  Reflecting back on my college experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly there was one constant in my life, the cross country team, and I’m so proud call myself a Marist College alumni.

                To any current seniors who might’ve stumbled upon this post, best of luck this coming weekend at IC4As, I’ll be there cheering.  It was truly a pleasure to spend my final three years with all of you.  It’s crazy how quickly time flies, cherish every moment of your senior year and make this last race count.  I’ll be there to watch and help celebrate after.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!    

Appreciate What You Got

Never settle, two words that almost everyone has heard as motivation to reach or exceed goals. Its true those individuals that society tabs as successful all seem to have that drive and motivation to never settle for anything less than the best. Michael Jordan likely would not have been the greatest basketball player of all time if he settled for anything less than being the best. I don't disagree with this mindset, but I do wonder on their path to achievement do these individuals take a step back to realize and appreciate what that they do have? Does a highly motivated athlete like Jordan ever fill his seemingly insatiable desire to succeed? Did he ever think hey I got it pretty good, kids look up to me, I got to chill with Bugs Bunny in Space Jam, everyone wants to wear my shoes, I've got scoring titles, MVPs, NBA Championships, etc. or was he too driven by his desire to succeed?
This past Sunday I saw a man outside Church asking for money with a sign that read he lost his job and had four children to raise. I was very taken aback by the sight of this man with his son outside Church. Its not something you see on a regular basis in my town and I couldn't help but notice this man had a very embarrassed look on his face. I really felt for this man who was trying to make ends meet and support his family. It is really mind blowing the degree in which the economy has turned in the past five years. I heard stories from my uncle how employers use to populate career fairs eager to offer employment to qualified college students and how most students graduated with jobs. That world now seems far away as we are mired in this recession with no end in sight. Rallies are forming throughout the country as more people find themselves out of work and the gap between the rich and poor only widens.
Everyday when I leave work I remind myself I'm lucky to have a job. Its not something I take for granted in the slightest. When my alarms sounds at the crack of dawn and my bed beckons for my return upon my departure I remind myself that I am lucky to be going to work. Sure I want to succeed like others, but I never forget to appreciate what I have at the moment. There are a three things that I wholeheartedly believe to be rooted in truth. Never forget where you came from, never forget who you are and never forget those around you.
I am a man who needs little material possessions. I've been rocking the same pair of shoes for a year. They've been through a lot with me; they made the trip down to Punta Cana, they slid through the mud with me during house crawl and they survived the Boardy Barn. My mom tells me to get a new pair and that they smell. I agree, they wreak of memories, excellence and maybe a little beer. The point I'm trying to make is I need little material things to please me. I can never see the point in owning more the one car,  spending $1000's for a Rolex, or spending on others things that are far from necessities. Really, all I need in life is good friends and good drinks, actually on second thought I'll stick with the Natties. Thats who I am and who I hope to always be.
The point I'm trying to make is in life its easy to become envious of others or look ahead to see ourselves where we want to be. This thinking can sometimes cloud our ability to see where we stand currently. I'm sure everyone can find something in their life in which to be grateful. Seeing this man made me think to myself how lucky I am to have a job and not to forget those who are struggling. I couldn't help but feel for this family as they approach the holiday seasons and other families that will not be able to celebrate the way they want. I'll be more mindful of this in the future.  Thanks for reading