COLUMN: Sports – The key to a great freshman year
The school year is now coming to a close, which means my freshman year of college is almost over.
As I’m sitting here, wondering when my finals are, I’ve decided to look back on my freshman year and think about my experiences, the highlights and the lowlights, everything that made this year what it was.
Thinking about it, it’s clear that a good portion of my memories have to do with sports.
Past all the exams, the girls, the fines, and the blend of severely wasteful days, there were sports.
For example, I was asked recently by my parents what a typical day was like for me.
Here’s what I said: Wake up around 7:30, read scriptures and go over thorough class notes, shower, class, library, class, library, dinner at the dining hall, study at the dorm, bed around 10 or 11.
Here’s the truth, and what would have ended my father-granted scholarship after just one year:
Wake up, do my best to catch at least one class, fall asleep to Sports Center, wake up, eat, watch ESPN, eat, nap, Jazz game, you get the point.
In case you didn’t notice, there is a bit of a reoccurring theme here.
Sports have been very prevalent this school year for my roommates and I. They have provided us with many lasting memories, no matter how mindless.
Earlier in the year, we might have hit our lowest of lows. Using Styrofoam frames as shoulder pads, we strategically set up a mattress, and a refrigerator box with a rugby ball on top of it. We then proceeded to run through intense tackling drills, until a confused RA put our training to a halt.
I witnessed a heated game of Play Station 2 NBA Live being played, in which taunting by one roommate got so heated that he, the aggressor, was nearly choked to death by my other roomie.
Intramural sports gave us a big dose of much-needed humility. We all thought of ourselves as pretty decent athletes, yet in the first half of our first basketball game, we did not reach double digits. In the end, our stunning game attire of sweaters, NBA jerseys, and rugby shorts were only good enough to give us one victory the entire season, and a quick playoff exit.
Our room fantasy basketball season was such a great experience that I already devoted an entire column to it. Basically, it gave us something to do. I hit the refresh button literally thousands of times on NBA.com in-game, just hoping for the words “Lebron James steals ball”, or maybe a “Jermaine O’Neal hits two of two free throws.”
I think that through all of the times I had this year, I’ve learned a lot of new things.
Time that should have been used sweeping, mopping, or cleaning up trash, but that was filled up by NBA fastbreak, or a discussion on USU b-ball’s winning streak, can be canceled out by simply covering any mess with old newspapers.
I’ve learned that there is a special camaraderie between us residents, in opposition of the evil area coordinators and RAs. We are willing to take the heat for someone else, even if it means losing a couple bones from our housing deposits. If a game of hall soccer turns ugly and destructive, or if there is a chance to rat someone out for anything, we stay true to the unwritten code. Well, there are some exceptions.
In the end, through all the laughs, the incredible basketball games, the indecent exposure, the covered wagons, the boots on my car, the player analysis, and the Beto’s runs, I understand the two keys to having an unforgettable freshman year. Great school and a whole lot of sports.
Brad Barth is a freshman majoring in English. Comments can be sent to bcb@cc.usu.edu.