Intramural Power Rankings #2 Is your squad about that life?

                We are only a few games into the season and things are already crazy. Ever hear that phrase about the dust settling? Well we are going to need a few more dust mops in the thunderdome before we can clearly see what is going on in there. There were many questions at the beginning of the year, for each team, but now after some have been answered even more have started to pop up for every team. These rankings may not be exactly what everyone is expecting, but I don’t think anyone really has any idea what to expect in these next few weeks. Okay on to the good stuff:

1.       Demion and Hiboombe

Look, this team has it all. Two elite scorers, a shooter, a tall guy, and defense. They have a great mix of power and speed and that is hard to stop. This team comes out with a confidence and intensity that has not been matched yet by any other team. The big thing about this team is they start fast and they don’t let up. Before you can even say Hiboombe Haamankuli he has hit four 3’s. This team looks unstoppable right now but anything can happen. The only thing that this team might need to address is if they have a bad shooting night, where will the points come from? But as of right now that bad shooting night is nowhere in sight.

2.       Rich and Tyler

Now I know this one is going to be disputed. You’re probably thinking “Man why does Rich always do this?!?” Well he didn’t. Believe it or not this is a guest writer and Rich didn’t even have a say in this. The thing about this team is they have two big guys that are starting to work together, a quick little guy that can also shoot and stretch the D, and then an experienced floor general that knows exactly what he wants and how he is going to go about getting it. This team is also scary because Rich is in shape. While he still may not play the greatest D, he still gets it done of the offensive end. Tyler is exactly what he wanted and more. He is getting those boards and finishing at the rim and is a matchup nightmare for any team. This team may be the most complete team, but it is just a matter of whether or not they can put it all together and make another run at it. If it weren’t for a controversial foul call at the end of their second game this team would be undefeated right now and looking that much better.

3.       Mitch and Jordan

It was tough to not put this team at #2. This team is extremely similar to last year’s team that had the same look and philosophy. Mitch and Jordan are good leaders and they picked up this Ross dude that is just nice. Unfortunately in their loss to Demion and Hiboombe they didn’t have their full team and in this game of intramurals it’s tough to win without at least a couple subs. Lucky for them there is only one winter break and I have a feeling the next time we see this team they will have a full team and will come out strong and show they are once again a big title threat.

4.       Jared and Drew

Again another team that has fallen victim to winter break. This team is still figuring things out, as Jared always seems to do early in the season. The biggest question for this team coming in was Jared’s knee and conditioning after surgery. While he hasn’t had that game yet, I think it is in the works where we see that pure stroke come back to life and light up the score board. Drew is playing a new kind of basketball, once a pure three point shooter is now taking it to the cup at a higher rate than I think even he expected. The big thing for this team is getting the rest of the team involved, and not having to rely so heavily on the two main guys. If Jared and Drew start hitting consistently and the rest of the team gets their touches. Watch out.

5.       Chad and Will

Again another toss up, but since these guys have played more games I’ll give them the edge. These guys have a lot of prospective good in them and if Will keeps making all these crazy lay-ups and Chad cleans up all the ones that don’t fall, well you are looking at the next dynamic duo at Union. I think one thing that these guys can take more advantage of is their size, there tends to be more dribbling than grind. If this team figures out that grinding isn’t a choice but a lifestyle then we are all in trouble. Yes, I know that doesn’t make sense.

6.       Kody and Ethan

These guys have only played one game and that just sucks. We will have to come back to these guys later on once we have seen more, but there is great potential. Once this team just gets more playing time under their belt they will have a much greater advantage and we can really learn all we want to know about this mystery team.

7.       Josh and Matt

Let it be known this is not a freshmen team. Now that we got that out of the way, can we dub them the sophomore team? Every time I see them play I just get flashbacks of last year when Jmoney and Ryan “I’ll have” Chafee were captaining together.  Here is what this team should do a lot of. Shoot and let Ricky get offensive boards and lay-ups. With Ricky on the team that is a legit offense that I would consider running as a set play. That dude can rebound.

8.       The Heavy Favorites

If you haven’t already seen this team play, well you need to see this team play. Have you ever seen the episode of “The Office” where they play a game of basketball in the warehouse? Well if not….
That clip is pretty much what you are going to see when you come watch this team play. Except there is a crowd and let me tell you they go crazy to see this team. They are all about having fun and sportsmanship and no one else could ever do it better. 

Everything that I did-don't do that: A guest article about sex

Who am I and what qualifies me to talk to you about premarital sex? Nothing qualifies me. Except that I had it—premarital sex that is. That doesn't designate me for anything really, except a good Adventist judging, which is why I'll be writing this anonymously. I'm not afraid of talking about my story, but usually do so with people that know me at least a little. And I'm not exactly qualified to give advice. Except this: Everything that I did—don't do that. Well, almost everything.

I am, however, qualified to tell my story, and that's what I plan to do. It's long. Maybe unnecessarily so. If you want the short Richard-fied version, here's what it might be: This girl had sex before she was married. That's whack. She got pregnant, got married, and somehow things worked out for her. God's grace is dope.

(Did I use “whack” and “dope” correctly?)

Now for anyone that wants the real story. Here it goes.

I held the Clear Blue stick with the word “Pregnant” in the tiny digital screen, because that's the only legit way to tell someone you're pregnant. Especially your college boyfriend that you woke up before the sun. First note of things to do differently than me: Let the poor guy sleep. The news will still be there later when he's a little more coherent and ready to process such heavy information.

“Are we big enough?” His response to my announcement seemed as if it came from a child trying to process calculus. He was obviously dazed from the sleep I just jolted him out of.

Sure we were big enough. We were adults in every sense of the term. But, in many ways, we still had a lot of growing up to do. I mean, we had unprotected premarital sex and got pregnant afterall—that's not a very adult thing to do.

Our first adult decision: deciding to keep the baby. Just “taking care of it” wasn't a consideration for either of us. Especially because we weren't teenagers. Especially because we loved each other. Especially because sleeping together was a conscious choice we both made.

Our second adult decision: deciding to get married. Doing this apart wasn't a consideration either. Did I mention we loved each other? Here's the thing: This doesn't work out for everyone. What seems like a loving committed relationship one day, might be something completely different another. So we also saw a Christian counselor together to get an outside perspective on the decisions we were making.

This is essential. I don't believe pregnancy, by itself, is a good enough reason to get married. Lives get too messy that way. Yes, even messier than a pregnancy without a marriage. And I stand by that. In Richard's post about sex, he mentioned that sex is a terrible reason to stay in a relationship, but it happens. Even worse, is “making it work” because a girl gets pregnant. Just like sex can't fix a bad relationship, pregnancy and having a baby won't fix it either.

Because, you see, marriage didn't (and doesn't) magically fix everything. Even before the wedding, we still had a pregnancy to “cope” with. That last statement about “coping”--that's against human nature. Announcing your pregnancy to the world, sharing baby bump photos, status updates about cravings, joyful congratulations from family and friends—that's what's to be expected when you're expecting. But it's all off limits with pregnancy before marriage. A supposed miracle that should be welcomed with joy was instead dealt with somberly and quietly. While wearing loose clothing. And missing finals while I lost my lunch or took a crazy long nap.

Another clear sign marriage wasn't going to magically fix everything: Wedding dress shopping. Most girls dream of shopping for their wedding dress with mom, sister and best friend, who all tear up seeing them in “the” perfect dress. Not so for me. I swallowed pride just to step into the store, hiding signs of embarrassment or obvious immaturity as I tell them I'll be 4 months pregnant on the big day and need help finding a dress that will subtly hide the bump. Glamorous, I tell ya. They hold their judgment and bring a small round pillow to strap around my waste as I try on my favorite dresses. Of course, “the” dress doesn't work with a baby bump, so I settle for something a little different. Then, I take a moment in the changing room to grieve at the realization that from here on out this whole wedding thing will not go down how I always dreamed it would. And this would be just the beginning of my life not going down how I always dreamed it would.

In fact, any ideas I had about marriage would also need to be ditched. You know that time when a newly married couple is adjusting to each other, going on vacations, spending money on frivolous things, and having lots of sex? Neither do I. I will never know what the beginning of a marriage is meant to be. Because the beginning of our marriage was spent making ends meet and going to doctor's appointments, then staying up with a newborn while juggling work and school.

These are the little things 16 and Pregnant couldn't prepare me for.

Premarital sex and an unplanned pregnancy may have altered our life plans, made us grow up a little faster, and took away the “honeymoon” of our marriage. But a more serious life change for me was with something--Someone--bigger. Someone that matters more than a confused young couple, a growing fetus or disappointed family and friends.

I've written this next part at least twenty different times. It keeps coming out too poetic for this “conversation-style” telling of my story I am writing here. Take for instance this prayer I wrote to God shortly after having sex and before getting knocked up...

Today, I come to You, hurting—in every way. Today I miss You. Today, I long to be Your little girl, climbing upon Your knee—hearing Your words, feeling Your breath of life. Today, I realize the choices I've made. Today, I messed up and hope that today did not hinder the connection I've built with You. Today, I feel Your grace. Today, I am a sinner. And today I realize what it is to need a Savior. Lord, I love you. May that not be an awful sound in Your ear. May my “not one” be a humble response and may Your very presence be enough for me today and always. Amen.

For some reason I keep finding myself using that sort of poetic language to tell this part of my story. Then, I realize why. It's because this part of my story is poetic. The part about being a sinner in need of a Savior. The part where the Savior says “Is no one left to accuse you?” and I (with the adulteress from John 8:1-11) respond “Not one.” And, get this, He says, “Neither do I. Get up and sin no more.” The part where God promises to return to me when I leave sin behind and return to Him (Zechariah 1:3, Malachi 3:7)--that is poetic.

I do not justify my decision to have sex before I was married. In fact, I'm still trying to process how to have this conversation with my child because our choices have already paved the way for any children we have to follow in our footsteps. And I would love for my advice to actually be followed: Everything that we did—don't do that.

Except for this one thing: Always return to God. Even if you've had sex outside of marriage, or are currently sexually active without the marriage commitment. Even if you've had an abortion, or are currently pregnant with an unplanned baby. Always return to God. We are sinners in need of a Savior. Somehow, our story turned out pretty good considering our bad choices. All I can say to that is: God's grace is dope.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” -- John 8:12, NKJV

23 by :Mella (lovestopicnics' one and only staff member)

This number probably doesn’t mean much to you. If I knew something about sports I’d say maybe it stands for someone great (or someone you hate). Maybe it’s a highway you take to work, or a lucky digit that has lead to big fortunes. It might be the age by which you plan to have the world ruled, but if nothing else, maybe 23 is just a lost member in the blur that was your youth. 

Today, I turned 23. 

I’d hate to start this new year of life with a lie, so I’ll be honest. For the first time ever, (besides that time my birthday fell on mothers day and I had to share my party with my mom and grandma) I wished it wasn’t my birthday. Not today, anyway. It’s always been interesting to see how my birthday fits into such a busy time of year. Mother’s day, year-ending projects and tests, graduations, newly bloomed relationships, and the hectic nature of spring in general—I’ve always felt lucky for a well-timed day of birth. And then what I like most about May is what ruined it altogether.

Bad timing. It has the power to turn your good day into a bad day, a bad day into a bad week. After that, bad timing can make you feel like: the world hates you/ God is on vacation/ you’re the statue, not the bird. As a waitress, I’ve learned timing has the power to define what table you get, how much they spend, and what you’ll get out of it.  It can choose how long you wait in line, because of how many red lights you hit on the way, because of what you forgot at home before you left. It’s the initial link in a chain reaction. It’s what made being born on May 10, 23 years ago, destined for failure this time around. 

Graduation season has been less than a treat, particularly because of the daunting reminders that: 1. I will not be marching out as a master from the Art School of My Dreams and 2. Even 12 months after commencement, I am still unsettled. Then there was yet another unsuccessful interview process, 4 Sundays in a row of brunch-lunch-dinner shifts, an over drafted account, a car that wouldn’t start, and oh yeah, I got dumped. The timing is almost hilarious—life came crashing down just in time to celebrate it. The passing of time has a harsh way of reminding you what you haven’t done, and turning Twenty Three, from where I stand, feels a lot more like failing than a reason to be honored.

But, (It’s a big one) the thing about birthdays is that none of that matters. 

Because it’s MY day. Because today, I reserved the right to forget flips exist. Because I wore a really great dress and really fabulous shoes. Because I got to hang out with Chattanooga’s finest. Because today, I was a Facebook celebrity. Because I have so so so so so so many people that care about me and love me and know I’m bigger than all the things I have yet to be. Because reality and birthdays don’t coexist. Because with so much to be thankful for, there is hardly any time for griping. 

But mostly, because I believe in a God that is understanding and kind and in charge. Bad timing and breakdowns are just back roads that will get me to Appreciation faster, where there’s no such thing as coincidence and every turn has a purpose. 

23 is going to be a great year because I believe in a God that believes me. 

Thoughts from Egypt by Michael Beans

I was talking to my good friend Rich Young the other day about the MAUC Basketball Tournament, the greatest sporting event of the year. We were discussing his latest 10 year recap article when he said, “Hey Mike, I think it would be cool if you wrote an article for the tournament.” Obviously I couldn’t resist having my name stamped on the most famous blog in Lincoln Nebraska.

This tournament has meant so much to me for just about my entire life. This is the first year that I haven’t been there since the 4th grade. I remember bits and pieces of my childhood but the most vivid things that I can remember happened at tournament. The memory that sticks out the most, and I’m sorry if this hurts people, when Gabe Cuny hit a bench side three pointer at the buzzer in the CVA gym against Minnetonka. I was sitting in the third row of bleachers at CVA and I jumped over the people in the first two rows and stormed the court. It’s moments like that that you’ll never forget.

I want to name a couple of things that I learned from this tournament. The first thing is how to deal with officials. I’m sorry but I have to say this. The worst officials I’ve ever had in my life, ref the Union tournament. And not only because of the fouls that I didn’t get, it was the fouls I committed that didn’t get called. I can remember countless times that I slapped someone, you know, the kind that the whole gym hears, and I didn’t get called for it. That being said it was a great character building opportunity for me. My Dad always did a great job of telling us to just play our game. The refs are going to make their calls no matter what we do. That being said, I was probably a refs worst nightmare in high school and I’ll admit it. I’m not proud of it but I can’t deny it. Nobody is perfect and we need to remember that especially as athletes. When we make 100% of our shots, we can expect them to make 100% of their calls. 

The next thing I learned was respect for other players. I know there were a lot of people that didn’t care for me in high school and I’m sure there are still some that don’t. But ask anyone who actually tried to get to know me off the court and you’ll find that I’m really not that bad ha ha. A good example would be Chavez Morris. I love that kid. We were never really friends outside of tournament but whenever we played each other I loved it. Number one because he was such a good player and I love a good challenge, and number two was because no matter what happened during the game, we were still going to be cool after it. It’s the coolest thing to see two very competitive players that obviously want to win, but don’t let that get in the way of what’s really important which is friendship.

And the last thing that tournament taught me was teamwork. I didn’t win 4 championships in a row; Campion won 4 championships in a row. To be honest I didn’t even score a single point in the first one I won. I had so many good teammates during my 4 years at Campion and I owe all those championships to them. My best friends are the ones that I played ball with. One of them, Alex Acton, I have been playing with since we were in diapers. Campion has always had a team first attitude and don’t think it should be done any other way. When you have 5 players on the floor that are completely unselfish and looking out for the well being of the team, it’s a very powerful thing. So that concludes my article. I hope some of you got something out of it and I want to wish all the teams the best of luck for the rest of the tournament.

Midwest Vs. Westcoast the age old question by Ferrari F50 (Chase Tikker)

Spending four years at Union College gave me a good idea of what Midwest life is really like. After packing up my wagon and burning every bridge possible, I pioneered like my forefathers out to Loma Linda, CA. Yes, that Loma Linda. The Adventist Mecca your parents have probably been too but you have only heard about from others. Here’s what life is really like:

1. Climate – I played golf a week ago. Outside. 18 holes. Oldest club course in California. In the middle of January. I went home that day a little sunburned and sweaty. Unless you are from Northern Minnesota, you probably aren’t going to be doing much golfing in Lincoln between the months of November through March. It’s a dry heat down here, so even the simmering summers of 110° aren’t muggy like they are in Lincoln. Right now, its 70° and sunny. In ya face, Lincoln.
2. Entertainment – Last weekend, I knew a group of friends who drove an hour and went snowboarding. Last weekend, I knew a group of friends who drove an hour and went surfing. Last weekend, I knew a group of friends who drove an hour and went rock climbing. Extreme sports not your thing? Are you tired of the fact that the best athlete you watch on a regular basis is a toss-up between Shawn Perry and Zach Watkins? How about the world-class athletes who play a little over an hour away? Kobe, LT, Becks. I’ve made it to Vegas in 3 hours, several times. Art and cute little shops more your thing? Museums, bazaars, historical landmarks are aplenty, or so I’m told.
3. Opportunity – Most of you know what I’m saying when I say “Opportunity”. Fellas, there are so many dimers down here, its crazy. Ladies, there are so many studs down here, its crazy. I’m not saying everyone looks like a model, but I am saying that since there are so many people down here, the number of beautiful people is proven to be higher. It’s science. All different shapes, sizes, ages, races, professions, personalities. “Oh you just want to be friends?” Me too. “Oh you want to be more than friends?” Me too. Maybe its just being in a different location finally, but this is truly the land of opportunity, for both sexes.

So to wrap this mug up in a timely fashion, let me say this. I loved my time at Union, please believe. I don’t miss the school but I do miss the people. But hopefully we all graduate (Log, Jason O), and maybe you didn’t get that job at Union Bank / Saint E’s you were hoping for. Or maybe that special relationship didn’t end up with a rock. Whatever the reason you find yourself with no path after graduation. My advice: go West. Get my number from one of the two kids at Union who still have it and I’ll get you set up for life. Hey, it worked out for me… (single and barely a minimally paid- intern).

Editor's note: Thanks for the article Chase. We miss you in Lincoln. Nobody on the team is rocking those shinguards anymore. And after this article went to press Zach Watkins quit the team. So now we are left with just Shawn. And to anyone interested in getting their opinon on the small world hit me up. God Bless.

Ladies and Gentleman Big Rich's Small world would like to present our first guest article written by none other then Ed "No Look" Mejia. Enjoy

A Letter to Logan about Parenthood from a guy he barely knows.

Dear new Facebook friend Logan,
There’s a saying in my village about the transition a man goes through when he becomes a father, it says, “you can take a burro to the outhouse but you can’t make mango juice from corn tortillas”…or something like that, it rhymes and is a beautiful sentiment in Spanish, really. You’ll have to trust me on this one, anyway it’s never rang truer for me than it has this January.

You see Loge, (can I call you Loge?) when Big Rich asked me to write a guest article about my first month of Parenthood, I thought to myself, “what in the world can I tell all 4 of his blog readers and Logan that they couldn’t gather themselves by watching a Steve Martin movie by the same name?”

Then I realized maybe there were some insights, some secrets I can let the crew in on. It might seem to you that being a single dude, X-Boxing it up every night and wearing pantless costumes would be the zenith of a man’s existence. But I’m here to tell you, Logan there’s more to life and really, there’s nothing more gangsta than being a dad. Peep this:


1. Carrying a baby around makes you look like Brad Pitt with the abs of The Situation rolled into one sexy Taylor Lautner, but only sexier. - Let’s just address the elephant in the cyber-room here…I’m what they call “not model material” (well not anymore, right Sears?) and I definitely married “up”. However, once I started walking around with my progeny I went from George Lopez’s ugly brother to Benjamin Bratt! If I had known this in college I definitely would’ve bought that kid on the black market of Jakarta. I’m just being real.

2. If you are into soft, pink blankets…Loge you’re about to hit the motherload! (fatherload?) – not much to say here other than you’ll be swimming in pink quilts with teddy bears, and who doesn’t like that?

3. The word “cute”? No longer off limits! - before babies your reserved this word only for such emergencies like, “girl is cute, she kinda thick but she gots a face…she thick though,” but with a baby it’s carte blanche on dropping the “cute” word. “That’s a cute level 4 roll on your 24 sided die, bro!” “This lapdance is cute!” and so on and so forth…you’ll love it Loge.

4. You finally wanna finish Modern Warfare 2? Get a baby! – I’ve never had so much time with my PS3 like I’ve had every night at about 3am, right after second night feeding, but before 6am when baby falls asleep. That’s PS3 time! Babies love explosions it reminds them of uterine gurglings. It’s science, really.

5. Fix that slice! – I had a bit of a problem with my swing off the tee. But ever since I got my baby bjorn and baby, I’ve managed to keep the proper separation between my arms that I need to keep my swing on plane and to hit through the ball like I need too. I just added 30 yards to my drive and the beverage cart girl can’t stop bringing me diet Cokes.

6. You need to take off from your internship early to hit up LIDS at Gateway? - Well my friend, the baby just ran up a temperature! – Free passes all day, every week, no questions asked. Don’t be afraid to make up sicknesses. My baby had cholera last week and daddy was able to get himself an Auntie Anne’s pretzel.

7. You know how many pairs of jacked kicks from Richard Young's closet fit in a baby car seat? – Four, to be exact. Without the boxes of course.

8. Now, when you’re at Dillinger’s and “I love it when you call me Big Poppa” comes on, you can point at your sleeping baby, and everyone knows you’re the real deal.

9. Never miss another Super Bowl party with the Young Adult Sabbath School crew – it’s no toga party at Hugh Heffner’s house but let’s just say this year the JELLO will probably have grapes in it and if left out a tad too long the fruit pectin and the amino acids in the grapes can combine and well, let’s just say you better get a designated driver. PARTAY!

10. Brother, you ain’t never seen this much breast in your life! - Being around hungry babies is like being at an outdoor Hooters-slash-Hanes-Her Way t-shirt party on a rainy day! (but within the context of a happy Adventist marriage.)

And so dear Logan (what’s your last name?), if this humble little list of miracles doesn’t inspire you to pickup your little Bluetooth earthang and start dialing Rees Hall numbers, I’m not sure if anything can. I wish you the best of luck out there at Union College. Now go make a baby! (within the confines of a monogamous marriage of course.)

Your friend,
Ed Mejia – father, level 3 warlock (World of Warcraft), artist, spoken word poet, thespian.