All-Star Weekend

This Sunday in Ball Gymnasium, the West Side Basketball Association will be hosting their annual “All-Star Weekend.” Starting somewhere around 1pm, there will be a slam dunk contest, a 3-pt shooting competition, and will be followed shortly after by the Red Division vs. Blue Division All-Star Game featuring the best players both leagues have to offer, as voted by their teammates.

I will be doing the announcing for all the events, and I must admit I am very excited and proud to have been chosen for this small honor.

I will also be providing a variety of music suitable to the surroundings, including oldies, hip hop, rock, etcetera. Basically, not only and I providing commentary during the game, I will also be playing the DJ role to entertain fans as well.

If you have nothing better to do this Sunday afternoon besides waiting for the Ball State Cardinals Women’s Basketball team to play in the big dance, then come out and have an enjoyable afternoon watching some of your neighbors, perhaps, play in the West Side Basketball Association’s All-Star Weekend.

In Class - Site Observation @ Ball Gym

In this in class assignment I have been asked to comb through my site observations at Ball Gym, where we have played most of our games in the West Side Basketball Association league, and filter the information into several categories, including sights, sounds, tastes shapes, etc.

SIGHT
The first thing you really see when you get to Ball Gymnasium is the exterior of the building itself. It has an older, somewhat castle like appearance. It is also surrounded by other campus buildings, and the many varieties of trees that the North Quad has to offer. There are steps leading up to the many sets of doors of the main entrance. When you go through this double set of doors, you find yourself looking at an entry way comprised of two sets of stairs on the far left and right of the entrance that both go up, and one larger and more centralized set of stairs that takes you down a level in the building. To get to the gym itself, the easiest route is taking the set of stairs on the far right, and then going to the doors straight ahead of you, and slightly to the right when you reach the top. The gym itself has many windows, all of which have been rigged up with protection against flying sports equipment. The bleachers are a blue plastic material, and rather uncomfortable if you ask me. The interior walls are a light yellow colored brick, but very smooth. The gym floor is a light tan wood, with a blue circle at mid-court, with a large white “B,” for Burris Laboratory School, in the middle of it. The gym itself appears to be worn an torn in its days of operation.

SOUND
The sounds of Ball Gym itself are much like the sounds you can find in any other gym here at Ball State, or in a high school in another town. During a game day, the sounds can be more interesting. You can hear fans clapping and cheering on their favorite teams, a ball bouncing on the hardwood, and many pairs of shuffling and squeaking tennis shoes. Every once and a while you can hear the ball either striking the rim, or tickling the interior of the net, causing a swooshing sound to emulate throughout the gym. On a day when there are no games taking place, you can find the gym to be dimly lit, mostly from the outside light pouring into the gated windows, and very little, if any sound resonating throughout the gym’s interior.

SMELL
The smells can vary from game to game, and day to day even. On a game day, you might smell the players, with their efforts on the court producing body odors, such as sweat, and deodorant being pushed to its limits. You can also smell the guy sitting next to you, with too much cologne, or the girl rooting on her boyfriend who is on the court playing, with clearly a bit too much Bath and Body spray for anyone to handle. You might smell the snack that the person 2 rows back decided to bring along to that particular days game. It all depends on the specific day that you are in attendance.

I hope I have given everyone a better grasp on what your surroundings and senses would be like if you were to ever attend a game at or even visit Ball Gymnasium. I have tried my best with my notes and personal experience to bring what I have collected to life, so even without ever being there, you can live it as well.

In-Class: Recalling a Sense of Place - Switzerland

If I could chose one place that strikes my mind as visually vivid, with intriguing sounds, and natural aromas that filled the air, It would be Switzerland.

In the spring of 2006, I toured Europe with the Indiana Ambassadors of Music with about 100 other musicians, choir members, and chaperones. While in Europe, we toured 7 countries and had 3 musical performances. Everyone had their favorite place they enjoyed visiting, but my choice wasn’t the popular destinations, such as London or Paris. However, my favorite place was the quiet and majestic Switzerland.

I remember vividly riding down the road in our motor coach and playing games on my PSP, when we rolled up on the Swiss Alps. I couldn’t help but stop playing to take in the scenery outside my window. There were rolling hills, behind which were breathtaking peaks capped with a snowy white glaze. Their texture looked jagged and harsh, but their figure against the bright blue sky was a sight to behold nevertheless.

I also remember stepping out of the coach and breathing in some of the freshest air I think I have ever inhaled in my life up until now. The air was so fresh and pure, you could almost taste it. It was like walking into a paradise of sorts, one which I will never forget.

I also remember hearing the sounds of the locals, some with thick accents due to the French influence, and others sounded quite normal. I also remember the sounds of the man who blew on his Alphorn. It reminded me of the Riccola commercials.

Switzerland is by far my favorite place in the world I have discovered by far. I would love to get the chance to visit it at least once more in my life.

Busy Weekend

This weekend is jam packed with WBA basketball. Today at 3 we are taking on the Pritti Bois in our last regular season game at Ball Gymnasium. This could also be our last game if we happen to lose. Winning today, is essential.

Our current record as of right now is 4-3. With a 5-3 record, playoffs are basically guaranteed, however, 4-4 is a completely different story. There is a possibility for a 3 way tie for 3rd place in our division, which is where the problem begins. Only the top 4 teams from the red and blue division move on to the playoffs, so somebody would have to end their season early. If we win, however, we could avoid this problem altogether and make life much more easy for everybody, so lets do work.

If indeed we do win this afternoon, playoffs begin early tomorrow. There will be a game on the hour, every hour. We will have to win 2 games tomorrow to make it to the championship game in Worthern Arena in a few weeks to come. This is the ultimate goal in our minds, well, at least mine.

Meet the Team: Inagural Intrerview

A new weekly blog I am going to start will be a special story on a specific player on Team OC. Each week, or even twice a week, I will pick a player and do a short interview on their backgrounds, hobbies, etc. This week I'll do something absolutely absurd, and interview myself.



Meet the Team: Brad T.J. Maushart (#33)
Age: 19
Height: 5'10"
High School: East Central H.S. - St. Leon, IN
Prior Basketball Experience: CYO Basketball for St.Martin-St.Paul in Yorkville, IN

Question number 1, "Give the readers a short description of your life from birth until now?"

Answer: "I was born in Indianapolis on August 24, 1989. I was adopted less than a month after birth and spent the last 19 years of my life in Guilford, IN. I graduated last year from East Central H.S. in St. Leon Indiana, home of the Trojans and 1500 students from 2 counties in south east Indiana. I began to love meteorology and everything with weather in the 2nd grade, and I continue to follow that dream currently here at Ball State, with my Major being Geog-Opt. 4 (Meteorology).

Question number 2, "What do you do for fun?"

Answer: "I love to meet new people. That's what is great about Ball State, there are some familiar faces you see, but there are always new people lurking right around the corner. I also enjoy going to sporting events and cheering on the fighting cardinals in whatever sport it may be. Parties, video games, and backyard volleyball are also on my list of fun activities."

Question number 3, "Why do you play basketball in the WBA for Off Constantly?"

Answer: "I love playing basketball and being part of a team, even though I'm not all that great. It gives me a healthy alternative to doing homework on a Sunday afternoon. Playing in the WBA has also allowed me to meet many new people here at Ball State and helped me keep my sexy figure."

That wraps up this basic interview, which was quite lame because it was myself, but nobody else was conveniently available. Thanks for reading.