The Team Shower

You have all heard about it if you are in my class, but for those of you who aren’t, I hope you find this to be quite entertaining.

The team shower tradition started after our first victory of the season last semester. We all came back relatively sweaty and or disgusting, and thought a bit of refreshing was due. Therefore, we all decided to bring a CD down to the 2nd floor bathroom in Elliott Hall and all take a shower together, in different stalls of course. This tradition carried on to every game prior to that, and even carried on to the last game we played this past Sunday.

We have moved on from a CD player to an Ipod dock and a team play list that includes music such as Kiss by a Rose by Seal, and Du Hast by Rammstein and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, among others. It is played at a relatively loud level, but nothing too loud as to keep from disturbing the fellow hall members.

Other random things that take place during the “Team Shower” period include random pranks, towel theft and impromptu karaoke. All in all it is good for us to begin to relax after a stressful game, and this fun and cleansing activity helps us to do just that.

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.

You just can't beat Off Constantly!

A lot of things happened today at Ball Gymnasium, mostly for the better. Off Constantly entered the game ranked 4th in the blue division of the West Side Basketball Association with a record of 3-3. This record kept us teetering on the edge of making or being excluded from the playoffs.

Today Off Constantly played the Wilson 8, or 5 of the 8 anyway, today at 3pm in Ball Gym. With a hard fought effort and a record breaking amount of fans packing the stands, Off Constantly outplayed and out hustled the higher ranked team to improve their chances of competing in the playoffs in the coming weeks.

The crowd, I believe, helped us play to our maximum potential. With 3 of our players families in attendance, including my own, we blew away our old record of 5 people. Our total number of fans today was 15. Yes, that may seem like a very small amount, but our average, or any team’s attendance average for that matter, is somewhere between 0 and 5. All in all, more support I believe equals better game play.

With a final score of 53-38 in the favor or Team OC, our record moved to 4-3 with only one more game left before all-star weekend and the playoffs, things are looking great. Keep reading for updates in the coming months.

Elliott Hall: A Brief History

Built in 1937, and first occupied in 1938, Elliott Hall was, and still is, nothing short of spectacular. Named after Frank Elliott Ball, who died in a plane crash near Finlay, OH, it was at first a male only dormitory. It was modeled exactly after the dormitories at Princeton University where Frank Elliott Ball furthered his education. It was not only a dormitory, but home to 3 Fraternities back in the day.

During World War II enrollment at Ball State dropped dramatically. For a short period of time it was converted to a co-ed dormitory for the first time. After the war, young males re-enrolled and Elliott Hall was once again an all male dormitory, housing 284 residents, in a building at was made for only 120. Elliott Annex was built to accommodate this large number of men, and was later deconstructed in 1960 when enrollment dropped back to below-average numbers.

Many believe that Elliott Hall is haunted, and for good reason. In 1947, Carl Schaumberg committed suicide by hanging himself from the 4th floor library rafters. He felt much pressure from his academics and recent horrible disfigurement while fighting in World War II. He felt somewhat shunned by even his friends, and upon returning from winter break, he gave his life.

In the 1960-1970 school year, Elliott Hall was closed. Upon returning the next year, students found Elliott Hall to be a co-ed and "senior only" dormitory. Students found that it was very competitive to recieve housing in Elliott, because you almost had to be on your last semester of classes, and have maintained a high GPA throughout your years at Ball State.

In 1975, the Haunted House tradition began. It's one that continues to this day. In 1985, the residents of Elliott Hall voted to declare the hall a "Nuclear Free Zone." This basically meant that no one should detinate, drop or cause injury or harm to any resident of Elliott Hall with a nuclear weapon. From 1997 until 2002, Elliott Hall was a 21 and over dorm only.

Currently there are approximately 120 students living in Elliott Hall. The first floor is split into two sides by a main foyer or great room that contains two working fireplaces, hardwood floors, and much class. One half of the first floor is occupied by women, and the other by men, all of which must be 21 and over. The second floor can be reached by either two outer staircases made of marble, or an interior spiral staircase. This floor has its own study lounge, kitchen, laundry room, and about 40 men. The third floor is occupied by 40 young women, and they also have their own kitchen, laundry room and study lounge. The 4th and final floor is more of an academic and recreational floor. There is a room with a pool table and television, which is perfect for a large group of friends watching a movie or to socialize. In the middle of the floor you can find a workout room with newly purchased equipment, and hopefully televisions sooner or later. The other side of the building contains a large study table and library.

Not a lot of Ball State Students get to experience living in a dormitory as nice and classy as Elliott Hall. It's the home of Off Constantly this year. Yes it does look slightly like a castle, our castle. It's a dorm rich with history and tradition, and I'm lucky that I got the chance to live here.