Brainstorming: Final Paper

For our final paper in English 104, we are required to use all of what we have written so far, and then we are to combine those smaller papers into one gargantuan monstrosity of a final ethnography report.

My report of course, as you already know, is going to be focused on the West Side Basketball Association and my team in particular, Off Constantly. Even though the season ended a while back, the blog, and most importantly the ethnography report must go on.

For this final paper, I would like to include most, if not all of what I have already written because I feel that all of that information and writing is essential information that will not only entertain, but inform the readers. If it is not placed into the final paper, it will seem to me to be a waste of time and effort on my part, that something I have take time to write was just thrown away.

I might have to add or better organize the photographs that were included in the essays to better go along with the final paper. They will end up catching the eye of the reader, and helping them to better visualize what I have written about in the report.

Finally, with all of these improvements to previous papers being done, pictures evenly distributed, and clever blending techniques, the final paper will be as entertaining as it was to read, as it was for me to compose for you the reader.

It's Quiet. . . Too Quiet.

Not much has been happening with the WBA lately, well make that absolutely nothing.

The regular season, post-season, and all-star weekends have all come and passed. This year will have no more 3 point competitions, walks in the snow to Ball Gym or division rivals battling it out on Sunday afternoons. No, this has all been fun, but now it seems I, and everyone else involved in the West Side Basketball Association will be spending most of their Sundays on homework, contrary to playing basketball.

I look back on this season however as being educational, fun and nothing short of successful. We went out and accomplished our goal from the beginning of the season which was to do work and make the playoffs. We did just that this past season, and if I may say so myself, we also had a fun time doing it.

There will be a lot of memories that I can keep with me from this past season, but I will definitely be looking forward to the future with my head up, because next year brings yet another season in the WBA.

Leaky roof leads to Relocation, which leads to Victory, which leads to a Playoff Berth.

Today brought a few disappointments, which fortunately led to excitement and celebration afterwards.

We were scheduled to play our last regular season game today at Ball Gymnasium at approximately 3 this past afternoon. Upon arriving at the game sight, the game prior to ours was delayed due to a puddle that apparently formed during game play. It was determined that the puddle had formed from an active roof leak in Ball Gym. After considering the options which included playing half court, until another leak was found on the opposite side of the basketball court, and rescheduling the games, which would have had negative consequences towards the “playoff scene, the officials and league organizers decided to relocate the remaining games for the day to Irving Gym number 2.

The game we were supposed to begin at 3 o’clock today just got underway at 3:40, but in the end Team OC pulled off a big win against division rival “Pritti Bois.” The last 5 minutes of the game was decided when Off Constantly went on a 10-0 run with 3 minutes to go. The final margin of victory was around 12 points, which also gave Elliott Hall’s only basketball team it’s first playoff berth in WBA basketball.

We play our first elimination game tomorrow at 4 o’clock in Ball Gym. (Hopefully they fixed the leaks…) If we win both playoff games tomorrow we will be in the championship game in Worthern Arena next weekend. The games will be the toughest that we have faced all season. Anyone is welcome to come support their favorite team, just come out to watch and waste away an afternoon free of charge. More updates and “Meet the Team” interviews will be coming soon.

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.

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.

T-Minus: 24 Hours

In less than 24 hours now we will be playing in our second to last regular season game in the West Side Basketball Association intramural league. Currently we are still in the running for playoff contention so winning this game for us would be huge.

Our record from the past 6 games is split even at 3-3. We should have won some of the games we lost, but due to the lack of team attendance, we did not fare so well. Usually, when we have our full roster show up to play, we have played very well. I hope tomorrow’s roster shows up in full so we can continue this trend.

Tomorrow is another day, another game, and another chance to prove we have what it takes to compete in this league. Our current attendance record for fans stands at a measly 5 people. If we break that current record and win the game, we will have many reasons to celebrate.

The Team Cookie

Whether Off Constantly wins, or loses, we always make the walk to the Noyer Food Center to pick out and decorate our “team cookie.”

No, this is not your standard cookie. However this is a whopping 12” chocolate chip cookie, with personally decorated icing on top. It’s nothing short of delicious and artistic to say the least.

It all started after our first game of the season last semester at Irving Gymnasium. We were all feeling a bit hungry and decided to stop by Noyer Cafeteria. After picking out my usual chicken poppers and fries, the dessert counter caught my eye. I couldn’t decide which of the delectable desserts I would indulge myself with. Then out of the corner of my eye, after eying the cheesecake, I saw a colossal cookie. Even though I couldn’t eat it all on my own, what better to celebrate our first win, and at that time perfect season, than a gigantic, icing doused, warm out of the oven, chocolate chip cookie. At this point the tradition of the Off Constantly team cookie was born.

The more than patient and interested lady at the counter asked what we would like to have the cookie say. We wanted to keep it simple with “Off Constantly” written around the top, and our current record, at that time 1-0, on the bottom. Then we asked her to just add random icing in all the open spots. She seemed confused at first because she was usually asked for happy birthday, happy anniversary, or other common occasions. She then did the unexpected by handing me a box of gloves and the icing decorators. I was more than willing to step it up for the team and make a delicious, edible art of sorts. Sure my first cookie was a big challenge, but after that they just got easier and more enjoyable to create and more importantly devour.

Besides the “Team Shower,” this is single handedly one of our biggest rituals we have as a subculture. It will live on until our season is over, and if there is a team next year, I hope we will let it live on, as long as somebody has a lot of dining plus, or some hard to come by college student cash.

Post Superbowl Shenanigans

Well, the Arizona Cardinals, like our basketball team lost on Sunday. The Cardinals lost this evening, and Off Constantly lost the weekend prior.
This post is basically just an update to the season and new findings in the team itself. We are still in playoff contention with our 4th place standing in our division. If we maintain that for the next two games, or even move up in the division standings we will secure a playoff spot this year.

With only two games remaining in our schedule, winning becomes essential. If the players on the roster show up to play in our last two games, we should have no problem with putting a “W” in the win column.

Updates will continue to come through the semester on the team, and more pictures will soon come available from the games themselves.
I’m up for any suggestions for what you would like to hear more about, and what you guys would like to see picture wise, other than the cheesy pictures of your’s truly.

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.

Brainstorming and Random Ideas for Paper Numero Uno

Locations: Elliott Hall, Ball Gym, The Bathroom on Floor 2, The Atrium, Noyer, The Lobby, etc...

People: Myself, Chip, Dave, Brennen, Nathan, Josh, Bob Saget, Maurice Harding, fans, etc...

Rituals: Tuesday "Unofficial" Practices, The Team Shower, Team Slang, Team Inside Jokes, Team Cookie, The Game Itself, etc...

Issues and Problems in the Subculture: Disagreements, Absences from Games, Technical Fouls, Paying for the Team Cookie, Shower Music CDs, etc...

Q: Reasons why I want to study this Subculture?
A: This is a very diverse group with all sorts of backgrounds, experience, majors, and future interests. Some people on the team played basketball in high school and one has played at the collegiate level, and many haven't had much experience at all. It is just a fun group to read about that people will hopefully find entertaining, humorous, and much more.

Over time I will venture further into these individual people, places and traditions to familiarize you and even make you feel as though you yourself are a part of our team.