I've discovered something wonderful about blogs. Writing one can pass the time in the Philadelphia Airport when your flight is delayed!

I spent my final weekend before my schedule becomes extremely hectic traveling to Baltimore to spend some the weekend with friends and, of course, watch my beloved Chicago White Sox. After some great food and fun (but extremely crowded) afternoon at the National Aquarium, our crew headed to Camden Yard to watch the Orioles play the White Sox. As we were preparing to leave the hotel, we realized we didn't have the tickets! The good news was we knew where they were located, the bad news was they were five hours away in Virginia.

Fortunately when we arrived at the ballpark, the Orioles staff proved to be more than helpful. Everyone we worked with was pleasant and friendly, working quickly to resolve our ticket dilemma. We quickly received new tickets and were on our way to the club level to enjoy some delicious BBQ and the air conditioned comfort of the club hallway! We were even greeted by our new friend, Frank, the attendant in section 260. We shared our story of the tickets and he worked with us once again to make certain everyone in our group could sit together, even though we had two tickets in row E and two more in row J.

It reminded me of the way I hope we serve fans when they come to sports events at Wabash. No problems with why something can't happen, just friendly assistance, a smile, and a desire to make the event a great moment for the fans. It will be something I'll try and remember all season long.

It also won't much longer before I'll get to put that lesson into practice. In less than two weeks, 119 football players will report to campus to get the 2006 season underway, with soccer and cross country teams following suit shortly after. And in preparation for the upcoming season, I'll give you something to look forward to --- keep an eye on the Wabash sports web site. If you haven't noticed the changes in the alumni and parents pages and the future students page, check them out right now. Some equally exciting things are planned for the sports pages this fall. Let me know what you think of them when we "flip the switch" in a few weeks and start telling the stories of our 2006-07 student-athletes and their preparation for the upcoming season.

Posted by Brent Harris at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brent Harris - Last March Head Track and Field Coach Rob Johnson told me Wabash would host a decathlon and heptathlon as its final home meet of the 2006 season. One of the reasons to host such an event was Nelson Barre's decision to participate in the event at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship meet. The sophomore took third at the Wabash event and was fifth at the conference meet. Pretty good results for his first attempt at the ten-event competition.

As a group of track and field workers, including legendary Wabash track star and soon-to-be member of the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame George Brattain '63, relaxed in between events, I heard stories of the last time the decathlon was held at Wabash. Athletes from around the country gathered on July 13, 1956 to compete in the Olympic Trials right here in Crawfordsville. For just $4 fans could watch the greats run --- athletes such as Rafer Johnson, who would go on to win the silver medal at the Melbourne Olympics, and Milt Campbell, who won the gold in Melbourne after taking silver while competing with teammate and gold medal winner†Bob Mathias in Helsinki in the 1952 Games.

Fifty years ago these greats raced around the grounds behind the Chapel. This coming spring, maybe one of the future US Olympic decathlon stars will once again compete in Crawfordsville. Last year's event was so well-received, Coach Johnson has decided to make it a regular part of the outdoor track and field schedule. The Stan Huntsman Invitational will take place April 20-21, 2007. The meet is named for the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame of USA Track and Field Hall of Famer and six-time NCAA National Track and Field Coach of the Year, who also participated in the 1956 Trials at Wabash. What better way to bring the rich history of Wabash track and field's past, present, and future together than watching the magnificent all-around effort of decathletes and heptathletes as they compete against the point totals and each other in this annual event.

Photo - The stands are packed with fans watching two of the competitors in the 1956 Olympic Decathlon Trials at Wabash who†would go on to win gold medals. Milt Campbell would win the gold at the 1956 Olympics, while Rafer Johnson would rewrite the decathlon record books on his way to the gold in the 1960 Games.

Posted by Brent Harris at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Brent Harris — As Sports Information Director at Wabash College, I’m very fortunate. I get to cover Wabash athletics all year long, interacting with all the great athletes, alumni, and supporters of the Little Giants. I also get to hear some great stories, many of which I share with the public affairs staff the next morning.

Many of the stories are not necessarily front page web stories, but still fun to re-tell. So that’s what we’re going to do with this blog. I’ll have the opportunity to share those stories, comments, and thoughts, and perhaps spark some memories while giving you the SID’s perspective of athletics at Wabash. And best of all you don’t have to hang out with us in the press box after the game while faxing results or discussing music choices during the eight-hour drive to Allegheny (of course, you also miss out on a fairly adequate Italian dinner in beautiful downtown Meadville, as well).

So don’t be surprised if you run into me at a Wabash event and we share a tale or two, only to find it here on the web site. And as always, if you have an interesting story or moment to share, drop an email to harrisb@wabash.edu.

Posted by Brent Harris at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)