The Wabash soccer team is 0-0, none of the cross country runners has posted an official time, and not a single yard has been recorded by a member of the Little Giants' football team this season.

But believe me, the 2007 fall sports season is well underway!

Events "officially" started last Thursday when the soccer team took to the pitch for a friendly scrimmage against Anderson University. Because of the heat the teams played 30 minute halves with a water break 15 minutes into the period.

The heat didn't diminish the effort by the Little Giant strikers, however. After watching several shots just miss the goal (including one that hit the crossbar, but bounced away harmlessly), sophomore Christian Krenk blasted a header into the net. Not only was it a phenomenal goal, but it was scored by an outstanding contributor to the Wabash soccer program.

Christian came to Wabash last year, but felt his best role with the team was as a manager. He kept practices organized for the coaching staff and helped his teammates stay focused on the game. After participating in spring soccer, Head Coach Roberto Giannini asked Christian to spend the 2007 season on the pitch instead of on the bench.

"Christian understands his limits as a player, but that never keeps him from giving total effort at practice or during a match," Giannini said after Thursday's scrimmage. "If I had a team full of Christian Krenks, I would never have worry about whether that team would come ready to play. And I know it would be a successful team because of that."

Saturday started with wet weather, but Mother Nature must have known something special was planned. Shortly before 8 a.m. the rains ended, allowing more than 20 Wabash alumni cross country to return for the annual Charlie Finch '51 Memorial Fun Run. 

It was more than a fun run, though. Greg Birk '77 spent much of his time over the past few months organizing a tribute to retiring cross country coach Rob Johnson. A legendary coach at Wabash, Rob is handing the cross country coaching duties over to one of his former charges, Roger Busch '96. Johnson will remain as the track and field coach and will help Roger in recruiting young men to continue the outstanding tradition of the cross country program at Wabash.

The camaraderie and fellowship normally shared among former teammates all turned to Johnson. After the race, the runners and their families joined together to pay tribute to Johnson at a luncheon.

The season also officially started for Jim Amidon and the rest of us in the public affairs office. Jim not only took his usual outstanding photos, but his also wrote his thoughts on the tribute to Johnson.

Those photos also included the final activity Saturday, the annual Red-White football scrimmage. The 2007 football team hit the newly-sodded field at Hollett Little Giant Stadium and gave the fans and family members assembled an early glimpse of what to look for from this year's team.

If you didn't make this past weekend's events, I can share them with you through Amidon's lens (cross country race photos, Johnson tribute photos, Red-White scrimmage photos, soccer scrimmage photos). Even better, you have a chance to be a part of the real start of the season this week. The soccer team starts the action Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. against its arch-rival, DePauw University, at Mud Hollow Field. Saturday morning the cross country team will compete against four other teams in the annual Wabash Hokum Karem, and the football team will wait one more week before its opening contest on September 8 against Franklin College.

Hope to see you at one or all of those events as we all prepare to enjoy the real start of the 2007 sports season.

Photos
(soccer - junior Mike Kaster drives the ball against Hanover on Sunday.)

Posted by Brent Harris at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday afternoon 125 players and three managers got the 2007 Wabash sports season underway. The seniors reported to the Allen Center at 12:30 p.m. to make certain all the preparations to welcome the new class of Wabash football players to the team. The juniors and sophomores joined them over the next two hours, putting all the final touches in place.

Finally, at 3:30 p.m. the first of 55 freshmen walked into the Allen Center. Senior co-captain Richard Roomes announced each name as one by one the wide-eyed newcomers became part of the 2007 squad.

Then the real fun began. There's nothing like going through the excitement of having your name announced to the entire football team, followed by filling out paperwork over the next 12 minutes for the SID. Then after a short break to go back to the room and get somewhat settled, it's back to the Allen Center for dinner, then off to the doctors for more paperwork and physicals. By 10 p.m. Sunday night the last families had said goodbye and the members of the Class of 2011 were ready to hit their beds for the first time as college students.

Monday it's a different 12 minutes that awaits them. Each member of the team participates in the 12-minute run. The distance each player must traverse is determined by their weight and position. If you complete the run, you get your "W" for your helmet; but even more importantly you don't have to do the run anymore this season. For the seniors it's an even bigger event. Every year I hear the same cry from seniors who have trained all summer long for this day.

"I'll never have to do the 12-minute run every again!"

Both of the 12-minute ordeals serve a purpose. The paperwork each young man fills out Sunday afternoon allows us to share their stories with you through the media and the Wabash web site. The 12-minute run not only helps improve the endurance of the team, it provides a common bond, a shared experience, a reason to reach out and help a teammate take those few extra steps to complete the run.

By Monday afternoon the players completed the run around the track at Hollett Little Giant Stadium and their first practice. Now they are off campus in Hillsboro, discussing their goals for the season and for their lives. 

Photos - (top left) Freshman Brad Hilts gets ready to meet with the coaches after being welcomed by his brother, Brian (an All-NCAC offensive lineman in 2006 and a senior on the 2007 team) and the rest of the Wabash squad.

(bottom right) Senior Gabe Guerrero grabs a water bottle during Monday's 12-minute run. Guerrero finished well ahead of 12-minute time limit, earning his "W" for his football helmet.

Posted by Brent Harris at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you can attend. Come inside, come inside."

That rousing refrain from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer has been running through my mind the past few weeks as I have gone from San Diego to New Orleans to Granville, Ohio in the space of three weeks. OK, not quite a world tour, but certainly quite a trip across the United States.

I've been fortunate over the past six years to work with the Arena Football League first as the chief scorer for the now-defunct Indiana Firebirds, then as a consultant for the ArenaBowl championship game. My duties have been varied, but have mostly consisted of helping with media credentialing during the week before assuming the role of head statistician and record keeper during the championship game.

The previous two years the ArenaBowl took place in Las Vegas. But this season Commissioner David Baker and the league owners made the decision to move the game to New Orleans. The city estimated that the game would bring over $28 million in revenue to an area that desperately needs not only the income, but the public attention. We were told from the moment we arrived to spread the word that New Orleans is open for business and ready for visitors.

It was fascinating to hear stories from the locals about Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding process. One of the workers at the New Orleans Arena told me about moving from New Orleans to Shreveport, Shreveport to Mississippi, Mississippi to Dallas, then back again in almost the same order. He was thrilled we were in town because it meant he received extra hours of work and a bigger paycheck. When I asked him why he came back, he just smiled and said, "because New Orleans is home."

After viewing the can-do attitude of the hearty people of New Orleans (and consuming too much outstanding Cajun cooking, along with beignets almost every morning at Cafe du Monde), it was time to return to Crawfordsville. At least for 20 hours or so. Wednesday morning I was back on the road to Granville for the North Coast Athletic Conference Football Media Day. There were no surprises from the media day activities (other than my par on the back nine of the golf course after a miserable front side of golf at the conclusion of the day's events). Wabash was picked to win the conference by most of the media and coaches (check out the poll results here). But as Coach Chris Creighton reminded me and everyone else, polls don't determine conference champions, results do. So in less than a month we'll start to learn just what kind of football team the Little Giants will field this season.

One final event brought my summer activities to an official end. Saturday evening several members of the Wabash community participated in an Experience Indiana event at the FastTimes Indoor Karting facility. Imagine 20 students, faculty, and staff of the College all racing go-karts against each other. It was a lot of fun (and I'm certain my protest to the racing stewards about Jerry Bowie passing me under the yellow will be upheld at some point. Now I know how Mario Andretti felt about Bobby Unser after the 1981 Indianapolis 500!) and a good chance for everyone involved to spend a great evening together.

But now the summer is officially over. This Sunday afternoon 128 football players will come to campus and the 2007 season will official begin.

Welcome back, my friends. The show is about to begin.

Posted by Brent Harris at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)