Hoop Dreams

The move to the Pac-12 Conference was a big deal for the University of Utah.  The media focus was on the football program, but the entire school transitioned which meant changes to academics and all sports.  My interest was in the women's basketball program and their upcoming schedule.  I grew up idolizing the female athletes in the Pac-10 conference and still root for the famous California schools of Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Cal.  Sure it will be great if the football team benefits, but hosting high-caliber women's hoops in SLC is what gets me excited about the Pac-12 announcement.  As of last season, we also know one of the Utah players in a round-about way.  Ciera's mom worked with Terry in Nevada so we cheer extra hard for her, even if she doesn't know who we are or why we are such big fans.

Utes on D against Stanford

Of course, reliving my days on the court is also fun.  I always leave the games wishing I still played on a regular basis.  We only have one facility within 20 minutes that has a court and playing outside is limited to a few summer months, so convenience is my biggest obstacle.  Due to Utah's predominant religion, most hoops are played in the form of "church ball" so there isn't a large demand for basketball courts or recreational pickup games.  I do miss it and plan to find a gym in the next few months so I can rekindle my hoop dreams.

Basketball was my life from 5th grade until I left college.  I played all the other sports available in my hometown and spent the winters as a ski instructor, but the focus was bball.  I signed with Montana Tech and basketball took priority over everything (except my engineering degree) - I even had to sign an agreement not to ski!  I wouldn't change any of it and am confident that those experiences have been a large part of my success in real-life.

Tip-off against Cal

I played on a men's league with coworkers for a couple years, but once I moved back West, basketball took a backseat to cycling and skiing.  That doesn't mean I don't get excited when I'm around it as Terry will attest and shake his head at.  We are fortunate to get tickets to several Utah Jazz games each year and I usually take over the remote for March Madness, but watching doesn't come close to a shoot-around or pickup game.

I've tried to make it to at least one University of Utah game each year since moving here, but work schedules or skiing usually get in the way.  My first games this season were last Thursday for the Stanford game and then Sunday for Cal.  The Utes lost both, struggling with the Cardinals (ranked 4th in the Nation) and putting up a good fight with the Bears.  The athletes are amazing and I still can't imagine playing at that level, especially against all the 6'2" to 6'4" post players.  Sunday was also Elaine Elliott Appreciation Day with a well-deserved celebration at halftime.  Elaine has done amazing things for women's basketball over the last 30 years and received a long ovation from former players and the crowd.  It will be interesting to see her as an assistant coach for Westminster when Montana Tech plays them next month.

Elaine Elliott Ceremony

Here's hoping in the future, I can blog about all the time I've been spending shooting hoops and not just watching them, but until then it feels great to support women's basketball and relive my hoop dreams.

Closet Classic: AHS Letter Jacket 

Update from my last blog:
Terry was still in pain from his snowbike crash on Saturday, so we went to the ER for x-rays and he has a fractured rib but no internal bleeding.  All the tests consumed our day, but the security in knowing he was reasonably healthy was worth the time.  We are now even, since he spent a beautiful September day in the ER with me thanks to the celery allergy.

The ER Nurse blew both veins trying to take blood and get an IV in.