To Be Continued

This is from a Gonzaga alum who is mourning just like the rest of us. Enjoy!

Over the next few days and maybe for the rest of March Madness, people will call Gonzaga choke artists, pretenders, overrated, exposed, and a disappointment.

However, they fail to realize what cheering for Gonzaga is all about... It's more about than wins and losses.

It's about a little school from a town nobody really cares about trading blows with some of the biggest and most storied college athletic programs in the country.

It's about cheering for players who you know and see off the court. Guys you party with, have class with, see while walking on campus and maybe even live in the same house with.

It's about a team you can be proud of: About our point guard who fought through injuries, the death of his best friend, and losing a girlfriend of 6 years-while still being able to lace them up every night and give the team everything he had in the tank. It's about our Brazilian power forward leaving home for four years to pursue his dream to pursue a better life for his family, and reaching his dreams while wearing a Zags' uniform. Or, how about Erroll Knight, coming out of one of the poorest parts of Seattle, being a difference maker on a premier basketball program, and now about to be the first person in his family to earn a college degree. Or what about David Pendo, the walking floor burn, the guy who put up 30 points per game in high school and was recruited by the likes of Duke as a sophomore, being happy to take play out of position for the team and rack up more fouls per game than points, but still leaving everything on the court every night. Lastly, what about Adam Morrison, the best player in the country hands down, with the entire future at his fingertips, money, fame, the NBA, collapsing on the floor crying like a little kid because the game and his team meant everything to him… Because the name on the front of his jersey meant more than the name on the back. Because the future looks bright in the hands of players like Pargo, P-Mac, Larry G., Heytfelt, and Matt Bouldin.

It's about community, family and friends. The fact you can walk up to someone wearing Gonzaga gear and instantly have a connection. The fact that you can go to a Zags game and see people you haven't seen in years and still have a common bond, stories to share and pride in your school.

It's about the fact that the sun still came up this morning, I'm healthy, have a good job, and a group of friends from Gonzaga that I love.

It's about the fact that the Gonzaga story isn't over and I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

So the next time someone asks me what I think about Gonzaga basketball, I'll just smile and say, "…to be continued!"

GO ZAGS!!!

A Sad Day for Gonzaga Basketball

Chong Tash

I wish I had more to "blog" about, but I'm afraid my life in Morristown is not that exciting. Needless to say, I've resorted to posting old e-mails. Here's one from Kyrgystan.

Dear Family and Friends,

I am sorry that this e-mail did not reach you sooner to wish you a Happy Valentines, but the communication system is difficult when I live in a primitive village in Kyrgyzstan. Please accept my Valentine's love from many miles away. I hope you all enjoyed this special occasion with your significant other;) I thought of you all, as I celebrated the 14th with my students. While this holiday has always been depressing for me, it was quite the opposite this year. My students and I made homemade valentines and had a great time. I even got a secret admirer note from one of my fifth grade boys. It was the highlight of my day.

The weather has been frigid, but the last week was the first sign of Spring. I finally took the lining out of my coat, and could manage to write on the blackboard without my two pairs of gloves and getting frostbit. I will miss the beauty of the snow on the ground, but I am excited to enjoy the rays of sun.

I had a wonderful lesson last week, as I taught my students comparatives and superlatives... They all grasped the concepts well. I found an easy subject to make them relate. For example..., the U of M basketball team is bad... The Gonzaga men's basketball team is good... The U of M is bad, Santa Clara is better, but Gonzaga is the best:) Well..., I am sorry that I had to have all of you endure that brief interlude. It was not meant for everyone, but I have to have faith in my Bulldogs, as I am there number one fan in Central Asia. Go Zags!

My spare time has been filled with helping coach basketball. It has been a lot of fun, and I have also been working for the preparation of Peace Corps' 40th anniversary on March 1st. We will be performing for the Bishkek community, and my students will sing the Star Spangled Banner. We have been practicing diligently and it will be a wonderful rendition. I will also attempt to sing a Kyrgyz song, so I am a little nervous:)

I think you will also be humored and enlightened by my most recent journey in Kyrgyzstan. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to experience the only ski hill in Kyrgyzstan. Having downhill withdrawals, we gathered local PCV's and set forth for an adventurous day, not exactly knowing what we were getting ourselves into. A forty-five minute marshutka (mini-van from the 1950's) ride, turned into a two hour excursion. We unfortunately, got a flat tire after going through a remote filed in the middle of nowhere. We recovered and were forced to push the marshutka up the remainder of the hill. We were almost ready to turn home, when we rounded the corner and saw Chong-Tash.(Big Stone in Kyrgyz) Having come this far, we explored the perimeter, and set foot in the ski rental shop-a trailer hut. Trying to communicate in Russian the size of our skis and boots, we managed to score the cheapest ski day in history-50 cents for rentals, and one dollar for the ski lift. We were all impressed with our steal of a price, we instantly forgot about our transportation nightmare and skated our way to the chair. Don't let me give you the impression it is like a "quad" when I say chair. It turns out we were given hooks with rope tied to a piece of wood-I am not exaggerating. We learned we had to connect the hook to a chain that was moving up the hill, and that was our ticket. Being the brave person I am, I volunteered to go first, only to find myself being dragged halfway up Chong Tash. I survived and we all managed to make it up together and ski down in one piece. It was powder skiing and my Rossignals from 1920 couldn't keep up the carving. Apparently, they have never heard of groomers here. We skied the rest of the day and had a great time. The slope wasn't crowded, as the Russians usually take to the vodka after the second run. We called it a day, after we could no longer feel our legs. We snowplowed down the small ravine, trying to dodge the numerous horses in our path, and headed home early. We were lucky not to have anyone killed and to experience the thrill of skiing in K-stan. Chong Tash 2001-an unforgettable memory.

Um Skinny Bop

I was deleting messages in my Inbox, and I came across one of my many embarrassing stories. It made me laugh, so I thought I would share it again. Happy Thursday!

October 2003
After joining Headquarter's Gym last week, I decided I needed to take full advantage of my membership, so I hit the gym last night. However, something very unexpected happened to me. I decided to start my daily training off on the treadmill-running a few miles. So..., I hop on an enormous machine, turn on the TV, adjust the fan, perfect my towel, put on my headset, and select a good pace. The treadmill starts warming up and gets faster and faster and faster. So, there I am, running at a good speed-watching "Friends" on the TV. I am in my own little world-in the zone. The song "Um Skinny Bop" comes on and the adrenaline kicks in. So..., there I am, running..., surrounded my tons of people. I am singing to Poison and I decide that I need to quench my thirst with water. This is not an easy task folks. Very carefully, I try to gracefully straddle the treadmill. However, all of a sudden, in an instant, KURBANG! Yes, that's right. I go flying off of the treadmill at 50 mph and water goes every where. I am all tangled up in this contraption and it's still moving. WHY ME I ASK? Apparently, my foot slipped and I fell. For those of you who know my klutz tendencies-this tops the cake.

As I am leaving the gym, all of a sudden I hear an attractive guy talking
to his friend... "Hey, that's the girl that fell off of the treadmill. How embarrassing! He He He."
Great!

Embarrassing story number 5,200,342,560 in my life.

Go Adam Morrison!

http://gozags.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022806aah.html

Men Kyrgyzstandan Abdan Sagandim!