The Road Less Traveled.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got to spend time with their family members, friends, and all other great people!! I can honestly say I am extremely thankful for every opportunity I have gotten being a PUC student-athlete. There is nothing I would change and I couldn't be any more happy at another place. Anyway, I got to go home and see my family in Mishawaka. It was a GREAT time. There is NOTHING like family. Now back at school Thanksgiving night- it is time to prepare for a game in IOWA.

Tomorrow we will depart for Iowa at noon for a 4 hour bus ride and an overnight stay to play on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm versus Mount Mercy. I do not know much about them, but we will bring our 'A game' and show up ready to play. We have continued to prepare ourselves for upcoming games. This week we are coming off a big win as we were victorious against IUSB, a division 1 team. We are now 5-1 and still hungry for more wins. We have a chance to do something extremely special this year and that is where our focus is.

Hopefully this isn't the only time we travel on the long road that not many travel on this year. Each day I tell myself and remind my teammates that we CAN make it to nationals. Not only to instill in their heads that we are good enough, but to remind them we have an opportunity of a lifetime to do big things with this group we have and become something special that the PUC athletic family will never forget.

Time to pack my bags!! Thanks for following and I'll be writing again to tell you all about the trip to Iowa.

Until next time..

#21

NEW DAY

First loss of the season is always hard. 4-1 isn't bad, but 5-0 is better. We will see how everyone responds in practice today. The ONLY good thing about losing is that you can improve on the areas you didn't perform well in the night before. We have to refocus and regroup and bring it again on Tuesday night. Like mentioned before these games we play now are to help us prepare and peak for conference. Not saying wins and losses don't matter, but they enable us to get everything out so we look sharp come conference time.

Even the greatest players in the game of basketball lost. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, etc. You can't go undefeated your whole career, BUT it's how you respond to a loss that truly makes a great player

NEW DAY = NEW OPPORTUNITIES.


Until next time..

GAME DAY!!!!!!

It's that time again...GAME DAY!!!!

Purdue University Calumet (4-0) vs. Bethel College (4-1)..tipoff is at 7 pm!

This is a BIG game! LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



If you can't make it to the Fitness and Rec Center then you can watch it at:

http://www.livesportsvideo.com/golive/goliveevents.asp?q=PurdueUniversityCalumet

4-0

Believe it or not, this is where WE want to be in March-Sioux City Iowa!!!!

Hey everyone! Thanks for following the blog. Currently we are sitting at 4-0 with winning last nights contest 102-60 in Michigan. Arguably it was probably one of the hardest games yet because of the 4 1/2 hour bus ride. The beginning of the game was extremely sluggish and it wasn't until half time when Coach Medge got on our cases that we turned a switch and started playing OUR game. For future recruits, don't get 2 fouls in the first half of play or else you have to sit the WHOLE time and definitely never get 2 fouls the first 3 minutes of the game. Needless to say, I learned to hate that rule real fast last night ;)

Tuesday is a BIG game. We play on our home court versus a solid Bethel team. This game is a big game for us because they usually are a nationals team and also for me because the college is back in my hometown of Mishawaka. I don't recall the last time we've beat them, but it certainly hasn't been since I've been here. It'd be a great win for the program. We have to stay focused and stay hungry! Each player has to continue to contribute in every aspect that they have because we NEED ALL 11 players to be victorious.

Hope to see everyone at 7pm on Tuesday night!!!! GO PEREGRINES!


Until next time..

2010-2011 TEAM INTRO

Hey everyone! My name is Stephaine Beck and I am a junior from Mishawaka, IN on the women's basketball team this season. Just like Mike Patton on the men's team I am PROUDLY a part of the Peregrine Posse as a Vice President. Basically, I pick up Mike's slacking ;) I encourage EVERYONE to join this club!! It's fun and only $5 to be part of the growth of our student fan club here on campus. It's the most rapid growing club on campus with 180+ official members!!!! The $5 cost is to pay for the shirt. HOW CHEAP, HUH?! Be a part of the club and show your school spirit!!! Athletics is quickly progressing since I've been here in all aspects. PUC is heading in the right direction, fast!!! This is thanks to our chancellor/vice chancellor, athletic director, sports information director, all coaches, athletic office workers, athletes and our fans.

Just to update some followers if you haven't been reading we are currently 3-0 playing all 3 games on our home court. This Saturday we take on Michigan-Dearborn in our first away game of the season. This game is important just as any other game, but it'll be our first test to see how we face the adversity of playing in a different environment. The support we have gotten over the years is appreciated and the amount of fans at ours games over the past 2 1/2 years that I have been here has turned for the good. WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!

The team this year has a little bit of everything. We have 4 starters back, a deep bench and a great coaching staff. We were pre-season ranked 2nd in conference with 1 all-conference player (MeMe Harris), 1 honorable mention (Me), and a freshmen of the year (Tierra Turner) award winner in the 2009-2010 season returning. Incoming freshmen Brooklyn Short and Madison Gervais have made immediate impact, while IWU transfer Lindsay Whitcomb gives us great height under the basket. Savannah Hauter joins our basketball team after a long season with the volleyball team. She brings great work ethic in. Alex Starr has been an immediate impact for our team on the wing since her freshmen campaign last year. She is a tremendous shooter and has added to her game over the summer. Chrissy Lobo is a strong, but small post for us along with Amanda Gaskin playing at the same spot. They are both on the blocks, but play BIG for us and contribute. Senior wing Jennifer Britton is as always a great shooter and by my opinion the best shooter in our conference. MeMe Harris is coming off of an ACL injury, but has fully recovered and still one of the fastest point guards in the CCAC. Lastly, Tierra Turner is also on the block for us this year. We don't have too much height so just like the others she is a small post and last seasons freshmen of the year in the conference. We have worked hard in the off-season and during the beginning of this season thus far. Our goal is to win conference and advance to the national tournament hosted in Iowa in March, but until March it's one game at a time. With the talent, motivation, and heart we have this year it could be THE year!! We hope to see YOU at upcoming games. We appreciate all the support!!!!!! GO PEREGRINES!!!

I'll end on a quote by the best coach in the country (well, behind Coach Megyesi, haha) ;

"A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play." -Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University Men's Basketball)


Until next time..

PS-I'm new with this..so keep following and we'll keep you up to date with the "happenings" around here :)

#21

(BRIAN BOYLE) Thursday June 27th

Nadia Mitchem was our first speaker of the day. I had spoken with her at the reception on Monday and was excited for her presentation to us. Nadia is a senior officer, of corporate partnerships with the American Red Cross. She also has worked in disaster fundraising to support emergency and crisis relief efforts around the globe. Some of the corporate partners Nadia works with are Land Rover, Sears, State Farm, and Fortune 100. The reasons she chose the Red Cross to engage in her profession is because of community engagement, the humanitarian role, and she looks at the vision/missions of companies. She spoke to us about recognizing opportunities and to use time management. After speaking to her, I made up a list of things I would like to accomplish in the next few years including, travel to different countries, get more involved in the Red Cross or another philanthropic organization, learn another language, and to become more organized! I really enjoyed listening to Nadia; she has such a passion for her job, it is contagious!

After Nadia spoke to us, Paula Boggs came in for a while to speak with us. Paula is the Executive Vice President, and General Counsel and Secretary of Starbucks, and she is also a part of the American Red Cross Board of Governors. In this role, she leads the Law and Corporate Affairs department, advising a wide range of Starbucks partners on legal and business issues. Her legal career began as a United States army officer assigned to the Pentagon. She also worked as a staff attorney for the White House before leaving the service in 1988. Paula is also a singer and songwriter and recently has released an album titled, “A Buddha State of Mind.” Her opinion of winning the day includes “focus and just wanting it more!” Paula was very upbeat and interesting to hear from!

Our next speaker was Brian Boyle. Earlier in the trip, we had been given a book that Brian had written, so at night I had been reading a little bit of his book. Now, he has to be the most inspirational person, EVER!! I will always keep his book with me because my challenges are so miniscule to the battles he has endured in his young life. Brian is an American Red Cross volunteer but when he was 18, he was in a terrible car crash and was told he would never walk again. From his accident, he had lost over 60% of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized. In 2007, Brian Boyle staged what many consider to be one of the greatest comebacks in sports history when he crossed the finish line at the Hawaii Ironman just three years after leaving the Intensive Care Unit. Brian’s story is such an inspiration and meeting him and his parents was a great experience! One of his favorite bands is also my favorite, 311 which is awesome as well! What I took from Brian’s presentation is that mind over matter wins every time, that people underestimate themselves, and to never hold a grudge.

(CAPITAL HILL) Wednesday, June 16th

In the morning, we continued to work on our strategic plans and by now, we were just putting the finishing touches on everything. At 11:00 we came downstairs for a catered luncheon, where we had the privilege of eating with and hearing from Dr. Allan Goldberg, Chair of Quality and Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee and member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee for the American Red Cross National Board of Governors. Dr. Goldberg was a very nice man and it was such a privilege to speak with him not only as a board member, but also as a blood drive leader at Merck, an international pharmaceutical company. I was especially interested in Dr. Goldberg because my cousin has been working as an engineer at Merck for the past 18 years! So I have been to the absolutely monstrous facility and its surrounding areas in Philly.

After lunch we had the opportunity to tour the United States Capital building, which was a really neat experience. It was absolutely breath-taking how beautiful the architecture was. My favorite part of the visit, though, was when we made it to the Senate Chamber. The senators were in the process of voting on something (I’m not sure what), and it was incredible to be in the same room with well-known political figures such as John Kerry and the Indiana senators Evan Bayh and Dick Lugar.

When the tour was finished, we all headed out to the front of the capital building for some pictures, and they were hilarious! We tried the jumping picture thing again, and it was basically an epic failure, but we got a few good ones and it was a lot of fun!

After the tour, our group ended up splitting in half. Half of the group went to the National Archives and the other half of us could hardly think of walking any further so we headed into Union Station. We grabbed some delicious Chinese food and relaxed for awhile and then did a little shopping before heading back to the dorms to sleep!