Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Just Another Friday

David R.

March 5, 2010 - 12:30 PM

One of the nice things about not having classes on Friday is that I am able to complete all of the miscellaneous tasks that I need to. My drivers license from Colorado has been through five years of abuse and has finally cracked. Usually you can still use an i.d. after it has cracked, but mine has cracked right through my birth date. Because I am now 21, this poses an issue because I have been unable to enter a few bars because of the fact the license is cracked. The only way for me to get a new 21-year-old drivers license is to go home to Colorado. I obviously can't do this considering I am at the University of Oregon, so I decided to go through the process of obtaining on Oregon drivers license. I went to the dmv yesterday, having finally obtained all of the necessary documents...and I failed the knowledge test. It has been over five years since the last time I viewed any kind of driving manual, so it makes sense that I forgot some important information about driving on the road. Luckily, I was able to go back to the dmv this morning and pass the test, allowing me to get an Oregon drivers license. Had I had some classes to go to today, I might not have had time to run to the dmv. It was crucial that I went today because the dmv is closed on the weekends and the license I have will be expiring soon, so I need a new one before this occurs.

I was also able to run to the Valley River Center, a popular mall near campus, and purchase some necessary shoe equipment. While walking around campus or anywhere for that matter, I have begun to notice a strange pain in my knee. I thought at first it might have just been sore from a basketball game I played on the new outdoor courts at the student recreation center, but the pain persisted, on the inside part of my knee. I began to consider that fact that maybe my knees hurt because of the alignment in my legs. I noticed that from the shoes I wear, my feet are titled in slightly when I walk which is probably the source of my knee pain. I went into the mall and purchased some insoles for my shoes that correct this problem, and I can already tell a difference.

The Oregon baseball team came out of the gates hot, winning three of its first four games, but has slipped a little recently, starting with a skid in Honolulu. The Ducks visited the Hawaii Warriors after a hot start but were only able to take one of four games. Upon returning to Eugene the Ducks beat the Huskies from Washington, only to lose to them the next day. The team travels to Fresno State this weekend for a three game series.

I am sitting in my house right now watching the sun try to fight through the clouds of the northwest. It has been kinda cloudy as of late, so hopefully the sunshine will re-appear this weekend. Catching some rays is always a nice break from the books.

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Fun with Finals?

David R.

March 4, 2010 - 6:05 PM

The only thing worse for college students than midterms is finals week. We are currently in week nine of the winter term and it seems as though all of the work for the term has been piled up on top of me all at once. Every student has final projects, papers, and tests that need to be completed or studied for, and right about now is the time when it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done.

One thing that makes it a little easier to complete all of this work is that fact that a few of my final projects are quite interesting. Those who have read my blogs before know that I am a journalism major at the University of Oregon. I am currently in J440, the second class in the public relations sequence, and today in class we received the guidelines for our final project. Instead of creating a project that seems like nothing more than busy work, we have been assigned the task of using different kinds of tactics to handle a realistic public relations scenario. In this scenario, I work for a fictitious company called Pivotal Directions. This company is in charge of placing methadone clinics around different areas in the northwest region. Methadone is a medication that is used to help those who are addicted to various types of drugs. For our final project, we are responsible for creating realistic documents that would be made to create awareness about the opening of a new clinic in Tacoma, WA. I will be making a standard Q & A, as well as a news release about the new clinic and a fact sheet. Of course, to create a challenge for the students in our class, our professor decided to throw in a kink: We have to assume that the general public was outraged at the decision to place a new clinic in this community. Because of this, we are required to hold a press conference for the citizens of this community to address their concerns. Consequently, we must create a background document, as well as a statement to be read at the conference, and a media advisory to alert the media about this conference. I love this class because the assignments allow us to create realistic projects that give us exposure to the types of assignments that we might have to create when we are in the working world.

Similarly, the final project for my marketing class requires that my group and I promote and market a new product for dogs and cats to use. We decided to create the Digital Dog Door, a dog door that is triggered by the dog's collar. The door will open only when the dog is within three feet of the door. With this special dog door installed, the home owner doesn't have to worry about thieves or other animals sneaking into the house. We are required to determine the target market for such a product and come up with a marketing plan to promote it. Finals are never enjoyable, but at the University of Oregon, sometimes a final project can be kind of fun!

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Fun in the Sun

David R.

February 27, 2010 - 4:40 PM

The unfortunate thing about football season is that it eventually must come to an end. With this, all of the campus-related activities that relate to football also come to an end, like intramural football. Every year I play on my fraternity's intramural football team that plays in the league that extends through the fall term. With only five regular season games, every game is crucial and very competitive. Intramural football is my favorite intramural sport to play and I always miss it after the season is over.

The student recreation center came up with great idea to allow all of the football lovers to to play the great game of football even in the winter term. Today I played in a flag football tournament in Autzen Stadium. Although it was empty, it is nice to be able to say that I have played in this historic stadium, known around the country for the noise that never ends due to the stadium's unique bowl-shaped configuration. There were ten teams in the tournament and it was double elimination, so each team was guaranteed two games. The slogan "it never rains in Autzen" held true as the sun was shining all morning and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We didn't play as well as we had hoped but we did it more for the experience. Our frustration with our performance was quickly erased as we were supplied with free Muscle Milk for participating. For whatever reason the drinking fountains weren't working within the stadium so the cold beverages were a nice touch amid the hot sun.

Some might disagree, but I feel that today was the first day of the year that has felt like spring time. The sun has been out a few times in the past few weeks but it has still been somewhat cold. After leaving Auzen Stadium with my fresh chocolate flavored Muscle Milk I decided that is was still much too nice out to waste the day sitting inside. I was starving so I decided to grab some breakfast at Studio One, a delicious cafe right off of campus. After enjoying a nice meal in the sun I went home and joined my roommates for a game of basketball. We were going to go the recreation center, which tends to be a hub for most basketball activity, but we decided to play in the parking lot of the church that is right across the street from our house. The church has an old hoop that is rarely in use so it is quite convenient. I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt to try to catch some rays and avoid the notorious farmers tan that is always an annoyance. We began playing and next thing we knew we had been playing for a few hours. We had a party at my house for my birthday on Friday night, so now it's time to clean up the aftermath. Sunshine will put anyone in a good mood, and I can't wait for another spring term in Eugene.

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C'mon Football Team

David R.

February 25, 2010 - 4:29 PM

Even though the Ducks football team wasn't able to leave Pasadena with a Rose Bowl victory, the season was still viewed as a success considering that we were able to knock off the highly esteemed USC Trojans and win the Pacific 10 Conference. Shortly thereafter, our coaching staff was able to bring in what ESPN considered to be the 13th best recruiting class in the nation, including Lache Seastrunk, arguably the best high school running back in the country.

Unfortunately, recent events involving football players in Eugene has shed a negative light on the program's recent successes.

Since the end of the season, multiple players have been tied to various crimes around campus, and some of these players have been arrested and kicked off of the football team all together. Head Coach Chip Kelly recently had a segment on ESPN in which he was asked about the off-field dilemmas and how it has effected the football team as a whole. He said that he can't be around the team all the time and it is embarrassing for the program and for the University of Oregon all together. Some have begun to compare this Oregon team to the University of Miami teams of the 80s and 90s, whose actions prompted the school to be appropriately nicknamed "Thug U."

Regardless of what has occurred I feel that we still have depth in enough positions to put a successful team on the field. Whether LaMichael James is ever allowed to play again or not, the signing of Seastrunk has provided our team with another stellar running back who should have no problem making an impact early in his college career. Despite the allegations against Jeremiah Masoli involving a fraternity break in, there has been nothing to suggest that he will be kept off of the field next season.

After the bowl games were over Sports Illustrated ranked the Ducks at number six for the post season rankings. The publication's reason for doing so was the fact that we will be returning so many offensive starters from this last year's team. As a senior, this next season is Masoli's last chance to make a name for himself in college football. He has had two years to become acquainted with Oregon's tricky offense and he put up impressive numbers this last season. He has all of the tools to lead the Ducks to another Pac 10 championship and beyond. With Pete Carroll's recent departure from USC, it could be time for a changing of the guard in the Pac 10.

Every so often my fraternity holds an event called a brotherhood. With everyone as busy as we are during the school year it is nice to get everyone together for a little fun. Tonight we are getting everyone together for some bowling. I am not the best bowler in the world but I can usually throw it straight enough to knock a couple of pins down. What is bowling without a cold beer? I turned 21 last Tuesday, and let me tell you, being of age feels phenomenal.

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Welcome Back Spring

David R.

February 21, 2010 - 11:02 AM

In my three years at the University of Oregon I can't remember the last time it was sunny out during week eight of the winter term. The sun was shining all weekend and I made sure to be outside catching as many rays as possible. The roof on my fraternity house is flat and very wide, so when the sun is shining this tends to be one of the most popular leisure spots. We just recently finished renovating the destroyed basketball hoop in our front yard, so those who weren't on the roof decided to dive in to a pick up basketball game.

Yesterday morning I happened to be walking by the student recreation center and I noticed a sign that said that the first 50 students to attend the women's tennis match received a free t-shirt. I love free clothes, and I had never been to any type of competitive tennis match before, so I decided to go with a few of my friends. The Ducks were taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide, and seemed to be doing well from what I could see. Watching the match allowed me to support my Ducks and gain some exposure to a sport that I had never watched in a live setting before. The free -shirt is pretty radical, and I happen to be wearing it as I write this blog!

As the day progressed and I became tired from laying in the sun, I remembered that the Oregon Men's basketball team had a game against the Golden Bears from the University of California. Given that this season is the last one to ever be played in Macarthur Court, I decided I should probably go to a game, considering that I will be one of only a few University of Oregon graduates who will be able to say that they were at the U of O to witness games in both Macarthur Court as well as Matthew Knight Arena. The struggles continue for the Ducks as they once again find themselves at the bottom of the Pacific 10 Conference. With a promising start to the season, the hopes of being a part of March Madness have slipped away, unless the Ducks can find some way to win the Pacific 10 tournament. Coach Kent was successful in attracting some highly-noted recruits to the University of Oregon, now it becomes a matter of whether or not he will be able to develop his young players by the time they are upperclassmen. With a new stadium on the rise for next season, Duck fans are hopeful that a simple change in location to an amazing new stadium will jump start the Ducks in the right direction. Matthew Knight Arena, which began as nothing more than an idea, has blossomed into a basketball cathedral that can be seen from the top of Spencer Butte in the foothills of Eugene.

The top of Spencer Butte allows viewers to see the progress of our new stadium, as well as the large O that is tattooed on the front of Autzen Stadium. The hike itself isn't too difficult, and the view from the top is breathtaking. As spring time is slowly becoming more of a reality, I plan to spend as much time as I can in the lovely West Coast sunshine.

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