Busy Winter Break

David R.

December 29, 2010 - 6:48 PM

This year's winter break has been a little different than usual, so it would make sense that my trip to the mountains was a little unusual as well. For the past eight years I have come up here for the entire week and gone home only at the end of it. This year I came up when I usually do, but I went home yesterday afternoon to work at a Nuggets game, and then left early this morning to come back up to the mountains to ski. The Nuggets ironically played the Portland Trailblazers and won with ease, but the game wasn't as exciting as it could have been as both teams' stars (Carmello Anthony and Brandon Roy) were missing in action.

 

I have worked a Nuggets game and an Avalanche game this break for Kroenke Sports Enterprises(KSE), the company at which I interned this summer in the Corporate Sales Department. I really enjoyed interning there this summer and this is a company that I would love to work for after I graduate, so I decided it would be beneficial to work a few games while I'm home and allow myself to become a familiar face. Even though my focus within the journalism school is public relations, my last two internships have had more of a sports business focus and I think this career field might now be my first choice upon graduating.

 

During the summer I was involved with more of the business aspect of corporate sales as none of the three teams involved with KSE were in season. Now, having worked two games while the Nuggets and Avalanche are in the middle of their respective seasons, I can't help but notice all of the similarities that are present between the work I have done with KSE this break and the work I do for my internship with the athletic department at the University of Oregon. For example, when working at Oregon basketball games it is my responsibility to find contestants for various promotions. When I was working at the Avalanche game, my main task was to find four contestants to compete in the Arby's Roast Beef Race. At Oregon football games usually I am assigned to promotions like the Carl's Jr. Lucky Seat Lucky Row or the Amp Student Fan of The Game. Last night at the Nuggets game I got to help out with the Colorado Lottery promotion at it was pretty cool.

 

We were given five blown up balls, all a different color, that were replicas of the actual power balls that are used to determine the Colorado Power Ball winner. One person took two balls to one side of the Pepsi Center and the other two of us took the other three to the other side. When it became time for the promotion a spot light was shined on us and we threw the balls down into the stands from the 300-level in the arena. The fans were supposed to continuously hit the balls until they ended up on the court. At that point in time the five contestants that were chosen to participate were supposed to grab the ball corresponding to the color of the shirt they were given and slam it into a large basketball hoop at center court. It was fun to be a part of it and it was pretty entertaining to watch.

 

Tomorrow will be my last day of skiing for the break before I head to Fort Collins to celebrate New Years with my friends at Colorado State University. It will probably be my last day of skiing for the year so I plan to make the most of it!

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Great Day on The Slopes.

David R.

December 26, 2010 - 3:54 PM

My first day of skiing was as fun as I was expecting but my body is definitely feeling the effects. Skiing involves the use of muscles that I don't exert too often, so I am always a bit sore after a day full of hitting the slopes. My quads are tired from constantly being in a semi-squatting position, and my feet hurt from the beating they took from wearing ski boots. Anyone who has ever been skiing knows that ski boots aren't the most comfortable thing in the world, and it will be a blessing if I make it through the week without developing blisters. I wish someone would invent boots for skiing that are as comfortable as snowboarding boots but I guess it is what it is for now.

 

The snow was soft and fluffy all over the mountain and I barely hit any icy patches. The snowfall has been lagging for the past few years so one of the biggest problems with the slopes at Beaver Creek was that they tended to be covered with ice. The snow cover seems to be much better this year, which will make for a better skiing experience, and the sun is supposed to shine even harder tomorrow than it did today!

 

Given that the Oregon Ducks football team is about to play for the National Championship, I took it upon myself to represent the beloved University while on the mountain. I threw on my Oregon jersey over my heavy winter jacket and wore it proudly until I returned home this afternoon. Throughout the course of the day I heard many "go ducks" remarks from other skiers and snowboarders who said they would be cheering for the ducks. I figured I would probably hear a few remarks like this throughout the day, because I would assume that many from this region of the United States would be in support of the PAC 10 given that the Universities of Colorado and neighboring Utah will now be joining our conference. Most of the comments I received were positive but at one point someone skied past me and muttered "war eagle," the saying known to the Auburn Tigers. I wanted to respond by asking where that dumb saying originated from, but I decided to keep it civil...for now. The title game is still a ways away so I decided to enjoy the rest of my vacation in the mountains without allowing myself to get worked up pondering how our Ducks will fare in the pinnacle contest of college football.

 

Later tonight my aunt and uncle will make it up to Beaver Creek to join to rest of us in the winter time festivities. My uncle is an expert skier, which is rather remarkable because, like I said, he now lives in Florida, a state known for its sunshine-not its mountains. It's always fun to ski with him and my aunt and I have learned a lot from him over the years. Of course, he and my aunt have both become Ducks fans and they want to be able to rep the "O" down south. The other day my uncle called me and asked if I could bring him and Oregon "O" that he can put on his car in Florida in spite of all of the Auburn bumper stickers. I'll give it to him when he arrives and hopefully it will drive some doubt into the minds of the Auburn faithful.

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Another Splendid Christmas.

David R.

December 25, 2010 - 9:30 PM

Christmas seems to come and go quicker and quicker with every year that passes, and this year it didn't help that I was home for only a short period of time before the great holiday. Nevertheless I enjoyed it while it was here and had a great time with my family.

 

On Christmas Eve I went to church with my family to get into the true Christmas spirit. I have to admit it's been a while since I last set foot in a church so it felt good to take a few minutes to thank a higher being for how fortunate I am. After mass I went home with my family to partake in a Christmas tradition that dates back to as long as I can remember. Every Christmas Eve many families in my neighborhood cover the sidewalk in front of their houses with luminarias. For those of who who are unfamiliar, luminarias are small white bags that have lit candles within them. When its becomes dark on Christmas Eve it is truly majestic to see the sidewalks covered with thousands of these creative decorations placed only a few feet from each other. Folding all of the bags and placing all of the candles can take a long time, but it is worth it in the end.

 

After all of out luminarias were lit we headed to the other side of our neighborhood to have dinner with some good family friends, and I enjoyed catching up with everyone who I hadn't seen for a few months. After a delicious meal and hours of socializing about everything from the bowl games to old memories, we headed home to get some rest and to allow the main tradition of Christmas ("Santa's" delivery) to take its course.

 

As a poor college student I was lucky to receive some extra dough from "Santa," which was really the only thing on my list. However, the big man knows me better than I thought and he also came through with some much needed clothing and some sweet Oakley shades. I wouldn't have thought that I would be able to wear them outside during this time of year in Denver, but I was able to today as the sun was shining in what has been one of the milder winters that I can remember. I have been home since the 18th and I have yet to see a snow flake fall from the sky. There is no snow on the ground, and if I didn't know any better I might think it was summer. It's always nice to get some snowfall around my house, but the weather experts have been informing everyone in the Denver metropolitan area that all of the snow that would have otherwise made it to the "burbs" has been dumped on the Rocky Mountains. This is definitely a good thing because I will be spending the next few days skiing with my family up in the Vail/Beaver Creek area.

 

Earlier today we left our house to embark on our 9th annual post-Christmas skiing expedition in arguably the greatest mountain region in the United States. It's convenient to be only two hours away from some of the best slopes in the state, and this year my aunt and uncle from the Florida Gulf Coast will be joining in the fun. Tomorrow is still only the day after Christmas, so I am hopeful that the mountain will be relatively empty, as many who venture up here after Christmas usually do their traveling on the 26th or 27th. I hope the snow quality is as good as the regulars have said it is, and tomorrow I plan to ski from when the lifts open to when I get kicked off the mountain. Unfortunately, chair lift tickets have become rather pricey, so we have decided to take it upon ourselves to get as much bang for our buck as possible, and to cut out un-necessary spending along the way. Instead of eating lunch at one of the mountain cafes and spending $16 on what should cost around $7, my family and I have begun to pack our own lunches that we take with us, and it has proven to be a much cheaper option.

 

It's nice to be up here once again, and I truly never get tired of it. I love being at my house in Denver, but coming up here allows me to forget about some of the stresses of everyday life and relax in the presence of the people that I can't spend as much time with as I used to. It should be a great few days and this too always seems to pass to fast.

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Home Sweet Home.

David R.

December 18, 2010 - 11:34 AM

This blog comes to you from 35,000 feet above the ground in the belly of a Southwest Airlines jet en route to Denver. Today's journey will take me from Portland to Spokane and then finally to Denver- the promised land.

 

I drove up to Portland after the women's basketball game last night against the Pioneers from, ironically, Denver University. The lady Ducks handled the Pioneers just fine and are having a solid season thus far, despite losing at home recently to UC Riverside.

 

I stayed the night at my roommate's house and then he drove me to the airport this morning. I probably could have left Eugene this morning and made it just fine, but I wanted to give myself a little extra time in case something went wrong. My flight was scheduled to leave at around 10:50, which it did, and I should be arriving in Denver on time. I don't know what the weather will be like at home but I dressed myself in multiple layers this morning just in case the Rocky Mountain air is as cold as it usually is during this time of the year. I can't wait to get home and be able to relax in my actual house for a change.

 

Before leaving Eugene last night I went around my house and took all of the necessary precautions to make sure that our house is safe while it is empty, and that no shenanigans like last year's occur again (remember that my house was broken into last winter break). I went around and locked all of the doors obviously, but I also locked all the windows to ensure that no one can enter that way. Our house is literally right on a busy street corner, so I'm sure it will be fine, but that's what we said last year, and we all say the frustrating conclusion of last break. I turned off all of the heat so that we don't waste energy, and I cleaned as much as I could, but didn't seem to make that large of a dent. I'm not going to lie, our house has been pretty messy as of late, but I did some damage to the living room so that I could get to the television without having to wade through a mine field of pizza boxes and McDonald's wrappers (I know, typical male household). I left our lights on outside and few within the house just to make it look like someone is home. I'm sure it will be fine, and it will only be empty for about two weeks as opposed to the entire break.

 

When I get home one of my first tasks to complete is my holiday shopping. I want to go the the mall and get in and get out in as little time as possible so I can enjoy the rest of my vacation in peace. Christmas and New Year's are my two favorite holidays of the year and I am glad that winter break is finally here. I'll write you from Denver!

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Surgery is Over, and My Break is Here.

David R.

December 17, 2010 - 3:54 PM

I had a great time with my mom this last weekend, because she was able to get my mind off of the surgery I had on Monday to fix my hernia. My mom came in on Sunday afternoon before my surgery on Monday, and helped me to forget about the annoyance of not being able to eat all day on Monday. She took me and a few of my friends to P.F. Chang's down Coburg road, where we scarfed down a hearty meal before making our way to Prince Puckler's to get a taste of Eugene's best ice cream. If you've never had it, you're missing out on what could be the greatest ice cream in the world. My mom and I made multiple trips while she was here.

 

Monday was surgery day, and I made it through just fine. The hardest part was not being able to eat all day. I had to stop eating at midnight and couldn't eat again until the surgery was over at around six p.m. I was starving by the time surgery came, but preparing for the operation helped to take my mind off of my hunger. I went to sleep and woke up after what seemed like only a few minutes, but the 40-minute surgery was over and it went great the doctor said.

After leaving the hospital my mom drove directly to the Domino's down Willamette so I could grab a delicious pizza, all for me. I annihilated it on the way home and I called my dad to let him know how the surgery went. I have been a little sore for the last few days but I seem to be healing up just fine. I had to go into work this morning to try to crank out the rest of my work so I had enough time to come home and cram my suit case before I leave Eugene.

 

I'm finally going home to Colorado tomorrow. My flight leaves Portland at about 10:30 and arrives in Denver at around 3:30 after making a stop in Spokane. I haven't been home since the end of August so it will be nice to finally get to spend a few days at home. I love Eugene, but all of my friends are at home, and I already wasn't able to be home for Thanksgiving while everyone else was. This is officially the longest I have ever been away from home. I can handle it just fine, but sometimes it's tough when everyone else gets to go home. It will be great to see all of my friends again, and my uncle from Florida is flying out on the 26th and were all going to the mountains for a few days to ski. The break will be a blast but I still have a lot of shopping to do before Christmas. I still need to buy presents for my family, and lord knows the mall is true hell during this time of the year. I know what I'm going to get them, I just need to endure the mall madness and get it done.

 

This first part of the break has gone by fast though and I still enjoy working at the games. It's fun to be a part of the action and I can't wait until the basketball team moves in to the new Matthew Knight Arena. There are only three games left in McArthur Court until the basketball team finally plays its first game in the new arena against the Trojans of USC. This new home for Oregon basketball will be incredible, and it might just be the new beginning the Ducks need.

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