Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Farewell to Mac Court

Trafton B.

March 7, 2010 - 5:45 PM

MacArthur Court was built in 1926, making it the second oldest NCAA basketball arena in the nation, second only to Fordham University's Rose Hill Gym in New York. The first ever game was played on January 14, 1927 when the Oregon Tall Firs beat Pacific University 38-10. They didn't even have a mascot back then.

 

Saturday - March 7, 2010 - marks a historic day in Oregon sports. Yesterday, as the Duck men's basketball team beat the Washington State Cougars 75-66 in the final game at Mac Court.

 

Okay, from what I understand, that statement is only partially true. Apparently, we actually have a few more games at Mac Court at the beginning of next year, but this was definitely the last Pac-10 game. The new stadium is set to open January 2011, after a few pre-season games.

 

Our team is moving across campus to the soon-to-open Matthew Knight Arena, named after Phil Knight's son. That's what you get for donating a whole bunch of money to the project...you chose the name. Not to shabby. Thanks, Uncle Phil.

 

We're all looking forward to next year for several reasons. First, the past few years of Duck's basketball have been, uh, lackluster one might say. We fell from glory after the 2006-07 season, when senior Aaron Brooks (now a stud for the Houston Rockets) lead the Ducks to a 29-8 record and a trip to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Championships where we lost to the Florida Gators, who would go on to win it all. Again, not to shabby.

 

Last year, however, we only won two conference games against Stanford and Oregon State, which were the only two games my roommates and I went to. We were the guys that rushed the court with a sign saying, "WIN" after the season finale against OSU.

 

We're looking to the future now. New season. New arena. New coaching staff. An announcement leaked about the future of coach Ernie Kent right after the game ended, saying Kent will not be invited back to coach the Ducks next season along with the majority of his staff. I think all Duck fans enjoyed having Ernie around and we'll be sad to see him go after 13 seasons as head coach, not to mention four years as a player from 1973-1977. His nickname was "Million Moves" and he played on a team refered to as the "Kamikaze Kids." How's that for Oregon sports trivia?

 

That said, though, it's time to shake things up a little bit. ‘Cuz whatever we doing now, just isn't working. We all have hope for next year.

 

The regular season ended with a bang. As always, we celebrated our graduating seniors, Joevan Catron and Tajuan Porter. Tajuan was taken out with 30 seconds left in the game when he jogged to half court, took a bow and waved to the crowd one last night before watching the rest of the game unfold from the bench. Classy move. We all wanted Joevan to get a minute or two, but his injured back kept him sidelined.

 

The favorite part of the game for my roommates and me was snagging Duckeroni at the end of the game. Duckeronis, for those of you unfamiliar with Oregon basketball, are the yellow, foam finger-like things that you see waving behind the basket when the opposing team is shooting free throws. We thought it would be a nice memento of the event. I don't really see why we needed three-dozen of them, but the more the merrier I guess.

 

We waved them around campus and at honking cars on the walk back in celebration, while cheering things like "Ninth Place!" and "We're Not Last!" Now, we actually have to play a tiebreaker against WSU to determine who gets in as the eighth place team in the Pac-10 tourney. So, technically we could still be last. USC ended in fifth, but they took themselves out of the tournament due to miscellaneous recruiting scandals last year involving OJ Mayo.

 

The point being, believe it or not, the Ducks still have a chance at making it to March Madness. All we need to do is beat WSU for the third time this year, and then win three more games against tough opponents who have all dominated us at least once earlier this season. Okay, maybe we don't have fate on our side this year, but it's not over yet.

 

Can anyone say...dark horse?

 

 

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Feeling the Olympic Spirit

Trafton B.

February 28, 2010 - 8:23 PM

I'm sitting here on my couch watching the 2010 Olympic closing ceremonies from Vancouver, BC and I can't help but feel inspired. I don't know how anyone could under appreciate these great games.
Winter Olympics gets their fair share of flak because they're apparently not as important as the summer games, but I think that's just not fair. True, the summer games have been around for longer and have their roots in ancient Greece. But the winter games have meaning just the same. I'm still excited to watch downhill skiing. Every kid watches the bobsled events, even if it's just to look at Sanka and Derice on the Jamaican bobsled team. And the biathlon is probably one of the craziest combinations of two different sports - Nordic skiing and rifle shooting - there is. And don't even tell me there isn't history in the winter games because the biathlon has roots in 19th Century Norwegian military training.

 

The Vancouver games sure didn't disappoint, especially for Team USA. Shaun White asserted his dominance once again in the Men's Halfpipe. But it's not only that he repeated gold, it's that he flew higher and busted out tricks that other contenders haven't even dreamed of landing yet. He secured the gold after his first run, so for his victory lap he whips out the 1260 Double McTwist, a trick he invented and no one has ever attempted before, on the last trick and beats his own score. Unstoppable.

 

Apollo Anton Ohno and Shani Davis lead the way in short-track and long-track speed skating. Steve Holcomb wins the first bobsledding gold medal for the US in 62 years.

 

USA ice hockey tries to repeat the "miracle on ice" from the 1980 Lake Placid games, yet both our men and women's teams fall just short to the heavily favored Canadian teams. Two silvers is nothing to scoff about.

 

And the games had their fair share of tears and tenderness as well. Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgia luger, loses control of his sled and tragically crashes on the last turn of the course; a humbling way to start things off to say the least. Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater, overcomes the unexpected passing away of her mother by winning the bronze medal only a few days later.

 

How about the opening ceremonies, when one of the four mechanical arms malfunctions and completely throws off the balance of the stage? In true Canadian form, they tweak the closing ceremonies and have a mechanic run on stage to raise the fourth arm and successfully light the torches. I applaud the humility.

 

Even funnier is the curling phenomenon that swept through Wall Street. That's right, who read the New York Times article? Wall Street traders would get off a full day of yelling, selling and trading stocks and decompress over a few curling matches. What the heck, why not?

 

I'm already looking forward to London 2012, Sochi 2014 and Rio de Janeiro 2016

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Perfect Storm of Academia

Trafton B.

February 27, 2010 - 2:36 PM

When did my life get so hectic?

 

I thought I was done with the academic insanity after last week when I experienced one the top three most difficult days of my college career. I know it was the most difficult three and half hour span of time because from 10am - 1:30pm I was writing page after page of essays for midterms in Environmental Education or Natural Resource Policy. By then end of the second midterm, my brain was effectively ineffective. Walking out of the classroom my vision was hazy. I was in a scholastic stupor.

 

So, last week I took it easy and chose to catch up on sleep more so than get ahead in school readings. And now, of course, that has all caught up to me and convened with extracurricular obligations to create a perfect storm of academia. Here's a brief overview of what lies ahead of me in both the near and not so near future.

 

Today, I have to meet with my ELP team to talk about finalizing lesson plans for next term's trips to local middle schools. We finally received school profiles from our community partner, only two and half weeks late, which gives us a better sense of who we're working with. We also need to plan out a visit either this week or next week to one of these schools, and some of us need to plan our lesson for tomorrow morning's class. Right now I'm a little bit overloaded on pedagogical theories.

 

I only have a few other minor academic deliverables - a two-page memo critiquing Eugene Springfield Metro Parks and Open Space planning, maintaining a nature journal and another GIS lab assignment. Nothing too overbearing, but it's still something to keep track of, which is becoming especially difficult now that the weather becoming conducive to playing outside - i.e. time I probably should spend studying.

 

The real anxiety stems from the search for a summer internship, which has consumed a good amount of my time recently. Sadly, however, there's still plenty of work to be done.

 

I locked down one interview at the beginning of spring break with the San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR). Ideally I would be interning with them starting immediately after spring classes end, but I don't hold too much hope because they aren't offering many positions in the fields that I'd like to work in, like sustainable development or community planning, and they may not be flexible with work dates. That might be the only time the quarter system has been hindrance to my summer plans.

 

I'm also working on cover letters and resumes to send out to SF Environment, Restore Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park and the Pacific Forest & Watershed Lands Stewardship Council.

 

That last one is particularly intriguing because the office is in the same building as my father's real estate company, which means that my dad and I could carpool to work every day. How's that for family bonding? Then again, dad has some stiff competition with those other two opportunities. SF Environment could potentially mean carpooling with my mother into the city. And Restore Hetch Hetchy would have me living at Yosemite for two months - not to mention it's the only paid position of the group. Sweet options, right?

 

I'm also going through a dilemma about whether or not to volunteer at Mt. Pisgah next term. Between classes, ELP and work at Facility Serivces, I probably don't have time to lead a group of kids around the arboretum, but environmental education is contagious. Plus, it would force me to get outside once a week and there's still plenty to learn about Willamette Valley ecology. Then again, an internship with Food for Lane County just opened up, which might be just as fulfilling.

 

What do you all think? Mt. Pisgah, Food for Lane County, neither, both? Okay, definitely not both. I need some guidance. Who wants to give me a tip?

 

 

 

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Disc Golf & the Awakening of Spring

Trafton B.

February 22, 2010 - 11:57 PM

Truth be told, this story actually happening one weekend ago, but considering the recent weather and atmosphere around Eugene I feel like very much so still relevant.

 

Last weekend, amidst a crazy weekend of studying for midterms and desperately trying to catch up on sleep, I found the time to play the first round of disc golf since the beginning of winter. Saturday morning, noticing a glimmer of sunlight my roommates, Steven, our friend Chris and I drove over to Westmoreland Park around 18th and Chambers to toss 9-holes while we could.

 

I didn't go so far as to wear sunglasses like my playing partners, but the weather was fair enough to be outside in shorts and a light jacket. Spring was in the air without questions, but rest assured we discovered quickly that the ground still belonged to the winter rains.

 

As soon as we arrived at the course we were met with sopping wet grasslands and puddles that went on for days. The first tee box had to be two-thirds submerged and while waiting to tee off, we noticed some gnarly oil slicks in the standing water. I couldn't track the pollution to any source (ironic considering that I needed to study for a Water Pollution Policy exam), but then Chris came through, referencing a geography course where he studied a local waste facility that was pegged for not lining their waste pits up to code regulations. Undeclared major beats Environmental Studies, bummer.
Anyways, wintery conditions made disc golf a different experience compared to the summer time games I recalled from too many months ago. We would drive to Dexter Lake to play a full 18-holes in t-shirts, flip flops and Arizona ice-teas. No, today was more of a battle to stay upright against slippery wetlands and wishing that I'd worn books instead of white sneakers. Steven didn't even last through the first hole before he ate it. As a group it took us until walking through the third fairway to just keep our feet dry. I think I started playing better once I stopped laughing about the playing conditions.

 

It was still a fun round of course. I think Steven said it best when he compared winter disc golfing to indoor track. "No one is a professional indoor track athlete, they just doing it to get in shape for spring." This weekend was even more reminiscent of springtime, too.

 

The cherry tree outside of our kitchen window began blossoming light pink flowers. The sun snuck through the clouds long enough to bring back the hammock on our porch in the afternoon. It didn't last as long as I would have preferred, but it did recharge my batteries after a long, long week of classes. It gave me something new to anticipate; something to look forward to.

 

Spring term is a time when students' days often entail more time outside than inside. Sun bathing, riding bicycles and intramural softball on the weekends. It's a time when everyone finally has an excuse for procrastinating, because who can do homework before the sun goes down, really?

 

There just isn't enough time spent outside in a students' lifetime, and it is nothing short of unjust. Consider this:

 

Life isn't about working and only playing when you have a free moment. Life is about finding the balance between the two, so that both are optimally enjoyable.

 

 

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Ecological Tip #4: Shopping at Thrift Stores

Trafton B.

February 20, 2010 - 12:50 PM

Time for another installment of the (newly renamed) "Ecological Tips" for making little changes in your lives that have big impacts on the environment. Today's tip is in honor of the brand new Goodwill store that opened near campus on Franklin & Ferry Street.

 

Today, I'd like to talk to you about shopping. Everyone does it and I'm not trying to change that; our economy relies on it, so why bother? But our consumer culture does have a profound impact on the environment because everything we buy - clothing, groceries, electronics et cetera - came from some place in the natural world. And by and large, most of the impacts from consumption are hidden away from plain view - in rural hinterlands, fenced off industrial sites and foreign nations. In the grand scheme of things, American's consume nearly 120 pounds of stuff every day in natural resources extracted from farms, forests, rangelands and mines although we see only a fraction of it.
Specifically for clothes, the things we know about are the polyester, cotton and dyes in our t-shirts or pants. We don't consider the crude oil & petroleum it took to synthesize the polyester, the cotton fields sprayed with pesticides in the South or the bleach and industrial chemicals used in the dying process. Also, it's likely that all three of those materials came from a different geographic region of the world and were sent to yet another location for manufacturing before finally reaching our nearby department store for purchase. Don't even get me started on shoes, with leather, rubber and synthetics.

 

Over the past few decades a quiet revolution has been gaining momentum to raise awareness of this conundrum of ecology versus consumption. For more info, check out some of the references listed below.

 

I'm not so much focused on the root issues right now, although they are no less important. Instead, I want to provide a simple solution.

 

Shop at thrift stores. Let me break it down before your mind wanders and you get antsy. There are lots of different kinds of thrift stores out there, so let's clarify because each store has its place.
First, you have your national non-profit second hand stores - Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army and Value Village. This group of thrift stores is not exactly known for its quality of products.
Personally, I have no problem shopping for plaid flannel shirts and the occasional glassware or decorative accessory if I see something fun that catches my eye. More often if I'm shopping at Goodwill, I'm looking for a themed party. For example, I found a big, puffy, neon jacket and pants for our friends' 90s Party yesterday. I don't expect everyone to feel comfortable buying second hand clothing on a regular basis, but you can find some true gems if you look hard enough. Plus, they're super cheap. That entire outfit plus an old Ducks football hat and two clunky cell-phone walkie-talkies cost about $15.

 

Next, for the more sophisticated thrift shoppers, we have more local options (depending on where you are.) In Eugene, we have Buffalo Exchange, Eugene Jeans, Nobody's Baby, or Oak Street Vintage. Seriously, the list goes on for days. Just type "Thift Shop" into Google maps and see what comes up near you.

 

If you're looking for less worn down clothing, or at least stylishly worn down clothing, then these upper-tier thrift shops are the best places in town. Plus, you can trade in clothing at these places too. I'm not a frequent shopper at the Buffalo Exchange, but I know that you can sell any clothes back to them for either store credit or cash - given that the clothes are still in good condition, and whatever they won't take, just walk about block and a half down the road to drop them off at St. Vincent de Paul.

 

See how simple it is? Buy second-hand clothing is a misnomer. Second-hand gives off this wretched connotation that makes people wonder where it's been and who's been wearing it. Maybe I've been brain washed from living in a college world where people down expect you to wear the most professional clothing every day, but thrift store shopping is underappreciated in my opinion.
Next time you need a new pair of jeans, a plaid flannel t-shirt or a neon stretchy pants. Why not try your local thrift shop? Quick, fun, economical and, of course, environmental. One less t-shirt made means tons less water, cotton and oil used to make the shirt in the first place.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

For more info check out:

 

Stuff: The Secret Life of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan & Alan Thein During

 

Ryan and During analyze the manufacturing processes behind every day things we know and love like coffee, newspapers, shirts, shoes, computers and more, detailing the inputs behind the outputs in a concise eighty pages. It's the accessible handbook version of extensive scientific research projects.

 

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

 

Annie's quick, 20-minute video is gaining global recognition as an accessible explanation of common market processes from extraction to consumption. Warning: there is environmental bias behind Annie's words, but it's worth having a look at.

 

 

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