"To market to market to by a fat hog...."

This fellow was hanging from the rafters at QuikTrip Park....home of the AirHogs and host to the tournament.

While much of blog land is excited and packing up to go to spring market in Portland, Oregon, I've been cheering on the home team.

 

It started last Friday when my son's team drove into town for the NJCAA Regional tournament.  (Town is being used roughly here to mean within driving distance of home.)  All semester he has been about 6 hours away in Big Spring Texas - out west where there is nothing but big sky and tumble weeds.  The team has been playing away games all over the southwest...but never close enough to go cheer them on....until Saturday!!

The team wasn't expected to win.  They were the last seed in the tournament.  Their first game started at 8:30 pm on Saturday night.
 

By midnight they had soundly beat their first opponent....and I was soundly beat as well!  (How do these kids do it?!)  The next game was Sunday evening at 8:00 pm.
 

The Mother's Day pink jerseys must have been the right choice...they won again!  Next game Monday evening at 5:00.  
 

At this point I was so tired that I was doing good to take a picture at all.  Monday night the Howard Hawks lost in the last play of the last inning.  It was a great game.  They moved into the Loser's Bracket with at least one more game to play but a possibility  of 3.  Next game - Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
 

I go to the games to support my son.  I don't particularly like baseball.  Noah doesn't even play - he is the team trainer.  I love Noah, so I go.  The games were particularly hard because with each win he was that much closer to having to travel with the team for another two weeks.  That would be a great experience for him...and them...but really I just wanted my boy home again.  As my second son put it, "Noah is the sparkle in our family.  I want them to loose so he can come home."

Four games into the tournament, when they hadn't expected to play at all, they were finally bettered in the field.  I have to say I was impressed by this band of brothers.  They did well.

Now my boy is "home again, home again, jiggity jog!"

I will now return to my regularly scheduled quilty programing.

The Adventure Begins....

I bought this car nearly 10 years ago. At the time my boys were little and would all fit in the back seat. Over the years it has taken our family on a lot of adventures.

This morning it left for college.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

Sigh...
On my own comfy couch, on my own friendly living room, with my dogs curled up on the cold tile floor....there is no place like home.
NOW BACK TO MY STORY....where was I...oh yeah...dinner....orientation...sweet deal
My boy is going to study athletic training and despite his not so great academic standing was referred by his high school Training Coach to the Coach at Howard College, Big Spring.

"The college offers an Associate of science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Athletic Training to better care for the Howard College athletes, enhance the Outreach Program, and prepare the student athletic trainers for a possible career in athletic training/sports medicine or other allied health field. The student athletic trainers will be eligible to obtain required supervision hours toward taking the state Licensure exam while under the watchful eye of Overton.

Academics are very important. Overton said, “ I believe that the student athletic trainer should, need, and will perform to the best of their ability in the classroom. They need to understand that just an education will not always get them by in today’s world. They need to get the highest education and grades possible so that they can get that good job and keep it.”

Competition is fierce for student athletic training scholarships at four year universities and colleges. Many times academics is the deciding factor as to who receives a scholarship. Student athletic trainers are required to attend classes regularly and perform to the best of their ability in the class room.

Howard College’s athletic training program is an apprenticeship type of learning. Athletic Trainer John Overton believes in and provides a hands-on style of education for his student athletic trainers.

“As soon as we cover a certain area of athletic training, and I am satisfied that they can perform in that area, I let the student handle a lot of the actual activities. I am there for observation and recognition of possible injuries, to provide guidance as needed, to see that the student athletic trainers work for their full potential, and to ensure the athletes are taken care of properly.” Overton explains.

Student athletic trainers enroll in specially designed classes that cover injury prevention, recognition and management of injury prevention, recognition and management of injuries, taping, wrapping, first-aid, rehabilitation, and the business organization of athletic injury management."

This sounds absolutely perfect. I believe that my boy will thrive here. Now...I just need to find a way to get along without him....