...: A Week Out West

Current H!GhL!Ght @ the S.C....

SiMPSON DiD iT!

...we UPSET our BiGGEST RiVAL, the Central Dutch in a nervewracking, but AMAZiNG football game last Saturday!

It was a COLD, COLD day, but the STORM was HOT...we went ahead 17-7; Central fought back to tie it (thankfully we held 'em to only a field goal) & the game went in to OT. We scored on a 2nd down 25 yard pass. Then on Central's 2nd down, STORM senior Tim Stover INTERCEPTED it to WiN 24-17! The fact that it was AT CENTRAL made the win even better.

I wish I could see the replay! :D

This was the PERFECT end to a 7-3 season & PERFECT beginning to a new SiMPSON STORM DOMiNATiON..it was very special for the seniors, the NEW coaching staff, the 8 SPiRiTED shirtless guys cheering on a freezing day, & the entire SiMPSON community.

READ The Des Moines Register article here.
READ the SiMPSON press release here.
CHECK OUT photos from the game here.
APPLY to SiMPSON for FREE here.
Be a STORM athlete here.

Friday, February 15, 2008

A Week Out West

it's Friday night: I'm not where I was initially supposed to be...en route back home to Omaha.

ok, so where am i then?! Stuck in a Phoenix hotel, having to leave a 4:30a.m. for a 6:40 flight. :(

what happened?!
Well, traffic in this city drove me close to insanity this week & I got stuck in it at 2:00 in the afternoon! 10 miles doesn't seem very far...until you have to drive it with traffic lights ever 4 blocks (no exaggeration)! Thankfully (or so I thought) I made it the Continental check-in counter 45 mintues before take-off...well, they wouldn't let me through! How dare they - what happened to the 1/2 hour rule?! There was another flight headed to my connecting city, Houston, but I wasn't gonna make the connection to Omaha.

BUT...good news! This bummer-of-a-deal isn't enough to take away my incredible feeling of accomplishment & ExCiTeMeNt after such a SuPeR, fAnTaBuLoUs, FuN, & productive "recruiting" week in Arizona!

I had breakfast (@ a good place called Jerry Bob's) with a really sweet gal, Lahneen, & her mom on Tuesday - she has applied & wants to play basketball & softball. (Sidenote: EMBARRASSING MOMENT - I spilled my chocolate milk all over!). Then I had a great conversation with another student, Kyle, & his parents that evening. He has applied & wants to play football & run track. Guess what?! He booked a flight this week & visited campus today! A senior I spoke with in Casa Grande filled out an application before I left & then I spoke with an applicant today - both girls are athletes, as well as excellent students. They are good potential candidates for our George Washington Carver Scholarships. In addition to these students, I saw some sophomores & juniors who I will definitely stay in touch with over the next year! I really look forward to seeing them apply - SIMPSON would be privileged to have these students on campus! Also, I spoke with some very friendly & appreciative guidance counselors. It's so nice to introduce another option to Arizona students that most are not aware of because of lack of higher ed. options in this state - there are 3 larger state universities, a couple smaller colleges & then a very large community college system. I was told by a friend in the Admissions field that one of the state universities in Arizona has a goal of reaching 90,000 students by 2011?! How in the world will that achieve effective learning & experience for students trying to "find" themselves?! Anyway, they all seemed thrilled to hear about all the advantages a small, liberal arts college in the great state Iowa can offer! I was impressed with how open-minded the students were to exploring something outside their comfort zone, especially one in a completely different climate! Most often, it is athletes in Arizona who become interested in Simpson because they still want to play in college, but cannot do so at the Division I level. Simpson athletics compete in the NCAA Division III. Anyway, there are some aWeSoMe kids out here in the Old West & they remind me of why I love my job. I enjoyed talking with 'em all...AND a week of 70 degree temperatures. ;P

By the way:

This is what I call a good old fashion "study" break...literally!

TOMBSTONE, AZ is certainly The Heart of the Old West! I paid a visit to the Boothill Graveyard (where some famous cowboys are buried), Birdcage Theatre & historical downtown, which was just filled with cool shops, restaurants, entertainment & roaming costumed citizens - it was much cooler than I expected & the history was astounding!! You really do feel like you walked right onto the set of a Clint Eastwood or John Wayne movie set. I really did feel out of place with my pink tank & blue sport shorts - even the visitors were sporting cowboy hats & boots. I recommend you take the drive down to check it out if you're ever in Tucson. Here a few shots from my trip back in time...