Love for hockey no less despite loss to Boston
As a senior set to graduate in a little less than four weeks, I have found myself, like most of my bicentennial colleagues, remembering everything I have contributed to Miami University and what I can take away from my experiences in Oxford. And, like most of you, I remember the hours I spent waiting in line to watch our hockey team play every weekend at the Goggin Ice Center. But, unlike some of you, I can relax in realizing nothing about last Saturday night negated what Miami athletics, and community in general, has given me: love and honor. As I watched the third goal sail past the Boston University goaltender and cheered as the clock ticked down, I realized something very important: My love for Miami hockey was no greater or less than when I attended my first game.
Despite the imminent outcome I realized I would still follow every game as I had for the past four years, still memorize the entire roster as I had done throughout college and still sing the fight song at the top of my lungs after every goal just as I had at my first game versus Ohio State in the old Goggin. Of course, my demeanor with one minute remaining to the end of the game changed drastically. But just as quickly as Boston stole the game from us, my ill feelings for Miami had subsided. Because truth be told, (and please excuse the cliché), the journey is much better than the destination. It will not be that final day in May at Yager stadium with my fellow graduates I solely remember for the rest of my life, but the cumulative four years at Oxford. My most valued memories will be of the countless Miami bagels I ate uptown, the papers I sometimes submitted at the last minute for my classes, the songs I sang (often off-key) at Karaoke night, the sight of my classmates arguing on High Street (in the presence of 20+ police officers) that no power means no class to President Hodge and, of course, the sunny days I spent outside Bell Tower drinking a smoothie and just saying hi to friends as they passed through. And similarly, I will remember my hockey team for having compiled the winningest record in college hockey the last four years during my tenure at Miami, as the team that made history simply by getting to the national title game and of course as the victors in the game versus Western Michigan that produced two goals in 22 and, "pandemonium, like I've never seen it before in four years at Goggin arena."
The BU players and fans may have left the Verizon Center that night with a national title and their heads held a little bit higher. But a title is simply a title, an intangible name that will simply become another statistic on a banner. Our fans left, knowing who the real champions of that game were and with a fan base simply unrivaled in college hockey, with heads held as high as they had been throughout the duration of our program. And our players left with a brotherhood, a family they will have forever, and fans who will drive 18 hours in the course of one weekend just to see them play for two hours in a title game. Of course, as a Cleveland sports fan who has watched heartbreak year after year with the Indians, Cavaliers and Browns, it is somewhat routine for me to understand failure to obtain a national championship is not failure for a team. But for those of you who are not lucky enough to have undying support for a team, I advise you to continue the 200 year tradition of love and honor to Miami. Forever. And a day.
Daniel Birnbaumbirnbadr@muohio.edu
Graduation speakers honor MU achievements
In reading the flood of articles and letters disparaging the choice of Rep. Steve Driehaus and Rep. Paul Ryan, I think a key point has been neglected. I would like to be the first to thank Miami University for bringing these two speakers and congratulate them on an excellent decision. This year is our bicentennial. It is almost certainly one of the most important years in Miami's history, and it rightly deserves important speakers. The truth is that what makes these two individuals special is the fact that they both actually studied here at Miami. Rep. Driehaus even has part of this county as his district. These speakers, from opposite sides of the ideological spectrum, both came to Miami to receive their education and decided to dedicate themselves to public service.
For a university that has been tagged with all sorts of stereotypes about wealth and image, the fact Miami has chosen to pick two of its own for its most important day speaks volumes to its wisdom. Especially in this time of economic trouble, it is admirable to see Miami resisted the urge to pick someone who was very famous or one who would attract lots of attention. Instead, the university chose two speakers that we, Miami students, would care about in a way no other students in this country could. I will be proud to attend a ceremony that will not be focused on showing off Miami to the world but instead will be a celebration of our school and its pride.
We have had a United States president, a Super Bowl quarterback and now a Frozen Four finalist hockey team. Driehaus and Ryan show that no matter what your views, you can succeed with a Miami degree. In conclusion, I would like to answer a question posed by Andrew Goldie. He asked, "What do Ralph Waldo Emerson, Howard Taft, John F. Kennedy, Bob Hope, George H. W. Bush, Malcolm Forbes and Colin Powell all have in common?" The answer to this question is that not a single one of them actually studied at Miami University. There will be plenty of years for us to bring in mega-celebrities. During our bicentennial, I am proud that we are honoring our own.
Patrick Frankfrankp@muohio.edu
Miami Student ignores 'non-team' sports
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I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial ("ESPN coverage shows bias, lack of respect") from Tuesday about the lack of respect for our ice hockey program and how the announcers and media were dismissive of us. The problem I have is that you, The Miami Student, do the same thing to all "non-team" sports here at Miami on a weekly basis. A big deal was made that if our ice hockey team won, it would be the first for the
university. Do you know that we have had NCAA champions here at Miami? Just not in a team sport. Does that make their accomplishment less impressive? I do not believe it does.
The Miami Student has long had a preoccupation with "team" sports and little respect for our individual sports. So what is different from what the national media and announcers did to our ice hockey team and what The Miami Student does on a weekly basis to our own individual sports? I find your outrage very arrogant and more than a little annoying. You have the ability to cover all sports at Miami and let our student population know of the great things happening. Unfortunately, The Miami Student chooses to be dismissive of non-team sports and do to its own students what it criticizes others outside for doing to us.
Rich CeronieDirectorIntercollegiate Athletic Campssceronirj@muohio.edu
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