I’m still here…

For all you faithful readers, if any of you are still left, I apologize for my lengthy hiatus. A lot has been going on in my life, all of which is good, so there’s no need to worry. I haven’t posted since September, but it feels like a few weeks, tops. Some big things have happened, most notably the CSP Women’s Volleyball team winning the National Championship. Let me tell you the story of that…

As soon as we found out that the National Tournament was in Topeka, KS, a group of us decided that we would travel down to Kansas if we made it to the Final Four. After beating California University of Pennsylvania in the Elite Eight, we embarked on Thursday night and stayed in Des Moines. The next morning, we left around 10 and traveled to Topeka. Along the way, the scenery was nothing short of mediocre; nothing but rolling hills and farmlands as far as the eye could see. We arrived at Washburn University and geared up for the game. That night, we played West Texas A&M University. Besides winning that match, the highlight was A&M’s most annoying cheerleaders, who “dazzled” the crowd, needless to say. After the victory, we were planning on paying the cost of the hotel for the night out of our own pockets. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the generosity of some of the Volleyball parents, who graciously pooled money together for our lodging, which allowed us to pay only $7 each to stay in the Holiday Inn (complete w/ a waterslide). After some late night swimming and other fun, we went to sleep, eager for the next day.

When Saturday morning rolled around, there was just a sweet vibe among our crowd. For us seniors, this day meant that our 4 years of fandom might be complete. After rolling out of bed, packing our belongings, and making sure we had everything, we headed to Washburn. Since we had hours to kill before the Championship, we spent the better part of that day in the basement of their library. Some of us tried to do homework, with mixed results; others knew there was no way anything could get done because of the anticipation. Plus, we couldn’t access their internet, so the time went by far too slow. The highlight of this time was the thank-you poster Manny Kuphal drew in gratitude for the parents’ generosity. About 4PM or so, we left to get some pizza for dinner, which was decent. When we were done, we headed back to campus, and still had some time to kill, so amidst the howling wind and dusky skies, we played a game of touch football, highlighted by Geoff Gronewold’s fantastic bobbling catch to win the game. With all deliberate speed, we went into the arena, bought our tickets, and prepared for the game of a lifetime against Western Washington. That was the most heart-pounding 4 games of volleyball I have ever witnessed. But when that match point was scored, and tiny Concordia University St. Paul won a NCAA DII National Championship, chaos ensued. Needless to say, it was pretty stellar. That night, after all the excitement, we headed back to Des Moines, arriving just in time to spend a few minutes celebrating in the bar before it closed. Also, nothing could beat Stephen Batcher vividly retelling the story of the past 4 years of volleyball fandom with such emotion and excitement. After a good night sleep, it was back on the road, and we arrived safely back in St. Paul. After almost 1000 miles of travel and one national title, we were satisfied. Plus, the fellowship and bonding we had on this trip was unmatchable.

That’s all for now, but I PROMISE there will be more in the near, near future.