Near-Death Experience (Weekend Getaway)

Hello everyone! Kevin here...For my first blog entry EVER, I thought I’d tell you about the fantastic weekend I had – and what it’s like to face a life-risking moment head-on!
So my weekend started out Friday night. Being the stud bachelor I am, that consisted of falling asleep watching Friday Night Smackdown. Rock on.
Saturday, however, was AWESOME! With Coach Miller and Coach Roos on vacations, Brandi and I were able to take up an offer from our good friends and great supporters Allen and Pam Heringhuas to spend the day at their cottage on Lake Erie, less than an hour away from BG. As soon as we got there, we loaded up and took out their beautiful 28 foot boat out onto the lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we ended up docking at Kelly’s Island and had a great lunch. We headed back out and toured around the lake, looking at the million-dollar homes, and just enjoying a fantastic day with great company! We eventually got back to their cottage, and Pam said that Brandi and I should go out on their new jet ski. She didn’t have to ask twice, and thus Brandi and I put on some life jackets and headed out! Little did I know that I was riding out into extreme danger…
The lake was a bit choppy that day, but nothing I couldn’t handle behind the wheel of the jet ski. Brandi, riding on the back, seemed a bit timid, and I was warned by both her and Allen not to take it too fast because of the waves, and not to throw her off the jet ski. Being the gentlemen I am, we cruised around and had a good time, never pushing it past 30 mph. After a while, I asked Brandi if she wanted to take over, and, eagerly accepting my offer, we switched and Brandi got behind the wheel.
And that, my friends, is where I made my big mistake. Little did I know that Brandi, our conservative southern-belle, who has been known to be overly-cautious when behind the wheel of motorized vehicles, was the Jeff Gordon of jet-ski’s. Details are hazy, as most of the time the wind and water in my face, along with the fear that shut my eyes, prevented me from seeing what was going on. But above the blast of the motor I could hear this shrill, almost-insane laughing – which I later came to realize was Brandi. It was as if a total transformation had taken place! Gone was sweet, innocent and conservative Brandi, replaced by a speed demon with a dangerous sense of invincibility! I knew I was in trouble when she screamed above the roar “We’re up over 50!” as she headed straight for the wake created by the Jet Express, a 100 foot, 80 ton ferry with 4000 horsepower. Without anything to hold onto at the time (Brandi neglected to tell me about the strap I could’ve held that I was sitting on), it was a “Perfect Storm”-like wave that finally tossed me into the treacherous waters of Lake Erie. Only because of my sheer athleticism and mental and physical toughness was I able to survive. When we finally made it back to Pam and Allen’s, I felt exhilarated for surviving such an adventure. Her Danica Patrick exhibition over, Brandi returned to her old self, and we hung out and had a great rest of the day. Allen and Pam took us to dinner, where we had some of the best burgers and fries I’ve ever had (seeing your life flash before your eyes can make you really appreciate a good burger!), and it was simply one of the best days I’ve had. Thank you SO MUCH Pam and Allen!
With less than 2 weeks before the Fall Semester starts, I’m excited to get going, but I’m also going to try my best to pack in as much fun as possible! I do want to give a shout-out to our three freshmen, Victoria, Maribeth and Jess, for surviving-and excelling-this summer! And a big shout-out to the rest of the team, for helping those three make it thru, and for having an OUTSTANDING summer! I love you all, and can’t wait for you to get back here!
If you made it this far and actually read this thing, THANKS! Lessons for you to take with you – Pam and Allen Heringhaus are wonderful people, and if Brandi ever decides to get out of coaching, jet-ski racing and/or stunt-driving is a definite career possibility! Take care, and Go Falcons!

Kevin Eckert

July Recruiting

Hello Falcon Fans!

I hope everyone is still enjoying their summer. Our entire staff just got off the road from recruiting for most of the month. This week, Coach Roos, our associate head coach, writes about life on the road in July! We are all very glad to be home and celebrated last night with a staff dinner at PF Chang's!!

Enjoy!

Coach Poole

Hello Falcon Faithful,
July recruiting is finally over! I will have to say some of my favorite days of the year (excluding holidays of course) are the first day of fall, the first day of practice, the whole month of March with "March Madness" and August 1, when the July Evaluation period is over. Don't get me wrong, I love watching games and evaluating players, but travelling so much in a condensed period just wears me out. I put close to 5,000 miles on my car this July.
Yet the July recruting period has taken me to several cities, that I typically may not have seen. I have been to some big cities like Portland, Orlando, and Dallas and smaller cities like Monroe, LA, Shreveport LA, Colorado Springs, CO and Murfeesboro, TN. It is hard for me to believe, but this was my 16th summer recruiting in July: 8 summers recruiting for Davidson College and 8 summers recruiting for BGSU.
After that many summers, I have seen a lot of things that always make you laugh. Here are a few memorable stories for you. (Due to NCAA rules, I can not talk about recruits so stories will have to do for now) Once I was in Atlanta walking out of the gym with some coaches, and as we were all saying goodbye, this one particular coach from a highly academic school in the ACC got into her car. As soon as she got in, I noticed she was having trouble starting her car. Another coach came up to her and offered her assistance, but they were both perplexed. Then another assistant coach came up and she was able to solve the problem. She said, "I know what the problem is…you are trying to start my car, your car is over there." Everyone started laughing and realized at the same time, that could have been anyone of us!
In addition to possibly losing your car, bodily harm is another hazard coaches face in the gym. It never fails that some coach will sustain a freak injury while recruiting. Last summer, an assistant coach in our conference was watching a game in the front row and a player dove for a loose ball headed out of bounds. This right dove right into the coach, and her ACL brace went right into his shin. He had a 4 inch long gash that required stitches, and later that week he needed a shot to fight an infection from his laceration. I saw him in the first week of July and gave him some advice…"sit in the second row this summer." Another coach was hit in the forehead by a heavy, faulty (highly debatable) metal door and received a bloodied, golf ball size bump, but that coach toughed it out and still made the game! That is a sign of a hard headed coach, I mean, hard nosed coach! (I can be bribed to reveal the name of that particular coach, here is one clue…he lives in the west side of BG)
Last but not least, another coach from our conference walked into a gym with a 32 ounce Mountain Dew and a brand new, white recruiting shirt. To make a long story short, the shirt was a supercute lime green after the first possesion of the game when the ball hit the cup and the Mountain Dew hit the shirt! Needless to say, July is always an adventure.
Seriously, the real reasons I look forward to August 1st is that I know everyone from our staff has made it back safely to BG and I get to see the team again!
We have had a lot of positive feedback about the blog site and make sure to send that feedback to Brandi since she is the one who has put the most time and effort into this site! Please don't send it to me because I won't be here to receive it since I am going on VACATION!!! :) I am visiting my family in Kentucky then headed to South Carolina. It should be a lot of fun!
That is it for now from me and as always, Roll Along!
Jennifer Roos