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--i" The Pilot Friday, December 8, 2006 Page A3 Opinions Patience just might be the right answer By Matt Tessnear matthewtl984@earthlink. net Bear with me if you don’t like sports. I promise I’ll lead you somewhere. My fall has gone exception ally well from my perspective as a sports enthusiast. Those who know me know that I am a huge high school football fan, and this season has been one for me to remember. East Gaston, my alma ma ter, had arguably the best season in the school’s 34-year history. East won 11 games this season, the most in school history. They won only the third conference ti tle in school history, tying Boil ing Springs’ Crest for the Big South 3A/4A championship. East’s quarterback, Stephan McQuage, has the county re cord for career touchdown pass es. East Gaston has scored more points this season than Indepen dence, arguably the biggest high school sports dynasty in the his tory of North Carolina. Other than a loss to Crest Oct. 30, everything has gone right for the team since August. But the wins on the field are not what get me going. Those wins have brought everybody in the East Gaston family back togeth er. I’ve seen people at games this fall that I haven’t seen since I graduated. I’ve had a chance to catch up, and I’ve had a chance to share new times with those friends from back then. Heading home on Fridays for game nights, or traveling to other parts of the area to watch the team play, has been a joyful experience for me. I’ve had the pleasure of sharing that with my roommates at Gardner-Webb and other friends who have at tended some games. Things are going right for East Gaston this season, but things have been fiaistrating for me this fall with a variety of other sports. Tessnear The Atlanta Braves missed the playoffs for the first time since I was 6 years old. My de fending Super Bowl champi on Pittsburgh Steelers have been horrible to say the least, not even resembling a shell of the team they were last year. My Carolina Panthers have bumbled to a very mediocre re cord, even with “Super Bowl” talent. I wasn’t one of those peo ple who predicted the Panfters to get to the Super Bowl this sea son, but I very much expected them to dominate their division. But it just hasn’t happened. Instead of getting penalties for various “team demonstra tions” after miraculous touch downs, it’s been a more familiar sight to see Panthers quarter back Jake Delhomme slamming the ball on the ground and fuss ing with his teammates. Steve Smith argues with referees in stead of running wild on NFL defenses, and it’s never a good sign to see your players trying to bargain for calls. Whether you think of me like a brother or have never seen my face, few people know that I’ve often felt like joining Jake Delhomme in slamming things on the ground this fall. For some reason. I’ve been in one of those funks that I just can’t seem to climb out of. Ev erything I try to do, it seems something turns me back. I attempt to get online to do research for a paper, and the In ternet on campus goes down for a large chunk of the weekend. I attempt to print something from a Photoshop file in the Mac Lab in Communications Stud ies Hall; the print folder flashes “out of memory,” mocking my attempt at productivity. I’m one of those rare col lege students who likes to be productive. I’d rather do some thing now than later, so that it’s taken care of and there’s less of a chance for last-minute prob lems. Whether it be a person not sharing his or her duties and getting a job done so I can do mine, or a technical issue that prevents me from finishing a project, I’ve encountered wall after wall this fall. It’s really fhistrated me. I often think that my summer might have something to do with these issues. My 40-hour work weeks on a Monday through Friday basis this summer al lowed me to get into a rhythm. There was no homework. I left my work at the office when the day was over. I lived at the beach and had an instant place to get away for relaxation. Now, there is no defined work week. Hours come as they need to, and often go overtime because of problems or errors on my part. There is always home work, whether it’s assigned by the professor, or induced by my own need to study and stay on top of everything. My work seems to follow me home, which is more likely since my bedroom also doubles as my personal office. And there’s a lake on this campus. instead of a beautiful’ white- sand beach. I feel like I’m stuck halfway in the work world and halfway in my college world. I’m not one to offer advice, but I can say that my internship over the summer tau^t me something more than just journalism. The “real world” or the “working world” is a lot dif ferent than college, and not just for the reasons I provided above. There are a lot more re sponsibilities in the real world, but there are also clear bound aries between work and home. The Pilot Bob Carey Nancy-Pat Dire Faculty Advisors Matt Tessnear Editor and Chief Stephanie Kay Designer m many cases. In either of these worlds, you have to be patient. East Gaston has been patient through many years of football futility, and it’s now enjoying a fantastic season. The Panthers are just average, but most of the players are patient and will hang around to wait for another good season. I’m trying to learn to be patient when things don’t go my way. Psalms 37:7 says “Be still be fore the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fiet when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” That verse has been a constant reminder for me lately that good things come to those who wait. I can’t let problems and other people get in my way, and nei ther can all college students who are trying to find their groove. Maybe if I possess such pa tience, my fall semester will end up being one of the best ever, just like the season has been for all of those young football play ers at East Gaston. I challenge everyone else who’s been strug gling to seek that patience as well. Something good must be waiting just around the bend. Rachel Lloyd Katie Bryant Photo Editors Ciara Lilly Sheyahshe Littledave Copy Editors Jacob Conley Sports Editor Rebecca Clark Ali Cunningham Jack Naish Staff Writers Haley Black Ashley Carter Joseph Fluty Kayley Potter Rachel Tucker Staff Photographers Phone Number: 704-406-3533 P.O. 60x5192 pilot@gardner-webb.edu www.gwupilot.com WISDOM ON WHEELS: Summer paycheck spent on 3 hours is fair trade Parking issue doesn’t make me H.A.P.Y. By Jacob Conley This past summer, I had an opportunity to work at a men’s basketball camp here on campus. While my job simply consisted of push ing buttons on an electronic scoreboard, it was definitely better than pushing buttons that control Laura Croft. In addition, I earned a little money. I put this cash aside to buy two slips of paper. These were not or dinary slips of paper; they could gain me entrance into the Mecca of professional football - Bank of America Stadium. On July 31,1 had the In ternet and telephone occu pied for hours to purchase elusive Carolina Panthers tickets. When I finally got through, the only tickets left were in the Charlotte sky line seats, and not handi capped-accessible. Fast forward to game day, Nov. 19. While most sports fans on campus were head ing to Chapel Hill to watch Gardner-Webb take on the Tar Heels, I was headed to the Queen City to watch my team take on another set of Rams (St. Louis). That morning, as I was folding the walker, wheel chair and myself into Matt Walters’ Mustang, I men tally went through a check list: tickets in section 553, check', Sherpa guide and mountain goat to help get there, check', oxygen tank to help with breathing at that altitude, check. We arrived at the stadi um at 9:30 a.m., and found a parking spot about a block from the stadium at the eco nomical price of $20, Once inside the stadium, I faced a far more challeng ing obstacle than overpriced parking. I faced steps. I don’t care for steps. The foremost reason is that my legs aren’t exactly Her culean in nature. Therefore, I was worried about how well they would hold up. Second, I have a totally ir rational fear of heights and steps usually signify height is involved in some form or fashion. But this was football and I quickly overcame these fears. Twenty minutes after begiiming my climb, I reached the summit of the stadium and my seats. Rocky would have been jealous. Once there, I was privileged to receive audio commentary, not from the Panthers radio network, but from a 6-year-old kid who asked the questions that ev eryone else wanted to ask. “Daddy, why did Jake Delhomme throw the ball to the other team?” That’s the same thing every Panther’s fan won ders on a weekly basis. Thankfully, the defense was able to overcome the offensive mistakes and the Panthers won, 15-0. On the way home, I began to wonder if it was worth an entire paycheck to spend three hours in a hard plastic seat that was so high that I could see everything but the game. The emphatic answer is yes. There’s nothing like cheering your favorite team on, along with 66,000 of your closest friends. You will leave with memories and an empty wallet, and, in my case, sore legs. By Sheyahshe Littledave Parking is a real issue on campus. Of course, to the many students who go here. I’m sure that’s not new news. Not a day goes by when you don’t see a car driv ing aimlessly around the lot searching for a place to park. Or you see a per son park at the far end of a building, only to go back and move his or her car closer when someone pulls out and leaves. I’ve done it and, let’s face it, you have, too, if you have a car on campus. So the question is: Why is parking such a problem here? I offer one conclusion: There are too many students with cars and not enough spaces. What seems to be a big belief among professors (who themselves probably have a time trying to find a spot to park) is that some students are just too lazy to walk to class and drive. I’m not even going to mess around with that issue right now. I live in H.A.P.Y. Hall And as a “H.A.P.Y. girl”, I know I’m not the first to say that the parking (or lack of it) by H.A.P.Y. and Stroup is absolutely ridiculous. If I waste any money it’s due to constantly refueling my car because I used all my gas circling the parking lot, only to find that the solu tion is to invade the Royster parking lot. That means I either park way, way in the back behind Royster or park my “H.A.P.Y.” self in the Washburn Hall lot. Some girls choose an alternative and park behind Craig, or sadly, in Lutz/ Mauney. But that’s not the worst of it. You H.A.P.Y./Stroup girls know what I’m talking about: You come back from Wal-Mart one night, you’ve got bags of stuff ... and .... bam! it starts to rain. What do you do? You park wher ever it is that’s closest to the door, be it in Suttle parking lot or Washburn. Then you wake up the next day to find a ticked plastered on your wind shield. So you grab the tick et, toss off a curse word of your choice, suck it up and go pay for not having an available parking spot. But we can’t focus on just H.A.P.Y. and Stroup. I know the apartment resi dents aren’t having any luck either. I’ve seen cars drive in circles, then park in the nose bleed section by H and trek their way up to A and B. Parking is one problem that has no easy solution. So, what can solve it? UNC-Charlotte has just cre ated a new shuttle service to make it easier for students to get around campus. At UNC-Chapel Hill, students can get special permits to park in non-student areas if other lots are full - but they pay a parking fee to use any of the available lots. The school also provides a shut tle service. At Duke University not everyone is guaranteed parking privileges, but it, provides a shuttle services. There are some things we at Gardner-Webb could do to help ease the parking situa tion when it comes to class es. But what do we do when it comes to simply parking your car to get to your room? I have not a clue. Debate the Issues BCS: No By Jacob Conley ’Tis the season to play bowl games, fa la la la la, and that’s a shame. You may be wondering why a huge sports fan like me has a problem with big- time college football. It’s called the Bowl Champion ship Series, or the BCS for short. The BCS is the epitome of big business in college sports. Bowl games have become more and more like NASCAR. You now have every team with a .500 or better record playing in bowl games. Why are so many aver age teams invited to the post season? Money and prestige. That’s not so bad in itself, but having bowl games takes away from the pos sibility of a playoff. And a playoff is sorely needed. Major college football is the only major college sport without a playoff system. The lack of such a system has caused many injustices in the past few years. This year is no exception. If things go as expected, USC will play Ohio State for the national title. The only problem is that computers will decide the top two teams instead of an on-the-field battle. Most human pundits be lieve that Ohio State should play Michigan in a rematch of the Big Ten Confer ence match up in Novem ber. This human pairing is based on the fact that, while USC and Michigan both have one loss, USC’s loss came at the hands of the unranked Oregon State Beavers. Michigan’s single defeat was against the top- ranked Buckeyes. A loss to Ohio State looks much bet ter on a resume than one to the Beavers. That’s why a playoff system is necessary. I-AA football has a 16- team playoff system that works well. There is no rea son why the 1 - A ranks could not do the same thing. Here’s how it would work: Once a champion from each of the BCS con ferences has been decided. eight at-large teams will be selected. Preferably, a majority of these at-large bids will come from the non-BCS conferences. That way, there is an element of unpredictability. In the BCS, two titans of the game always face each other, which have made for some great match-ups. But I want to see David vs. Goliath. I want to see Doug Flutie-esque plays and up sets. And that can’t happen when we have the Scrub bing Bubbles Toilet Bowl. BCS: Yes By Jack Naish The Bowl Champion ship Series format for col lege football’s postseason began in 1998. Many have deemed it a flawed system. However, before the BCS made an impact on col lege football, bowl games were inherently flawed any way. Typically, bowl match ups were based on tradition, rather than game quality, of ten causing the top-ranked team to play the third- or fourth-best team for the na tional championship. The BCS poll ensures that the two top-ranked teams square off for the national title, certainly earning more viewers and creating a more exciting football game. Also, the Bowl Championship Series creates many different bowl games. This gives a hand ful of teams the opportunity to finish their seasons with an exciting, championship- style victory. Many who oppose the BCS institution are in fa vor of an NFL-style play off concept, perhaps in part because of their familiarity with the format. As sim plistic and infallible as this system may seem, there is no real way to create such a tournament in Division 1-A college football. In the NFL, a single loss has far less impact on a team’s overall standing when compared to Division 1-A football. A season-opening loss can remove a team from national championship con tention in the first week of the season. The BCS ensures that teams play full force throughout the season in their chase for the national championship. Also, it’s very important to remember that these are college students we’re talk ing about. The majority of these players will not go pro. They all need time to study and make good grades. Col legiate life is based on se mesters, not 16-game sea sons. It would be ludicrous to institute an additional set of games in what is already recognized as an overly stressful 12-game schedule in a physically taxing sport. - Vi • II ■ ^
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