Golfing in February

When Puxatony Phil predicted an early spring at the beginning of this month I was pretty skeptical. However, at SMSU it seemed as if the over sized gopher may have been correct! The recent heat wave of temperatures ranging between 40-50 degrees had students digging out their short sleeve t-shirts and shorts. Make no mistake, it was no Puerto Vallarta, but it was an incredible change of pace.
With the warmer weather, many have become extremely anxious for spring and the outdoor activities that go along with it. However, with a fresh layer of snow that just hit ground, I have had to make substitutions for my favorite activities, such as golfing. I only take to the links four or five times a year and needless to say I am not very good. Nevertheless, this week at SMSU a good friend down the hall from my room decided that we needed to go golfing. That’s right folks… Wii Sports! The course was beautiful, the greens were just right and the temperature was a crisp seventy-four degrees. When I golf at the Marshall Golf Club things get interesting, but Wii Sports made me look like a young Tom Watson. After nine holes, my friend and I tied at -2. It was an intense game and made for a very exciting afternoon.
I find that one of the greatest aspects of SMSU is the down to earth students and their willingness to make new friendships. When I arrived this fall I was curious to see how easy or hard it would be to meet new people. I can honestly say that the students here are very easy-going and are some of my closest friends today.









Josh Anderson
Freshman - Springfield, MN

Lovin' the Birthday Sombrero...

Wow, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks here at SMSU! This past week two of my roommates had birthdays! On Tuesday night a bunch of us girls met at a great Mexican restaurant in town called Mariachi’s. Their fajitas are fantastic if any one every wants to stop in and grab one! The birthday girl had to wear a sombrero while they played her a little tune. We got some great pictures as you can see below! On Sunday my other roommate was celebrating her 20th birthday. Earlier that afternoon we went to a matinee at the Marshall Six to see The Roommate. Then we picked up Papa Murphy’s pizza and stayed in and watched a few more scary movies.
As I am sure you all know Monday was Valentine’s Day. There was plenty of love in the air on campus. I was shocked that afternoon to find a very large box outside my door addressed to me! Once I opened it I found a dozen roses, a box of chocolates, and a cute note inside. I still have not received an answer as to who it was but I am very thankful to my secret Valentine!
I am also on the SMSU dance team. In celebration of Valentine’s Day we are putting together a sweetheart dance. Each of the girls chose a male dance partner and we will be performing next weekend at Hero Night for the SMSU Men’s Basketball team halftime show. This is my favorite dance of the year. The boys get so into it and the audience loves it! If you want to see it check out the I Love the SMSU Dance Team page on Facebook sometime after next weekend!

I hope you all enjoy your long weekend!

Bertina Miller
Junior- New London, MN

Volleyball Championships… The Road to Awesomeness

Now, I am not talking about varsity sports or high school volleyball. In all seriousness, this blog is about the competitive sport of SMSU intramural volleyball. There is nothing better than getting together with a group of friends, working the ole’ joints and muscles and testing our luck at this rigorous sport.

It has been three years since I took my first steps onto the gym floor as an official SMSU intramural volleyball player, and let me tell ya, it has been three great years. As a freshman, I, along with four other friends (whom I met here at school), started a team. We had all previously played volleyball in high school, so we figured our chances of taking the championship were lookin’ pretty good. But of course, this league is not fit for a team consisting of just pure, raw talent (which we obviously had), we needed some strong, savvy men to accompany us. As it turns out, we found the perfect men who fit the qualifications; tall, strong, quick, and had mad ups. We were ready to DOMINATE.

Throughout the seasons, we had proved our athletic aptitude, digging up kills, picking up tips, serving bullets, and hitting solid. We had made it to the championship game the past two seasons, but our talents finally proved us ultimate champions this past fall. It was a treturous journey, with new talent from opposing teams challenging our every move. Although the journey to the championship had affirmed itself demanding, making it to the championship game could not have had a better ending. The other team brought all the right tools to test our team spirit, but we pulled through in a close final game. All of our hard work had finally paid off. “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS…. OF THE WORLD…”

Regardless of the championship win, the whole entire point of this blog is to prove the life-long friendships that I have made throughout my three years here at SMSU. My team has had members come and go, but the friendships I have made in college will never fade. There are plenty of opportunities and events at SMSU that have allowed me to make these friendships, whether it be through intramural, clubs and organizations, or weekly events in the students center, the friendships I have made were accomplished through getting involved on campus. There is no better way to meet friends than to get involved, and SMSU has plenty of these opportunities available.

Sincerely volleyball champion 2010,

Amanda Schmitz
Junior – Sleepy Eye, MN

Andrea

Hello!
It has been a busy couple of weeks here at SMSU. This past weekend we had Hawaiian Night which was a blast! The game was packed full of students, alumni and community members in their Hawaiian gear cheering on the SMSU basketball teams. Hawaiian night is something I look forward to every year.
Earlier this week we had a snow day! I know what you’re thinking; you get snow days in college? and the answer is yes! I spent my snow day watching movies with my roommates, eating junk food and catching up on some homework.
Next week it’s my birthday and I’m very excited! My friends and I are going out to eat at Mariachis, which is my favorite restaurant in town.

GO STANGS!

Andrea
Junior- Monticello, MN