It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

By Marissa Miles, Class of 2013


Ahh... another semester of college down. I can't decide what about this makes me happier, the thought of finally having time to sleep at night, or the fact that I won't be seeing the inside of the library for at least a solid month. It's refreshing to know that every time coach pulls us into a huddle to talk about increasing our energy, I won't automatically think of the thermodynamics behind it. And when she draws up an inbounds play at a timeout, I won't accidentally mistake the arrows for the movement of electrons across a bond rather than the movement of the ball across the floor. So you caught me, I'm a certified nerd. I guess that’s something that one should expect once they've found friendship with the afterhours security guard at the library and is on first name basis with the Safe Ride driver that brings you home after a long night hidden away in the stacks studying.


Finals week at Case is officially OVER! Now, I don't know if you've ever experienced anything like it before, but finals week here is without a doubt the craziest time of the year. Campus immediately becomes the walking grounds for a few thousand exhausted, zombie-like individuals making the trek to a horrifying 3 hour final, giant cup of coffee in hand. I'm trying to decide what about finals week was more entertaining, witnessing teammate Caitlin Rudge take a 5 Hour Energy and then fall asleep an hour later or watching Chelsea Lasky nap face first into her open Physics book. Despite all the late nights and hard work, all that matters now is that it's over, and somehow we made it out alive.

So now we're on to one of the most fun times of the year, winter break. A few days ago, campus shut down, and the majority of Case Western students made their ways home for the holidays. We however, just relocated to a different part of campus. For a few days now, and then for quite a few more after Christmas, our team all moves in together while we're here for winter practice and a few games. Sure, there's moments when being the only people on campus and spending entirely too much time together makes us want to kill each other, but for the most part we have a ton of fun. Who wouldn't enjoy a day full of basketball, food, movies, and NO class. It's spectacular. Although it's true that some mornings when I wake up in this different living situation I miss the sounds of Erica obnoxiously blowing her nose, I now know that Lauren's right downstairs ready at any moment to spit a rap for us. Living with my other teammates over Winter Break is definitely a bonding experience, and you really get the opportunity to learn more about each other than we already knew. For example, today I saw an old photo of Sarah Milligan dressed as a nun (we'll leave it at that).

I'm excited to beat Wooster on Sunday, head home for a few days with the family, and then get right back here to Cleveland to prepare for our Holiday tournament. A few great basketball games, a team holiday party, and a whole lot of bonding... they don't call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothing. Happy holidays!

Marissa

Here we go!

Basketball Season Begins--Sarah Milligan '12, Team Captain

On October 15, the Case Women’s Basketball team prepared for our first day of practice. It was a day we had been anticipating since the end of last season. After last season ended, we hit the weight room and focused on improving our skills on the court. But on October 15, all of our hard work in the offseason was over and it was time to start practicing. We were all so excited to get started, but also nervous to see what Coach would throw at us during practice. The first practice was challenging and physically demanding, but we worked hard and pushed ourselves to get better. One of the best things about our team is that we are all so supportive of each other—we are always there to pick each other up. We came together during the first practice, and it was a great feeling. (Sarah is pictured above, far right)

The first week of practice as a whole has been great. We have done a lot of conditioning, started to work on our offense, and of course we have focused on our team’s pride—our defense! It is exciting to see how our team is shaping up, what our strengths are and what we need to improve upon. I am so excited for this season. We have so much talent, great unity and a lot of enthusiasm. We have set high goals for our team, and we are working hard every day to reach those goals!

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Kathryn Huber!

From Tyler, Texas I send yall all a southern drawled- 'howdy'.
As I begin my freshman year in the dreary Cleveland, cold and cloudy,
I plan on majoring in the wildly popular world literature (totally the norm)
And am therefore writing my short biography in poetic form.
When I first began my inquiry into the wildly unknown world of college,
I originally hoped to find a great school of nerdy knowledge,
As well as a great team of awesome talent and skill,
A place where the odds of failure were slim to nil.
Luckily, I found myself finally on the doorstep of Case,
Unwanting of a home in any other colliegent place.

My summer (unlike this poem) in detail, would make you want to sob,
As my time was spent trying to balance three terribly boring jobs.
The first, and most entertaining, was a job at the Mexican Resturante El Chico,
Where my tasks included waiting tables, cleaning kitchens, and making pico.
The second, and most boring, was a job at the local Willowbrook Country Club,
Where these tasks included serving food, making drinks, and cleaning the hot tub.
Thirdly, and lastly, was a job coaching a middle school basketball team,
Which is entirely much more difficult than it would seem.
So yes, besides this much strung out - work - filled summer,
I'm sorry to say, that recently my life was largely uneventful...bummer.

And now as I conclude this brief biography,
About my summer, hopes and recent drastic change in geography,
I'll take this time to express my excitement for the coming season this fall,
and am ready to go the NCAA III Tournament and take it all!

Meet our First-Year Spartans--Julie Mooney!

Hi everyone! My name is Julie Mooney (pictured left; Caitlin Henry, middle; Evy Iacono, right.) I am from Dublin, Ohio, which is two hours south of Case Western. I am extremely excited to be here, and I am looking forward to a great first year of college. I chose Case Western mainly because of their outstanding nursing program. I knew Case had a great reputation, and after the first week of classes I can easily understand why. The combination of demanding classes and clinicals, and faculty members who are very knowledgable and supportive, makes me feel confident I will receve a great education. I also loved the basketball team and the coaches when I visited them in January. They have all been very welcoming and nice.

This summer, I spent most of my time with friends and family. I also spent four days a week babysitting in order to make a little money for school. I did manage to fit in a couple of great vacations. For my graduation present, my parents rented a house on an island in Florida. I took 6 friends and we had a great time. Then, since I recently took up playing golf with my family and friends, my Dad took me to the Greenbrier Resort for a weekend of golf in July. It was awesome! During my free time, I enjoy running and hanging out with my friends. I had a great summer, and am now ready to buckle down and get ready for school.

I am really looking forward to this school year and the basketball season! I am going to miss everyone from home but I will have plenty of time to see them when I go home for breaks. These next four years should be a great experience at Case Western

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Lauren Elkin!

Hi! My name is Lauren Elkin, and I am from Reisterstown, Maryland. After applying to 12 schools and typing up many essays, I am very happy that I ended up at Case Western Reserve University!

I chose this school for several reasons. Most obviously, I chose this school for its awesome academic reputation. What sealed the deal was when I met Coach Reimer at an open house. After taking a tour of Veale and learning about the basketball program, I knew that this place would provide me with the perfect balance between academics and sports. I sent my deposit in that same day. I was officially a Spartan!

My summer has been fun. It started off with a day at Ocean City. Later on, my grandfather had surgery, so I spent a lot of time helping him and my grandmother. After all that was over, we focused on the playoffs for this coed adult softball team that my uncle, my sister, my dad, and I were all apart of. This was the first year that my sister and I joined the team, so the playoffs were super intense for us. In the end, we came out on top in the championship game! That was a blast! After that, I saw one last Ravens game live before I entered the Browns town…GO RAVENS! I concluded this awesome summer with a big family dinner. It was super fun!

So, I finally made it to Case after a 6 1/2 hour drive. I am going to miss my family a lot, and it will be hard for me to not see my twin sister every day (she's the one in the photo on the right), but I am so excited to be a Spartan!! These next four years will be absolutely awesome!!

The Shield--Issue 2

THE KEY TO SUCCESS
by Coach Freeman Blade

There are literally hundreds of books, articles, papers, seminars and audio/video tapes on the topic of success.

I want to take a 30 second time out and share with you what I believe is a key to your success—preparedness.

Consider this:

1. Preparation is the key to success.

2. Luck favors a mind that is prepared.

3. If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Allow me to ask you a few questions:

1. How are you preparing now for your future success?

2. What has been your attitude in these summer months toward preparing for the fall or winter?

3. Are you developing your strengths and improving your weaknesses?

4. Are you improving your fitness level so you are able to work on your skills at game speed?

5. How much introspection (checking in on yourself daily) are you doing?

6. Will you have learned more about who you are as a person and as a player by the end of the summer?

Keep this in mind throughout August—how you prepare, the level of your commitment to preparedness will determine the level of your success. It will determine the quality of your success and the longevity of your success.

The best preparation for tomorrow is in doing your best today. Your will to prepare must be greater than your will to succeed.

Go Spartans!

The Shield: Issue 1

THOUGHTS FROM THE CASE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICE
by Coach Freeman Blade

There is an ebb and flow to every game, there are times when the offense is just not clicking and there are moments when you think you can't do anything right. The ball is not falling, the officials are not making the calls and fans (parents and friends) are not sure what to think.

There is, however, one thing that you have absolute control over. It is your relentless pursuit for excellence. It is your hustle, your hard work and your never-say-die-attitude. It is the hustle, the hard work and the never give up attitude that makes the difference between winning a ball game by one or losing by one.

Always work with this thought in mind: I will work harder than you, I will hustle more than you and I will be more efficient than you. It is about getting the most out of the moment that we have.

Go Spartans!

Let Finals Begin! by Coach Jennifer Reimer

It's hard to believe that classes have officially ended and the members of the Case Women's Basketball team will begin their finals tomorrow!

The accomplishments of all our talented student-athletes were celebrated last night at the annual Spartan student-athlete banquet. Erin Hollinger, a sophomore for our team, was presented with the Dorothy L. Hoza Award, recognizing her outstanding accomplishments both on the basketball court and the track. This season Erin was a first-team all-UAA performer, a three-time UAA player-of-the-week and named to the ESPN Academic All-American second-team. She continues to leap over (very "punny") the competition in the high jump and will be headed to NCAA Division III Nationals after finishing second at the conference meet.

Our 2010 scholar-athletes and letterwinners were celebrated and a brand-new award, the "Ultimate Spartan" award was presented to Sarah Milligan. The wonderful thing about the award is that it was voted on by members of our team...it shows the great appreciation Sarah's teammates have for her dedication and hard work (and her unique ability to peel a banana...become a fan of "Case Western Reserve University Women's Basketball" on facebook to see the video!)

I feel so fortunate to have the chance to celebrate the end of an amazing school year with our team. I've seen our team work hard, hit challenges head-on and grow stronger, together, as a result.

We owe so much to our two senior captains and four-year letterwinners, Ashleigh Tondo and Kristyn Atkins. They've provided great examples of the dedication and sacrifice necessary to succeed. They've worked hard, been amazing teammates and most importantly, they are great people.

And so next week begins a summer that will be full of basketball, work, studying, internships, research & adventure. For our graduating seniors begins a new chapter in their lives. In whatever direction we go, as we look to next season, I know we're all thankful for the year we had & we're looking forward to the years ahead!

Best of luck Seniors & GO SPARTANS!

Spartans hit Boston & The Big Apple--By Emily Mueller

This past weekend we reached the halfway point of UAA play, but don’t ask me how the time went by so quickly. We traveled to Boston and New York City to face Brandeis University and New York University. Sadly, we were missing one of our teammates. Chelsea Peck couldn’t make it due to shoulder surgery. She was definitely missed, but we felt like she was there because she sent inspiring texts to us throughout the weekend. I’m also happy to say that her surgery went well.

Our basketball weekend started a little early. On Thursday morning, a very lucky six of us who didn’t have class got to practice before we finished up our packing and prepared ourselves for the trek to the RTA station. During our ride, a few of us were privileged to meet some very interesting characters. We all made it to the airport and onto the airplane. As we were situating ourselves in our seats, we found out the flight was delayed, so we all made our way back to the gate where everyone got a lot of (cough) homework (cough) done. Eventually, we got back on the plane and had a safe trip to Boston.


Directly after the flight, we went to the famous Hard Rock Café for dinner (thank you Mrs. Henry!!!). After dinner we were let loose to explore all Boston had to offer. Due to the cold, we weren’t outside exploring for very long, but we did find Cheers (where everybody knows your name). Around 10 pm, we made it to the Double Tree Inn, and I ate one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Friday morning we woke up early for our shoot around. Because we took the earlier time slot, we were left a lot of time in between the shoot around and our pre-game meal to do more homework! Erica, Evy, and Nikki were lucky enough to get to take a chem. test (proctored by none other than Professor Reimer) during this time…I’m sure they all aced it.

After eating at a nice little Italian restaurant, we bussed to the Brandeis gym, where we unfortunately lost. It was a tough loss to handle, but through it we gained the tools to learn how to be a better team and how to play together.

Saturday morning we woke up early again for a lovely 4 hour bus ride to New York City. We got to our hotel (Radio City Apartments) with enough time to drop off our luggage and then go out and find somewhere to eat before practice. After practice, we got to our hotel and we had about 45 minutes to get ready for our Alumni dinner. For most of us that would be plenty of time, however there were three or four girls to most rooms and only one bathroom to a room. We were also having some issues with the elevator. Let’s just say it’s not a good idea to try and squeeze 12 people into an elevator only meant for about 6 (you’ll end up going down…not up).

By some miracle, we all made it down to the lobby very close to being on time. We then walked through streets of New York City to the pizzeria where our Alumni dinner was being held. This was the first time I had ever experienced NYC and I’m sure people could tell. I was walking around with my jaw permanently dropped pointing and oohing at everything I saw (most notably a very large Borders that Chelsea Lasky and I would very much like to visit sometime…what can I say, we go to Case). After the dinner, we were once again set loose upon the city. I still can’t believe how exciting everything was. There was an advertisement on every wall, bright lights everywhere, and taxis racing through the streets (I’m sure of this because I was nearly run over by a taxi…twice).

Sunday morning we were pumped and ready to play. We left for the gym at 11:30 so we could watch the guys’ team play. About 3 minutes into the game, an alarm started going off. At first everyone was annoyed, but didn’t think anything of it…until the announcer told us to evacuate the building. We made it outside and watched as the fire trucks made their way to the gym. After a few minutes of waiting, we were allowed to go back in.

Before we started our game, Evy lead us in a new pregame ritual. We put our arms around each other’s shoulders, swayed side to side and made some NOISE. It was a great way to get us all pumped for the game. Despite a lead in the first half, we ended up losing to NYU, but the effort was definitely there. Next week, we get the chance for revenge as we face NYU and Brandeis again in our House.

First UAA Basketball Road Trip Goes Into OT

First UAA Basketball Road Trip Goes Into OT
By Sophomore Sarah Milligan (Canton, OH)

The start of University Athletic Association games is always an exciting time. There is not only great competition, but great opportunities to travel around the country. UAA teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 of Division III basketball. The games are fast paced and very physical. The competition and traveling make UAA’s the best and most anticipated part of the season.

Last Thursday, we loaded the bus for our first UAA trip and left for Rochester, New York. After about a five hour bus ride, we got situated in the hotel and went to the gym for practice. After practice, we went to our team’s favorite barbecue restaurant —Dinosaur Barbecue.
As soon as we sat down, large platters of barbecued chicken, beef brisket, potatoes, corn, rolls and cornbread were brought out to us. The amount of food on the table was slightly overwhelming, but after the first delicious bite all worries were gone. We cleared every platter of food and enjoyed every bite! My favorite was the beef brisket.

The next morning after our shoot around, we went to a delicious sandwich and bagel shop called O Bagelo’s for our pregame meal. The sandwiches were made with thick homemade bread and tasted wonderful.

We were ready to face our first UAA opponent — Rochester. The game was intense. It was fast paced, as expected, and the score was close throughout the game. Unfortunately, we were outrebounded and ended up losing the game despite our great effort. It wasn’t a winning night for the Spartans, as the men lost their game too. We all were tired after the game but didn’t have much time to sleep because our flight to Atlanta was at the crack of dawn the next morning.

We had to wake up at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning in order to catch our flight — everyone was exhausted. We finally made it to Atlanta around 12:30 p.m. and briefly stopped at the hotel before leaving for another practice. We were so tired we didn’t know how we would make it through a practice, but we knew we had to be prepared to beat Emory. Saturday night in Atlanta, we went to the Fox Sports restaurant downtown. It was a really fun atmosphere with great food. We were even in the same room as a retired NFL player and a group of players who were trying to get drafted.

We woke up Sunday morning ready to beat Emory. We finally recuperated from the early plane flight and were excited to get on the floor. Our team got off to a slow start, but thanks to a great second half we were able to come away with our first UAA win of the season! Now, we were ready to get home for the first day of classes, but there was a slight problem. We found out that our flight had been delayed 3 hours because of power outages at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We were disappointed we would be getting home late, but were happy our flight could still make it in. We arrived at the airport and someone yelled, “Hurry, the flight is now on-time! It leaves in twenty minutes!” We all ran up the non-moving escalator to the desk and to our dismay, our flight had been cancelled! We were shocked and disappointed to be missing the first day of class, but the situation was out of our control.

We stayed at the Westin Hotel near the airport, went to a place called Joe’s to get some food, and then called it a night. The teams were split up on three flights Monday — one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. The first flight was to leave at 9:20 a.m., but ended up getting delayed an hour. We thought we were in for another rough day at the airport, but thankfully no other flights were delayed or cancelled. We were finally home safely and glad to be back on campus after 5 long days. It was an exciting and memorable trip and I look forward to the rest of the season!

Posted by Creg Jantz at 09:09 PM Comments