Women Win Big - New Basketball Record

Yesterday Stanford's women basketball finally beat University of Connecticut's team, stopping their winning streak at 90 games... a national record.

I know this is strange - me writing on sports BUT I promise this really is me ;)

And these women are worth reading about.

I would never claim to be a sports expert, but I simply had to write a blog about this story. No need to worry, though, I did my research getting facts from legit sports fanatics!

If, like me, you hardly know a hail Mary from a home run and root for a team based on who the rookie is rather than national standings, you may not have been up to date on these ladies steadily winning and coming closer to the record.

But our athletic-aloofness may not have been entirely our fault because the story was not heavily covered, at least not at first. Christine Brennan of USA Today wrote an article called "Where's the buzz over UConn women's winning streak?" Here, according to her, was the issue:

You name the excuse and it's certain to be attached to the Connecticut women's basketball team as it attempts to tie the 1971-74 UCLA men's team's record of 88 consecutive victories Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPNU) against Ohio State, then break the record Tuesday against Florida State.

She points out that if a men's team were coming up on a new record, the news coverage would be excessive and that sports are still not equitable as many assume since women now play many of the same sports men play. Brennan argues that this inequity is evidenced in that imbalance in news coverage as well as the dismissal that these women would only hold the women's record, not the "real" record for uninterrupted basketball wins since they don't play the "same game." 

However, she ends her article with this:

Come up with all the excuses and differences you'd like, but in the end, this should be a conversation about the game of basketball. A college team once won 88 in a row. If another college team wins 89 in a row, isn't that better?

And they were better.

According to The New York Times:

it is the Connecticut women, not the U.C.L.A. men, who now hold the major-college basketball record for invincibility. The Huskies won their 89th consecutive game Tuesday with a 93-62 throttling of Florida State before a sellout crowd of 16,294 at the XL Center, surpassing the 88 straight won by the U.C.L.A. men, coached by John Wooden, from 1971 to 1974.

 BUT, their streak ended yesterday.

Stanford ended UConn's streak last night with a decisive win: 71-59.

The craziest part was that Stanford was the team to end UConn's last streak in 2008. To read  more, check out this article that dubs both of Stanford's wins as "Two Platinum Bookends."

Both Stanford and UConn deserve recognition and some attention for their women's basketball teams. In fact, all of women's sports could use a little more recognition.

After all, women just won big, beating out the boys for the record : )

I Think I'm in Love...

... with slam poetry.

It is intense, powerful performance poetry by people who have clever, often cutting commentary on their lives and society. I cannot get enough of it. 

Seriously, my mom - just today - diagnosed me as addicted to YouTube.

I simply can't help it. A video of one poet leads me to another and then another and before I know it, I have spent an hour watching people "spit their rhymes."

Perhaps y'all remember my former blog post where I gushed over Rafael Casal. My crush continues, especially after watching his new stuff: "Ego."

But I've gained a new crush: Chris Tse.

He has countless impressive poems but here are two of my favorites. One is about ending stereotypes. The other one, though I am sad that he had so much content to rhyme about was incredibly well-written and I agree with his desire to move from hatred to love: "I'm a Christian, I'm Sorry."

Yet another crush developed when I discovered George Watsky.

He was precious and proud in his defense first of high school virgins and then lisps. I LOVE IT!!!! There truly is beauty in owning what others might label imperfections.

Beyond the boys though, there were also some brilliant female poets.

Katie Makkai had a poignant poem called "Pretty" about beauty expectations and happiness. The last minute is particularly fabulous!

Also, Sarah Kay had a beautiful poem about her future daughter.

Then there was Shannon Matesky who had a clever poem about Facebook and Myspace.

Lastly, there was Jasmine Mans who delivered a very sad but powerful poem about rape and family.

I hope y'all enjoyed these poems. I've watched many, MANY more... ahhh, the beauty of time to kill on Christmas break :)

If I find any more great ones, I'll share them. Until then, if you've got time to kill, I encourage you to start your own YouTube addiction to explore slam poetry and find your own favorites...

On the Inside: Nursing Homes

Two beds crammed in a tiny room.

Wrinkled faces staring blankly from under the covers, surrounded by dying plants and photographs of forgotten family. Stuffed animals and old movies scattered about. The smell, like hospitals and dirty diapers mixed together, caught my breath.

I couldn't, however, catch the tears that welled up in my eyes. They spilled over as I sang "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!" - the unrealistic and almost insincere words broke my heart.I found it hard to believe that their new year held much...

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I haven't written in awhile because I was living in the library to write papers, compile portfolios and study for exams; then I went straight to a mission trip with Baptist Collegiate Ministry groups from around the state of South Carolina.

We did a number of things like host Christmas parties for under-privileged children, bake cookies for firefighters and nurses, buy and wrap gifts for needy families, etc.

The service that affected me the most though was visiting local nursing homes to sing Christmas songs and visit with the residents. While I know we brought joy to many men and women there, I couldn't help but feel a sadness as I left each day.

Some residents reintroduced themselves to me literally 10+ times. Others said absolutely nothing but stared off, likely in their own world, seeing something other than the little room in front of them. Some even acted out their own other world - Ms. Nancy, for example, used to work in a retail store so she was constantly rattling off prices for things that I couldn't see. At one point, she showed me her worn, white slippers telling me they were lovely black pumps on sale for $3.99.

A few were not nearly as happy as Ms. Nancy and the other residents in their own private, little worlds. Some residents were still lucid, incredibly aware of what lay in front of their eyes... their small world, day in and day out.

They did not like what they saw.

Neither did I.

One man suffering from dementia simply rode up and down the hall on his wheelchair asking for the way out. Another woman simply sat in her wheelchair and repeated "I want to go home; get me out of here!" Perhaps the most unsettling story I heard was of a woman who was dropped off only 3 weeks ago. Her daughter told her that she was coming back for her in 2 weeks but never came. As though that were not bad enough, the daughter is now selling her mom's home, against her mother's wishes.

Simply awful.

Yet another woman who had been in there for over four years with very infrequent visitors spoke of "people on the outside." It sounded so much like prison and made me think of this email I read recently:

Jails and Nursing Homes

Here's the way it should be:

Let's put the seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes.

This would correct two things in one motion:

Seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.
They would receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs, etc.
They would receive money instead of having to pay it out.
They would have constant video monitoring, so they would be helped instantly if they fell or needed assistance. 

Bedding would be washed twice a week and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.
A guard would check on them every 20 minutes.
All meals and snacks would be brought to them.
They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. 

They would have access to a library, weight/fitness room, spiritual counseling, a pool and education...and free admission to in-house concerts by nationally recognized entertainment artists.
Simple clothing - ie., shoes, slippers, pj's - and legal aid would be free, upon request.
There would be private, secure rooms provided for all with an outdoor exercise yard complete with gardens.
 Each senior would have a P.C., T.V., phone and radio in their room at no cost. 
They would receive daily phone calls. 

There would be a board of directors to hear any complaints and the ACLU would fight for their rights and protection. 
The guards would have a code of conduct to be strictly adhered to, with attorneys available, at no charge to protect the seniors and their families from abuse or neglect.

As for the criminals: 
They would receive cold food. 
They would be left alone and unsupervised. 
They would receive showers once a week. 
They would live in tiny rooms, for which they would have to pay $5,000 per month. 
They would have no hope of ever getting out.

"Sounds like justice to me!" 

 I'm not suggesting that all nursing homes are bad or even that the ones I visited were. I am, however, saying that some can be and certainly are. Not even counting neglect, there are reports of elder abuse that average out to an elderly person being abused every 5 seconds. A woman who works with a rape/abuse prevention and treatment center told me that there are even cases of 80+ year old women being raped in nursing homes.

If you have a family member or know anyone currently living in a nursing home - "on the inside" - PLEASE go visit them this holiday season (and throughout the year) to check on them, to love on them, to simply be with them.

Though I know our visits on my mission trip certainly brightened the days of several residents, real difference can be made through relationships developed over regular visits.

I highly encourage you to take a trip to your local nursing home.
Bring pictures, magazines, movies - things like that to entertain them.
Listen to their stories.
Tell them your own.
Expand their little worlds so they can know more about things on "the outside" - and that at least someone (YOU!) remembers them and cares.