Espeseth's blog

Passion is one of life’s greatest gifts. Bobbi Jo McManaman found her passion for basketball when she started playing in the 3^rd grade. “She hasn’t been able to put a basketball down since.” Says her mother, Jackie McManaman. Bobbi is on the women’s basketball team at Morningside College where she is a varsity member for a second year.  Along with playing basketball, she is also a dedicated student and has a part-time job. Bobbi says, “A busy schedule keeps me motivated. I would rather be busy than bored.”

Bobbi is finished with her third semester at Morningside. During her three semesters there, she has chosen a business major with a coaching endorsement. She is currently undecided about a job when she graduates, but would love to stay involved in basketball as much as possible.

Bobbi’s dedication to basketball has led her to a shooting guard position on the Morningside women’s basketball team. Her coach, Jamie Sales, says, “Bobbi is a great teammate. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the team better. She is very strong-minded and determined. We are very fortunate to have her.” While I was visiting the Morningside gym, many of Bobbi’s teammates had great things to say about her as well as her coach. One of her fellow teammates, Randi Ebert, said, “Bobbi is extremely fun to be around, but she’s also a really hard worker and plays her role as a player well.”

Bobbi has been able to create a strong bond with her basketball team over the last two years at Morningside. She says her determination to be the best player she can be has also led her to excel in schoolwork and be a better employee. In a recent interview Bobbi said, “I wouldn’t be able to get a good nights rest at night if I knew I didn’t give everything 100% the day before. I always feel bad if I don’t put my best effort into my homework or give all I can at practice.”

Bobbi is not the only one who believes she gives 100%. A fellow Morningside student, Rebecca Hansen, said, “Bobbi is a really driven and dedicated student. We are both business majors so we have a lot of classes together. She is really great about keeping me motivated. She makes me ask more questions and helps me see things from all perspectives.”

Bobbi has not only managed to stand out in her basketball performance, but also in her academics at Morningside. While managing 16 credit semesters, along with basketball, she has kept above a 3.0 GPA. She has never had a bad report from a professor and fellow students say she is pleasant to have in class. One professor, Leslie Werden, said, “Bobbi is a reserved student in class and diligent about completing her work. A pleasure to have had in class.”

Bobbi a fulltime student and basketball player, but somehow finds the time to be a referee for Morningside’s intramural sports and a waitress at Red Robin. Bobbi said, “I like intramurals because it keeps me active within the school. I get to meet new people, and it’s a great atmosphere. I work at Red Robin because I need something to do on Sunday’s. I hate sitting around.”

I don’t think we are done hearing about Bobbi McManaman. Bobbi said, “My goal is to leave Morningside with a national championship under my belt. That would be my ultimate goal.” I am sure that everyone at Morningside College hopes Bobbi can fulfill her dream

In my short twenty years of life, I surely haven’t seen it all or done it all. But I have come across many things that I would consider solid advice or basic standards for anyone’s life. Here’s a few:

1. Superstitions are for fools and witches.

2. Republicans are always prettier.

3. City kids can appreciate country music.

4. Anyone can surprise you. Even the ones you love.

5. Nothing in life is certain. Besides death.

6. Sometimes its o.k. to break the rules.

7. “Because someone else is doing it” is a horrible reason to do anything.

8. Everyone has value.

9. Don’t spend money you don’t have.

10. Will Ferrell is God.

You may disagree, but keep in mind I am only human. You don’t have to listen, I’m just trying to help.

Morningside College requires all students living on-campus to purchase a meal plan. Personally, I think this is ridiculous. Students are already paying an arm and a leg to live in the on-campus housing, and the additional $1700 for food that nobody really wants to eat is almost insulting. After figuring the price per meal that each student is paying, they can be paying anywhere from $5 to $12 (per meal!). This is also assuming that the student is eating every meal in the cafeteria, which is a ridiculous assumption considering the cafeteria has limited hours.

Although Morningside is overall an amazing campus, it is the seemingly small things like this that make a huge difference to current and prospective students. The fact that they have better food when there are scheduled visit days, is disgustingly deceiving. If Morningside expects students to pay this amount of money for each meal, they need to make an effort with their food selections each day. I am aware that Morningside hires a company for food service, and it could be the company making these decisions. The decisions, however, need to be addressed because they are causing conflict with students.

Many things belong to the sky

like the sun and the moon

and the stars up so high

but the most beautiful thing

that belongs to the sky

are the angels

with halos

that fly up so high

^ A poem I wrote in 3rd grade. It was published in a children’s poetry book.

Are you addicted to television? I might be. Do you have Tivo, frequent Hulu, or buy complete seasons of your favorite shows? I know I’m guilty of all three. I find myself avoiding homework to catch-up on prime time. I’m not only addicted to one show, but at least five. I do believe this is a serious problem. Not only are people addicted to their shows, but they are addicted to many shows that have similar plot lines and characters. I mean, how many crime shows does the world need? There’s only so many crimes.

My suggestion for you television addicts, get out of the house. Instead of living your lives vicariously through characters in your favorite shows (that don’t even exist!), do something productive. You should make your life worthy of becoming a t.v. show. I find that I get more stuff done if I make a to-do list. It makes me feel accomplished when I can check off things that I’ve been putting off for months. Also, pick a few shows to ‘follow’. A little escape from reality can be good from time-to-time.