My thoughts on the current final four in college football:
First off, let me say that everything will play out and it will become clearer when its all said and done. Yes, there will still be debate between 4 and 5 and probably 6. The way it looks right now, it seems as though everyone will cry for a eight team playoff, but we've said that so many years with the BCS around this time of year. Yet, it always seemed to work out, and we only had 2 or 3 years where there was a legitimate argument that the final 2 were not the 2 best teams in the country by the end of the season. Things will work itself out.
However, since we can, let's look at the standings and see what the committee seems to award and/or punish.
Oregon jumped Florida State this week. Why? What makes Oregon better this week than last? Why is it they jumped them now? Only one game has been played since the last rankings. Why has a one lost team jumped an undefeated team? It is an important thing to look at, so we can understand what the committee looks for that makes a team have a strong or weak resume.
There's the complete bias way of looking at it with the so called "eye-test" which is why a lot of football experts and fans applauded using a committee over computers. I agree that having an eye test factor is nice and they can use computers to help sort out the mathematics of the ranking system as well. I think it will work in the end.
If we had to go purely by "eye-test," it' clear bias by each individual,obviously. What type of style appeals to you(spread, power, defense, pass, run, etc.) as well as regional bias. With that being said my own bias "eye-test" would say Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, and TCU(alphabetical order) look better than Florida State(and well Notre dame too because they should have beaten them at FSU if the refs get the call right). Problem is Florida State hasn't lost. Auburn and Ole Miss have lost twice, no way you can put them ahead of FSU.
Then comes the one lost teams. Well, who'd they lose to and where and who'd they beat and where? Alabama lost to #10 Ole Miss on the road and has a few quality wins. I can see them being in the conversation with FSU. TCU has a road loss to #7 Baylor with a few quality wins as well. I can see them in the conversation too.
Ohio State lost at home to unranked VT and only has one quality win. Arizona State lost at home to #11 UCLA and has a couple quality wins. Oregon lost at home to #14 Arizona with a few quality wins. I don't see any of these teams deserving of being with FSU. They all of some quality wins, but these three all lost at home. FSU hasn't lost anywhere(thanks to the ref in ND game, but at this point that doesn't matter)
Baylor lost at a now unranked but good West Virginia and has some quality wins too, but I don't see them with Alabama or TCU competing to take over FSU.
Now, this is all what I think and what I see. I see lots of quality wins on the road and at home by all these teams. So the tiebreakers really come down to whom you lost to and where. As well as my bias "eye test" my top ten would look like this:
1 Mississippi State
2 Florida State
3 Alabama
4 TCU
5 Oregon
6 Baylor
7 Ohio State
8 Arizona State
9 Auburn
10 Ole Miss
Here's why: As much as I want to drop Florida State like the committee did, I find it hard to drop a team that has a couple quality wins and is still undefeated. If they had 0 or 1 quality win than it would be easy to drop them and they probably wouldn't have been there in the first place. Honestly, though, I can see FSU, Alabama, and TCU in any of those spots 2-4. Oregon with a lose at home is out of the top 4 in the current standings to me.
My problem with the committee right now is they have shown that they favor top 25 wins over the loses. Since Oregon has 3 current top 25 wins, they seem to have favored them over all the other one loss teams and now even an undefeated FSU. In this last week, Oregon beat Utah, so they picked up a third top 25 win(that's the main thing that changed this week). So, where everyone else is mostly 2-1 in top 25, Oregon is 3-1. They forget the loss and where it took place. They are favoring the pure top 25 wins. What I see wrong with that, is that a lot of those teams have beaten quality teams that sit just outside of the top 25. So they lost a huge tally next there top 25 wins column because a team they beat sits at 26 and not say 23 like Utah is for Oregon's case. So I look at wins against Oklahoma and West Virginia the same as wins against Utah right now. Where the committee seems to just see a tally next to top 25 victories or not.
The committee isn't using their "eye-test" capabilities has much as they should and more at just straight up top 25 wins to be the determining factor and/or strength of schedule. Strength of schedule is important, but only to a certain extent. If someone like FSU has proven themselves against 2 or 3 quality teams and beaten the other teams on their schedule. They have done what they can, don't punish them for beating the teams they were given. I'm not saying that if Marshall would have won out, they should be in, because they played no one close to quality opposition like FSU or any power 5 conference really.
The committee is awarding Oregon for playing Michigan State. I think its important to schedule out of conference power teams, and guess what FSU tried that with Oklahoma State, but they just happen to be on a down year and are 5-4 this year. Hard to predict that 4 years out when most these games are scheduled. SEC is the conference that needs to schedule harder opposition, but Auburn and Alabama did do better with that this year playing KSU and West Virginia. SEC West is about as good as the NFL right now, so that's a gauntlet to play through either way.
In the end, its fun to talk about, but really all this means nothing until the end of the season. About 7 teams control their destiny to make the top four. Ohio State is probably the only one that doesn't in the top 8. Their destiny may be how Nebraska does until the Big Ten championship game(speaking of, Nebraska has one loss and a lot of quality games ahead), and even then probably still need a loss from someone unexpected ahead of them too. A part of me likes the committee rankings every week, so we can get a sense of what things look like, but I also think it would be better to just wait until the end of the year when all the resumes are complete. Fun to talk about though!
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Agony of defeat or thrill in victory? What emotion fuels you?
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Something all athletes and fans know about. Do you love to win or do you hate to lose? What drives you? What stays with you longer? If you win do you have that thrill and excitement a month later? If you lose do you still have that awful taste in your mouth?
Everyone and every situation is different.
As an athlete, I love to win and succeed. I believe that is what helps me prepare in practice. The winning. The feeling of success. But when it comes game time. I hate to lose. The fear of losing pushes me in the game situation. I know I don't want that nasty feeling after the game. So I push hard to win, so I don't lose.
As a coach, losing doesn't get to me as much. Losing is a teaching tool to make the athletes learn and become better. And when the winning comes, it still feels oh so sweet. Every coach is different and reacts to their team's wins and loses in they're own way. For me, it's almost a win-win. Either way the coaching is never over and you continue on to the next task.
As a fan, it can depend on my expectations. When Andy Roddick played Federer all those times, the fear of losing and the agony in defeat was not nearly as high because it was expected. When he did pull off the upset though it was time to celebrate and enjoy the accomplishment.
I always expect Brazil to have a go at winning the World Cup, so when they lose, it hits hard. Gets me me right in the heart. When they win though the feeling can be relief and euphoria at the same time for accomplishing what I expected. Two emotions that stay with me equally, the agony of the 3-0 lose to France in 1998 and the thrill and excitement of the 2-0 victory against Germany in 2002. Both are engraved in my memory with totally different emotions attached to them.
One of the hardest things for me to watch (outside of my beavers losing to the ducks) is Peyton Manning losing in the playoffs. Despite his playoff struggles, I always expect him to go all the way. The closer he gets the harder it is. The agony if he loses becomes even greater! I remember having to leave the room filled with Saints fans because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My heart hurt so much watching Peyton lose that Superbowl. But I know if he can pull it off again, it will be the greatest thrill. I'll be watching the highlights for years to come just like the 29-17 victory over the Bears 7 years ago.
Everyone and every situation is different.
As an athlete, I love to win and succeed. I believe that is what helps me prepare in practice. The winning. The feeling of success. But when it comes game time. I hate to lose. The fear of losing pushes me in the game situation. I know I don't want that nasty feeling after the game. So I push hard to win, so I don't lose.
As a coach, losing doesn't get to me as much. Losing is a teaching tool to make the athletes learn and become better. And when the winning comes, it still feels oh so sweet. Every coach is different and reacts to their team's wins and loses in they're own way. For me, it's almost a win-win. Either way the coaching is never over and you continue on to the next task.
As a fan, it can depend on my expectations. When Andy Roddick played Federer all those times, the fear of losing and the agony in defeat was not nearly as high because it was expected. When he did pull off the upset though it was time to celebrate and enjoy the accomplishment.
I always expect Brazil to have a go at winning the World Cup, so when they lose, it hits hard. Gets me me right in the heart. When they win though the feeling can be relief and euphoria at the same time for accomplishing what I expected. Two emotions that stay with me equally, the agony of the 3-0 lose to France in 1998 and the thrill and excitement of the 2-0 victory against Germany in 2002. Both are engraved in my memory with totally different emotions attached to them.
One of the hardest things for me to watch (outside of my beavers losing to the ducks) is Peyton Manning losing in the playoffs. Despite his playoff struggles, I always expect him to go all the way. The closer he gets the harder it is. The agony if he loses becomes even greater! I remember having to leave the room filled with Saints fans because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My heart hurt so much watching Peyton lose that Superbowl. But I know if he can pull it off again, it will be the greatest thrill. I'll be watching the highlights for years to come just like the 29-17 victory over the Bears 7 years ago.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Pay College Athletes?
I have had a few discussions lately about whether or not college athletes should be paid. To my surprise, I have found more people that think college athletes should get more money.
Why NOT to pay college athletes:
What ever happened to school pride? Play to win for your school, team, and fans(or even yourself). Why do they need money to do that?
And how about playing for the love of the sport? There's a reason they are good at playing this sport. They practiced for hours when they were growing up. They love and hopefully still love to play it. That's what has made them good at it. Go out and play for the love of the sport.
Also, the ones that are good enough to earn a full scholarship(and they're the ones probably making the most money for the University), isn't that good enough? Not only do they have a free education, but they also get free meals, bags, clothes, books, travel to games, etc. They don't need to pay for anything for 4 years, if they wanted to.
Why we should pay college athletes:
The main argument to pay the athletes is because the College or University makes X amount of dollars off certain athletes. For example, how many #2 Texas A&M jerseys have been sold in the last year? Does Johnny Manziel deserve a piece of that pot every time one is sold? That would make sense, wouldn't it? We don't need to pay athletes for TD's or Wins or something on the field(that's covered by the scholarship), but we can pay them a little bit for each merchandise they can directly be correlated with.
The real problem:
What would paying the athletes solve? Even if they get paid, will it be enough? We can try to put rules and restrictions on how much and what they could get paid for, but it still won't be enough. The ones that want to, will keep finding ways to get more by breaking the new rules to get paid even more. What if we open it up completely? Well then athletes can make as much as they want from boosters/donors and/or 3rd party advertisements, but then we totally lose the value of student-athlete all together. More importantly, we lose the value of college athletics.
My thoughts:
College athletes get paid enough now. If they are good; they get scholarships, partial or full doesn't matter, they get what they can and what is deserved. Go play for school pride and love of the sport. If you want to get paid for something then go get a job out of high school, don't go to college. However, if you want to get an education and play a sport you love for free while you do it(maybe even get paid via scholarships) then I encourage you to do that.
Why NOT to pay college athletes:
What ever happened to school pride? Play to win for your school, team, and fans(or even yourself). Why do they need money to do that?
And how about playing for the love of the sport? There's a reason they are good at playing this sport. They practiced for hours when they were growing up. They love and hopefully still love to play it. That's what has made them good at it. Go out and play for the love of the sport.
Also, the ones that are good enough to earn a full scholarship(and they're the ones probably making the most money for the University), isn't that good enough? Not only do they have a free education, but they also get free meals, bags, clothes, books, travel to games, etc. They don't need to pay for anything for 4 years, if they wanted to.
Why we should pay college athletes:
The main argument to pay the athletes is because the College or University makes X amount of dollars off certain athletes. For example, how many #2 Texas A&M jerseys have been sold in the last year? Does Johnny Manziel deserve a piece of that pot every time one is sold? That would make sense, wouldn't it? We don't need to pay athletes for TD's or Wins or something on the field(that's covered by the scholarship), but we can pay them a little bit for each merchandise they can directly be correlated with.
The real problem:
What would paying the athletes solve? Even if they get paid, will it be enough? We can try to put rules and restrictions on how much and what they could get paid for, but it still won't be enough. The ones that want to, will keep finding ways to get more by breaking the new rules to get paid even more. What if we open it up completely? Well then athletes can make as much as they want from boosters/donors and/or 3rd party advertisements, but then we totally lose the value of student-athlete all together. More importantly, we lose the value of college athletics.
My thoughts:
College athletes get paid enough now. If they are good; they get scholarships, partial or full doesn't matter, they get what they can and what is deserved. Go play for school pride and love of the sport. If you want to get paid for something then go get a job out of high school, don't go to college. However, if you want to get an education and play a sport you love for free while you do it(maybe even get paid via scholarships) then I encourage you to do that.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Grateful to do what I do
"How's the job search coming?"
The question I always seem to get from people and I'm starting to dread repeating myself. So I just reply "Same-old. Same-old." Then try to change the topic.
The truth: yes, I need to find a job. That's what society tells me. I need to make more money then I do now to pay for everything I have or want. Maybe I have been too picky on jobs, that I haven't applied for enough. That's probably true.
The real truth: I love what I do. I wish I can do it more often. I wish I could get paid more for it, but then again I would also do it for free in a heartbeat. Coaching is my passion.
I had a conversation the other night with a parent of two kids I used to coach and a third that is still there. He was so thankful and appreciative of what I do and the impact I have had on his kids. Then he asked if I have seen the post that a soon to be senior posted on facebook. I said I haven't because I'm not friends with any of them on facebook. So they pulled it up for me:
(Then he had a picture of all his racing numbers and a pair of sunglasses he got after one of his races.)
This just brought a smile to my face. As a coach it is hard to read or know what all your athletes are thinking, but you hope that they are having fun and gaining new and valuable experiences that they can use in the rest of their lives. This kid gets it, and he along with all the others on the team is the reason I coach and I love what I do.
The question I always seem to get from people and I'm starting to dread repeating myself. So I just reply "Same-old. Same-old." Then try to change the topic.
The truth: yes, I need to find a job. That's what society tells me. I need to make more money then I do now to pay for everything I have or want. Maybe I have been too picky on jobs, that I haven't applied for enough. That's probably true.
The real truth: I love what I do. I wish I can do it more often. I wish I could get paid more for it, but then again I would also do it for free in a heartbeat. Coaching is my passion.
I had a conversation the other night with a parent of two kids I used to coach and a third that is still there. He was so thankful and appreciative of what I do and the impact I have had on his kids. Then he asked if I have seen the post that a soon to be senior posted on facebook. I said I haven't because I'm not friends with any of them on facebook. So they pulled it up for me:
"My XC career started exactly three years ago. I remember not being able to last more than five minutes on my first warm-up... and how after barely crossing the finish line during my first 3K, Coach Devine said to me, "You ready for a 5K?" I honestly considered quitting, but I'm glad I didn't. Though I wasn't able to recover all of them, these numbers represent all the times I've battled and defeated my weakness and fear. Cross country doesn't just build fitness - it builds character. It has made me who I am now. I have one more season to go, and I'm determined to do my best (as always). To my teammates, thanks for tolerating and supporting this slacker! To people who still refuse to recognize XC as a sport, we all know you're just jealous of our stylish short shorts, of the fact that we're the biggest and closest family any team can ever hope to be, and of our high probability of surviving the zombie apocalypse." - Senior at La Salle Class of '14
(Then he had a picture of all his racing numbers and a pair of sunglasses he got after one of his races.)
This just brought a smile to my face. As a coach it is hard to read or know what all your athletes are thinking, but you hope that they are having fun and gaining new and valuable experiences that they can use in the rest of their lives. This kid gets it, and he along with all the others on the team is the reason I coach and I love what I do.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Pick-up games over organized sports
One thing that I miss the most about college is one minute I could be sitting on the couch with no plans. The next thing I know, I am grabbing my boots, racket, or ball and off to play a sport. Playing a sport usually came out of no where. I text or see a friend and we are off to play tennis or going to find a group playing soccer in the fields. It was easy, fun and free.
Did I still have organized sports? Certainly. I played probably 5 different types of intramural sports. I also had several activity classes that got me active and playing sports with others. These were still affordable and low key(well I guess the classes were expensive, but I got credit). It also gave us a way to meet new people that play the same sport, so we could have even more people for pick-up games.
Maybe its the city life vs small town life. City people are busy and live by schedules. Small town people just step out the door and find something to do when they're free. Maybe my sports friends have moved away and its harder to meet to play. It seems like if you want to play a "pick-up" game, you have to send a facebook invite 2 weeks before and text 2 times to make sure they're coming. Not very "pick-up" game like. Maybe its the busy life of the 20-somethings out of college person. So people turn to organized sports.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked to play on a team (particularly indoor soccer). I ask how much and its over 60 or 70 dollars for 8 games! My response, I would love to but that's too much for me right now, sorry. Obviously, I just need to get a job and I could afford to play with some teams. I have been blessed though to play on an outdoor soccer team for free because our team has a sponsor. However, there's still something special about pick-up or unstructured games that start out of no where that I miss.
I have replaced this missed unstructured play time with lots of running lately. I absolutely love running, don't get me wrong, but give me a group of friends and a ball of any sport and I would take that in a heart beat. I can run on my own any day, but its getting competitive and socializing with good people that I miss from unstructured games.
Did I still have organized sports? Certainly. I played probably 5 different types of intramural sports. I also had several activity classes that got me active and playing sports with others. These were still affordable and low key(well I guess the classes were expensive, but I got credit). It also gave us a way to meet new people that play the same sport, so we could have even more people for pick-up games.
Maybe its the city life vs small town life. City people are busy and live by schedules. Small town people just step out the door and find something to do when they're free. Maybe my sports friends have moved away and its harder to meet to play. It seems like if you want to play a "pick-up" game, you have to send a facebook invite 2 weeks before and text 2 times to make sure they're coming. Not very "pick-up" game like. Maybe its the busy life of the 20-somethings out of college person. So people turn to organized sports.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked to play on a team (particularly indoor soccer). I ask how much and its over 60 or 70 dollars for 8 games! My response, I would love to but that's too much for me right now, sorry. Obviously, I just need to get a job and I could afford to play with some teams. I have been blessed though to play on an outdoor soccer team for free because our team has a sponsor. However, there's still something special about pick-up or unstructured games that start out of no where that I miss.
I have replaced this missed unstructured play time with lots of running lately. I absolutely love running, don't get me wrong, but give me a group of friends and a ball of any sport and I would take that in a heart beat. I can run on my own any day, but its getting competitive and socializing with good people that I miss from unstructured games.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Do you enjoy being active?
So when I signed up for the Eugene marathon I got three months subscription to three magazines. I quickly chose Runner's World and Sports Illustrated. I didn't know what to pick for my third, so I just checked the one that sounded the most about physical fitness: "Fitness." I have now found that Fitness magazine makes me laugh more than gives me information on fitness. The "how to shed 10 lbs" and "why haven't I lost the weight?" cover the magazine.
Everything in the magazine is focused on weight and body image. That shouldn't be the core focus for fitness. I see the same thing as I pass by gyms: "Shake the weight before summer"
Is it the magazines or gyms fault? They're just trying to reach to the largest consumer audience. Research they have done must draw them to reach out to people to focus on weight loss as their number one reason for being physically active.
I am here to tell you to be physically active in something you enjoy doing. Make fitness fun! If your sole purpose of exercise is to lose weight then your going about it the wrong way. Losing weight should be the bonus to exercise. I'm not saying you can't be excited about losing weight. If it's your number one objective though, exercise will start to feel like work. Then doing workouts becomes an extra stress in your life when it should be a stress reliever.
If you don't get any enjoyment or satisfaction running on a treadmill besides saying "I hope I lost 3 lbs with that run," then don't run on the treadmill. Find something else you might enjoy. Go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Go for a leisure bike ride. It doesn't have to be physically draining. Just active movement.
It might just need to be a mindset change too. Certainly not many enjoy running on the treadmill or running in general. I am not saying that you should never run because you don't like it. Maybe you need to find something you enjoy about running and focus on that. The feeling of accomplishment after the run. Or the runner's high that will soon kick in. If there might just be one tiny thing you like about running, biking, swimming, etc. focus on that one thing. Maybe down the line it will be more enjoyable and you'll feel more accomplished.
Also, we all have a little bit of competitiveness in us. Go play a sport. Even if you're bad at it. Just play and have fun. Tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, or whatever you like. Go do it and have fun. I know when I was in college I felt like I hardly ever did a "workout." I played maybe 2-3 sports a day for 2-4 hours. It was tiring, but I hardly noticed because playing new and old sports is my passion. Don't be self-conscience about swinging and missing at a ball. Just laugh and enjoy yourself.
Physical fitness should not feel like work one bit. It should be fun! Be active but enjoy what you do while doing it!
Sports, run, bike, swim, hike, dance, garden, lift weights, yoga, wii fit...etc...
Everything in the magazine is focused on weight and body image. That shouldn't be the core focus for fitness. I see the same thing as I pass by gyms: "Shake the weight before summer"
Is it the magazines or gyms fault? They're just trying to reach to the largest consumer audience. Research they have done must draw them to reach out to people to focus on weight loss as their number one reason for being physically active.
I am here to tell you to be physically active in something you enjoy doing. Make fitness fun! If your sole purpose of exercise is to lose weight then your going about it the wrong way. Losing weight should be the bonus to exercise. I'm not saying you can't be excited about losing weight. If it's your number one objective though, exercise will start to feel like work. Then doing workouts becomes an extra stress in your life when it should be a stress reliever.
If you don't get any enjoyment or satisfaction running on a treadmill besides saying "I hope I lost 3 lbs with that run," then don't run on the treadmill. Find something else you might enjoy. Go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Go for a leisure bike ride. It doesn't have to be physically draining. Just active movement.
It might just need to be a mindset change too. Certainly not many enjoy running on the treadmill or running in general. I am not saying that you should never run because you don't like it. Maybe you need to find something you enjoy about running and focus on that. The feeling of accomplishment after the run. Or the runner's high that will soon kick in. If there might just be one tiny thing you like about running, biking, swimming, etc. focus on that one thing. Maybe down the line it will be more enjoyable and you'll feel more accomplished.
Also, we all have a little bit of competitiveness in us. Go play a sport. Even if you're bad at it. Just play and have fun. Tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, or whatever you like. Go do it and have fun. I know when I was in college I felt like I hardly ever did a "workout." I played maybe 2-3 sports a day for 2-4 hours. It was tiring, but I hardly noticed because playing new and old sports is my passion. Don't be self-conscience about swinging and missing at a ball. Just laugh and enjoy yourself.
Physical fitness should not feel like work one bit. It should be fun! Be active but enjoy what you do while doing it!
Sports, run, bike, swim, hike, dance, garden, lift weights, yoga, wii fit...etc...
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Respecting Your Rivals
There's been someone on my mind lately. Her name is Mary Ann Allegretto. She was one of my favorite teachers, even though she taught me in one of my least favorite subjects(English). I had her my freshman year at La Salle. I came into English I, not knowing what to expect. I had been receiving extra help or taking special classes for reading and writing since I was in 3rd grade. I didn't know how it was going to be, basically being thrown to the wolves and having to be in a regular English class in high school, and at a college preparatory school nonetheless.
Mrs. Allegretto made me feel comfortable. I think she knew I had struggles in English, but she didn't let me use that as an excuse. She just knew that I would need a little extra time to grow and adjust to high school English. Did I become an amazing writer after her class? No. Did I even love English after her class? To be honest, no. But what she did was plant the seed of change and gave me the ability and opportunity to be at least an average high school English student. Which I couldn't envision a year earlier going into La Salle.
More than just English though, Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great student/teacher relationship outside of our class(something she had with a lot of her students). Our relationship was focused on the beavers and ducks rivalry. At this point in my life, I was just starting to become a huge beaver fan and debates with duck fans was one of my biggest passions. When you're passionate about something and debating with someone else that is also passionate, things can get personal. Especially for teenage boys. Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great rivalry relationship though. She taught me that it is okay to love and respect your rivals. Something that I still have to remind myself of today, and every time I do, I think of her.
It will be 10 years this summer since she left us on earth. Her funeral was the first funeral I ever attended. Seeing the large amount of current and past students that were there(standing room only at the back of a very large church), you knew how much she meant to each and everyone of her students.
As I have now coached for 4 years, every time a student I coach heads off to Eugene, I think of Mrs. Allegretto. I still love those kids and I try to be respectful, yet I still have to tease them a little bit for wearing that yellow and green. The same friendly banter that Mrs. Allegretto and I had.
Thank you Mrs. Allegretto! I know you are up in heaven watching over all of us!
Mrs. Allegretto made me feel comfortable. I think she knew I had struggles in English, but she didn't let me use that as an excuse. She just knew that I would need a little extra time to grow and adjust to high school English. Did I become an amazing writer after her class? No. Did I even love English after her class? To be honest, no. But what she did was plant the seed of change and gave me the ability and opportunity to be at least an average high school English student. Which I couldn't envision a year earlier going into La Salle.
More than just English though, Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great student/teacher relationship outside of our class(something she had with a lot of her students). Our relationship was focused on the beavers and ducks rivalry. At this point in my life, I was just starting to become a huge beaver fan and debates with duck fans was one of my biggest passions. When you're passionate about something and debating with someone else that is also passionate, things can get personal. Especially for teenage boys. Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great rivalry relationship though. She taught me that it is okay to love and respect your rivals. Something that I still have to remind myself of today, and every time I do, I think of her.
It will be 10 years this summer since she left us on earth. Her funeral was the first funeral I ever attended. Seeing the large amount of current and past students that were there(standing room only at the back of a very large church), you knew how much she meant to each and everyone of her students.
As I have now coached for 4 years, every time a student I coach heads off to Eugene, I think of Mrs. Allegretto. I still love those kids and I try to be respectful, yet I still have to tease them a little bit for wearing that yellow and green. The same friendly banter that Mrs. Allegretto and I had.
Thank you Mrs. Allegretto! I know you are up in heaven watching over all of us!
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