A tribute to the Unknowns

During spring break I did something I probably haven't done since I was 6 years old - I voluntarily missed part of men's basketball's Championship Week.

Why, you ask, would I abandon my favorite sport during March Madness? Because something I'd been looking forward to the past two years finally happened: I saw my first college ice hockey game.

Every time I visit my boyfriend at Cornell University, we check the schedule to see if there will be a home game, but the answer had always been "no." This year, March 13 was my lucky day.

I've seen my two cousins, who live in upstate New York, play hockey before, and I've watched the "Mighty Ducks" trilogy and "Miracle" an obscene number of times, but watching a college game was so much better.

I realized that despite my thorough enjoyment of the sport, I have never mentioned it in one of my columns. I've decided to devote my last column to those NCAA sports I've neglected during my reign as sports editor.

I rarely talk about any sport that involves individual competition, because I personally am terrible at them. I get frustrated at myself without the help of teammates, but I have great respect for those who can excel at these sports.

I've tried to pick up tennis during the past few years. Unfortunately, my competitive side has caused me to refuse to get in the car after some matches, and instead I run the mile back to the house.

I like golf much more if the word "miniature" precedes it. Mini-golf is less expensive and takes less time, so it's pretty much the obvious choice for me. Also, unlike "real" golf and tennis, I can cheer, which is crucial to my own enjoyment of a sport.

Bowling is a sport I thoroughly enjoy when I do well, but that's not guaranteed. I was upset when I got older and people thought I shouldn't use the bumpers anymore, because the increase in gutter balls was pretty embarrassing.

I considered joining the track team when I quit basketball in high school, but realized that was a terrible idea. My philosophy on running is that I'll do it if I'm chasing after a ball, but I would rarely go to a track just to practice sprinting.

Cross country is something I might be able to do if I could listen to my iPod the entire race or watch TV (thank god for those machines at the gym with personal TVs). Otherwise, I'd just get bored and want to stop even if I wasn't tired.

I have little experience with skiing because my family usually takes vacations on the Delaware shore. I went to Vermont a few years ago excited to ski for the first time, but there was no snow. Then again, I'm incredibly afraid of heights, so maybe it's best I never had to go on a ski lift.

I'm pretty sure I never knew about fencing until I saw "The Parent Trap." Luckily, my friend Andrew is an experienced fencer, and I've learned to appreciate the sport more since I met him two years ago. And by appreciate, I mean laugh at him charging around his dorm with a sword, prompting the RA to put a stop to his shenanigans.

One of the few sports I have essentially no experience with is riflery. It was one of the activities at a summer camp I went to, but I decided to start with archery. I felt dangerous enough shooting a bow that I didn't think I should move on to bullets.

I can't tell you much about water polo, except that it's very popular in Newport Beach, Calif., according to "The O.C." I hope the University of Richmond men's and women's club water polo teams don't treat other students the way Luke treated Seth.

I have rarely encountered wrestling, but my internship supervisor last summer used to work for World Wrestling Entertainment, and often played WWE shows while I was working. I think it's safe to say I don't regret that I've never been to a wrestling match.

If there is one sport I could choose to be good at, it would be gymnastics. I am extremely envious of Olympic gymnasts, the girls from "Stick It" and my two friends who have been gymnasts as long as I can remember.

Unfortunately, I quit gymnastics when I was 5 because we were practicing cartwheels and I didn't think I'd ever be able to do one. I later mastered the art of the cartwheel and begged my parents to let me take gymnastics lessons, but they said I'd be too busy with the other sports I played.

I started playing lacrosse in sixth grade, when most other girls had played for seven years already. Thus, my younger sisters started when they were five and I've taught them all they know.

I've found that outside of Baltimore, where my friends and I used to invite each other over just to practice stick tricks, people just don't care as much about lacrosse. Our motto was "lax or die," and I've started to spread it to the girls I coach in Richmond.

The other sport I began in sixth grade was field hockey, and it was my favorite sport to play by the end of high school. I couldn't play ice hockey - or even figure skate - without buying specially made skates for my narrow feet, but I love playing on a field.

I've written several articles about rowing, but for some reason never devoted a column to it. My high school's crew team was the Baltimore Champion from my eighth-grade year to my senior year. If it weren't for the 5 a.m. practices in the Inner Harbor, I might have rowed myself.

Lastly, I'd like to say a few words about volleyball. It was one of my favorite sports to play in P.E., especially when we made our own variations on the rules. The problem is that I also love "Meet the Parents," and seeing Ben Stiller spike the ball into Nicole DeHuff's face deterred me from pursuing volleyball further.

There are still many more sports to consider, but I'm out of time. It's now up to my trusted assistant, Reilly Moore, to fill in the blanks when he takes over as sports editor next week.

It's been a privilege to cover Richmond's teams. Thanks for reading my columns and all of our sports stories this year. Keep it up and go Spiders!

Contact staff writer Barrett Neale at barrett.neale@richmond.edu