It was the best of times it was the BLURST of times...?!

It is not a common occurrence to see me cry. Let me tell you, however, that anyone at day two of Colonial Sectionals 2007 got a full viewing of this rare phenomenon. Having lost to perennial sectional rival Maryland, and having been shocked into utter disbelief by a loss in the game-to-go against, of all teams, SALISBURY... I had reached one of the lowest points in my life.

Sunday was some of the most embarrassing ultimate to which I have ever been witness. It can't end like this, I kept telling myself, it just cannot end like this. My career with GW can't end on this sandy, worthless field in the soul-sucking morass that is Salisbury, MD. It can't end with a loss to a ragtag bunch of clowns like Salisbury. I was not ready. Most of all, I was devastated that this was the last time I would play with my friends. There would be no more car rides, no more hotel rooms in random-ass places across the country. The older guys whom I knew like brothers, and younger guys of whom I was so proud with each step towards becoming a superior player... my time with them was over, and that was what brought me to tears.

After the loss, I saw an entire team of proud, strong, competitive athletes reduced to shells of themselves. I saw people shedding tears -- people I would never expect to do so. In the end, as I stepped off the field for the last time, I simply couldn't believe it. My career with GW had careened off the tracks and plummeted into the abyss.

The next twelve hours were hellish. I couldn't sleep. I woke up every half hour throughout the night, then every five minutes from 7:30 until 8:30 in the morning until, in desperation, I finally just got up. I tried to divert my mind. No matter what I did, I couldn't. So I went to work. I thought maybe I could get my mind off of the horrors of Sunday by just powering through some mindless paperwork, and being around people who had a weekend just like any other.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, the changes had begun. I got an email from the administrative secretary at the graduate program I applied to at Indiana University. The message was to inform me that I had been selected for a full scholarship to the Russian & Eastern European graduate M.A. program, and attached to that scholarship was a $15,000 cost-of-living stipend. Apparently, one incoming graduate student every year is selected to receive this award, funded by an endowment created by the program's first director. I am the tenth recipient of the Robert Byrnes Memorial Scholarship, and next fall I will become an Indiana Hoosiermama for the second time. Not to mention the fact that I've gotten very good reviews of the REEI program from multiple sources.

But strangely, that is not the only exciting thing that happened to me. Suddenly, around 10:15pm, my day went from much-improved to... I can't remember the last time I was this happy.

I found out we'd made Regionals.

Yes, that's correct. You see, Sectionals was supposed to be last weekend (14-15 April). The entire East Coast experienced a deluge that weekend, and thus day two of Sectionals was rescheduled for this Sunday. Most of the teams in our section were able to make the trip to the make-up day. In Western PA, however, the number of teams playing for spots at Regionals dropped significantly. Significantly enough to take away one of their bids for Regionals, and drop it down into our laps. The Hippo has risen.

I had just got home from the gym, where Graham and I were both lifting. I read enough of Ben's email to realize this was legit, grabbed my wallet and sprinted back to the gym. I told Graham that we needed to cancel our plans to go to the O's-Sox game this Thursday during practice. "Why?" he asked. And so I told him. From there I sprinted to the quad, where everyone was throwing on this beautiful night. I ran into the quad yelling "4th bid! 4th bid!"

And so it was. The best 12 hours in recent memory.

Now, I don't even have to tell everyone how hard we have to work. I don't need to say that now, you must do every little thing you can possibly do to help us take the Metro East by the fucking throat. I don't need to say that I have never been more motivated in my life to play this stupid, stupid game. We've got new life, Hippos. Now it's time to break out... to rise from whatever rock-bottom place you found yourselves in on Sunday. It's time Hippos. I'm not sure what seed we'll be coming in, but I fully intend on coming out being the first. And I want all my teammates with me.


...who ride?