Campus Chronicles with Chris Forsman: First Road Trip

Campus Chronicles with Chris Forsman:  First Road Trip

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The Griffs are back from their first road trip of the season, going all the way to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. In total, the roundtrip was more than 1,000 miles long and about 10 hours each way on the bus. One would think that student-athletes like ourselves would be doing homework for 10 hours and most of the time this is the case, but in between study sessions there are several award-winning movie selections, gourmet food and beverage, and comfortable sleeping arrangements.

This past week was unique for the hockey team since we only attended school on Wednesday thanks to the Columbus Day holiday. Going on the road is a welcome break for most, since we are all together as a team and we are on the road for a simple purpose – to play hockey. Players get a chance to bond with teammates they do not usually get to see outside of the rink due to our busy schedules, so you get to live with different roommates for a couple nights. For a fresh perspective on the excitement of a road trip for the first time I will hand off to a special guest – freshman correspondent Preston Shupe.

Why thank you Chris for having me. It is truly an honor to have been asked to do this prestigious job.

The trip to Lake State was my first collegiate road trip with the Griffs. As a freshman, the preparation for the trip starts days in advance as you have a few additional responsibilities compared to the older upperclassmen. For example, we spent about three hours the night before at the local Blockbuster setting up an account and deciding what movies the boys would like. Another very important component to any road trip is snacks. Most guys made a Wegmans run and picked up our favorite treats and snacks for the bus trip.

On the way to Lake Superior State, the freshman had the privilege of taking the “Quiz”. The quiz consists of 11 random questions having to do with anything from guy’s nicknames to geography questions. Steven Shafer scored the highest with seven points. However, the real winner was Chris Barrea with a score of one. On the trip, I also had the chance to get my first shoe check out of the way. For those of you who have not heard of a shoe check, I’ll explain. It is when the team is eating, a player (usually a veteran) sneaks up on another player (usually a freshman) and puts some sort of food on their shoe. It can range from anything to crackers to condiments. After applied to the shoe, everyone taps their silverware on their cups and everyone looks to check their shoes. If it was you, you stand up and humbly take a bow.

Hopefully my first journalism assignment will land me a job with ESPN.com, or at least a few extra credit points in my Exploration of Academic Writing class. On a closing note, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to read this. Sincerely, Preston Shupe # 14.

Ok I’m back folks. This weekend was a little disappointing on the ice since we lost both games to a tough opponent in Lake Superior State. There were a few positives to take away from the weekend as we came back from a 3-0 deficit on Friday night, and once again we were backed by solid goaltending. Hopefully when we open conference play at home this weekend, we can pick up a couple of wins. Until next time folks keep your stick on the ice.