It was fun to fly from Chicago to Raleigh, rent a brand new Suburban to get us to the course, and enjoy some good meals in downtown Raleigh. For future reference, The Pit restaurant in downtown Raleigh has some of the best BBQ that we have tasted, in a long time! I might suggest the pulled BBQ and beef brisket combo, on your next visit to Raleigh, NC!

This brings me to the point I wanted to make – it has been very cool getting to know a lot of fellow athletes here at Valpo.  Nothing makes watching college sports more fun than being able to cheer for some good friends.  Actually knowing the players out there on the court or the field brings a whole new meaning to support.  The entire athletics department is truly one big family.  Being a normal student anywhere else wouldn’t give you the opportunities I have had to develop friendships with star athletes on every one of Valpo’s sports teams, so I can support them as more than just a fan, but as a friend.  That is just one of the many reasons I am thankful that I ended up here.

Well, in a few short days, we will be heading down to Alabama for a week long “spring training” trip.  I like to call it training because it really isn’t ”spring break!”  Luckily for us, with the two week break that Valpo gives us, we can usually go home to spend time with family/friends and then head down south for some training/practice that will kick off our spring season.

Go Crusaders!

Rule 13-1 says, “The ball must be played as it lies…” – if only it were that easy all the time.  Some of the other rules are set in place to tell us how to proceed when (as often is the case) the ball cannot be played as it lies.

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend a four-day USGA/PGA Rules of Golf workshop in Houston and it was a great experience.  As a player it is a tremendous advantage to know, understand, and implement the rules while you play.  Not only can you not plead ignorance of the rules (just like the law), you must know how to correct your mistakes if you make any.  I hope that I can now avoid making any serious mistakes that may result in going “trunk slamming,” or “heading to the dairy queen.”

One of the most notable changes the USGA and the R&A made to the Rules for 2012-2013, was the changing of the definition of “addressing the ball.”  Another very important change was removing the penalty for your ball moving due to wind after you have addressed it on the putting green.  I always thought that was a very stupid penalty that was not directly attributable to the player’s actions.

Some topics bring about slight jealousy (a friend getting to play in the Big Ten Match Play tournament coming up fairly soon) but others bring a sense of pride in how far we have come over these past three years (playing in tournaments hosted by Michigan State, Kentucky, or NC State and traveling to Florida for conference).  It’s fun to compare scores for ourselves and our teams, compare rankings, and just talk a little trash.

With one of my best friends heading to Nebraska to become a Cornhusker this semester, it is certainly a given that one of my biggest goals for the end of the season is to be ranked ahead of the Huskers!

Happy New Year to all!  Now I can continue to write 2011 on all of my assignments for at least another month (I’m thankful for autofill on computers)!

- Josh Kalita

Here is how Gaugs hits it “Bubba long” (with my help – my tremendous acting skills paid off).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jusj4Opqt50

In twitter speak: #gamechanger #Bubbaclaus

Happy Holidays!

- Josh Kalita

Now on to a more serious matter at this time of the year:  IM basketball.  Even though we are the golf team, when basketball season comes rolling around we can get very competitive.  Thus far we are off to a disappointing 2-1 start but we are trending in the right direction now that we are in the full swing of the offseason for golf.  This year we’re expecting to go deep into the playoffs and hopefully win the entire league if things go our way so we will make sure to keep everyone updated as the weeks progress.

That seems like all that’s going on in Valpo this week so thanks for stopping by and God Bless.

Brad Winters

With the semester coming to a close, dead week arriving and finals approaching, I decided to share some thoughts about the passing scene.

This post is a little late for Thanksgiving, but I have a lot to be thankful every day I’m here at school.  I am very thankful for the opportunity I was given to play golf here at  Valpo, very thankful for my coaches (past and current) that have helped me develop on the course and as a person, and am also very thankful for the athletics family here at Valpo – what a tremendous asset they are to this school!

Ok, enough with the sappy stuff… plenty of work to do for school.  Exams to study for and going home on the horizon makes for a mix of emotions at the end of the semester.  The excitement of going home to see family and friends mixed with the stresses of school, and not to mention the fact that I am almost halfway through my junior year… wow!

Now for my Christmas list…The number one thing on my list this year for Christmas is a Horizon League Championship trophy in the case come the end of April… and of course, A LOT of Valpo Hoops victories!

Signing off,

Josh Kalita

Proverbs 27:17

We are very focused on our goal of trying to win a Horizon League Championship this spring as the tournament returns to Florida.  We are putting in the time during the off-season to improve our golf games through swing practice, fitness programs, and a little conditioning (intramural basketball adds a fun twist to running), but the wintertime brings time to support Valpo Hoops and watch some college basketball!

Proverbs 27:17

- Josh Kalita