Spring Semester Begins!

Tomorrow, Monday, all students are back on campus to begin their spring semester classes. It's been awfully quiet around the athletic complex the past 5 weeks and with the return of the students and the beginning of spring sports practices, the PEC is sure to be alive again very soon.

It promises to be a great spring for the Pioneer football program. Recruiting continues to go well and we are confident we will bring in both the quality and quantity of players we need to make the jump to the top of the MWC. And our current players are determined to make massive improvements in their strength, speed, and flexibility this spring.

All eyes continue to be focused on September 4th when we kick off the 2010 season with a home date versus Macalester College.

Go Pioneers!

Why We Play Division III Athletics

This an old piece, but the anonymous author puts great perspective on the beauty of the truest of amateur athletics. Division III.

It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don't even know. We don't practice with a future major league first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand.

Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first. We don't sign autographs. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt is still the same.

We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. And in that class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride--in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves.

We will forever be what few can claim...college athletes.

Internship at the Fiesta Bowl

Sophomore wide receiver, Mike McLeran, is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and just a couple weeks ago had the privilege of working at both the Insight.com and Fiesta Bowl games as a media relations intern.

Here's Mike's experience, in his own words:

This winter break I helped out with Media Relations for the Insight.com Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. I worked in both Media Registration and Media Hospitality. In Media Registration I checked the media into their hotels. I would also give them their credentials so that they were allowed on the field and in the press box. I am still kicking myself for not working the day that Erin Andrews came in but I did get to meet her body guard, I guess that counts for something. I also gave the media the gifts that the Insight.com and Fiesta Bowl provided for them. They gave nice backpacks to the Insight.com media people and the Fiesta’s media received fancy Fossil watches engraved with the Fiesta Bowl logo. I also helped set up the stages for the press conferences that were held for the Boise State and TCU coaches and players.

Mike standing next to the Fiesta Bowl trophy

Watching a press conference first hand is a truly amazing experience. It was really cool to see how a press conference is run and handled in person because you only get to see a blurb on TV when really the players and coaches talk for 15 to 30 minutes about all kinds of things. Also when security was distracted by the press conference I got my picture taken next to the Fiesta Bowl trophy, which is valued at 1.5 million dollars and would take about three beastly men to carry.

For the Media Hospitality part the Insight.com and Fiesta Bowl rented a suite at the hotel which was bigger than my house. Here the media would come to hang out and relax. I helped set this suite up and in order to get it ready for the media we unloaded trucks of Frito O'Lay chips, Tostitos dip, booze, and other beverages that filled two bedrooms to the ceiling. From all the free chips I probably gained about 30 pounds. Besides all the free food and drinks the suite also had tons of TVs, arcade games, two fire places, a heated pool, and poker tables. My job in the hospitality suite was to entertain and talk to the media and make sure they had everything they needed, such as food and drinks, but it was mostly just me hanging out talking sports with them. I met tons of great people and it was truly one of the best experiences I have ever had. They treated me outstanding and gave me free tickets to pretty much any event that I wanted to go to. I am looking forward to doing it again next year and the possibility of getting a game day assignment where I would be down on the field or in the press box.

This experience gave me an inside look at what has to be done to put on an event of this size and I can confidently say the Insight.com and Fiesta Bowl staff does a phenomenal job. Happy New Year and God Bless.

New Athletics Website!

Today, Grinnell College unveiled it's new website which included a new athletics site as well! Both are still technically "Under Construction" so there's plenty of work still to be done on each, but it's refreshing and exciting to say the least!

Check them out:

New College homepage

New Athletics site

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We are very excited about 2010 and the opportunities that await the Pioneer football team in the upcoming year!

We want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! And go Pioneers!