Jeremy Wiles Continues Adventures in Denmark!

This spring we'll be bringing you posts from a few Pioneers that are studying abroad this semester.  Linebacker Jeremy Wiles '14 is currently in Copenhagen, Denmark and this is his second installation:

          The last few weeks have been quite interesting. Part of this experience has me playing two roles. One is experiencing Copenhagen as a Tourist and the other is experiencing København as someone who is living here, aka a Local. I know it’s hard to think that a place can possible feel at home in matter of months but I am pretty good at getting comfortable and feeling at home in a new environment. So the adventure continues…

OHSO Tourist:

        During my early March Study break I was accompanied by my fellow GC Pioneer Footballer , Jayson Campos, to see the places around Copenhagen that were deemed good for tourists. This meant asking our American and Dane friends, navigating through tourist maps and getting immersed/lost  in the city but we managed to see some headliners like: The Little Mermaid statue,  The Botanical Gardens, The David’s Collection and the National Museum for Art (Stutens Musem for Kunst).  I mention these top places because they’re all worth seeing more than once, except the mermaid. That one is worth the one great time you check it out, take pictures and look at the other wonder fully epic statutes around it. The National Museum of Art was all 3 hours spent awe struck stumbling through Nordic and European art from 1300-1900 some of which were from my  favs Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt. Shout out to Grinnell into to art class for the refined taste.  Another must see is the The David Collection which does offer some European art but it’s claim to OHSO fame is the absolutely amazing collection of Islamic Art collection hidden there. The two places were a good mix and  the experience  was even more solid given the scenic walk through the Rosenberg Castle to get in between the two.

        There are plenty of castles but I’ll save that for a later post. The most memorable experience I had was walking up the golden steps of a spiral staircase a top the Church of Our Savior located in Christianhavn ( a district in København). The Church by itself has a decadent and completely astonishing interior design and two colossal elephants that seemingly hold up at wooden, super organ.  If you don’t know already I got a thing for elephants. They’re just too cool for school.

         Don’t forget the Shawarma and weinerbro. Most of these places where accompanied with a street hot dog, pastries filled with love or a fat shawarma from the one and only BURGER HOUSE located in Amager. They deserve a shout out because they honestly have the biggest shawarma in Copenhagen, someone please prove me wrong.

Living as a Local:

       Of course I’m still a student here and must do student things like study in the Studenthuset café. Drink a little more coffee than usual and catch the crammed 6a bus every morning. I almost got hit by a bike like 3 times in one day. Tell me why that is low for some people. I also managed to make friends with a group of three local guys heading to the part of town called the meat packing district, Meat City to the locals.The Story goes… the three were walking down the street making beats with their mouth together  and they let my friend Jerry and  a OHSO J Wiley  freestyle on the corner with them for 20 minutes.  I always get extra excited when I experience music with people. You make it hip hop and add the fresh approach to jamming out with three random musicians in the streets at 3am and I have nothing else to call it but an O.H.S.O. experience. So that is what the world of Jeremy Wiles in København consists of.  Good food, great places and even cooler people.

Mock Up of New Adidas Uniforms!

Here's another mock-up of the Adidas TECHFIT uniforms we'll be rockin' next fall, complete with the scarlet "Gun Show" undershirt!

Go Pioneers!

Grinnell Hosts Unified Sports Day!

Grinnell Basketball Player Dominique Bellamy gets into a twirling competition with a SOIA Athlete

Grinnell College's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted its second annual Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) Unified Sports Day on Saturday, March 2.

Approximately 50 SOIA athletes from Ames, Des Moines and Grinnell participated in the event with the assistance of 60 Grinnell College students.

The program is an initiative that brings together SOIA athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (called partners) on sports teams for training and competition.

“This is not a day of competition, but instead a day of awareness,” said Michelle Haney, SOIA Unified Sports Director Michelle Haney. “Grinnell College students were able to spend time with Special Olympics Iowa athletes and learn about persons with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics Iowa athletes in turn get to spend time with college students and learn about them.”

The event, which lasted from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., saw Special Olympics athletes participate in basketball, bocce, bowling, volleyball, soccer kicks and arts and crafts.

“I think that the event was a huge success in terms of being both fun and rewarding for Special Olympics athletes and volunteers alike,” said Karen Gogins '13, the Grinnell SAAC Community Service chair. “SAAC seeks to engage student-athletes in community service as a way to bridge the gap between the campus and the larger community. This Special Olympics event was a great way to do that, to give back to others, and to increase awareness and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

“Special Olympics Iowa was a great help to me in planning the event, a task that required volunteer recruitment and logistical organization,” she added.

SOIA, a statewide nonprofit organization, has provided sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities since 1968.

Nearly 11,000 athletes and Unified Sports Partners participate in Special Olympics Iowa events and competitions annually. For more information, call 515-986-5520 or visit www.soiowa.org.

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50,000 Views!

The Pioneer Football Blog has just hit 50,000 page views!  So pop the bubbly, let fly the confetti, or whatever you choose, just make sure to celebrate!

When we started the blog almost exactly 4 years ago to the day, we truly had no idea what we were doing, but thanks to our fans, players, families, alumni and other supporters we've kept getting better on the field and on the Internet.

Apparently we have a thing for round numbers.  50,000 page views of exactly 300 posts over almost exactly 4 years!  Joey Snyder's Senior Profile from October 2009 remains our most popular post ever with over 600 page views.  

Make sure to Like us on Facebook to stay up to date on all the happenings around the program.

We look forward to what the next 50,000 views will have in store for Grinnell College and Pioneer Football!

Go Pioneers!

Max Keller Abroad in Australia!

This spring we'll be bringing you posts from a few Pioneers that are studying abroad this semester.  Defensive back Max Keller '14 is currently in Melbourne, Australia and this is his first installation.

I was raised in a town of approximately 600 people, and to say the least I have been immersed into the country lifestyle. Though I have been able to experience city life a number of times, coming to Melbourne, a city of 4.5 million people has been an extremely refreshing change. While Australia is very much so “Westernized”, I learned quickly enough it is a mistake to perceive things here as “American”. Removing this perception allowed me to appreciate Melbourne, pronounced “Melbin”, for its diversity, history, and culture. Melbourne is a city full of Italian, African, Indonesian, and Asian descent and seeking out these pockets of diversity in the cafes, pubs, and suburbs of the city has made for a great experience.

The Beach at Torquay

You cannot help but fall in love with the Aussie accent and laid back lifestyle from the minute you land at the Tullamarine Airport. My study abroad program, IES Abroad, quickly had our group settled into our varying apartments or residential colleges. And after that it’s easiest to describe my time in Melbourne as a blur. My two week stay has included trips to St. Kildas beach (only a half hour away), walks through the Melbourne botanical gardens, and weekend stays at the seaside towns Anglesea and Torquay.

Melbourne's "White Night"

My first weekend in Melbourne was one I will never forget. The city annually hosts a festival called “White Night” that starts at 7pm and concludes at 7am. The festival included live music, great food, and light shows on the Yarra River. After a night of good music, new faces, great hospitality, and 2 hours of sleep, IES Abroad took us to the small seaside town of Anglesea. After arriving in Anglesea it wasn’t long before we found ourselves on a beach with wetsuits on and a board in hand. Being from Minnesota where water is abundant, but mostly frozen, this was something completely new to me.

Having only been to the ocean a few times I was keen to listen to our instructors about the dangers of the “rip”, which will pull you away from the beach and out to sea. One of my peers who was disappointed with the difficulties that come with learning something new, wasn’t so keen. Before long we saw him sitting on his board, head down, slowly drifting out to sea, with our instructor swimming to him. The entire time, completely oblivious as to what is going on around him, making for an entertaining story, and a lesson well learned. The struggles that come with learning something new, playing football, or adapting to a new area and culture will only be temporary if you paddle a little harder, and get up a little faster. If you sit around and let the waves hit your back, you’ll never get that opportunity to catch an interception, (even if it’s likely you drop it) or immerse yourself in a great culture, and you’ll most likely end up out to sea.

G’day from down under.

Max Keller