One of the best things about this time of the year is the beginning of the NFL season.  I’m a huge football fan and look forward to watching the Colts play on Sundays.  This year is special since the Colts will play in the new Lucas Oil Stadium just finished last month.  When I toured the new stadium just a week ago all I could think about was how the Colts franchise has transformed the city of Indianapolis and built a legacy of die-hard Colts fans.  Winning Super Bowl XLI was just HUGE for Indiana sports fans since it’s the first professional sports championship.  We came close to winning the NBA title with Reggie Miller in 2000 but came up short against Kobe and Shaq (who wouldn’t?)  Before that all we had were the five NCAA titles in men’s basketball by the Indiana Hoosiers (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987).  So, the Colts begin their season this sunday in a Superbowl XLI rematch with the Bears.  Let the NFL season begin!

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A few days ago my husband and I got free tickets to the very first high school football games being played in the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  We really had no interest in the games at all we just wanted to see the new home of our favorite team, the Indianapolis Colts.  The stadium itself was magnificent.  The upper levels were closed to the public but we got to walk around the lower level seating and around the concourse.  The concourse is a promotional products machine with each area being dedicated to a particular sponser.  Chevy and Huntington Bank were just two of several sponsers that got to decorate a section of the new stadium.  Unfortunately, the retractible roof was closed but overall we were blown away by how awesome this stadium was. 

As much as we all hate to admit it, summer is almost over.  Yet the great thing about labor day weekend is the end of summer sales on sporting goods.  Right now Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering 10% off on online orders.  The discount includes everything from Callaway irons to Magellan navigation systems.  Some items even qualify for free shipping.  Bicycle car racks on Amazon.com are reduced up to 56% depending on the model you need to fit your car.  Rei.com has discounted selected camping, cycling, and paddling gear up to 30% with clearance items being up to 50% off the regular price. 

A colleague and I have decided there should be significant research on why we are better at golf after approximately two beers.  Not one beer or three beers, but exactly two beers.  One beer just doesn’t seem to make a difference.  Three beers (or more) and our game starts to decline and then continue on into the sloppy stage after more beer is consumed.  For example, a few years ago I went golfing (and beer drinking) with some friends.  I consumed two beers and hit my ball perfectly on the green with my 7 wood on a par 3 hole.  One putt and the ball went to his home.  Thinking I could continue my great game of golf, I thought I should keep drinking the ice cold beer I had stashed in my cheap nylon golf bag.  The next thing I remember doing was baseball slides into the weeds with my buddies so we could relieve ourselves without hiking it back to the clubhouse.  My excellent game of golf became a distant memory but the beer drinking was inspiring. 

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I guess you could say Illinois basketball fans were a little upset with Eric Gordon when he and the Hoosiers visited Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill on Thursday night.  The profanity from the fans, “(expletive) you, Gordon!” and the shove by Illinois guard Chester Frazier were totally inappropriate and classless.  Even ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas said the Big Ten should investigate the actions of the fans and players for the hostility and behavior they demonstrated toward Eric Gordon.  I guess the Orange Crush engineering students should go back to studying fiber optic cables  or whatever it is there doing at the University of Illinois because obviously they don’t know how to act in public. 

Last nights Superbowl was the 2nd best I’ve ever seen (The first being last years win by the Colts).  The Giants started the season 0-2 and looked absolutely terrible at times but somehow came up Superbowl winners.  The New England Patriots are a great football team, there’s no question about that, but no one except Patriot fans wanted to see them win another Superbowl.  I can’t believe that Bill Belichick and the players remained so arrogant after they were caught cheating during the New York Jets game.  Anyways, I’d like to send Tom Brady, Teddy Bruschi, and Bill Belichick personalized pens with the Giants logo that says:  “The Best Team Won Superbowl XLII.”   

In my 20’s I probably needed high risk life insurance.  Every chance I could I was either snowboarding, wakeboarding, or mountain biking with friends.  My first trip snowboarding to Winter Park, CO I broke my wrist after catching my edge and falling uncontrollably.  I caught my edge again wakeboarding and suffered a whiplash injury that I felt in my neck for weeks.  Luckily I never took any major spills while mountian biking and I always wore a helmet.  Despite the risk of injury with my favorite activities, I was still having the time of my life.    

I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I first saw snowboarding on TV.  All I remember thinking was how cool I thought it was and that one day I just had to try it.  Almost 10 years ago my best friend married an Army man who was stationed in Germany for several years.  During that time he began snowboarding and rode the ski slopes all over Europe.  So in late November of 1998 we all planned our first snowboarding trip to Winter Park, CO.  Lucky for me this guy I worked with had an old snowboard he wanted to sell.  It was a Burton 155 and I think I paid him like $20 for it.  The board was too big, the bindings were huge, but I didn’t care I just wanted to snowboard.  Our trip to Winter Park was incredible except the last day we were there I was coming down the slope, caught my edge, and flew through the air with outstretched arms.  My right hand slammed into the hardpack and I fractured the distal end of my radius.  Bummer.  I don’t remember much on the flight home but I’m certain I was drooling from all the pain medication.  Anyways, since we live in the Midwest, we went on snowboarding trips as often as we could and wherever we could in the years that followed.  One winter we were so desperate to ride we hooked our water skiing rope we used to wakeboard with to my friends Dodge Durango.  We found the best un-plowed back country road in Indiana we could find and towed each other on our snowboards.   

How many old pairs of worn-out sneakers do you have cluttering your closet?  If your like me even 1 or 2 pairs laying around takes up prime closet space.  If you haven’t heard you can donate those old sneakers to none other than Nike.  They are accepting old athletic shoes (with no metal parts) and recycling them to make high quality sport surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, and soccer fields.  Nike engineers developed a technique called “Nike Grind” that uses the old rubber, foam, and fabric materials from athletic shoes in order to make these high tech playing surfaces.  So instead of your old shoes ending up in a landfill somewhere they are being used to rebuild community centers in places like New Orleans where it is needed most.   

So how do you donate?  You can drop off old sneakers at participating Niketown stores or Nike Factory Stores if there’s one in your area.  Visit Nike Reuse-A-Shoe  for more details on where to drop off shoes.  If you don’t live near a drop-off location then simply mail them to:

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th
Wilsonville, OR 97070

According to Nike’s website letmeplay.com, “It’s all part of Nike’s long-term commitment to addressing our environmental impact and improving lives through sport.”  Nike you rock.  Read more at:  www.letmeplay.com

Arriving this week from my in-laws was a postcard from Lake Tahoe.  Postmarked Reno, NV, October 12, 2007.  Lucky bastards.  One of my goals in life…to visit Lake Tahoe. 

Why?

1.  The snowboarding.  God would I love to snowboard at Heavenly or Squaw Valley.  I think this is my new happy place.   

2.  Love the mountains. 

3.  Never been to California.  (The closest I got was Las Vegas)

4.  Quality time with my husband.  (He would go fishing.)

5.    The Hyatt resort there looks excellent.

6.  Spend hours playing video poker at one of the casinos downing margaritas.

8.  So I can appreciate the great outdoors.

www.visitinglaketahoe.com