The Bear's Den

     It is here, my senior year of college basketball. Typing that first sentence is already emotional and it is just getting started. Every day when I wake up, I tell myself, "just enjoy the ride," and it keeps me going. Not many people get the chance to play a game they love for an extra four years with great people, so I cherish it every morning. I remember playing my first ever basketball over 12 years ago, and now I am in my last go around, time flies.      We officially began practice on October 15th, and have already had a scrimmage. It is crazy to think how fast my senior year of college basketball came along, but I wouldn't trade friends and memories for anything in the world. This year, we got a new coaching staff and it has been amazing so far, and we have made great progress. Everyone loves each other, has bought in and is doing their role, which is amazing to be a part of. I am beyond excited to see how this season goes, and no matter what happ...

    The Guardiac kids, also known as the Cleveland Guardians, were one of the most fun teams to watch in the league this year. A team made up of the lowest payroll, lowest experience and the youngest team in the league made the second round of the playoffs and took the "best" team in baseball to a final game in the American League Division Series, before losing last night. I watched over 50 games this year, and every game had so much life and excitement to it.      This past Sunday night, I attended game 4 against the New York Yankees in Cleveland and it was an experience of a lifetime. I got free tickets and a parking pass and had fantastic seats for a chance to watch history. We arrived early and explored beautiful downtown Cleveland. Cleveland is a place I have always loved and enjoyed being there and exploring. Once in the stadium, it was so great to be back. The smell of baseball was in the air, and it was contagious. With over 38,000 people in attenda...

     Fall break is a much-needed break from academics and athletics. This past weekend, we had our fall break; it was my first time home in seven weeks. This break couldn't have come at a better time. I was starting to get tired mentally and physically and being able to go back home helped me out so much. I could go home, hit the reset button, and get re-focused. I feel like I have come back more positive and ready to rock for the rest of the year.   Also, we start official practice this upcoming Saturday, so it was great to be able to reset and reassure myself. As I have gotten older in college, my homesickness has gotten less, and the chances I get to go home are also less. When I went home as a freshman, it was really hard for me to get the motivation to come back to school, but I now thoroughly enjoy being here. I went home Friday afternoon and came back Tuesday night. It was fantastic and being able to have family movie nights and go to eat as a family are ...

    It is the time of the year and semester when your attitude becomes super important. The person with the more focused and positive attitude tends to exceed right now. I am saying this because I have struggled with my attitude until recently, and it can affect everything you are trying to do in life. If you let one thing bug you throughout an entire day, you will not have a successful day.      I had struggled the first couple of weeks of the semester with my attitude. I was being negative and letting one bad situation bother me for a whole entire day, which is not good. It wasn't until recently, and that changed. I had an extended talk with my coach about attitude and demeanor and it changed my whole outlook on life. First, he told me to start planning out my weeks and writing down things I am thankful for, and what to improve on that week. This may sound little, but it has helped an incredible amount. Being a captain of the basketball team, I can't afford to...

    My senior year of college is flying right by. It is crazy to think we are almost complete with the first six weeks of the semester. It seems like just yesterday I was moving back into my house for the school year. I am trying to cherish every moment this year and slow time down as much as possible because the real world is sitting on my doorstep.        This semester has been good for me so far. Since I moved in six weeks ago, I have been back home for a total of four hours, which can be hard for me sometimes. I finally got home last Saturday for a couple hours and it was fantastic. I got to see my family and go out to eat with them at Side Rail in Wapakoneta. Those are the moments I will never trade for the world, and I always cherish them. Busy has been an understatement this semester. Between practices, classes, and projects, I have been moving non-stop since I came back to Ada. Some people have mixed feelings about always being busy, but I love it. ...

    Music cures everything in life. Sometimes I truly wonder what I would do without music. I use music every time I drive, work out, or even just around the house to help me focus. Not only does it help me focus, but it can help me get through a tough or confusing time in life. There are some days when I just put my headphones in and just block out all of the outside noise in life, and it works every time.      To me, all genres can be good, depending on the situation. If you are only listening to one genre, I feel as if you are limiting yourself. When I am working out it is usually rap or rock, but when I want to let loose, it can be country or electronic music. I listen to all genres of music on a daily basis but the old-school hard rock will always be my favorite. Old school rock is great and my dad grew up on it, so he introduced me to it. When I listen to it, I think about how much different life was back then and how much fun they had together and I wish ...

    If you are a sports fan, Cleveland is the place to be right now. Writing that first sentence makes me extremely happy because I have been a die-hard Cleveland sports fan for 22 years now. Trust me, during those 22 years there has been plenty of ugly and not as many smiles. Outside of the Cavaliers winning the NBA championship in 2016, there hasn't been a lot of positives for Cleveland sports fan, but that has finally changed.      First, let's talk about the Cleveland Browns. We all know about them, mostly bad, but that seems to be changed. They are currently 1-0 with one of the best rosters in the NFL. Outside of that, they also signed their future franchise quarterback to a big-time contract. Also, they have one of the best running backs, offensive linemen, and defensive linemen in the whole entire league. For me, this is an exciting time to be a Cleveland Brown fan, especially to see what the future holds for them. I can't pick a favorite Cleveland sports...