ex(PR)essed

You know what a synonym is, right? Webster says, “one of two or more words…that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses.” Examples: fast and quick, mistake and error, cute and adorable, Messiah College and soccer. You don’t have to live (reside, abide) in Grantham very long to realize that soccer is huge (gigantic, large, big) at Messiah College. It’s no wonder why — the men’s team just won their fifth national championship in six years, and the women won it all in 2005 and consistently earn their way to the final four.

The players and coaches are regularly — and rightfully — praised (lauded, commended) for their outstanding skill and performance. However, the phenomenon that is Messiah soccer would not be nearly so exciting if it weren’t for the dedication and enthusiam of legions of fans. And, in an interesting turn of events, Messiah fans have been recognized by the NCAA. In a recently released stat, Messiah College ranks first for having the highest average attendance at men’s and women’s soccer games in Division III. According to the NCAA, a Messiah men’s soccer game averages 1,194 fans per game (plus one falcon and, depending on the game, scads of marshmallows)! So, not only do we have the best soccer program in the country, we have the best fans! Yay Messiah!

I’ve been in a bit of blog slump this week. I’m ready for spring — for warmer, sunnier days marked with long bike rides and burgers on the grill — and I think the cold and snow of this week contributed to a funk that curbed my desire to blog.

My initial desire to blog was due to the encouragement of this guy — Justin Sentz. Justin is the webmaster at Messiah. He’s also an alum, an avid soccer fan, and frequent viewer of the Lost Film Series. When I first started at Messiah, it seemed a bit odd to me that the position of webmaster was in the office of public relations. And I know the position was in PR before Justin was hired, but, I have to tell you, Justin belongs in PR. His commitment to the college and desire to see Messiah attract new students and prosper long into the future drives us in important new directions — like the world of blogs, podcasts, and wikis. Justin understands the importance of matching a communication style to meet an audience’s need, a concept at the very heart of public relations.

This blogger is grateful for the opportunity to share her enthusiasm for Messiah in this type of forum. You know, my parents read my blog regularly because it gives them a glimpse of my work life. My colleagues read it because it gives them a fuller picture of who I am. I write it because Messiah is too great to keep quiet about. On this campus, too many terrific people do too many amazing things for me to sit silently.

With that in mind, cheers to men’s soccer player Kai Kasiguran, who, in a recent interview with Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ magazine, “Sharing the Victory,” said about the complexities of teamwork, “Humility and sincere love–as hard as those attributes are to attain–provide the ultimate answer.” He’s right. I hope Messiah College and men’s soccer have helped him toward that conclusion. I have no doubt that Messiah is a better place because of Kai, and I suspect Kai would say that he’s a better person because of Messiah.

It’s Thursday night. Me, Jeff, and our missionary guest sit down to a friendly game of Yahtzee and some Jars of Clay tunes. First game: guest wins. Second game: I get FIVE Yahtzees. Yep. Five. My score for that game? 700! Now, just to lend a little perspective to this amazing, awe-inspiring, phenomenal feat, the probability of rolling a Yahtzee is one in 21 attempts. Five Yahtzees in thirteen attemps. Not too shabby for Beth.
[Random Yahtzee factoid: To achieve the maximum score, you would have to roll 13 consecutive Yahtzees. This happens once in every 3.69 thousand billion billion games. Yes, the billion is supposed to be repeated.]

So, enough about my stellar accomplishment. Let’s give some accolades to my twin Becky for another outstanding issue of “The Bridge.” Props, too, to Messiah basketball as both teams begin tournament play tonight. Go Falcons! And, props to Kim for spotting a robin this morning. C’mon spring!