We Are the Champions!

We spent the Easter weekend playing Upper Upper with the nephews near Buffalo, and during our return home, the alleged experts from one of Cleveland sports talk radio stations spent a couple of hours predicting that the Cleveland Indians will end their 2013 season at .500, the Cavs may make it to the end of their season with enough players to take the court, and the Browns – well, who knows how they will do. They touched briefly on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ possible appearance as the 8^th team in the playoffs for the NHL, and lamented the demise of the Buckeye’s basketball team in the elite eight. Based upon the sportscasters’ analysis and prognostications, 2013 doesn’t look like a championship year for Ohio sports teams. As my friend Gomer Pyle used to say, “surprise, surprise.”

Finally, I lifted my face from my book and bellowed at the radio – “Hey guys – take a peek down I-71 – you’ve got a national champion in your backyard – why don’t you talk about winners for a change?” They may have started out the day gushing about the Lady Eagles from Ashland University, but I kind of doubt it. Why talk about this amazing championship team when you can talk about the potential tribulations of the Tribe?

Just in case you haven’t heard, the Ashland University women’s basketball team has made it possible for us to say, “We’ve won the national championship!” Do you know how long I’ve waited to say those words? It’s been almost 50 years since the Buffalo Bills won the pre-Super Bowl AFL title game in 1964. Except for the 2002 Ohio State football championship, when the Buckeyes managed to win on the big stage, my teams have needed the Heimlich maneuver in the worst way. The four consecutive Buffalo Bills Super Bowl losses were probably the worst, but being two outs away from a World Series victory in 1997 takes a close second, and let’s not talk about the lack of a ring for LeBron and Company.

 I know – this column is running a week after the championship game – can we stop talking about the national champion Ashland University women’s basketball team and get on with life? The answer is “no.” We live in Northeast Ohio – who knows how long before we’ll be able to utter the words “national” and “champion” in the same sentence again.  I for one am going to savor this moment for a long time.

But it’s not just about the victory - here’s why I really want to keep talking about the Lady Eagles. It’s how they got there. They have so much class. After a heart-breaking overtime loss last year, they could have come home and gone back to life as usual, but they didn’t – they had unfinished business in San Antonio. Their intensity and their energy has been amazing – just as evident when they worked with the Special Olympics basketball team as when they took the court at Kates Gymnasium or in San Antonio.  

While I can’t say they’ve inspired me to shoot hoops every day, they are definitely inspirational to our community. The next time the lovely Madelyn Simone comes to visit, we’re not watching the Bubble Guppies – we’re watching the highlight video from the NCAA National Championship game that the AU Journalism and Digital Media department posted to YouTube – I want my granddaughter to know that whether as an athlete or a sportscaster, or as a mascot, musician or mother, she can reach for the stars and achieve her goals.

And, might I say it one more time – the willingness of these young women and their coaches to speak openly and powerfully about their faith has been absolutely breath-taking. The video clip from the pre-game press conference says it all. There was a common ground in Texas – not just basketball, but that of a life of faith.  

So, Ashland, while the final game is now history, let the celebration continue. Page through Wednesday’s congratulatory  insert in the T-G. Wear purple and gold. Watch the highlight videos and cheer out loud (thanks, JDM). And head over to the AU stadium on April 18^th as we collectively proclaim: We are the champions!   Woohoo!