Loyola Chicago accepts invitation to Atlantic 10, will join next season

Courtesy: loyolaramblers.com

CHICAGO — Loyola University at Chicago has accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic 10 conference beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, the school announced yesterday.

The move comes amid major conference realignment developments in collegiate athletics within the 2021 year.

“Loyola’s commitment to the high-level scholastic achievement of all of its students, coupled with its excellent athletic profile, from success in basketball, soccer and volleyball to outstanding facilities and resources is a perfect fit for the A-10,” said A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade. “The addition expands the A-10 footprint into the Chicago market, giving the conference a presence in three of the top four media markets in the United States.”

Loyola participates in 13 of the 21 sponsored sports by the A-10, but the move carries the largest weight in men’s basketball. In three of the last four seasons, the Ramblers have won at least a share of the Missouri Valley regular-season championship. The Ramblers reached the Sweet 16 last season and the Final Four in 2018.

St. Bonaventure has its own connection to Loyola athletics. Current Loyola-Chicago director of athletics Steve Watson previously served as the director of athletics at Bona’s. Watson hired Mark Schmidt in 2007, who revitalized the men’s basketball team by leading the Bonnies to their first A-10 conference title in program history in 2012. The women’s program had its best season to date, going 31-4 and reaching the Sweet 16

Besides the basketball programs, St. Bonaventure’s women’s soccer team qualified for the conference tournament in six straight seasons and both men’s and women’s cross country had historic seasons.

Watson oversaw several athletic facility improvements and upgrades in his tenure at St. Bonaventure, most notably the unveiling of Bob Lanier Court.

Bonnies defeat Saints, best start since 2012

photo courtesy of gobonnies.com

By: Anthony Goss

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — “You can always defend and rebound,” St. Bonaventure women’s basketball coach Jesse Fleming said.

The Bonnies grinded out a win against rival Siena on Tuesday night at the Reilly Center 50-42. The win came in spite of poor offensive execution, according to Fleming.

“I’m not happy, as far as execution goes,” Fleming said. “I don’t think we got a lot through the offense. Against the top teams in the A10 that’s not gonna work.”

Instead, the Bonnies secured the win through suffocating defense and control of the glass. Siena shot 22% from the field and St. Bonaventure outrebounded the Saints 44-39.

Down 22-21 at the break and finding offense sparingly, the Bonnies looked for a spark in the second half. Newcomer Tianna Johnson provided a boost for her squad with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

“Jesse is always on us about rebounding and crashing hard,” T. Johnson said. “If I get boards it’s just for my team.”

Senior guard Asianae Johnson helped the Bonnies close out the Saints at the end. She scored eight of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a perfect 4-4 from the foul line.

To Fleming, Johnson’s defensive efforts proved the biggest factor in winning the game.

With 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter, A. Johnson drew a charge on Siena guard Amari Anthony and proceeded to draw another foul at the offensive end. She hit both free throws and tied the score at 34-34 before the fourth quarter.

“That was huge. I thought that was a big-time play by a senior,” Fleming said. “If she can do it, then everyone else on the team is gonna go and sacrifice their body.”

Siena guard Rayshel Brown had 14 points for the night. She and A. Johnson traded baskets throughout, reminding Johnson of their previous matchup in the PSAL in New York.

“It felt like high school, honestly,” Johnson said. “It was a little scuffle during but it was all love at the end of the day.”

Neither team hit shots from the outside, but St. Bonaventure capitalized in key areas. The Bonnies outscored the Saints in the paint 28-14. They also made 14 free throws to only 11 from Siena.

“Getting to the free-throw line was very much crucial to us,” A. Johnson said. “We didn’t hit a three but we made that up with getting to the line.”

The 2-0 start to the season marks the best for the Bonnies since 2012. They look to build on their hot start when they face the Cleveland State Vikings in their first road matchup of the year.

Taylor Swift: Rewriting (and re-recording) her narrative

By Iris Archer
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Acclaimed musician and songwriter Taylor Swift announced on June 18, 2021, that she would re-record her fourth studio album Red, including 10 never-released songs in addition to the 20 original tracks. She releases the album Friday, Nov. 12.

Swift, 31, is one of the most influential female artists of the twenty-first century. She continues to reinvent herself and her music to this day.

On a personal note, Taylor Swift is my favorite musical artist, and Red is an album that I loved as a kid. I sang my heart out to “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” at the age of 12, as if I’d been hurt in a relationship myself. I also remember dying of laughter to “I Knew You Were Trouble” goat remixes with my mom in our living room.

And a few years ago, my mom and I actually performed “Red” together at my guitar recital. That was a real full-circle moment. Obviously, there’s a lot of sentiment attached to this album for me, so I’m super excited for Red (Taylor’s Version).

A lot of excitement surrounds Red (Taylor’s Version) for “Swifties” and the general public alike. First, it includes 10 never-released songs that Swift wrote during the time of the original release of Red. One of these songs, “Nothing New”, features breakout indie artist Phoebe Bridgers, and another, “Run”, features original Red contributor and singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran.

Second, one of the most iconic and heartbreaking songs from the original album (“All Too Well”) gets transformed into a 10 minute (yes, you heard me right) extended version on Red (Taylor’s Version). And if that wasn’t enough, a short film starring Stranger Thing’s Sadie Sink and Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien accompanies the 10-minute masterpiece. The actors share the same age difference as Swift and actor Jake Gyllenhaal, about whom the song is written.

Third, the album is known for its fall aesthetic, so its release in the midst of the season must be no coincidence.

This isn’t Swift’s first dabble in re-recording her albums. On Feb. 11, Swift announced she would re-record her second studio album, releasing it as Fearless (Taylor’s Version). This being one of her most iconic albums, the project was well received by both fans and musicians worldwide. The new record included the 20 originals as well as six never-released songs deemed “from the vault”. Fans were delighted by Swift’s mature vocals as well as her ability to bring old feelings and emotions to life; Swift wrote the original Fearless album at 18. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was released on April 9.

After the re-release of Fearless, fans wondered which of Swift’s albums she re-recorded next. After weeks of fan theories and speculation, Taylor announced the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) on June 18, 2021. Red (Taylor’s Version) had an initial release date of Nov. 19, but the anticipation was so extreme that Swift moved the release up a week to this Friday.

Before discussing how important this re-recording is, we first must deluge in a Taylor Swift career retrospective; what brought her to re-record her previous work?

Taylor Swift began her career as a country singer, attracting listeners with a heart of gold and words that resonated with all ages. Her early music touched on motifs such as first love, first heartbreak, and the importance of family. Songs like “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Our Song” catapulted her into the spotlight at 16. Following the success of her eponymous debut album, Swift released Fearless, her first true country-pop album, in 2008. It included some of her biggest hits to date, like “Love Story”, “White Horse”, and “You Belong with Me”.

Following the success of Fearless, Taylor shocked the world with Speak Now in 2010, an album furthering her pop leanings, with heartfelt tracks like “Mine”, “Dear John”, and “Enchanted”.

Whereas Speak Now was still reminiscent of her earlier work, enter Red. Swift fully embraced pop-star status on this totally innovative album featuring some of Swift’s most popular songs, including the title track, “Red”, and radio hits like “22”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. The album also included beautiful melodies (listen to “All Too Well”) with lyrics to match.

In 2014 Swift released 1989, which may be Swift’s best album lyrically, melodically, and conceptually (and it’s my personal favorite). 1989 continued Taylor’s work rewriting the rules of pop, with smash hits like “Welcome to New York”, “Blank Space”, and “Shake it Off”, among several others.

After the extremely successful release of 1989 and its equally successful stadium tour, the media began alleging “snake” behavior by Swift following a leaked audio clip of her apparently giving consent to Kanye West to use her name in his song, “Famous”. The two have had a rocky relationship since West’s infamous “I’mma let you finish, but…” in the middle of Taylor’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Music Awards. But in 2016, when “Famous” was released, Taylor denied ever approving of having her name in Kanye’s lyrics. Six months after the release, West’s wife Kim Kardashian tweeted out a video, later revealed to be edited, of Taylor on a phone call with the couple approving of Kanye’s vulgar lyrics about her in his song.

After a year of hiding from the media, Swift turned the harmful words into the smash hit reputation, with visuals and lyrics referencing snakes and betrayal. She used the negativity that once brought her down to build herself up again.

This edgy era received mixed reviews from the media as well, and even from loyal “Swifties”— her fanbase—which motivated Taylor to write a better and more cohesive record that she could be proud of, and soon she revealed Lover to the world. As the title implies, Lover explores themes of love, commitment and loyalty and honors Swift’s boyfriend of over 3 years at the time of the album’s release, actor, Joe Alwyn.

Less than a year after the release of Lover, the COVID-19 pandemic struck Taylor Swift with inspiration. In mid-July, Swift shocked the world by surprise-releasing her eighth studio album, folklore, a hauntingly beautiful work of fictional stories about heartbreak, loss and self-reflection. Swift then dropped evermore, a self-proclaimed sister record to folklore, less than six months later, expanding on the themes from the previous album. These albums were a shift of pace for Swift and caused her to regain some of the Swifties who have not listened to her music since her release of reputation, as well as garner a new fanbase comprising indie/alternative listeners. Swift gained respect from the music industry for not only releasing folklore and evermore in such a close timeframe and during a global pandemic, but also for completely shifting genres once again while still keeping her same fanbase despite doing so. folklore was so successful that it won Album of the Year at the 2020 Grammys.

You might be wondering: what’s the big deal with these rerecordings? Many might believe it is a quick cash-grab, but the choice to re-record means so much more than profit; it symbolizes ownership and taking back what is rightfully yours. In 2019, Republic Records sold her master tapes to Scooter Braun, a popular music producer, without her consent. Taylor does not legally own any of her music or have any licensing rights despite writing and singing practically everything that she has ever released.

Thus, re-recording her music is a way for Swift to regain control over what is rightfully hers. This sends a message not only to fans but to everyone in the music industry to fight for what is right and claim what is yours. This message comes across clearly in “Change (Taylor’s Version)”, from Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which is an anthem to standing up against those who bring you down.

“Because these things will change / Can you feel it now? / These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down / It's a revolution, the time will come / For us to finally win”.

It is also a way for Taylor to prove her strength and her willingness to stand up against adversity. I am beyond excited for this record, first for the nostalgia and second for the amazing symbolism and deeper meaning behind Swift’s time-consuming and monumental career choice.

So grab your favorite scarf and a box of tissues and get ready to settle down for the almost two-and-a-half-hour masterpiece that is Red (Taylor’s Version) on this Friday, Nov. 12. Can you feel my excitement?

And– even if you’re not a “Swiftie”, I hope you have a musician or a band that makes you smile and brings you undeniable joy and comfort. Listen to that artist today. Take a walk and breathe in the fall air, which is feeling more like a pre-winter chill.

Iris

(Iris Archer is a feature contributor for The Intrepid and is also a Taylor Swift superfan.)

Bonnies host Saints in season opener

photo courtesy of gobonnies.sbu.edu

By: Anthony Goss

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — “The Reilly Center, there’s nothing like it,” St. Bonaventure men’s basketball coach Mark Schmidt said.

He and his nationally ranked Bonnies welcome back fans to the Reilly Center in Tuesday’s season opener against Siena after a successful season playing in front of empty seats.

But besides the return of fans and the unveiling of an A-10 championship banner and rings provides one more chance for the Bonnies to reminisce on one of the best seasons in program history.

“Those kids deserve to have the banner raised and given out their rings,” Schmidt said.

After the celebration though, Bona’s turns their full attention to reigning MAAC champion Siena Saints. The teams renew their rivalry in a battle traditionally known as the Franciscan Cup.

Though the Bonnies’ expectations are lustrous, they have lost their last three home-openers with fans present.

They also lost their previous matchup with Siena 78-65 in 2019.

“There’s only a rivalry because both teams have won and both teams have lost,” Schmidt said. “There’s no rivalry if one team has dominated the other.”

In the Bonnies’ exhibition against Alfred on Thursday, redshirt sophomore Linton Brown and redshirt freshman Quadry Adams led the way with 19 and 13 points, respectively. While senior guards Kyle Lofton and Jalen Adaway remain game-time decisions, Bona’s will look to their newcomers to provide a spark.

“They just need to come in and play their role,” Schmidt said. “If they play to their strengths, I think they’re good enough players to help us this year.”

Siena will rely on newcomers of their own. Anthony Gaines, a former four-star recruit, boasts top-line athleticism and transfers Jayce Johnson and Colby Rodgers both look for bigger roles on head coach Carmen Maciariello’s squad.

But the Saints’ most dangerous weapon roams the paint, and his name is Jackson Stormo. He returns for his senior year after a breakout season, averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds.

The Bonnies must attempt to slow Stromo while simultaneously accounting for the new talent without a lot of film to prepare them.

“They’re really good players. We know what those guys can do. The question is can we stop them?” Schmidt said.

Schmidt has tried to prepare them as best as possible, despite the lack of film on Siena’s newer players.

“Every season opener is the same way. You don’t know what they’re gonna run, you don’t have tape,” Schmidt said. “You really try to take care of yourself and prepare the best you can.”

Schmidt expects his team’s national ranking to become an afterthought come tip off.

“When the game starts, Siena doesn’t care if we’re ranked twenty-third,” Schmidt said. “We’re gonna go out and play like we play all the time with a chip on our shoulder. We’re gonna play hard.”

“What pasta shape do you identify most with?”: Iris Archer asks 22 ridiculous questions to the St. Bonaventure cross country team

By Iris Archer
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The 2021 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships take place Sat. Oct. 30 in Cedarville, Ohio, starting at 10 a.m.

On a rainy afternoon last week, I had the privilege of interviewing some of my wonderful teammates on the St. Bonaventure cross country team. I wanted to give some of my teammates, friends, an opportunity to introduce themselves to the campus community. Both the men’s and women’s teams have been extremely successful this year, setting top ten program times in nearly every race. You can obviously attribute our success on the course to hard work, but we also have a positive team atmosphere that factors in. One of the best things about my team is that we are very serious about our sport, but also know when to have fun. That leads to our fantastic team chemistry. The questions that follow are not the typical interview questions that my teammates were expecting when I asked them if I could interview them. The questions start normal and then become increasingly chaotic. My goal here was to allow you to get a deeper and more in-depth understanding of who these people are beyond just stats and times.

Though the rain had stopped by the time we started the interview in the comfortable environment of Café La Verna, the storm of ridiculous questions was yet to begin.

The lucky interviewees for the women: Amber Robertson, senior; Lindsey Lytle, senior; Emilie Weinbeck, sophomore; Lauren McGee, sophomore; and Olivia Ippolito, freshman.

For the men: John Pullano, senior; Hayden Barry, junior; Zach Buckner, freshman; Thomas Dachik, freshman; and Ryan Lewis, freshman.

Question 1: What is your favorite running event?

Though we are technically in cross country mode right now, many of us prefer track events. Hayden and Ryan are both fans of running a mile on the outdoor track, while Lindsey, Lauren and Olivia would rather stick to a 5K on grass.

Question 2: Would you rather run a 5K on the track or on a cross-country course?

Everyone agreed that cross-country 5Ks are better than track 5Ks. Well, almost everyone. Zach advocated for the superiority of the track 5K but convinced absolutely no one that 12-and-a-half laps is better than a nice, open field.

Question 3: Ideal running conditions?

Fall weather (50s-60s with a slight breeze) was the most popular answer here. This raised an interesting sub-question: how do you feel about running in the rain? Rainy running gathered mixed reviews. Except from Emilie, who was very passionate about her dislike for it.

Question 4: Running role model, sports role model or favorite athlete in general?

Amber answered Josh Allen because of her Bills loyalty. Plus, as track runners, who would be a better example of proper hurdling form?

John answered that his running role model is teammate, Hayden. How wholesome! Was this because Hayden was sitting right next to him? Perhaps, but I’d like to suspend my disbelief.

Question 5: If you could have a walk-up song for cross country, what would yours be?

Lauren and Amber wanted anything made by Taylor Swift. I wholeheartedly agree with this.

Zach quickly answered with “Kickstart my Heart” by Motley Crue, which caused Thomas to freak out (because that’s exactly what he was going to say).

Question 6: If you could do another sport besides cross country what would it be?

Lindsey and John both answered basketball. Maybe they can help the Bonnies this upcoming season?

Question 7: You are on a deserted island: What are three things you would bring?

Hayden: “A box of tools, a lighter and a volleyball.” Name that movie.

Question 8: You are on a deserted island: You can only bring 3 artists’ music. Who are they?

Post Malone and Taylor Swift appeared in four different answers.

Question 9: You are on a deserted island: You can only bring one person. Who is it?

Thomas would take this journey alone, while Olivia and Lauren would bring survivalist Bear Grylls. Is that cheating? Maybe.

John’s answer was, again, close to home, choosing teammate, Darion Gregory, who is an avid fisher.

Question 10: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

Lindsey would buy a reliable car; either a Subaru Cross Trek or a Tesla—if she felt like splurging. Ryan would buy a nice 70s house, complete with funky rugs and groovy wallpaper. Thomas presented a well calculated answer and would donate 35% of the money (once again, so wholesome) and invest the remaining 65%.

Question 11: If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?

Olivia would swap with the Queen of England, while Hayden would swap with Jeff Bezos and, quote, “write a check to Hayden Barry for one billion dollars.”

Question 12: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Lauren and Ryan both would like to freeze time.

Question 13: If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or future?

All but John and Zach chose the past.

Question 14: What is one ridiculous thing you believed as a kid?

Emilie: “That green Gatorade made you better at everything.” This caused confusion. Is there a green Gatorade? Green-apple flavor? This was news to some. It was news to me.

Question 15: Who is your go-to Mario kart character?

Emilie, Amber and Olivia ride or die with Princess Peach. Ryan rolls with Bowser.

Question 16: If you could be any animal what animal would you be?

Lindsey and Thomas would both like to be flying squirrels. This answer surprised me when Lindsey said it. It shocked me when Thomas said the same.

Question 17: What is something you can talk about for 10 uninterrupted minutes and still have more to say?

Amber and Lauren could both go on an extended rant about The Bachelor. With almost 300 episodes and failed proposal after failed proposal, I guess they never run out of things to talk about.

Question 18: If you could get rid of one state, which would it be and why?

Zach was quick to say Arkansas because he got stranded there on a road trip once when his car broke down. Apparently, Arkansas is nothing but an empty highway. It should go without saying, Zach will not be the spokesman for Arkansas anytime soon.

Hayden wanted to say New Jersey (I, the question asker, am a proud New Jerseyan), because it is “just a wannabe New York”, but he came to his senses—as he should—and selected Nebraska (I apologize to any Nebraskan readers out there; nothing personal). Emilie and Lindsey would both say goodbye to Florida.

Question 19: What pasta shape do you identify most with?

Olivia: “The thick round ones.” This resulted in confusion until a quick Google search revealed she was referring to macaroni noodles (specifically the ones in the Red Robin mac and cheese).

Question 20: If you had to eat the same thing every day what would it be?

Lauren went with a chicken-finger sub. I wanted to correct her terminology, because she obviously meant to call it a chicken-finger hoagie.

But I resisted the urge.

Question 21: You can only use 2 utensils for the rest of your life, what are they?

After a tight battle, spoon and fork win over knife and fork, 5-4.

Question 22: Lastly: Would you rather fight one horse-sized frog or 100 frog sized horses?

Thomas and Zach were the brave souls who decided to fight the large frog. Very courageous. But probably a little misguided.

I hope this interview was as exciting and fun to read as it was to moderate and witness. If nothing else, I hope you leave with some new (and definitely goofy) insight into some very talented and dedicated runners. And keep an eye out for some of the interviewees’ performances at the 2021 A-10 Cross Country Championships Sat. Oct. 30—spooky! Go Bona’s!

And smile!

(Iris Archer is a feature contributor to The Intrepid and a junior cross-country runner and track runner at St. Bonaventure University. She also enjoys asking ridiculous questions.)

The genius of MF DOOM: An ode to the king of underground hip-hop

Part of The Intrepid’s “The Genius Of…” series.

By Akim Hudson
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“Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” is the utmost praise an emcee can earn in their career. MF DOOM, or DOOM for short, garnered this acclaim before his untimely passing last year. Yet, I bet many of you have no idea who DOOM was. That was part of his genius.

Just remember, it’s all caps when you spell the man’s name.

1. The Mask

The very first feature of DOOM you noticed was his mask. I thought at first, why the hell is he wearing a mask? According to DOOM, he rarely revealed his face to the public. He wanted his audiences to revere his emceeing abilities over any of his other extraneous features.

You can see that DOOM wasn’t your prototypical celebrity or entertainer. His luminescent, silver Doctor Doom mask enthralled any eyes that glanced upon it, and, ultimately, the mask further enhanced DOOM’s mystique.

2. Covertness

MF DOOM is arguably the most inconspicuous hip-hop legend ever. No sources could detect or verify any of DOOM’s personal information besides him and maybe his wife and his closest friends. For the longest time, the general public didn’t even know his birthday.

And peep this—you could attend an MF DOOM show, and not have even seen DOOM. Yes! DOOM had doubles he used to substitute for himself!

Who else does absurd things like that?

MF DOOM also had many self-proclaimed monikers that contributed to the shield around his actual identity. Each of his aliases had distinct personalities and styles of rapping, along with their own albums and projects. MF DOOM also featured his own personas in songs to make an even greater distinction between his true self and his aliases.

3. Eccentricity

DOOM’s hip-hop career, and everything that surrounded it, was rather abstract. He spelled his name using all capital letters, even though DOOM doesn’t stand for a damn thing. No one else in hip-hop had DOOM’s distinct cadence, flow, lyricism and voice.

His rhyme scheme, specifically, was quite eccentric because of his elite ability to deceive the listener. DOOM would take words and phrases from everyday prose and leave them hanging on a cliff or replace the word we expect with an unexpected word or phrase.

Take his song ‘Great Day’, off his classic album Madvillainy, featuring Madlib. MF DOOM had a classic example of this when he rapped:

Last wish/I wish I had two more wishes/And I wish they fix the door to the matrix’s mad fridges/spit so many verses my sometimes my jaw twitches/one thing this party could use is more…booze.

We all know what word rhymes with ‘twitches’ that would be more ideal for a sentence pertaining to a party. We’ll leave it at that.

So you may never have seen or heard of MF DOOM. In some ways, it seemed like he wanted it that way. The inconspicuous emcee, the metal-faced villain, became a legend of the hip-hop zeitgeist. In my opinion, there will never be another DOOM.

(Akim Hudson is a feature contributor for The Intrepid.)

Who are you?

I’m you, but stronger.

By Iris Archer
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The girl on the top has just fallen in love with running.

Even though she does not think she is good, she knows she gives her entire heart each time she steps onto the line and that she loves her sport. The girl on the top does not think she will run again after high school or that she is fast enough, experienced enough, strong enough or fit enough to do so.

The girl on the bottom is the same girl, but stronger, faster and now a collegiate student-athlete. The two girls look the same; the only difference is the school on their singlet. They have the same face, same form, same thumb-under-the-index-finger, same love for running and—of course—the same semi-relaxed look when they see the team photographer.

If only the girl on the top knew her capabilities and who she could become with a combination of hard work and persistence. The girl on the bottom is strong as ever, because the girl on the top motivates her. She remembers why she’s a runner; she remembers everything she’s endured to become who she is today. If only the girl on the bottom could tell the girl on the top that her smile and her some determination could take her anywhere she wanted to go.

The girl on the bottom is strong, but still has the same worries as the girl on the top once did: that she isn’t fast enough, experienced enough, strong enough or fit enough. But then she remembers that she is enough. She never runs alone; the girl on the top is always with her and cheers her on with every step she takes. No matter what the clock says, in the end, the girl on the top watches, in amazement and awe that she made it to the starting line in the first place.

“Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.”
Steve Prefontaine

When I first saw the bottom image from my race at the Watts Invitational in Edinboro, PA, I immediately thought of one of my favorite pictures from running in high school. When I looked at these images, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different a person I am today, yet my passion remains, as do my worries. I started running cross country my senior year in high school, the year of the first picture. Girls surrounded me who had ran since childhood, as well as girls relatively new to the sport but with seemingly natural talent. I couldn’t help comparing myself to those girls. But one of the greatest lessons I have learned since is that running is about your personal progress. Each runner has a different journey. I’m still shocked I’m on a team at all; the fact that I am now running more than 12 minutes faster than the first race I ever ran shows that I am doing something right.

Am I the best? No. But I am doing my best, and that IS good enough.

I’ll never become a record-breaking runner who makes headlines or one who makes people say, wow, she’s fast. But I am better than before, and I know I can become even better. What’s more, I do it all with a smile on my face; my smile keeps me going. In a sport like cross country, it is incredibly difficult not to compare yourself to others, because that is the nature of the sport. If you beat someone, that means you’re faster than them. Your time equals your performance and your speed on one given day, but it is important to not get caught up in what the clock says.

Because the clock doesn’t say how long I’ve been running, or how many miles I ran during the summer or how much I’ve cried over my sport. The clock doesn’t show the expectations that I’m afraid I won’t meet. The clock shows one thing: time. But that’s just one thing. I can’t let a number define me. A number does not define my self-worth: I do.

No matter what the clock says, the true measure of my performance and abilities IS how I feel about my own performance, which is something I’m still learning. The whole reason I started running in the first place was because I liked it and thought it was fun; I still run today for that reason, not for validation from a clock. Writing things like this helps remind me of why I make time for this sport day in, day out, and of what I can take from it long after I step to the line with “Bonnies” across my chest for the final time. I can bring these things to my job and hopefully show them to my future students and athletes when I am a teacher or a coach.

It is also important as an athlete to have an identity outside of the sport, because athletics do not last forever. I am not only a runner, but also a writer, reader, musician, dog lover, friend, daughter, sister, future teacher and lifelong learner. This is my first year writing for The Intrepid, and one thing I hope to gain from my experience is to learn more about myself while conveying my thoughts and feelings to others in a relatable way.

If you have made it this far, I sincerely appreciate your time, and I only hope you find something meaningful in my stream of consciousness.

Don’t forget to smile today.

(Iris Archer is a feature contributor to The Intrepid and a junior cross-country and track runner for St. Bonaventure University.)

Top photo courtesy RunningWorksPics 2018. Bottom photo courtesy GoBonnies 2021.

‘Family Weekend’: A new experience for second-year students

By Ryan Surmay

Students and family members at the St. Bonaventure Family Weekend festival. — St. Bonaventure students and their family gather for the annual Family Weekend festival last month. (Courtesy St. Bonaventure University)

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Oct. 20, 2021) — Last month, many second-year students experienced ‘Family Weekend’, the weekend of Sept. 25, for the first time.

Last year, the school cancelled ‘Family Weekend’ due to its COVID-19 policies, which prohibited on-campus visitors. However, this year felt different because of the various activities the school planned.

“It was fun,” sophomore Bonaventure student Nolan Demitrovic said. “There was a lot of interesting activities.”

A fun walk/run on the trail around the Allegheny River began the weekend. Then, a reception took place in the Reilly Center where alumni, particularly parents of current students, gathered. A fundraiser took place outside the Reilly Center to benefit various campus clubs. Many of the clubs sold assorted items to help benefit whatever financial needs they need for the year. To end the day, the school held a mass and a hypnotist mystified watchers-on in the Quick Center.

Many also gathered on the Marra Athletic Fields Complex to watch the men’s and women’s rugby teams play. “Everything felt back to normal,” Demitrovic said. “We didn’t have to wear masks outside around campus.”

“It was good to experience a more normal college experience since we didn’t get to experience anything like that last year,” sophomore Connor Beal said. “A lot of us got to feel the sense of community at St. Bonaventure.”

The lack of Covid restrictions this year has presented a new experience for students in many ways—this year’s Family Weekend included.