Duck Diary - Eric Pickard
Hello Duck Fans!
So, it has been a couple weeks since the last installation into the Duck Diary, and I bet that anyone who has been keeping up with our latest results will probably expect this to be grim, but that is simply not the case. If anything, we have grown stronger in the last two weeks. I have never seen so much resolve, ambition, and determination in the eyes of my teammates before. But, before we start talking about the present and the future, let’s rehash on the past.
On the 18th of February we played in Santa Barbara, CA against UCSB. They won 4-2. The reason they won 4-2 instead of 5-2 or 4-3 is because the singles was played before the doubles. Although this is untraditional, the coaches made this decision in an effort to expedite the match because of the chance of rain which would have prevented the match from finishing. This did happen, ultimately, and the doubles point was never decided because rain interrupted play.
The following day we were scheduled to play against UNLV. It was gorgeous outside. The sun was shining, the grass was green, the birds were singing, but the puddles that were left in the wake of the storm from the previous day were being protected by shade and refused to evaporate. This prevented the match from ever taking place.
The trip to Santa Barbara was not an entire loss, however. We, the Oregon Tennis team, were put up in the finest Motel Six the outskirts of Santa Barbara had to offer. (This was a drastic change from our last hotel, the Chateau Sonesta in New Orleans.) The rooms were some of the coziest I have been committed to since my freshman year in the dorms. But, like they say, it isn’t the place that matters; it’s the people. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Even though there was no shampoo available in the motel and when I first saw the shower towels I was confused and thought they were washcloths, I must admit, the hospitality was superb. An example of this would be when the maid forgot to leave towels for us on the second day, so I called up the front desk to ask for some. I was told to come down and get them. No problem, right? But, when I got down to the front desk, there were some people having trouble with their credit card. Apparently the bank had put a hold on it or something, but they swore it was a mistake. After a couple minutes of waiting in my sweaty tennis gear, I was getting cold. I decided to test my assertiveness and ask for some towels to expedite my excursion. There were two people behind the desk. One was working with the canceled- credit-card-people and the other was mindlessly looking at the first, as if studying how to deal with such a situation. On my first attempt the man pointed his index finger upward as if to say one moment, sir. After another couple of minutes of no progress with the canceled credit card and a quick conversation with a lady who seemed to be interested in having me meet her niece’s daughter, who also attended the University of Oregon, I decided to ask again in the most boyishly, polite tone I could muster. This time the man slowly looked up and stared at me. His eyes rolled towards the back of his head, which was followed by an exasperated sigh of disbelief or unbearable annoyance. He grudgingly stepped two feet away into the back room to retrieve some towels. Thanks a lot. I love Motel Six.
A good thing about our lodging, though, was the bowling alley and arcade right next door. Arron Spencer showed off his B-Ball skills and went to town on the high score of the free-throw arcade machine. Each basket was worth two points until the last ten seconds, and then they were worth three. I think he beat it by 45 points or so and ended up with a high score of 111. Those little kids didn’t know what hit ?em.
On February 24th, back in Eugene, we played our rivals, the Huskies. All of the matches were very close, but Washington got the win. Two days later we played Fresno State, again at home. We started strong by taking the doubles point. After wins from both Gustavo and Markus, we remained in the lead 3-1. There were three matches left, all going into third sets. All we needed was one more win. Mike Myrhed ended up losing a close one in the third, 6-4. The remaining two Ducks on the court were Thomas Bieri and Fernando Freitas, my housemate. They both lost in third set tiebreakers. It was very disappointing and anti-climatic because the matches were all so close and everyone gave 100%.
But, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And that is where the team is right now. Stronger. We all know what we are capable of and we know how to get the job done. Any other team who thinks Oregon has lost a step because of these last few matches and because of sickness and injuries and such... well, they’re in for a surprise. A REAL PAINFUL SURPRISE! We plan on coming down hard on our next few opponents. Tuesday, March 7 we play against the University of Memphis at the Student Tennis Center and after that we go to Idaho to make our stand against William and Mary and Boise State. So get ready for the pain, Broncos and Colonel Ebirts! The Pain Train is comin’! Whoo whoo! And it’s bringing the Ducks over to Idaho! (Ebirt is tribe spelled backwards. William and Mary made this mascot change from Tribe to Ebirt to avoid the “Native American Mascot Controversy.”) But you know what? We Ducks are sensitive sportsmen. We don’t care what another team’s mascot is. We are all for equality among mascots and will had out butt-kickings regardless of a school’s mascot’s race, color, sex, gender, breed, or creed. So bring it! From now on, we will be workin’ it all day, every day. Believe that! GO DUCKS!
Yours truly,
Eric Pickard
P.S. I would like to thank Terry Tate, Office Linebacker, for his recent inspiration to me. Thank you, Terry.
