A Little About Myself

David R.

September 29, 2009 - 5:14 PM

Considering I am a new blogger for the Annual Giving Program this year, I thought I would take a little time to introduce myself. My name is David Runberg and I will be a junior at the U of O this fall. I am from Denver, Colorado and have lived there for my entire life. I came to the U of O having no idea what I wanted to do. After taking multiple classes, such as my personal favorite, J201 with Bish Sen, I found that I had a great interest in Journalism. Therefore I am currently majoring in Journalism with a Public Relations focus. J201 is a class about media and society. It is a great class that explores different aspects of early Journalism. I highly recommend it for all you incoming freshman.

 

I love sports. I was first introduced to sports at a very young age, and my love for them has continued throughout my life. After going through the phase of experimenting with many different sports, I found that my favorite two were baseball and football. I played both of these sports at a very high level of competition throughout high school, and up until this year I spent two years on the University of Oregon's Club Baseball team. I was a tight end in football, and I played first base and outfield in baseball. Being from Denver, my favorite professional teams are those that are based there, such as the Broncos, the Rockies, the Avalanche, and the Nuggets. It is especially hard to be a Nuggets fan in Eugene around playoff time, because if I have noticed one thing it is that Oregonians love their Blazers. Of those four teams, my favorite is the Colorado Rockies. That is because I have been an employee for the last three years. My job there is any baseball fans dream, and it could be the best job I ever have, aside from being a U of O blogger. I am a Visiting Clubhouse Assistant at Coors field, where the Rockies play. Basically, I am in the opposing team's clubhouse all day with the players. I do all kinds of activities, such as laundry, food preparation, various organizational things, and basically making sure that the players have anything and everything that they might need. On special occasions, I get to be the bat boy for the opposing team during the game. That is the best part. I get to wear the uniform of the other team and meander out on to the field to retrieve the players' bats after they hit. The best bat boy experience I ever had was when the Chicago Cubs were in town. The stadium was packed full, which is quite a shock, because unfortunately there aren't too many Rockies games that are full. I leave that job in September to come back out to school, and its always somewhat saddening, especially now, because the Rockies are about to make the playoffs. It's ok though because this last weekend I was able to watch our Ducks trounce the number six Cal Golden Bears at Autzen.

 

During the fall term I will be taking a wide variety of classes. I am taking J203, a Journalism class about writing for the media, J350, which is a Public Relations class, math 105, which speaks for itself, and history 352, which is about America in the 1960s. I love being in Eugene in the fall term. Everyone is back and the football season is at full throttle. It should be a great term, and hopefully our Ducks can steal a win from those high-powered Trojans on Halloween night in Eugene!

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Division 1 Football

David R.

September 28, 2009 - 10:30 PM

Many students will tell you that the Oregon football season is one of the highlights of fall term. When the number six Cal Bears came to Eugene on Saturday, the post game mood was much higher than it was after the Cal game two years ago when Cameron Colvin fumbled with little time left in the second half to halt the Ducks comeback attempt. After the Duck's week one blunder in Boise few might have believed that the Ducks would be later capable on conquering the sixth ranked team in the nation, by 29 points no less. In a remarkable display by the defense, the Ducks we able to hold the Cal offense to no more than three points. Jahvid wasn't his Best as the Ducks were able to force a punt or a turnover on every drive after Cal's initial field goal scoring drive after a Walter Thurmond fumble. Many people, including Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops have said that the Autzen noise factor makes it one of the hardest places to play in the country. This makes for an incredible game day experience. The noise that never stops comes from a proud group of roughly 58,000 dedicated fans that love Oregon football. Not everyone can say that they have been a part of thousands and thousands of screaming fans at the football stadium of a prestigious and renowned Division 1 college football team. The experience is incredible and unforgettable. There is a reason that tickets can sell out in two minutes. Thousands of students are fighting to get a ticket to the next week's game, because Oregon's football games are a lifetime experience for many students. When I first began my college search as a senior in high school. I was pretty certain I was going to a smaller to school to try to play baseball. I only decided to visit Oregon because me and my dad were at somewhat nearby Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. Shortly after arriving in Eugene I took a tour and began realizing that Oregon had one of the prettiest campuses I had ever seen. From the buzz around campus, I also quickly realized that Oregon basketball, another yearly highlight, happened to be hosting number one ranked UCLA that same morning. The tour ended and after half an hour of constant begging my dad and I were able to watch the last three minutes of Oregon's upset of UCLA from inside McArthur Court. It had been a while since I had been to any large collegiate sporting events, and I forgot how incredible they were. I realized soon after that I wanted to go to a school with large, popular, athletic programs. I can truthfully say that the thought of Oregon football games is one of the things that drew me here. Recalling my experience from the basketball game, I knew that the football games had to be unbelievable. And they are. I will never forget my first game when the Ducks played Cal in 2007. The experience at Oregon's football games is something that students at smaller schools cant experience. The thought of it can be a turning factor to any student who is searching for the best college. It was for me. I realized that sports had been a part of me my entire life, and I wanted to be a part of big school football. I have never regretted my decision. I hope the Ducks can keep their success rolling with WSU and UW, and I only hope that I will be one of the lucky few to get a ticket to see the nationally renowned Southern California Trojans when they trek up to the Autzen Zoo on halloween night as the Ducks seek revenge for last years defeat in L.A.

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O is for Outdoors

David R.

September 21, 2009 - 9:21 PM

One of the perks of being in Eugene is its geographical location. Growing up in Colorado I have always been surrounded by mountains, but nothing more. There are some places that have always been surrounded by the ocean, or the great lakes, but thats all. Not every town can have the privilege of being surrounded by renowned mountains, and also be less than an hour from the Ocean. Eugene has both, allowing students at the University of Oregon to have end less options for leisure away from the campus.

 

I have been to the beautiful town of Sun River, located in the heart of the Cascade Mountains for fraternal retreats. Every winter term we take a weekend to relax and enjoy the snow. We rent two or three houses for a weekend and each member usually brings a date. Some people decide to go skiing or snowboarding at the nearby resort. I have been skiing for quite some time, so I decided to go skiing during my freshman year. It was spectacular. The tickets were way cheaper than they are in Colorado, and there were way less people. It was much more enjoyable that some of the skiing trips I have had to endure. Two hour chairlift lines, thousands of people, its no fun. No ones has to worry about that at Sun River. It is entirely stress free. Other people decide to take a stroll through the village. A few miles away from our houses is a tiny village that is full of small souvenir shops and restaurants. It is rather pleasant walking around because although there is snow on the ground, the daytime tends to be rather sunny. Sun River is a small community, so like the ski resort, the village is very uncrowded. Although it is the only village in town, no one has to worry about long lines in the restaurants or shops. It is very convenient and allows everyone to take a look at the entire village. The third of the group who chooses not to partake in either of the above activities enjoys a relaxing day at home. Most of the houses are equipped with a fire place, so the fire, which is lit in the morning, keeps the house cozy all day. In addition, most houses also have hot tubs. Its always comforting to be able to slide into hot water when it is cold outside. Someone usually dedicates his or her self to the role of cooking food all day for everyone who chooses not to eat in the town. Anything you do in this area will lead to a fantastic day.

 

One other unforgettable Oregon adventure I took was to Loon Lake during memorial day last year. A group of us headed down to go camping during this weekend last year. An Oregonian decided on Loon Lake, and I had never heard of it, but I was assured it was a good time. The camp ground was incredible. We were about 50 yards above the lake secluded in the woods. The lake curved through a narrow canyon, and looked to be about a mile long. During the day we decided to rent a boat for a few hours. It was very relaxing to lay on a boat in the sun for a while. When out boat rental was up we were able to find a dock that extended out into the lake. Sun bathing and the tree jump seemed to be the two most popular activities. We stayed on the dock until dark when we lit up grill to cook dinner, and relaxed by the campfire. The Loon Lake ares is infested with hiking trails, so those who didn't come on to the boat were able to venture through the lush woods for the day. My experience at Loon Lake was a fantastic way to spend memorial day.

 

The last of the three great Oregon outings I enjoyed was to Manzanita during spring break of this last year. I personally enjoyed this experience a great deal because I have only seen the ocean a few times. Manzanita is a small town located on the Oregon coast. One of my friends has a condo right near the beach, so we decided to stay there for a few days. The house was close enough that we could hear the ocean at night, which was something I had never heard before. During the day we spent a majority of the day on the beach, playing football, walking around, and we even went swimming. The water was freezing, but it was nice once our bodies got used to it. The sun was out for a good portion of the day, which was rather rare considering what I had heard about the Oregon coast. This was a great experience for me because, like I said earlier, I haven't been to the ocean too many times. There aren't too many bodies of water in Colorado, so it's basically just the mountains. I have officially been able to enjoy the ocean, camping, and the mountains in Oregon, which is something that can't be done in many other states. Oregon students are lucky to live in such a beautiful place, and one should take advantage of the surroundings while studying at the University of Oregon.

 

 

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