The Girl Who Read

Hey there blogging world!!! I’m here to tell you something about me that not many people know. I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan!!!! Okay…almost everyone knows that about me, but that’s because I just love to share my Harry Potter knowledge and love for the books with everyone I meet.

Now, being a fan of the Harry Potter series is a full time job. It involves attending the midnight premieres of the movies, knowing every spell and magical creature, and reading each book of the series about 5 times each. If I were to be a member of a house at Hogwarts, I would most definitely be in Hufflepuff. They are known for their loyalty, friendly nature, and work ethic. I would also most definitely play on the Quidditch team, which is the most popular Wizard sport involving flying around on broomsticks. I would play the position of Chaser because I think I would be excellent at scoring goals.

Now, there is a certain hierarchy of Harry Potter readers on the team. Up at the top in the category of “Forever Loyal/Super Dedicated/Magic-Lovers Club” there is only Erica and myself. This highest level is only reserved for the most obsessive and most dedicated fans. We have read the entire series about 12 times total between the two of us. We often quote our favorite parts of the books and the movies as well as cast imaginary spells in times of need. My personal favorite spell is “Accio” (which allows you to summon any object to you) and Erica’s favorite spell is the Apparition spell (which allows you to transport yourself to any place in the world). My favorite potion would have to be Veritaserum (which forces the drinker to tell the truth) and Erica’s would be Felix Felicis (which makes the drinker extraordinarily lucky in everything that they do).

The second level includes the regular readers of Harry Potter who are consistent and love the books but are not at the completely obsessive level as Erica and I. The members of this level include Mikaela, Sej, Tess, Amber, and Toni.

The next level includes the soon-to-be Harry Potter readers, who the rest of us are attempting to convert. This is where the rest of our teammates lie, and our attempts to convince them to read the series continue everyday. The one who resists our attempts the most is Jos. She adamantly refuses to read any of the books we suggest, but I refuse to quit because no one can resist the lure of JK Rowling’s novels forever.

My challenge to you Stanford fans is to open your hearts to the magical world of Harry Potter because you definitely won’t regret it.

Reading is my passion, and I think everybody should be able to have the feeling of completely submersing themselves in a good book. So I finish this blog with a little phrase from HP: “Mischief Managed.”

--Bonnie Samuelson

Nerd City Rapper

Hello my dear friends and lovers of Stanford Womens Basketball!

As we are approaching the home stretch of the season, with March Madness coming ever so quickly, I feel it necessary to take a deep breath and enjoy the wild ride of a season we have had so far.

To maintain my sanity, I always try have a healthy dose of fun in my life.

So today, I want you to relax and think about how many great memories we've created. And if you can't remember, let me help you. Just close your eyes and think of my voice rapping this to you...

As Mel Murphy would say, “Another day, another dollar.”
It's time for me to holler about my favorite hoopin' scholars.

They started off the year with a bang, pow, ka-pop!
Beating Baylor in Hawaii putting the whole world in shock.

Ranked #1 for the first time in years,
they proudly repped the West, a rising league, with no fears.

Bulldogs, Gamecocks, and Volunteers gave them good fights,
But as Rihanna says, "These girls found a way to just shine bright."

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end,
two losses later this Stanny team was on the mend.

Refocus, regroup, learn from our mistakes,
only then can the good transition to being great.

It's time to give all you have because that's all you've got.
No looking back now, this season is just getting hot!

Until we meet again,
Chiney

Aly sees opportunity in difficulty

Hey Stanford Fans! My name is Aly Beebe, and I am very proud to say that I am on the Stanford Women’s basketball team. I am a redshirt freshman from Santa Maria, California. Most do not know, but Santa Maria is about an hour north of Santa Barbara. We like to call it the Central Coast.

I am redshirting my freshman year due to my second ACL tear. My first followed my junior season in high school. By the time I am eligible to play in a college basketball game, it will have been two and a half years since my last appearance.

 I have been hard at work! Most of my days at Stanford include class, physical therapy, practice, and studying. With such frustrating circumstances considering my knee, I am mastering the art of patience! 

One thing to know about me is that I love quotations. One of the posters on my dorm room wall reminds me that “the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. I believe my opportunities are found in the day-to-day strive for perfection and competition during my workouts. It is not easy! 

However, I have been given a precious opportunity! I am highly motivated to get stronger, faster, more skilled, and to build better endurance for next season. I cannot wait to finally play with my awesome teammates and I cannot wait to play in Maples!

I would not be making such great progress without great support. My teammate, Alex Green, understands my situation as an injured player. She is encouraging, positive, and hardworking. 

I have to brag about our mini-victory parties. While we were injured at the same time, we would hold “mini-victory parties” every time either one of us made an accomplishment. Mini-victory parties include a trip to Sprinkles Cupcakes or Chipotle, our favorite. When Alex ran for the first time, we held a mini-victory party. When I could completely bend and straighten my knee, we held another mini-victory party. 

Now that Alex is playing again, I have been telling her about our upcoming Victory party. It must top all others! It is completely necessary. 

Kurtis and Rachel are our strength and conditioning coaches. We do tons of bike workouts and squat holds. They are always super encouraging and keep me motivated on the sidelines. I am always busy with ab circuits, arm circuits, lifts, basketball drills, and the like. 

Marcella, our athletic trainer, has been helping me since day one. She makes sure I am moving along as Dr. Safran advises. My coaches always check in to make sure they can help in any way. They are as excited as I am every time I am released to do new activities such as shooting free- throws or participating in warm ups in practice with the team.

 Finally, but definitely not least, the entire team has been supportive and upbeat. The locker room is always filled with excitement. Everyone has a unique sense of humor, and I love that! Chiney, Jos, and Mic are all great leaders. Tess, Kiran, and Denia are my fellow freshman. We bond outside of basketball through meals and movie nights. It’s great. Every girl on this team is not only a stellar athlete, but also a stellar person.

I cannot wait to cheer my teammates on through both the Pac 12 and NCAA tournaments. I have no doubts they will succeed! If you saw the work that they put in every day on and off the court and before and after hours, you would be so proud of them. I know I am! 

Mother Knows Best

One of the fun things for me about our new Pac-12 schedule is that we play Colorado in Boulder almost every year (9 out of 10!). My 85 year-old mother Rita lives in Boulder. She and her friends from her water aerobics class, the “Water Lillies,” circle our game on their calendars. On game day my mother says that she feels like she is coaching because everyone is telling her “Good luck,” “Hope the team plays well,” and “Have a great game.”

My mother gets ready for the game by coming to practice. She loves seeing the members of our team and staff. She joins our team for our pregame meal. She contributes to the scouting report by reminding us that the Buffalos are “tough.” Coach Rita knows the top players for the CU team. She has attended several of the CU women’s games, reads their press clippings and has attended “Buffalo Belles” (a booster club) events. She has even confessed to me that she gets nervous before our games.

During the day we had a chance to visit. We caught up on all the family news. I saw all of the pictures she had on her iPhone of her holiday activities. My mother doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet. She has a lot of energy and enthusiasm! I really admire her zest for life!

Just when I thought it was time for a pregame nap she had another idea! She wanted my help in booking her flight to the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle. She told me “all my friends are going.” She pulled out a newspaper advertisement that listed Frontier flights from Denver to Seattle for only $179! I booked the flight for her!

While I was working on the flight I had to laugh to myself. Is this the same woman who told me when I was 15, “Basketball will never take you anywhere!” Of course when I was young we didn’t have a high school team like our players do now. We did play a couple of games and my mother came to watch. Later at home when I was slow with doing the dishes my mom told me, “You sure move faster on the basketball court than you do in the kitchen!”

We had a great visit. My mother had so much fun she went to the Colorado v. Cal game 2 days later! Now she is telling me what to do against Cal! On top of that she is SO excited because she has the Pac-12 Network. She watched our men beat WSU. I better warn Coach Johnny Dawkins!

Cardinal Pillow Pets

Hey Cardinal Fans!!!

We’re really getting to the meat of season! All the games and the travelling for conference games is great! The team meals, the bus rides, the flights… it’s sooo much fun! But every now and then, let’s admit it, we all need that special someone, or something, to give us comfort. And let me tell you, for your Lady Cards, pillow pets definitely seem to be the trend!

What could be more heartwarming and comforting then a pillow pet? Whether you’re in the plane and want to rest your head on a nice soft, plush pillow or in bed and want to snuggle with your favorite stuffed animal, pillow pets are def where it’s at!

Maybe you’d like to meet some of our special friends!

Toni’s little buddy is a tiger named Ralphie!
Darling!

Bon has a monkey named Mikey!
How lovable!

Erica’s special friend is the Maurice the Moose!
Isn’t he adorable!

Taylor has a red panda named Calloway Stark… based on her obsession with Iron Man.
Another cutie!

Sara’s special buddy is Jeffrey the giraffe!
He’s a keeper!

Jazz’s pillow pet is Francisco the Frog!
Very handsome!

Denia keeps Elliot the Elephant by her side!
Charming!

And best for last is Buster the Bunny! Buster has always been there for me and he’s such a great friend! I can’t imagine a single road trip without him!

I guess Jos and Mikaela, being the elders of the team, are too “mature” for pillow pets! And Alex, Aly, Amber, Tess, and Chiney just don’t know what they’re missing out on!

Well anyway, I gotta go take care of Buster! Over and out from the Farm!

Kiran