Huskers’ Fate Will Be Determined Tomorrow

This has been an interesting season for the Nebraska Huskers football team. Starting the season ranked #24. There was a lot of pressure on Bo Pelini and the team to perform. The close loss to Virginia Tech in September was the first test to the capabilities of the team, but the back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State that really turned the tide for the team. After the loss to Texas Tech, the team dropped out of the top 25. And after the loss to Iowa State, clinching the Big XII North Division title was in jeopardy. The team has pulled itself together since then and even beat our rival from the south, Oklahoma. But it still all comes down to this Saturday’s game against Kansas State. To win the Big XII North and to play what will most likely be Texas in the Big XII Championship, Nebraska has to play to win. But it’s not just about the North title or the Championship game. It’s about proving that Nebraska can be a winning team again, in the style of the ’90s. Lets hope for Husker fans’ sake, that they pull it off. 

Check out Big Red Network’s coverage and updates.

300th Consecutive Sellout at Memorial Stadium

The Huskers have sold out Memorial Stadium for the 300th time in a row today for the game against Louisiana-Lafayette. The record begain in 1962 when Bob Deavany was in his first year coaching what had been a losing team for the 8 years before. He eventually led the Huskers to back-to-back championships and began the legacy that is now known as Husker football. It is a great record to hold because it shows more about Husker fans than the football team itself.  Just as Steve Hanway pointed out on Big Red Network:

One of the most remarkable things about Nebraska’s 300-game consecutive home sellout streak is that the first game in that streak was a loss to Missouri. When you consider that a team’s success on the field is often the sole determinant of how much people will support a team, it’s rather remarkable that after Nebraska fans saw their team lose to Missouri for the seventh year in a row, they still came back and bought every ticket available for the next home game. When you look at the history of Nebraska football, it is the losses as much as the wins that have been major milestones in the program’s history.

To read more check this out.

My Entry into Road Journalism

Map of Nebraska

My first piece of road journalism was written about 11 years ago. I was 10 years old and about to embark on a long journey across my home state of Nebraska. I had done my research before the trip and picked a route that I felt maximized the experience for everyone in my traveling party. Our destination was Gregory, South Dakota, a small town just north of the border of Nebraska.

As my travel partners and I hit the open road, I held the map in my hand, my notebook and camera stored safely in my bag. I was too young to drive so I was the official navigator. It was my responsibility that my dad, the driver, knew when and where to turn throughout the five day trip.

We were going to South Dakota to visit my aunt and uncle for the Fourth of July. My aunt had rented out a lodge near her home and invited all of our immediate relatives to join them for the annual festivities. My parents had decided to make it a family vacation. I had decided to make it my writing debut.

I had tried to keep a travel log on past trips but found that I spent so much time enjoying myself that I forgot to write about it. This time though, I pledged to myself to actually write about what I did and saw on our journey across the state so that I would remember it.

My dad had asked me to help him plot our course to Gregory. We were planning to leave several days early in order to make sure we hit as many tourist sites as possible on our drive. We spent days poring over maps of Nebraska, looking for interesting places to stop and finding ways to make sure our rout took us near them.

Finally, we had the perfect route. We were going to take Nebraska Highway 2 right through the center of the state. Along the way we would stop at the Happy Jack chalk mines, Fort Hartsuff (one of Custer’s forts), Halsey National Forest (the largest manmade forest in the world), and the Sand Hills (not actually made of sand). The whole time I wrote about what we were doing.

After spending time with family for the Fourth of July, it was time to head back home. When planning the trip, my dad and I had planned a different route home so that we could maximize the things we saw on our journey. This time we stopped at the Ashfall Fossil bed (skeletons of rhinos killed by the ash of a volcano in Idaho) and took a tour of the flour mill in Neligh (water-powered).

Finally the trip was over and I did some final touch ups on my travel log. When I finally thought it was ready to be seen, I showed it to my dad who, as any dad would, said it was wonderful and proudly showed it to family and friends. It was one of my proudest moments up to that point in my life. I was a writer.

I will never forget that trip. The things I saw, the places I experienced, the fun I had with my family, all of that was written into my travel journal and ingrained in my memory.

It was the start, for me, of a longtime interest in traveling and in documenting those experiences. Every family vacation after that, I wrote a journal of what we did and where we went and what I saw.

It’s part of why I wanted to become a journalist. I wanted to experience the world around me and then turn around and write about it.

It’s also part of why I moved to New York City. Here is a place where there is constantly something new to discover. I feel like I am always finding new places to explore and write about.

For me, my life is defined by the experiences and adventures I have been able to have and to write about. It is what I hope to continue to do.

Plants and Pie on the Plains

I thought this story about a couple of plantsmen traveling around Kansas and Nebraska was kind of interesting. Check it out: Expert Plantsmen Live Pie to Pie | Daily Yonder.

Neb. Senator Nelson on the 60-member majority in Senate

Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson was on NPR’s All Things Considered yesterday discussing what the 60-member Democratic majority means for the Senate. As one of the Senate’s most conservative Democrats, he is not expected to vote along party lines as often as many Democrats would like. Check out the interview.

Put Out Your Cigarettes, Nebraska

On Monday, the statewide smoking ban took affect across the state of Nebraska. Several of the larger cities already had smoking bans in existance but this statewide ban outlaws indoor smoking across the entire state.  This will be a change for many of the small town bars that have previously allowed smoking inside. Listen to this report from NET Radio by Sarah McCammon.

Melanoma Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center

I recently did a story for NET Radio News about a new breakthrough in Melanoma research discovered by a team of scientists as the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It aired on Morning Edition and All Things Considered yesterday Check it out!

An Answer to the Safe Haven Law?

Nebraska Gov. Heineman signed LB 603 into law today. This bill provides for increases in mental health services for children and their families, including a 24/7 hotline and more followup assistance programs. You can read more about the new bill here.

Will this bill solve the problems that were made apparent by the Safe Haven law last year? I don’t think it will solve them all but it is a step in the right direction at least.

Lessons On Love

Here’s a story about a Rabbi from Nebraska who changed the life of a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the New York Times.

Husker Football

I wrote a post today on my personal blog about Husker football and I figured I should post a link to it on this blog too. 

 

GO HUSKERS!!!