Aud Night

So, I just got done watching myself on TV. Why was I on TV? I was on TV because I was at the Barre Auditorium last night for some semi-final basketball. It was a pretty solid night. The first game was relatively predictable given that Proctor has been losing more and more players every year from what was once their dynasty. When you combine that with the fact Twinfield was led by 6'6" junior Chad Copeland. Proctor simply did not have anyone with enough size to match up with him. The loss by Proctor was only the second one that I have seen in my life. Then, in the second game, I really did not know anything about Fair Haven before this game, but they gave U-32 the type of run few others have. Fair Haven was zoned in from three-point land, and that was ultimately what put them ahead. They also played a solid all around game, but the long-range shooting was definitely the difference. It was kind of hard to watch a team that you have watched so closely to get knocked out in a game they were supposed to win, but it was definitely a great match. It is always good to go to the Aud!

Photo by Murray State on Flickr

Playoff Fever

It is playoff basketball time for the boys now in Vermont. Two games in the past two nights. Last night's game was particularly exciting given that it was actually a decent matchup between Spaulding and Essex. Spaulding was in control most of the game largely because of solid play on their part, but it cannot be discounted that Essex had major problems finding the net. When you combine that with the return of Evan Tullar and a huge effort from Lucas Dutil and it was a recipe for success. I know that I just highlighted a few names, but I seriously think that the entire team played well and outmatched Essex.

Tonight, the game wasn't quite so close. I was taking in U-32 versus Lyndon. Whenever there is a matchup between the 15 seed and the 2 seed, there are bound to be mismatches. However, it is rare to see a team pretty much play the bench for the entire fourth quarter with one exception that I can remember for about one minute. Nevertheless, it was a fun game, and it was good to see U-32 move on to the next round where they are only one step away from the fabled Barre Auditorium.

Photo by  ktylerconk on Flickr

A Tribute to the Big Day

How many times have a father and son win their first state championships on the same day for two different teams? Well, I honestly don't know, but take whatever number you came up with and add one to it because it happened today in the Barre Auditorium. Congratulations to both John and Brian Pellegrini on their state championships in divisions two and four!

John, the assistant coach for the Williamstown Blue Devils, saw his team take down Proctor and deny the Phantoms their fifth straight Division Four Championship. (Note: I said earlier today that Proctor had won 97 straight games. I heard some conflicting reports at the Aud today, but we all agree that the streak was over 90 games at least). Although Williamstown made me nervous throughout the game, they persevered and quickly changed the property rights from Proctor's self-proclaimed "Our House" to a new owner.

Brian's Raiders, on which he is one of three graduating seniors, seemed to have all they could handle through the first three quarters while trying to shake away the Missisquoi Thunderbirds. However, the fourth quarter gave them the opportunity to separate from the Thunderbirds and allowed all three seniors a huge win and a round of thunderous applause to end their careers on.

I'm sure that you all will hear all the stats from this game on the news or read them in the paper, so I won't bore you here. I just want to throw out my congratulations to these two teams and in particular these two guys who I have seen use their respective talents throughout the years and our hometown in the OC.

Image courtesy of http://www.careercapitalist.com/.a/6a00d8345275cf69e2012875d2604d970c-250wi

Matchup for the Ages

I'm sure you all have had this; that feeling of anticipation before an important event. Today is one of those days, the day that six of the best teams in Vermont descend upon Barre to try the claim division championships. Approximately 60 players will leave it all on the floor while trying to bring a crown back to the cheering hometown. Today's games have personal meaning for me as history might perhaps repeat itself again. The Proctor Phantoms will be going for their fifth straight championship and sixth out of the last seven. This team is riding a 97 game winning streak; some of these players have never lost a high school basketball game in their career. Some people will argue with my claim because two years ago, if some of you will remember, there was a terrible snowstorm and caused many games to be postponed. One such game was between Proctor and Twin Valley which they had much trouble rescheduling. In fact, they had so much trouble rescheduling the game that they played it as an exhibition after the deadline to submit games for playoffs. As you may have guessed, Proctor lost this game. Therefore, the story was run in several newspapers that Proctor had finally lost. However, I refuse to count this as a loss. My rationale is the simple fact that Proctor was ready to make yet another run at the championship. While I was not at the game, I assume that the Phantoms were not playing their starters the entire game simply because why would they risk injuring these players right before making a playoff run? Therefore, even though everybody may tell you that Proctor does not have a 97 game winning streak, don't believe them

Officially, they still have a 97 game streak although they will face a tough test today against the Williamstown Blue Devils who advanced to the finals in one of the greatest games I've ever seen. I highly recommend the highlight film on the Central Sports Network. With all of the momentum that follows a miraculous buzzer beater, Williamstown will be riding high in hopes of bringing home a championship to the OC. This is going to be what I hope is a matchup for the ages, and I hope I will see many of you there!

This image is courtesy of http://ballersnetwork.com/p/en/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/body_barr_2.jpg

The Aud

We live in an age where newer is almost definitely better. We always want the new car, new computer, or in the case of many schools, a new gymnasium. However, once you lose something that has become a part of a tradition, it is very hard to revitalize that magic and sense of mystique. In Vermont, people tend to still treasure the glory of what was. However, as The Boss immortally said, "Glory days will pass you by." Therefore, people need to blend what was great about the past and hold on to it while still being aware of the needs of modern society. This is a hard balance to find however simply because nostalgia and modernity value many different things. There is one place that has become what I believe is the perfect balance of what was great about Barre 50 years ago and what is still celebrating the modern athlete. As you may have guessed by now, the place I'm talking about is the Barre Auditorium. This building was originally a New Deal creation made by the WPA in 1939. Therefore, as you might have guessed as well, it is pretty old. However, that's the charm that this building holds. You can feel the history in the brick walls; you can see worn out patches on the floor where numerous athletes have struggled in pursuit of the elusive state championship. Even though this sense of nostalgia is so heavy, there is always room for more heroes. There always is room for more buzzer beaters, epic performances, and regrettably the dreams of what could have been. That is the dark side to the Aud; while many players have celebrated there, an equal number have achieved the dream of "going to the Aud," but had not been able to pull out the ultimate victory. In a way though there is comfort in knowing that you are not the only team to have failed to achieve what some would say is the reason to compete.

Tonight, I witnessed two more clashes between four great teams. While the final scores were not incredibly close, the simple fact that they played in that building and on that floor has added to the legend of the Barre Auditorium. These athletes will be able to remember the time that they played on this floor. The floor that they have fallen on and added a bit more wear to is still there and hopefully will continue to be. If this piece of history is ever taken away from Vermont basketball, that piece of history will never be able to be regained. The Auditorium may be different than it was 50 years ago, but the history still remains relevant to all athletes who play there today.