Final Edition

Hey there sports fans and welcome to tonight's final edition of the Wide World of Wildcats. Over the course of the semester, I have had the pleasure of posting about various sports topics whether it be athlete profiles, my experiences or game highlights. Every week, I have looked forward to my next post and have loved having the opportunity to pick a sports related topic that everyone would enjoy and want to read. I have learned a significant amount about blogging and have come to love it. Blogging is something that is so easy to do and it is the quickest way to get out what you want to say. It is easily accessible to anyone and everyone and it is so simple to use. I would highly recommend blogging to anyone who enjoys writing.

One of the most useful tools I picked up by my blog is how to effectively write about sports. Before this, I hadn't done much sports writing at all, but this blog gave me the opportunity to practice each week. I'm glad I was able to cover a variety of sports and tell about my experiences. I truly have a passion and fascination for all sports and this blog further proved that a career in sports needs to be in my future. 

I appreciate everyone who took the time to check in each week and read what I had going on. It has been a good ride for the past four months and I could not have asked for a better class assignment. From sunny Tucson, Arizona, thanks for the support and until next time, Bear Down!

Stefanos Michael, International Track Star

      Stefanos Michael competing in long jump

Good afternoon sports fans and welcome to this weeks edition of Wide World of Wildcats. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend and the NBA playoffs which are now underway. To get things started, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to one of UA's international athletes, Stefanos Michael, who I will later be doing a more in-depth story on. Here's a preview of his life and his journey to the U.S. and the UA.

Stefanos grew up in Cyprus, an island not too far from Greece, with a population about the size of Tucson. Growing up, he loved to play basketball, but when he was 13-years-old, he started practicing the long jump. When he was 16, he was the third best jumper in all of Cyprus. At 17, he was the best in Cyprus. He then became the fourth best in all of Greece and Cyprus and in 2003, he qualified for the Youth World Champion

ship in Canada. 

After high school and lyceum, Stefanos, served in the military, a requirement in Cyprus. Due to a bad coaching experience, Stefanos stopped jumping and stopped competing. It wasn't until after his time in the military when he started practicing again.

"It's hard to be an athlete and a student in Cyprus," Stefanos said. "They don't care about athletes there."

After a year of studying at the University of Cyprus, Stefanos decided he wanted to come to the United States.

"I came here to have a better future in sports and school."

He decided on the University of Arizona because it's a "good school, has good weather and a good team in track."

      Stefanos in competition

Being an international athlete, the initial adjustment to the U.S. was challenging, but he was able to adjust quickly.

"The hard part is missing your family," said Stefanos, who only sees his family twice a year, but talks to them on the phone twice a week. "The hard thing for me is the language."

Although English is taught at school back in Cyprus, Stefanos admits that he never paid attention. It wasn't until the military when he started to learn it. Greek is his first language.

Today, Stefanos could not be happier about his decision to come to UA where he is a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering. 

"This is a good environment for athletes," Stefanos said. "Everyone is helping and supporting here."

Stefanos hopes to attend graduate school after completing his undergrad at UA. He also hopes to continue competing in the long jump.

"I look to jump good so I can show my appreciation. That's the thing I want to do," Stefanos said. "I want to thank my coach, Sheldon Blockburger, head coach, Coach Fred Harvey and manager Francesca Green for their support for everything they do for me and the team."

For more on Stefanos, please visit the Arizona Athletics website and in a few weeks, check out borderbeat.net.

That wraps up this weeks edition. Tune in next week for a final farewell of the Wide World of Wildcats. Until then, Bear Down!

      Stefanos (in blue) taking a break during competition

FC Barcelona and Camp Nou

     FC Barcelona "More than a club"


Hey there sports fans and welcome to this weeks edition of Wide World of Wildcats. I am currently home in Sacramento, relaxing and enjoying some quality time with my family. When I arrived home, my parents had saved an article about me from our local newspaper, the Sacramento Bee, about FC Barcelona, specifically their stadium, Camp Nou. Last semester (Fall 2008), I had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona. It was by far the best time of my life and I loved every second of it, especially when it came to soccer. With that said, FC Barcelona (the city's soccer team) is one of the best teams in the world and they have been through a lot to get to where they are today. The article I read said that you have not truly experienced Barcelona unless you have been to a FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou. While abroad, I was lucky enough to not only attend an FC Barcelona game, but I was also able to take a tour of Camp Nou. Here's what I have for you.

     VIP seats in Camp Nou

History

The first stadium FC Barcelona played in was Les Corts in 1922. The s

tadium held only 20,000 people and it was quickly decided they needed more room. In 1957, Camp Nou was opened and is still the home of FC Bar

celona. Camp Nou holds over 98,000 people and is the largest stadium in Europe.

    Goal and part of Camp Nou

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 and FC Barcelona stands for Futbol Club Barcelona. Their slogan is "Mes que un club" which translates to "More than a club." Their colors are scarlet and blue. Each jersey has UNICEF printed on it as  each year FC Barcelona donates $1.9 million to the charity. They have won numerous championships and are one of the most successful futbol clubs in Europe. Their biggest rival is Real Madrid and every year they face-off in El Clasico. Today, FC Barcelona's best and most notable players in the world is Argentian-born Lionel Messi who is only 21 years old. 

    Locker room

Game Experience

Walking into Camp Nou was one of the coolest yet most overwhelming experiences. It was packed with people all sporting their Barca jerseys. I was worried about hooligans, but luckily I didn't encounter any. Most people in the United States stereotype futbol games as being out of control and dangerous because of the fans, but that is only in extreme cases. My seats were in the last row of the stadium, but there are no bad seats in Camp Nou. One thing most people are surprised to hear is that they do not sell alcoholic beverages at the stadium, only non-alcoholic beer. The food is also not a hot commodity like it is in the U.S. I had some sort of hotdog soaked in mustard and I was the only one at the concession stand. The game in itself was very exciting. Goal after goal and of course, Barca won. It was unbelievable just to be part of the game and the futbol experience. When we left, the metro (the subway) was crowded with people shouting their favorite FC Barcelona cheers and drinking the 1 Euro Estrella's they bought on the streets. I agree with the author of the article-you can not truly experience Barcelona unless you attend a futbol game.

     Press room

That wraps up this weeks edition. Hope you enjoyed learning about FC Barcelona and Camp Nou. Tune in next week and until next time, Bear Down!

     Part of trophy case

UA Track and Field Meet

On Saturday afternoon I attended my first college track and field meet, the annual Jim Click Shootout. I went to meet the subject of my next story, Stefanos Michael, a 6-2 sophomore from Greece who competes in the long jump. When I arrived, I was greeted by my friend Jeremy who walked me to the long jump event and introduced me to Stefanos. He was very nice and his accent wasn't too thick. He was about to compete so I wished him good luck and took my place right in front of the sand pit. I watched three rounds of the long jump, each jump more impressive than the next. It was awesome being right in the action. I stood and took pictures which was a difficult challenge at first, but once I got the hang out if I was able to take some really cool pictures. 

All around me people were competing in different events. At times, it was hard to stay focused on the long jump because there was so much going on. There was pole vaulting, the shot put and 100-meter dashes. I was surprised the stands were not more crowded considering this was a good competition. In fact, it was so good that 26 athletes set personal records and the team earned 16 NCAA West Regional Qualifications. 

There are currently 80 people on the track and field roster, 39 men and 41 women. Of those, six of the men and three of the women are from outside of the

 United States, making this a truly international team.

Jeremy told me that besides the Wildcat, I was the most media the team had ever had. That surprised me because Arizona has a great track and field program that often times goes unnoticed. I was fascinated by the number of athletes who were competing and at the intensity level they were competing at. I believe the school should do more to promote and market the events because they are close to campus and they are really fun and entertaining to watch. Plus, it is impossible to get bored since there is so much going on.

All in all, I really enjoyed my first track and field experience. I wish I would have gone to more meets, but at least I can finally say I have been to one. For anyone who has never attended a meet, I would highly recommend going and seeing what all the hype is about.

That wraps up this weeks edition of the Wide World of Wildcats. Tune in next week for another juicy sports update. Until next time, Bear Down!