ESPN GameDay: Oh Yeah

Thanks to my job at BYU Athletic Communications, I was told that ESPN needed some "runners" to help out with GameDay last weekend. After a great debate I said no because ESPN was asking for three straight days, averaging 12 hours of work a day. I had already missed school earlier in the week because of the deer hunt and had also committed to covering the 4A girls high school soccer championship for the Daily Herald.

However, they called back and said I didn't have to work Friday, clearing up time to go to classes and cover the game...so I said yes. The soccer game turned out awesome; I went up with mom and watched with the Oaks and my alma mater won on a last-second goal. (You can read my article here)

Working for ESPN, even for just a while, was a DREAM COME TRUE. Here are some photos of my two days:



My favorite thing my fellow runner and I did on Thursday was go shopping. This is the list my supervisor wrote out...all the snacks and drinks we'd need for the food tent. After handing us the Disney Corporation credit card, he said, "Really, this is an outline. Money is just not an issue. Really, it doesn't matter. Get what we need." How many times will I hear those words in my life?



We cruised around in a nice rental car. They put these stickers on the back for whatever reason, possibly my pride. Before doing to get groceries we had to buy a director's chair for the guys to sit in while they had their makeup done. The cashier asked for ID when we used the credit card, but I said, "We're actually buying this for the ESPN guys setting up for the game tomorrow." "Oh," the cashier said. "Oh that's just fine then," and she rang the thing up. Did I pull out that card? Yes, yes I did.



I had to be at the compound at 4 a.m. on Saturday. The guys got there much later but went over some stuff before the show. Corso is as fun as he seems on the show, Fowler seems pretty down to earth, and Herbstreit I didn't get much of a feel for except that his eyes are a crazy bright blue. Not that I was, uh, looking deeply into them or anything...



I took some of the guys to J-Dawgs on Thursday for lunch. They definitely went back for seconds, then had a smoke outside, haha. The stage manager who went with was nice enough to let me go sit at the desk before the show. It was my main goal. :)



The crowd...my boys got in front which was nice because I could talk to them in between takes. This is also where Cosmo suddenly decided to jump onto the stage. No, it wasn't planned. Yes, yes he did get totally chewed out by my supervisor and others. I think if he would've just stopped by and then got down, that would've been fine. But instead he rips up a couple of their papers and stays for 20 or so full seconds. On the flip side, my buddy Daniel got the pen Chris Fowler threw at him as he finally got off the stage.



Stop looking at their legs. Apparently they didn't want BYU national championship trophy because they had this one. Oh sponsorships. I still like my buddy's idea for Bronco and the Cougars to win the thing, then take the glass football and break it to pieces, spit on it, and point at the BCS commissioner. But, uh, that's not going to happen anytime soon.



LaVell Edwards owns BYU. I was trying to explain his mystique to a crewmember was there and was having a hard time. You know, usually when it comes to people of the older persuasion, LDS Church members think of the prophet, apostles, etc. But LaVell...he's not only loved because he is a great guy, but because he singlehandedly gave our university and its sports program credibility. He's one of those few people who gets a standing ovation wherever he goes. You could argue that he was just a football coach, but his personality and care in other regards is what puts him over the hump from fan favorite to an almost worshipful grandeur.

Oh, and Chris Fowler is pretty cool too. My favorite guy on GameDay.



The stage manager, my two supervisors, and one of the camera guys. I was surprised at how I was used to them and felt like we had worked a lot together after just a few hours of actually doing so. They were all really polite and very, very good to us. It made me happy that ESPN doesn't just look like a fun and quality organization, but they are one.

Again, it was a dream fulfilled. Will I work for them later? We'll see. I am really, really enjoying my time in BYU Athletic Comms. Like, REALLY enjoying. People ask where I'll work when I am done with school in April...and I'm about as confident as a chameleon wearing tiedye in my answer. But God always provides.

Happy Halloween

My roommate Scott is celebrating the holiday early with a sweet rendition of Monster Mash featuring some of the former members of Apartment 203. Of course, I'm the woman.

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Boom, Roasted.

So tonight's FHE was at the second counselor in our bishopric's house. There were about 20 of my fellow ward members all gathered in the living room. We were talking about Conference and somehow got to the point where our host asked, in essence, "Did Jesus differ between Jews and Gentiles?"

There were a few quiet answers of "no," which, considering the context, was correct...but before I really knew what I was doing, I said "yes." Looking up, I saw everyone's heads turn in unison to stare me down. Now feeling a bit sheepish, I tried to explain myself by saying how Jesus ministered only to the Jews and that it wasn't until Peter was told in a vision to minister to the Gentiles that Cornelius was baptized and that part of the world opened up to the preaching of the gospel.

Then I felt like even more of a nerd.



But I'm not going to lie, it was kind of fun roasting him.

Early Marriages and Mission Ages

I have wanted to start being a bit more philosophical in my postings, get some thoughts out there and let people run with them. Between not having enough time, or at least motivation, that hasn't happened. Now, thanks to a link by my boy Matty Cakes, I have one.

And it's got to be one of the granddaddies of them all for my peers--marriage. Not only marriage, but getting married young (everyone gasp!). An article in the Washington Post arges not only for marriage, but also claims that young marriage gets a bad rap.

I don't believe that getting married young means your marriage is going to fail. Neither does Mark Regnerus, the author of the article and a professor at Texas. I believe it depends on the attitudes of the two people. Are younger people more immature? I would argue that they are often just as mature as many people that are older.

This is especially true for women, which is especially good considering they are likely the youngest of the two genders in a "young marriage." I can see how my views would be flawed if 19-year-old men were getting married all over the place--I don't trust their maturity, either. I certainly wouldn't have trusted mine. But a woman the same age is likely to be more emotionally advanced and fits with a guy in his 20s (see #2 below).

There are many reasons why men go on missions at 19 and women at 21. But I would say that one reason is that it helps men grow up so that they are more mature and marriage-ready when they get home at 21. They are more on a level with a younger girl. Sure, it's not what us proud guys would like to believe, and of course there are many exceptions, but I think it's the general rule. Women don't go at that earlier age because it is a great time to get married, especially to these 21-year-old returned missionaries, most of whom, whether due to social norms or, more likely, commonalities in thought and where they are at in life, are looking for a younger woman. Think about it, it would be foolish to say girls don't leave until later because they aren't as ready for a mission as guys until they are 21 years old, right? The sisters in my mission could've destroyed us elders at any time.

Regnerus cites the fact that divorce is high among young marriages. To combat this argument, he says:
1) "The age-divorce link is most prominent among teenagers (those who marry before age 20). Marriages that begin at age 20, 21 or 22 are not nearly so likely to end in divorce as many presume.
2) Most young women are mature enough to handle marriage. According to data from the government's National Survey of Family Growth, women who marry at 18 have a better shot at making a marriage work than men who marry at 21. There is wisdom in having an age gap between spouses.
3) Third, the age at which a person marries never actually causes a divorce. Rather, a young age at marriage can be an indicator of an underlying immaturity and impatience with marital challenges -- the kind that many of us eventually figure out how to avoid or to solve without parting...But what really matters for making marriage happen and then making it good are not matches, but mentalities: such things as persistent and honest communication, conflict-resolution skills, the ability to handle the cyclical nature of so much of marriage, and a bedrock commitment to the very unity of the thing. I've met 18-year-olds who can handle it and 45-year-olds who can't."

I agree. I have, at minimum, five great friends that married young girls. All married girls that were 20 while they themselves were around age 22. Of course, I can't foretell the future. But I can see in each the genuine love they have for each other. Many of my PR friends are the same. The teachings of the Church and the guidance in their lives from faith and parents help them love the good times and give proper perspective to the hard times.

The conclusions of my ramblings are these: You will never hear me worry about someone marrying young (how soon after meeting someone is another completely different topic). If anything, I am for it. I'm not going to try and cite some uncle's cousin's dad's step-brother's mission president that said get married fast, but I do laugh and love Apostle Elder Dallin H. Oaks's comment: "It’s marriage time. That is what the Lord intends for His young adult sons and daughters. Men have the initiative, and you men should get on with it." An apostle has faith in it, and I honestly think of it as a straight up commandment to do what you can to fulfill it wisely.

Sidenote: How does this affect me, being a strapping 24 years of age, not young but still not as old as the national average of first marriages (age 28)? Obviously the comments above are not universal. There are always exceptions. That said, I still honestly think all the time about why I may be different from the friends I listed above. I don't generally think down on myself, though I do wonder why. Was I any less mature than my friends who got married younger than me? Quite possibly, but maybe not. Regardless, I pray I am progressing and becoming better as I get older so I may be able to complement my wife, wherever she is and however young (or old) she may be.