Penn State

In the wake of what seems to be one of if not the most penalizing NCAA sanctions in history, I can’t help but impose my thoughts on this issue. While it is easy to see the reason for these sanctions, I have to disagree with them. The NCAA, like everyone who has a conscience, is [insert superlative form of words that are synonymous to: appalled, disgusted, offended, etc.] at the [insert superlative form of words that are synonymous with: deplorable, reprehensible, abominable, etc.] actions of Jerry Sandusky and subsequently Joe Paterno and others that will likely come out in the existing criminal investigation. However, in my opinion, they have overstepped their bounds. The NCAA, according to its history, is to regulate the rules for collegiate sports to keep the players safe. Over the years the NCAA began expanding its influence and in recent years has come under quite a bit of scrutiny. There are varying opinions of what the NCAA has regulation over. Their recent sanctions have varied in consistency and level of penalty over similar infractions. However, this is the first time the NCAA has levied penalties on a school over a criminal offense. Most of the time the sanctions involve payments to players or improper benefits both of which can be viewed as providing an unfair advantage to one school over another. This case is starkly different. It is a criminal offense that appears to be aided by others in the football program at Penn State; therefore, the NCAA for some reason thought that it could regulate this as well. Why this concerns me is that it sets a precedent that the NCAA can now impose sanctions on a school sports program for any “violation” it deems relevant. There is no bounds to this new regulation. If I was Arkansas, I would be worried that Bobby Petrino’s recent unethical behavior that led to his firing could also lead to sanctions from the NCAA. If a player gets arrested for “extra curricular activities” as has happened in recent years to players at the University of Tennessee and the Georgia Bulldogs, can the NCAA impose sanctions on the school for their criminal behavior? There is a reason that our legal system is based on a set of checks and balances between three branches of government. No one branch has ultimate control. The NCAA though seems to be stretching its influence and broadening its regulating power. In my opinion, this is alarming. At some point, the schools, fans, players, coaches, or all of the above will demand that this change, but right now there’s no end in sight. It’s only getting worse. Where will it end? How can it be restored to a place that is healthy for schools, players, fans, coaches, and the regulating body? I don’t have the answers, but I bring up the questions, because when is a better time to start than now?

Elon Musk: The Real Life Tony Stark

This is an image I came across in my blog reading. I have personal attachments to Tesla by way of my previous job in electric vehicle research. It's pretty amazing what this guy has done...


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Team B: Finish Line

Thank you to all of our sponsors and donors. To the APSO chapters that volunteered their time and efforts to help us get to the end, we say a special thanks. Thank you to the Mobile volunteers for setting up the finish line cookout.

After a long two and a half days of running, we are glad to be done and going home. The runners are tired and the drivers are too. All in all, it is all worth it to help the American Cancer Society.

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BC

Team B: I like your shoes...

I like your shoes...

My momma said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes: who they are, where they been, where they go... You know if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes....

60% done Team B!! Our theme song is "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger. We decided if Forrest Gump could run to that song, we can too.

Our event is coming to a close rather quickly, but we're having a good time. We're off to our standard Friday lunch location in Thomasville before showering and getting a nice nap. We have two runs left and these should be easier. We are beginning to feel the soreness and stiffness set-in, but it's all for a good cause!

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BC

Team B: A Little Extra Motivation...

After our midnight run yesterday, we are battling sleep depravation and muscle soreness, but we know we're only getting started. We took the baton from Team A and affectionately soaked them with water guns as we start down the road again. We needed a little motivation to get started this morning; so our creative driver Ben came up with a great way to motivate team captain Waymon.

Today we are running through the town of Camden, AL. There are some nice hills here in south central Alabama, but the scenery is beautiful. Looking forward to getting through our third run and being over half-way done.

Until then,

BC

Team B: First Run

Team B "the Best team" is done with the first run. Everyone is ready for lunch, but overall, we had a good run. Looking forward to some short rest and relaxation just before we start up again.

The wind and the heat are a bit intense today, but combined they cancel each other out.

First out today was our team captain Waymon. Hills have an affinity for Waymon, but today they were kind to him. Nicole was batting second and took us through the traffic infested city of Oxford. Littered with red lights and unhappy drivers, Nicole did well despite the obstacles. Nicole also was able to recruit a local runner to join her for a few miles.

In the third spot today was Matt. Matt is new to Team B, but not new to running. He busted out some quick miles. I (Bryan) was batting clean-up right as we got into the midday heat. After battling a few long hills in Munford, I turned it over to Melissa. Melissa pulled us through the middle of nowhere through blazing heat. Robby was our anchor today, and he did a stand-up job of pulling us through to the end. He even ran a few extra tenths of a mile to take us to the handoff with Team C.

Now we're off to the Key West Inn in Childrrsburg for a short nap before running again.

Until then,

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BC

Run one is done!!

Run one is done! The wind and the sun didn't want to cooperate, but I managed to overcome. All in all it was an ok run. The traffic is extremely perturbed that we are out running which means I guess they hate cancer research.

Team B: Starting up!!

Getting started this morning bright and early! We left Inverness at 6:15am headed to Southwire in Heflin, AL. They always do a stand-up job of providing breakfast before we run. Spending time in the RV getting to know my new group members and getting reacquainted with past members. Good times!

More to come,

BC

Run Starts Tomorrow!!

Alabama Power Service Organization's Run for the Reason starts TOMORROW!! It’s hard to believe that the event is here already. I’ve been training hard for the last few months, and I am ready. The rest of the group is excited and ready to run.

We will be live blogging during the run on our group blog. Please follow our progress as we go along: http://runforthereason2012.blogspot.com

I will be live tweeting and blogging as well. You can follow my personal progress at any or all of the following locations:

My Personal Blog

Twitter

Facebook

To all of my Donors:

Thanks so much for your help. Your donation helped me exceed my personal goal of $2,500. The entire group together (21 runners and 12 drivers) raised over $35,000 for the American Cancer Society (the final number isn’t quite calculated yet, but it may be over $40,000). I thank all of my donors again for your donations.

BC

Fundraising: There is still time to donate!!

A huge thank you goes out to all of my funders who gave to the American Cancer Society. I'm keeping my part of the deal by continuing training. I'm up to 4-5 miles per day. Between Thursday and Saturday, I will run between 20 and 25 miles. It seems like some crazy long distance to run, but it's not. I have some great motivation to keep me going.

If you have not had time to make a donation, there is still time! Click the "Donate" button below to make a donation to the American Cancer Society.



Also, you can go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=9060315&pg=personal&fr_id=42992 if the above button does not work.

Continue following right here for updates during the race and to see how my progress is going.

BC