Jennie Finch on the Red Carpet talking Capital One Cup at 2014 ESPYS. (Photo Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)
The ESPYS are known for awarding elite men and women in their respective sports. Different awards mean different things to different people. This year I was a tearjerk-sucker for Michael Sam receiving the Arthur Ashe Award, as well as Stuart Scott’s acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Award (also known as his finest moment on television, which alone speaks volumes), but another that has stood out for the past three years (since its inception) is the Capital One Cup, which recognizes the best in college sports.
ESPYS, short for Excellent in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, honors the best in sports, and how incredibly special to include athletes who give just as much throughout the year, perhaps on a smaller and without pay scale – NCAA athletes.
Capital One Cup Advisory Board member Jennie Finch was on hand along with the rest of the Advisory Board compiled of former NCAA student-athletes and college broadcasters including Lisa Leslie, Brandi Chastain, Clark Kellogg, Doug Flutie, Barry Larkin and Rece Davis at this year’s ESPYs to honor this year’s Capital One Cup winners.
The Capital One Cup season finally came to an end following the completion of the College World Series and this year’s winners are Notre Dame (98.5 points) for the men and Florida (152 points) for the women. Along with the coveted Capital One Cup trophy they get to hoist up, each school will be awarded a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships.(Last year UNC women’s athletic program and UCLA men’s athletic program won for the first time ever.)
Amazing.
The Cup is awarded annually to the best men’s and women’s Division I college athletics programs in the country. Teams earn points toward the Capital One Cup and are tracked throughout the year based on final standings of NCAA Championships and final official coaches’ polls. Schools earn points in 20 women’s and 19 men’s sports – so everything matters. The Capital One Cup is the embodiment of hard work, dedication, and an enduring commitment to excellence that student-athletes and teams display throughout their yearlong journey.
Knowing firsthand how important awards, scholarships and recognition are in the world of college athletics, The Blonde Side had the chance to sit down and chat with former collegiate All-American and Olympian, Jennie Finch.
“Every year the race for the Capital One Cup is filled with drama, and this season was no exception,” said Jennie Finch, Capital One Cup Advisory Board member, Olympic Gold Medalist and former University of Arizona student-athlete and Women’s College World Series champion. “Seeing the University of Florida climb back into the race with a national co-championship in gymnastics and then surge into the lead with an amazing Women’s College World Series championship run was unbelievable—something every student-athlete at Florida should be proud of. An award like the Capital One Cup speaks volumes because it celebrates student-athletes across so many sports.”
Note from The Blonde Side – everything Finch said above about Florida was the complete truth, however, as a Florida State fan, this hurts my soul to include this. But major congrats to the women of University of Florida.
“Congratulations to the University of Notre Dame men’s athletics program on winning this year’s Capital One Cup,” said Marc Mentry, Senior Vice President at Capital One. “It takes a lot of grit to remain at or close to the top of the standings throughout the entire season and the Fighting Irish showed their resilience all year long. We’re looking forward to honoring Notre Dame at the ESPY Awards next month.”
Which men’s and women’s athletic program do you think will shine this next year? Florida State perhaps?
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EI_269607_JF2_4470.jpg49283280Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-07-17 16:21:242014-11-19 11:29:46Jennie Finch Talks Capital One Cup at the 2014 ESPYS
Every year for my birthday, I create some harebrained idea (get it?) to do something unique on The Blonde Side and give the column one last push as another amazing year wraps up.
For my 30th birthday, I did the 30 beFORe 30 series where readers told me what athletes I should pitch and request interviews. It was pretty awesome. My favorite interview during was with Shane Battier, formerly of the Houston Rockets.
For my 31st birthday (last year), ironically enough in true blonde fashion, I thought I was turning 32 and since there are 32 teams in the NFL, I set out on a goal to interview one player from every team, titling it The Blonde Side’s 32 Momentum Challenge. After reading my blog post, my mom informed me I was only 31 that year. Oops.
As you can see I missed the goal by quite a lot, but it was such a unique experience because the players got to pick what they wanted to be interviewed about. Owen Daniels (Texans) wanted to talk about his love of house music, Zoltan Mesko (Patriots) wanted to chat about his creepy-for-a-good-cause moustache, and many other unique interviews.
So this year, the year I really turn 32 (on November 27th in case you want to send presents), doing the “every NFL team” seemed redundant, so I decided to challenge myself to interview as many #32’s in the history of sports: all sports, past athletes, present athletes, anyone I can get ahold of basically. And yes, this will include OJ Simpson, currently hanging out in prison for murder and stealing and kidnapping and cookie stuff.
One of my awesome interns put together a list of all 32 jersey wear’ers he could find and I will spend the next 30 days interviewing as many of those guys (and maybe even girls) as possible. The column will run here on The Blonde Side, but will also be a series on CBS Man Cave Daily.
The Blonde Side’s Blue 32 challenge is proudly sponsored by Bud Light – a beverage I will probably need plenty of while hustling to get this thing in action.
Check back here the entire month of November and follow me on Twitter and LIKE me on FB to keep up as well. It’ll be a busy month, so grab your New Balance running shoes and come along for the ride.
If you happen to know any athletes (pro only) who wore or currently wear #32 or have a contact, such as an agent or a good friend, PLEASE do let me know! You can email me jayme [at] theblondeside [dot]com.
Thanks, and happy birthday to all the other November babies out there!
You always said your perfect girl will love sports as much as you do, so don’t be shocked when you see said girl a few rows up at the Yankees game or excitedly cheering on Big Ben while spilling beer and shouting a few unladylike words.
It’s the perfect breeding ground for a sport-filled romance, but there are a few things you can say to get yourself benched before the game even starts. And just because she looks like the perfect catch doesn’t mean you have to be that guy using that tired cliché.
Pick up lines to try:
– Get the beer man to send her an $8 beer and give her time to enjoy it before you approach. Anyone older than 21 knows $8 beers aren’t fun to buy, and a decent guy probably wouldn’t waste his money.
– “You must be good luck, we’re playing well tonight.”
– “We’re celebrating the win after the game with a drink, you should join us.” (Equally okay: “We’re commiserating tonight’s terrible loss at the bar across the street. you should join us.”)
– Making playful bets can be a good idea, i.e. “I bet you a dollar if he strikes out,” or if he “hits into a double play.” It keeps the game interesting and will help your chances of upping the ante to move to a bar after the game.
– If you missed the last play, ask her what happened. Simple as that. If she missed it too, then make a joke of it.
– Ask her who her favorite player is and why. Take an honest interest in her response… and don’t argue with her about it.
– If you’re at a college football game, just make out with the girl in question after a touchdown or opposing interception. It’s college, so odds are she’s down for making out. As long as that’s not her boyfriend standing next to her. (Note, this never fails at Texas A&M, so I’ve heard…)
Pick up lines that’ll get you punched in the dome:
– “My wife hates sports – I wish she were as cool as you.”
– “Can you kick as high as the cheerleaders?”
– “I’d love to see you eat a hot dog.” (Even worse: denoting a footlong)
– “Do you even know any of the player’s names?”
– “That jersey is becoming on you. Because I know if I was on you, I’d be cumming too.”
– “I bet I can get to 2nd base with you faster than Carlos Lee.”
– “Because we’re at a hockey game, do you know any words that rhyme with PUCK?”
– At a soccer game, do not tell her you used to be a soccer player and “soccer players do it for 90 minutes.” That’s not only creepy but entirely too long.
– “I bet I could easily slide right into your home base.”
– Pointing to a player on the field and telling her he’s your Eskimo Brother.
– “We just scored, now it’s my turn!”
– “We just scored a touchdown, now let me touch down those pants.” (Or any cheeseball reference that likens your potential with the sport – i.e. “scoring” or “you’re my goal” or “taking you home would be a touchdown” or most certainly anything about “balls.” Ball references are most definitely off limits. Also, “you’re the perfect catch” should probably not be said, ever.)
– Do not challenge her love or desire for the game or her team. Playing what you think is a “fun” game of trivia is usually not fun and will result in one of the following: being ignored or getting a beer thrown in your face.
When the buzzer sounds, the only thing that really matters is whether you were a good sport about your approach. You may strike out here and there, but at least you’ll go down swinging. And maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll hit a homer. Okay, enough with the puns.
To view this original article on The Blonde Side’s COED Magazine column, click here.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/o-LEA-MICHELE-CORY-MONTEITH-570.jpg419570Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-06-04 13:41:502013-06-21 13:46:05How to Kick Game at a Game
It takes a lot to see something, mouth drop in awe, and realize you haven’t the slightest idea what just happened, but you still recognize it might have been the raddest thing you’ve ever seen. Yes, after this past week in Aspen, the words rad, gnarly, alley-oop, and oh s**t have forever been added to my mountainous vernacular. Welcome to X Games Aspen 2013 (otherwise known as Winter X 17) where you should have already been introduced to some of the biggest daredevils in all of action sports.
Jumps and falls and spills and lots of “Oh, s**t”s. Free vodka as long as you’re OK with pairing it with any of the four Red Bull flavors throughout the 3.5sq mile town of Aspen, parties and guest lists a mile long each night, wristbands to prove you belong, girls in baggy pants with banging bodies which only makes sense in a mountain town, and hair-raising jumps higher and bolder than the previous year.
I’m not going to lie. A four-day event with 17 different categories (five ski, seven snowboard and five snowmobile), a record attendance of 115,500 according to ESPN, over 200 invited athletes, and women competitors with bigger balls than 99.99% of the men you’ve ever met, I was way out of my league, much less my oxygenated element. Oh, and not to mention weed was legal. Thankfully I ran across a guy who was pretty damn helpful. And actually kind of a big deal: Keir Dillon.
The X Games: America’s most thrilling sport?
Having been on the X Games telecast team since 2008; Keir was this year’s snowboard play-by-play announcer and brought his nine years of X Games experience to the podium. We hung out at the VIP RedBull closing ceremonies party inside Aspen’s most luxurious hotel, Hotel Jerome, and started recapping the games that had concluded just an hour earlier.
Interviews are always better over cocktails and with pen and paper in hand, so bear with me as I try and piece this doozie together. It started with me asking Keir why the X Games didn’t get as much credit as some other sports, like basketball. The training and mentality and ever-changing landscape of the disciplines at the X Games is unprecedented.
“I don’t know, but it’s coming. Think about it – Michael Jordan perfects one shot over a decade whereas guys like Shaun White have to add new jumps, twists, etc. on a regular basis,” Keir said. “A dunk is a dunk,” he said.
You’ve got the occasional Blake Griffin dunking over a Kia, but you’re right — only guys like Shaun White can land a 24-foot backside method into a frontside double cork 1080 to a cab double cork 1080 followed by frontside 540 to a backside double Mctwist 1260 and ending with a frontside double cork 1260, right? (Thanks to ESPN’s press release for that exact verbiage…)
Like all sports, elite athletes are continuing to push the envelope and motivate other athletes in their field, particularly action sports, like X Games. “Someone’s ceiling is someone else’s floor. Action sports is the vehicle to make that happen,” Keir said bluntly.
I get that, but Shaun White’s ceiling could literally be the death of someone else, like me for instance. Watching these games up close and personal, you see how incredibly dangerous the sport is. I was there on day one to witness Caleb Moore’s horrific accident as he attempted a backflip and his 450-pound snowmobile crashed onto his head and chest. Moore passed away yesterday, and his tragedy has raised many concerns of the dangerous sport. Keir explains that while the sport can be dangerous and he too had many spills throughout his career, these athletes train year-round and work with staff to try and prevent such tragic accidents.
The amount of common-folk unaware the X Games were taking place at the exact time Keir and I were talking about it, boggled my mind. I asked Keir to offer up some advice on “why” to watch the X Games.
“If you have a passion for any of the sports, it’s the best way to appreciate the athleticism, follow an athlete and get sucked in,” Keir said. Of course I countered with my love and passion for snowboarding and my own recent attempts to jump as clear evidence he may be slightly off course on his recommendation.
I made Keir watch the above video to which he said, “You should relish in the fact you’re not good.” He’s really good at those one-liners, probably why he’s an on-air TV personality and I am not.
As a novice to the event, there were entirely too many good moments and stories going on at every conceivable second, I didn’t know which way was up so I asked Keir to break down his most memorable X Games moment from the weekend.
X marks the spot.
“The best for me was seeing Torstein Horgmo (25) and Mark McMorris (19) in the Men’s Snowboard Big Air – the two best in the world and they weren’t even in medal position at that time when Torstein drops in and lands a trick never landed in a snowboarding competition before. Right after that, Mark saw it and dropped in with an equally new trick. It’s so cool to watch athletes at the top of their game rise to the occasion,” Keir said of their epically close performances.
After winning gold, Horgmo admitted to ESPN, “This is the craziest level of riding I’ve ever been a part of. The level just got pushed so high.” Moments later, McMorris said, “No one’s ever done that. I’m so proud to be a part of progressing the sport and doing something new,” of his silver medal performance.
So basically what you’re telling me is that one of these guys saw an awesome trick and without even really practicing a ton or knowing full well he could land it, he decided to up his game mid competition, I asked Keir? “Yeah, it’s like seeing an athlete land something unique and wanting to capitalize on it. It’s similar to a football player – you see the defense line up and you change your game plan. Fake a throw or change up your pitch in baseball,” he explained. The mutual respect and admiration all these athletes have for one another is another reasons Keir believes more people should tune in to the sport.
One would think sitting in a fur vest, a v-neck t-shirt from Target and a wonder woman studded headband in the Living Room at Hotel Jerome, I wouldn’t have to tell Keir I was a badass, but I did anyways as it was the ideal segue to my next question. Very rarely do I feel surrounded by women with bigger ovaries than I, so it’s got to be especially hard for a guy to handle. Who’s the one female you wouldn’t challenge?
“Kelly Clark and I used to be on the same team and when the weather scared me, she kept going,” Keir explained. “No way I could drop in on her in the halfpipe and do better than what she does time and again. It’s very hard to put it in perspective, especially from the booth, but what these women do is gnarly. Same thing if I went up against Michelle Wie in a tee box – she’d school me and I’m man enough to admit it,” Keir laughed.
‘Til next year.We started talking about all the great names in the X Games event, not just the most common redheaded name everyone knows, Shaun White. These women are intense and are just as electrifying to watch as anyone else on the slope. “One of the most memorable moments for me this year was Elena Hight’s run in the women’s Snowboard Superpipe final, which pushed forward women’s snowboarding,” Keir said. During her final run, Hight landed the first-ever (by a female or male) backside alley-oop rodeo in the halfpipe finals scoring a 90.0. Big moments like these from Hight are what’s going to continue pushing forward the X Games and making these household names, we both agreed.
Keir now spends his time not only playing on the slopes for fun or helping blonde gals write intelligently about the X Games, but also with his line of earbuds, Frends, which are the only women’s headphones sold in the Apple store. “We broke it down,” Keir said of his line. “Just cause you shrink it and pink it doesn’t make it female – this is more form meets function.”
To see this full article in its original format, check out CBS Man Cave Daily.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/19291_471576602903700_96559759_n1.jpg960960Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-02-02 20:56:502013-03-19 21:03:27Winter X Games (17)
Long gone are the hammered all-nighters on Fraternity Row sloshing around a table with feeble attempts to sink a ball into a cup of beer. Only in your dreams could you imagine playing a four-day tournament of chucking plastic balls into red solo cups for the chance to win $50,000. Or so you thought.
Welcome to the World Series of Beer Pong, the largest, longest-running beer pong tournament in the world. Last week, the 8th annual World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP VIII) took place inside the newly renovated Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas where over 800 semi-drunkards tossed balls and tried to block out the obnoxiously loud music that goes along with everything Las Vegas. Music so loud, concentration was nearly impossible. And when a prize pool of $70,000 is on the line, concentration is key, even when consuming mass amounts of PBR. Mass amounts of PBR to the tune of 130 kegs, all for love of the high-stakes game.
Unfortunately, the check was too large for any ATM, so they had to wait until Monday to cash it.
Without a qualifying round, any aspiring professional beer pong’er could sign up his or her team in hopes of winning the grand prize and presumably claiming the biggest bragging rights this side of the Heisman. This year’s annual tournament attracted nearly 400 teams from 48 U.S. states and 14 countries, as well as 1000+ spectators in the stands and aisles soaking it all in.
The Rules:
WSOBP allows players to play with beer or any other liquid. During play, two-person teams stand on opposite ends of an 8-foot-long table, where ten 16-ounce cups, filled with roughly 4 ounces of beer/liquid, are placed in a bowling-pin formation. Starting to bring back memories?
Each team takes turns tossing beer pong balls at their opponent’s cup formation. If a ball goes into a cup, the cup is removed from the game. The first team to eliminate all of its opponent’s cups wins. Each team has a guaranteed 12 games over two days and the chance to advance to the finals on day three, which then gets broken down into sporting brackets like Sweet Sixteen and Final Four.
After 50 rounds and 22 games of aggressive PBR-filled competition, Timothy Findley and Mike Seivert, from Sacramento, CA claimed the title as WSOBP VIII champions, pocketing the nice chunk of $25,000 apiece. Under the team name “Drinkin Smokin Straight West Coastin,” the two guys snagged the title from the two-time champions (2009 & 2010) “Smashing Time.” Talk about an event going down to the wire. The final match was decided by the final cup, which was sunk by Mike of “Drinkin Smokin Straight West Coastin” to declare victory over all the competition.
Photo courtesy of WSOBP
Although their hand-eye coordination was enough to get their balls into the cups, perhaps these teams should consider delegating a portion of their prize winnings to finding a creative team name in future tournaments? Just a thought…
And in case you’ve got a little spare time on your hands, check out the real history of beer pong and start to impress your co-workers. Maybe even sign up for next year’s tournament.
To see this full article in its original format, check out CBS Man Cave Daily.
The Acho Family at the Living Hope Ministries Event Nov. 26, 2012. (Yeung Photography)
Sam Acho Had Me At Hello
It seems once you make it to the NFL level, there are a few things that quickly follow suit. You join Twitter, you get groupies, you get haters, you learn to juggle all these new responsibilities (and bank accounts) and you start or participate in a charity.
To my knowledge, the NFL doesn’t mandate that players partake in charity or non-profit activities, though I’m sure it’s highly encouraged (like when your doctor suggests you lose weight or you shouldn’t park your oversized SUV where it clearly says “compact cars only”).
Living in Houston, I’ve heard a number of good things about Sam Acho over the years, from his time at The University of Texas. Not a bad word has been said about the guy and after his friendly hello, I quickly understood why. I too had experienced that awkwardly intimate Jerry Maguire moment – Sam Acho had me at hello. I was a fan. For about a billion reasons.
The Arizona Cardinals linebacker, was eager to talk about his foundation, Living Hope Ministries. Most of the NFL guys I chat with are monotone, with answers more rehearsed than an episode of The Hills.
Acho, who says his charity is where his heart is, took time out of his busy day of practice, working out, planning a huge charity event and attempting to build a hospital in Nigeria (that’s busy!), to talk about why his heart is so invested. “Twenty years ago my parents started this [foundation] and we go to Nigeria every year and do missions work where we basically give them free medical care,” Acho says.
Acho’s father’s leadership and guidance instilled a spirit of giving not only in Sam, but the rest of his siblings as well. “My dad is a physician – both my parents were born and raised in Nigeria – Dr. Acho has his PhD in psychology and my mom’s a nurse practitioner. They have a heart for helping people, something I learned to value early on,” Acho says.
Acho explains that about 2/3 of the Nigerian population lives under $1 a day. To put it in perspective, I don’t think you can make a call from a payphone or order anything off the Taco Bell menu for under a dollar anymore.
RBs William Powell and Beanie Wells at the Living Hope Ministries event Nov 26, 2012.
“They don’t have the simple medicine we have. They get sick and die, from a little illness that a trip to the doctor would easily cure. Now we are trying to build a hospital in Nigeria,” Acho adds.
A quick search of NFL athletes on Twitter will show that a large majority (I’m not good with numbers) include the word “humble” in their bios. I’d have to disagree with quite a few of them. I think T.O. had that in his bio at one time or another. Point taken. But Acho’s (@TheSamAcho) was refreshingly accurate and truly humble. And anything else warm and fuzzy imaginable. It simply reads:
“I believe that God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. I’m pumped because I know that God will use my failures to glorify Himself. I fail a lot.”
As a fellow believer in God, I value his bio for many reasons, but it’s the last part that’s particularly interesting. You fail a lot?Sporting News named you one of the 20 smartest athletes back in 2010 – only three college players made that list! You’re good looking and have a heart of gold. Oh, you’re also in the NFL. But you fail a lot?
“Yes. It’s something I’ve been dealing with recently. A lot of times we think we’re supposed to be perfect, and when I mess up, I feel I’m not good enough. I beat myself up when I mess up, it’s frustrating because when I’m beating myself up, I’m out of commission – both on and off the field,” Acho admits.
Speaking of Twitter, a few weeks ago Acho tweeted, “Proverbs 18:16 ‘A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.’ What’s your gift?? #MyGiftIs” Hundreds of his followers responded with their own individual answers using the hashtag, but Acho failed to include what he thinks his gift is.
“I think my gift is the ability to connect with people and inspire them to do great things. I want to say something to someone that will stick with them for a long time and inspire them to take action,” he explains.
WR Larry Fitzgerald at the Living Hope Ministries Event Nov. 26, 2012
If the Dallas native is so busy inspiring others, who inspires and motivates him? “My dad. He’s been married for 30 years, and still takes my mom on dates every Friday. He works hard to take care of his family. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be going to Nigeria every year – he put that in my heart. Along with Scripture, he showed me that failure isn’t the end of the world. You’ll always be able to recover from whatever it is and there’s always still hope,” Acho says.
It’s refreshing to see a guy get excited about something other than an endzone dance. Don’t get me wrong, I love endzone dances, but this is nice too.
Intermittent failure is a part of life – thanks to Sam Acho for the reminder to “keep on keepin’ on.”
This post is part of The Blonde Side’s Momentum Challenge series to interview one active player from all 32 NFL Teams within the short time frame of 34 days. Sam Acho crosses the Arizona Cardinals off the list.
To see this full article in its original format, check out CBS Man Cave Daily.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/acho-lh.jpg226300Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2012-12-03 19:37:232013-01-07 19:42:16Sam Acho Had Me At Hello
CLICK HERE to download and share The Blonde Side’s Movember Infographic.
My love for “moustaches”: On my 16th birthday, all I asked for (because I’m a brat and already had a car) was that my dad shave his moustache. He’d had it since I could remember and it was more of a “dare” rather than a present. Just one of those sixteen-year-old moments where you see how far you can really push your parents or how much pull you truly have in the family lineup. We were in Key West celebrating the milestone birthday with my best friend and my dad walked out of his room in the condo without a single hair on his face.
Ew, grow it back. Now. Daddy.
Those were my immediate words. As if he could take a deep breath and the hair would magically rest upon his face again. Luckily for all of us, my mom especially, his ‘stache grew back in a matter of days and we were back to business as usual. I knew then that moustaches had a special place in my cold little heart.
My love for sports. Aside from being freakishly awesome at basically every single sport, I’ve had a natural love for playing sports since the day I was born. I was born to play with balls. My love for watching sports wasn’t as natural, but it came early on. As a child, anytime I got in trouble my punishment was being sequestered in the family room while my mother flipped through magazines and my father watched sports on TV. It was almost always NFL, baseball, Nascar, golf or tennis. As a troubled child, I spent many-a-days on that microfiber couch and after a while I gave in and started taking an interest.
Why did Jeff Gordon run into another car and why are you screaming bad words at him dad?
Who is that weird looking tennis player with crazy hair dad? (The answer of course was Andre Agassi.)
What’s the difference between a false start and off-sides dad?
Why would Joe Gibbs go for a field goal instead of going for those few inches for a first down? He seems like a wuss, right dad?
Soon, I was a natural. I knew it and loved it. The sixth-grade boys came to me for sport’s trivia. A rare breed for many little girls, but my family embraced it.
My love for being a do-gooder. I don’t really know where this started, but I’m sure glad it did. Somewhere along the line, I realized I needed to payback some bad karma so I co-founded Charity Chicks Houston with a dear friend. Over the course of the four years Charity Chicks has been around, I’ve come to know and support some amazing charities, both locally and those with a national or even international reach.
When my two worlds (moustaches and do-gooding) collided and I learned about Movember, I was ecstatic. What started as 30 Mo Bros in Australia back in 2003 has morphed into a hipster whirlwind of 854,288 ‘staches grown last year for Movember. I wanted to help the cause and be part of the MOvement, but surely I wasn’t (thankfully) going to grow facial hair. I wanted to put all three of my loves of facial hair, sports and do-gooder stuff all into one nicely packaged thing to do my part, so here I am.
A few fun facts: the average man has a 2-inch long moustache and weighs approximately 2lbs. On average, a man with a ‘stache touches it approximately 760 times a day (better than touching something else…).
Jarod Kintz probably said it best when tying the moustaches and sports theme together, “The Nike Swoosh logo would make an interesting mustache…”
Check out the attached infographic, read the facts, join my team and share the hell out of this information. Use it on your own FB page, post it to Twitter, blog it (just be sure to give The Blonde Side credit and a link back) and help one little blonde girl change the face of men’s health. On and off the field.
Wanna partake in the hairy fun? Join The Blonde Side’s Movember team. Girls and guys are both encouraged to join (the Mo Sistas are there for support, the Mo Bros gotta grow). Can’t join, but wanna throw some money to a good cause? Donate to my page here.
The awesome Movember infographic was created by the lovely and talented Melissa Sims [Melrose Designs].
Recently I’ve been doing some guest posting for a fun little website bringing two of my favorite things together, Sports and Food.
Clutch caking an opposing fan
Here is a sampling of recent things that have been posted over there. Click on the links below to read the full stories and let me know what you think. If you’ve got ideas for new stories, please let a sister know!
Clutch Q&A – Houston Rockets mascot loves fruit, honey, and cakes to the face. This story was not only featured on Sports and Food, but it got prominent placement on ESPN Page 2.
Pick Your Poison – Sports or Cupcakes. Or Both.This is, in my opinion a hilarious tie between some alcohol flavored cupcakes I tasted in Vegas to some of the most memorable sport’s moments and jokes I could think of.
Baketenders at Pick Your Poison
One example: Mimosa – If you’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in Sunday brunch with bottomless mimosas, you know how quickly you suck them down without giving thought to the rest of the afternoon. Before you know it, the productive little Sunday you had planned (you know the kind, “Bed, Bath, & Beyond … I don’t know if we’ll have enough time”), has gone down the drain and you don’t accomplish anything that was recently within reach. If you watch any NFL, any at all, this may sound a lot like my boy, Andy Reid, and his terrible (and highly criticized) clock mismanagement and frivolous timeout usage, yes?
my entire life (weighing in at 320lbs), it seemed like an obvious interview to talk about food with this fellow Virginian. The only thing that surprised me? He didn’t know what comfort food was. Perhaps that’s a girly thing? But as he quickly stated, a man of his size, doesn’t need a pity party to partake in a few extra calories.
There’s No Crying In Baseball But There Are Cupcakes Lots of Them.As a travel and sports writer, I spent the last year traveling to games – not a bad gig, right? I hitabout 5 Major League Baseball stadiums in just one month and figured I’d taste out some of the best cupcakes in the area to make your job a little easier next time you visit.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/sprinkles1.jpg478720Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2012-01-05 23:26:232012-01-08 22:51:20Sports and Food
Mark your calendars – November 27th is quickly approaching and it’s a big day. It just so happens to be THE day I will gracefully exit my twenties and fly into a brand spanking new decade and hit the big 3-0. ESPN’s popular document series 30 for 30 was inspired by their anniversary (aptly, their 30th) and I felt it equally appropriate to do something BIG the 30 days leading up to this milestone. Like many of you, I’m a natural born procrastinator. What better way to light a fire under my ass and start earning my title as a sport’s writer, right?
Since The Blonde Side is composed of sweat, blood, tears and opinions with athletes and sports abounding, I realized one thing – I need to interview and write about more athletes. A lot more. I need to find their stories and write them in a way that only I can. That’s where my 30 BEFORE 30 comes into play.
My goal everyday for the next 30 days is to approach one athlete a day (via email, Twitter, his or her agent, etc.) and send them this link along with a request for an interview for this here sport’s column.
And here’s what I’d like as my birthday gift: advice on who I should approach for interviews and help finding their contact information. And just to be clear, I’m not afraid of rejection (I’m single, remember). I want to go after athletes (past and present, even coaches) with stories to tell, and I know I probably won’t hear back from half of them. I read all about Kathryn Stockett’s (author of ‘The Help’) 60 rejection letters before she finally hit it big, and I realize I’m giving myself 30 chances for the same outcome – rejection. But I firmly believe you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So here I am, taking my shot. From behind the three-point line with a torn ACL.
Saturday is the first day of this project and I need to get started on my list of athletes to ask for interviews. Please help a birthday girl out and leave a comment if you think there’s a good story out there (preferably an untold one) or an athlete you’d like to see featured on The Blonde Side. If you know someone personally and can help get contact information, that’d be the epitome of a cherry on top of my birthday cake with a shot of Jager to wash it down with followed by a high-five from Donovan McNabb.
I know the first person on my list will be Muggsy Bogues. I also have C.J. Wilson on my list (just waiting until the Rangers win the World Series before re-contacting his agent) and Kelly Slater. Now I just need to find 27 more to add to this awesome list. And don’t worry, once this project is completed, I’ll update this post with a list of everyone I contacted and what the results were. If we’re lucky, you’ll also see 30 brand new articles featured here on The Blonde Side.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/30before30.jpg272412Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2011-10-27 13:19:452011-11-20 21:22:3130 BEforE 30