That being said, I think it’s a blessing in disguise for me. Even though all the other local media returned home on Wednesday, the Lode’s departing flight does not leave until Saturday, so Mike Metzger and I are “stuck” in Missouri. Some may say that USG wasted their money on our flights and hotel, while others may say that we should not stay beyond the Huskies’ final game.

I could not disagree more. If college is about learning, then I cannot think of any better college media learning opportunity than covering a national championship from a totally neutral perspective. After working through the formality that came with covering the NCAA Regional tournament in Houghton, I had no idea what to expect when working in a stricter environment with more media outlets, including no less than ESPNU and ESPN2.

It has been a tremendous experience. After arriving at the Holiday Inn, which is literally across the street from the St. Joseph Civic Arena, we walked to the arena to pick up our personalized Elite Eight media credentials. We checked out the elaborate media room and read the thorough media manual, which clarified everything from designated photo locations, to live blogging rules (which limited our ability to provide constant updates during Tech’s game), to postgame interview procedures.

After waking up for our 6:45 a.m. Tuesday flight out of Hancock, dealing with Chicago’s O’Hare airport and our no-show Kansas City shuttle driver, the NCAA was tremendously accommodating despite the restrictions. They provided free food, courtside access and all the answers to countless questions from “newbies” like us.

By the time Michigan Tech tipped off against Emporia State, we had already been awake for 17 hours, but we were running on pure adrenaline. Tech’s fan base was by far the largest of the day, and with 25 members of the pep band in attendance, along with a boisterous bunch of wannabe refs, the environment was as intense as could be hoped for.

President Glenn Mroz and Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret were just a few of the Tech dignitaries in attendance for the game, and our local media was also well represented, with the likes of Mike Babcock from the Daily Mining Gazette and Mitch Lake, Brad Salmen and Josh Ylitalo from WKMJ 93.5 FM. When the result was inevitable, it was a tough realization for fans and local media alike. For a team that had lost two games all year, this one stung. Seeing the Huskies’ six seniors well up on their way off the court was hard to witness, along with the emotion-filled post-game press conference. Just like that, the best season of women’s basketball in Michigan Tech history was over, along with the careers of many of the best players in that storied history.

We had to move on, though. Everyone else left, but we stayed. We attended Wednesday’s two Final Four games, landing a brief Sportscenter appearance that night after Emporia State improbably upset previously undefeated Gannon 97-94 in overtime. Witnessing a semi-final overtime game that I had no vested interest in as a fan was unbelievable. I got to critique the game, the players and the coaches without a care as to the result. This experience was invaluable for me in appreciating many nuances of the game.

I’m sure those of you in Houghton with a loaded class schedule are wondering how academics fit into the picture. Well, they certainly do. Today was an off day in terms of games, and aside from attending the pre-championship press conference and enjoying Mexican cuisine comparable to Carmelitas, it’s been a work day. Balancing work and down time has been tough, but USG didn’t give us $1,600 to lounge around in the incredible pool room and head out on the town, neither of which we’ve done. Several high-ranking NCAA representatives and other local media outlets could vouch for us in this, and we’ve gained the respect of several media members for sticking it out to the end, even when our team unfortunately did not.

Tomorrow will be unbelievable. Covering a national championship game that is covered on ESPN2 will be an amazing experience, and if this week has been any indication, it will be a great learning experience as well. I’ve already caught a glimpse of how ESPN does things – I would love a teleprompter and cue cards, too; not to mention the slight sense of entitlement that comes from being the “world-wide leader in sports.” We overheard an ESPN personality who is staying in our hotel complain about the strict security at the arena, which two lowly college media reps did not seem to have a problem with.

This experience will certainly be able to carry over to my work on the Lode when I return. Experimenting with media ideas and witnessing different methods used by other media has been educational, to say the least. I can’t even imagine what all I will learn covering the national championship. Be sure to keep checking back to the Lode through the week to get a comprehensive view of what is happening in St. Joseph, Mo., both in the games and behind the scenes.

Part One: The Journey Begins
Four a.m. on Tuesday morning my alarm began to ring. The night before, I had hardly slept any because of the excitement that was flowing around my entire body from head to toe. With my final preparations done, I went outside to wait for my ride to the Houghton County Memorial Airport. Once at the airport we did the normal check in procedures and boarded our first flight. The flight happened flawlessly and now we were in this huge airport known as Chicago O’Hare. This place was swarming with people, everywhere I looked it seemed as if I seen another person. It turns out that our first flight which was a pretty small plane flew into this concourse F which is made for the smaller flights. Our next flight was all the way over in concourse C. It turns out that this airport is so big that you actually need to take a bus from one concourse to the next. Once we made it to the C concourse it was time to find something to eat. With so many different places around only one thing was in common of all of them. This common theme was of course the overwhelming cost. Everywhere we stopped it seemed as if a simple sub sandwich was ten dollars or more. We ended up finding this nice sub place and settled on it and I must say that it was great! After eating it was time to board this huge plane, probably the biggest airplane that I have been on. Another short flight and we were in Kansas City. This is where one of our mini stories begins. Everything seemed again normal as we got off the flight; however it was far from normal. We exited the unloading area to find that our ride was not there. Perhaps we could just guy and ask him where he was, but no that would be too simple. It turns out that his cell phone was off because he had a heart attack. So with no ride to the hotel, we frantically searched for an email that gave us another backup plan. We called this other company, and they showed up about an hour later. After we arrived in St. Joseph all we wanted to do was get to the games. With all sorts of different rules and regulations from the NCAA as well as other events in store for the week check out my next blog for details.

I am terrified for Valentine’s Day.  I really don’t know what to get my boyfriend.  I thought about planning a romantic date, but every idea I have seems worst than the last.  I’d like to avoid cliché gifts as much as possible.  Can you help me pull off a romantic, unforgettable Valentine’s Day?

Sincerely,
Vexed Valentine

Dear Vexed ,

It is well known that Valentine’s Day is the leading cause of panic attacks, depression, and suicide in the United States.  However, you can’t let the statistics intimidate you.  Valentine’s Day is your one chance to show your boyfriend how much you really care (because, honestly, who has time to do that during the other 364 days of the year?).  On this day pink and red explode, and so will your boyfriend’s temper if you don’t do a good job.
Pets are always a fun and surprising Valentine’s Day gift.  Fish are cute, but are a bit of a cop out.  Try something a little more…work intensive.  Might I suggest a diabetic hamster with a grain allergy?  Or how about an iguana with a rare skin disorder that requires application of a lotion three times a day?

Make this a Valentine’s Day that your boyfriend will never forget.

Dear Sassy,

I am in the midst of trying to find a place to live next year.  I am torn between living in the dorms or in an apartment off campus.  I need to decide quickly and I’m getting very stressed out!  Do you have any advice to help me decide?

Sincerely,
Homeless and Hopeless

Dear Homeless,

You’re not alone.  Every year, in late January and early February, renters are assaulted with droves of college students desperate to find a clean, habitable shelter.  The dormitories go through a similar assault, although they have learned to digitalize the chaos, so the battle for dorm rooms takes place in an organized, pixel form.  Both dormitories and off-campus housing have their pros and cons.  It’s a simple matter of weighing them and deciding on the lesser of two evils.  
Off-campus housing can often be a bit of a gamble.  Hard-to-reach renters and broken toilets are the bane of off-campus students’ existence.  Repairs and updates are few and far between.  With a dormitory, on the other hand, it is unlikely that the building will collapse under a heavy snowfall.  
That being said, life in the dorms is not without its flaws.  The obligation to participate in hall socials and mixers can get annoying; honestly, who wants to watch “Finding Nemo” on a Saturday night?  Also, being on campus gives little chance to escape from the pressures of campus.  You might as well spend the night in your classrooms, as long as you haven’t spent the day sleeping in them already.

Dear Sassy
I can’t help but notice you never give very helpful advice. You usually just make fun of us who write in or give us completely sarcastic commentary. Did something happen in your past to make you so cynical?
Sincerely,
Concerned for Columnist

Dear Concerned,
I realize my advice may often come across as sarcastic or cynical. This is clearly a grave misinterpretation. Very early on in my childhood, I felt compelled to help my fellow human beings. And what better way to fulfill that dream than to start an advice column?
In defense of any possible sarcasm or cynicism evident in my responses, the posting of a private dilemma in a public forum nearly begs for insult and ridicule. Especially when presented with particularly petty or absurd dilemmas, I really can’t be blamed if my responses have undertones cynicism.
If you think you have it rough, ask yourself this: whom does the advice columnist write to for help?

You may notice that many articles each week are continued on mtulode.com You may also notice that we feature online exclusive content, with new stories being uploaded every day. Interactivity is also becoming increasingly popular, and we’re doing our best to keep up with and ahead of the curve. All of our articles feature space for comments.

We are Facebook and Twitter, and our search engine optimization continues to improve. We are slowly building our network of other resources, and the Sports section will now include links to other relevant information at the end of each article online. Since we did not have room for columns in print, we are now bringing them online in blog format.

Throughout the semester, we will explore video and audio content more than ever. We already have a weekly sports radio show (WMTU 91.9 FM, Saturday mornings 10 a.m. to noon).

Please contact Sports Editor Stephen Anderson at steander@mtu.edu with any feedback.