Thursday, February 12, 2009

Q and A with Marcus Washington (The family man.....)


You might ask why I chose to write a Q and A with Marcus Washington, several reason why I chose Marcus to be on my blog. First he is a member of the 2005 recruiting class, second he is my friend and third he is a leader and a positive role model to his family. What Marcus might not know till he reads this blog is that I look up to Marcus. What people might not know about Marcus is that he is the only married player on the team and has two beautiful children (Marcus Jr. 4 years old and Samira 4 months old). Marcus has more on his plate than any 22 year old I know. He plays collegiate football, a college student and also work a part time job to support his family. When I talk to Marcus his whole focus is his family and how he can be a better provider. Marcus was my roommate back in 2006 before he got married to his lovely wife Selicia, we got real close during that time and became real good friends.


Q. What is your greatest accomplishment in life?

A: Providing for my family and ensuring that my wife and kids don’t need for anything.
Q. How do you balance school, football and work and still spend time with your family?

A: It’s hard but I manage. Whenever I am not involved with school, work, or football I try to spend as much time as possible with them. Especially my son because he looks up to me and says that he wants to be just like me when he grows up and I have to do whatever it takes to be a positive role model for him.
Q. How hard is it to raise a family while in school?

A: It’s pretty hard but it has to be done. It makes you grow up and realize what things are important in life. The well-being of my family is my number one priority. My schooling and football are stepping stools to propel me into an even better position to provide for my family. We are making it by with what little income we have now and it does cause us stress sometimes, but my desire is for that day when we become financially stable enough to own our own home. You know, “The American Dream”!
Q. Who has been the most influential person in your life?

A: My mother. Annette Washington. She instilled a lot of values in me that I still practice today. Honesty, kindness, respect, hard work and the list goes on. She has always worked hard to make sure that I and my siblings have had the necessary things for us to have an enjoyable child hood. I never had any name brand clothes or shoes growing up like all of my friends, but I had clothes and shoes and I was grateful for that. My father has also been an influential character in my life. I have watched him work, work, work, and work more ever since I was a child. He has always been the primary money maker in the home and my mother was the perfect emotional compliment, helping to mold me into the individual I am today.

Q. What advice would you give a teammate that wants to get married while in college?

A: Make sure that is what you both want to do, don’t rush into anything, don’t take the decision making process lightly, expect to be nervous cause it is a huge decision, be prepared to compromise and try new things. If you can’t compromise the marriage will not be enjoyable because you will not always agree with your spouse

Q. What are your pet peeves?

A: I am a pretty laid back guy and there isn’t much that gets under my skin, but I don’t like when people talk about other people behind their backs. If you have a problem with someone just confront them in a respectable manner and let them know.

Q. What is your greatest fear?

A: Besides snakes. Failure, and Failing in life; Failing to be a good man, husband, and provider for my family.
Q. What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A: A professional football player. I wanted to play with one of my best friends; we always said we would be on the same team, the Atlanta Falcons, after we got done with Georgia of course.
Q. What made you choose to attend UGA?

A: It was my childhood dream, and now it is a dream come true.

Q. What is your favorite restaurant to eat in Athens?

A: Sonny’s BBQ pit. The best Barbeque in town!!!! DELICIOUS!!

Q. What's your proudest moment at UGA?

A: Athletically; getting my first career start against Alabama while I was hurt and still managing to get 8 tackles and a sack.

In Life; growing from a boy to a man
Q. Favorite saying or motto?

A: Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

Boys in the Hood: “Any fool with a penis can make a baby, but only a man can raise a family”

Q. What do you like to do for fun?

A: Play video games, play basketball, spend time with the family

Q. What do you plan on telling your daughter when she starts dating?

A: I would like to meet him and see what his intentions are.

Q. Explain a normal day at the home of the Washington’s?

A: I usually get up go to school, go to workouts/practice, work, come home for dinner watch a little TV before bedtime if time permits. My son, Marcus Jr., likes to play video games with me and I try to do that from time to time when I am not playing myself. The rest of my time is spent with my wife and my newborn baby girl Samira.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Q and A with Joe Cox.....




1. When is your Birthday? November 27, 1986


2. What High school did you go to? THE Independence High School, in Charlotte, NC


3. What is your major? Psychology


4. What is your favorite restaurant to eat in Athens? Mama Sid’s Pizza

5. What is you favorite color? Green

6. Do you plan on staying in Georgia after college? Yes. I plan on going to graduate school and being a Graduate Assistant after I graduate in December.

7. What's your favorite vacation spot? Charleston, SC


8. Who are some of your best friends on the team? Mohamed Massaquoi, Antavious Coates, CJ Byrd, Mike Moore, Kevin Perez, Tavarres King, Ian Smith, and of course Jeff Owens; but really this list is just a few. I could name pretty much anyone on the team.

9. Who inspires you the most? My father has always been an inspiration to me in every aspect of life.


10. What is your favorite song (hip hop/R&B/Soul/Country/Gospel/Jazz)? My favorite song of all-time is “Lights Off” by Lil Wayne. It was on his early album, Tha Block Is Hot.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself physically, what would it be? My height. I’m listed as 6’1” and that’s really pushing it!

12. What is your favorite movie? I have two…Anchorman and Old School

13. What do you like to do for fun? I love fishing.

14. What's your favorite meal to eat? Buffalo wings.


15. What size shoe do you wear? 11

16. Why did you choose UGA? Everything about UGA was incredible to me. The coaches, players, town, and overall atmosphere blew me away.

17. What's your proudest moment at UGA? My proudest moment was being part of the 2005 SEC Championship team. Even though I redshirted that year, it was something I was proud to be a part of.

18. What cell-phone service do you have? Alltel

19. What's your fondest childhood memory? Fishing with my friend from back home all over Charlotte is one of my best memories. We went wherever we could go without getting kicked out.


20. What other city could you see yourself living? Charleston, SC

21. What is your favorite Dessert? Mint chocolate chip ice cream


22. If you could dream up your dream mate what would she look like? Halle Berry

23. What is your greatest fear? I hate heights.

24. What is your greatest accomplishment in life? Knowing that I am going to get a degree from the University of Georgia this fall is my greatest accomplishment so far. That degree will open many doors.

25. Where are the top 3 spring break places you would love to visit? Charleston, SC, Miami, FL, and Panama City, FL

26. Who are your favorite male actor, and Female actress? Will Ferrell and Gabrielle Union.

27. If there is one woman you could marry, who would it be? Halle Berry


28. What's your favorite reality show? I hate reality TV.

29. What's your favorite thing about football? My favorite thing is the team aspect involved with the sport.

30. What does wearing the “G” means to you? The “G” represents a lot of things to me. It is a reward to wear it and it reflects a lot of hard work throughout my life to get here. It also represents the history of an incredible football program that is respected around the nation. It is our job as Bulldogs to carry on the legacy of Georgia football and we are all proud of wearing that G. It means everything to me and it is something I will cherish forever.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Stereotypes.....



Stereotypes
As sad as it is, we live in a world where negative stereotypes still
contribute to the opinions that dominate our minds. Being a young
black man, I've never been ignorant to the fact that there are stereotypes out there about me. However, I don’t feel it’s my job to educate everyone about how stereotyping is wrong. Rather, I see it as my duty to overcome all the negative stereotypes that people may assign to me.

Being student-athletes at UGA, we are often generalized. It is commonly assumed that all athletes are lazy and are really bad students. We are sometimes classified as dumb jocks even before people get to actually know us. Being a dumb jock isn’t the only stereotype that we must overcome. We must also overcome the myth that we are not here to get an education. Student-athletes may have different plans and courses that they would like their lives to take, but the overwhelming majority want to graduate with a degree from the University of Georgia. Here is a fact that most people don’t know: For the Fall 2008 semester, the University of Georgia’s football team had over 50 players with a 3.0 GPA or higher!

Instead of lowering our own expectations, most of us choose to rise above the criticism and try to be regular students on campus. Some people complain that student-athletes have too many perks. I often hear how unfair it is that we have the Rankin Smith Academic Center. But most of those people do not realize that the NCAA holds student-athletes to a higher standard than the average student. Most students have the option to drop classes whenever they please, student-athletes do not have that luxury. We must always remain in enough hours to be classified as full-time students. Also, in order to remain eligible, we must maintain a certain GPA and we have to meet a certain percentage in our progress toward graduation. This means that we can’t just take classes we’re interested in. We have to declare our major in our sophomore year and work toward that major the entire time we are student-athletes. How many people talk about the number of times they changed their major in college? Student-athletes can’t do that and stay eligible for competition. I’m not complaining. I just don’t think people who negatively stereotype us, really understand the life of a student-athlete.

During the season, this is an average football player’s day:

7:00 to 8:00am: Breakfast
8:00 to 9:30am: Study hall
9:00 to 2:00pm: Classes
2:30 to 4:00pm: Meetings
4:00 to 6:00pm: Practice

After 6:00, if we are not doing well in our classes we may have to meet with a tutor; however, even if we do not have any other scheduled activities, there is plenty left to be done. We still have to eat, do homework, and get ready for the next day. There is not a lot of free time, but that’s the price that each of us pays for the honor to say we are student-athletes at the University of Georgia.

What people might not know is that athletes are competing in the
classroom every day. We are also busy speaking at schools and visiting hospitals, as well as performing other acts of community service. A lot of people judge all athletes by what they see in the media. Of course there are some athletes that do bad things, but it is definitely not the majority. I figured this was a topic that needed to be discussed. Comments?

Romans 8:31

Friday, February 6, 2009

What does it mean to wear the G…..?


I ask myself this question every once in a while- what does it means to wear the G. It is a privilege to suit up on Saturdays and run out of the tunnel at Sanford Stadium amid yells from over 92,000 citizens of Bulldawg Nation. Every time I step on the field, I can feel the all the emotion coursing through my body. This is what all of those years of playing in the backyard and all of those hours of practice are for. For sixty minutes on Saturday afternoons in the Fall, Sanford Stadium is a field of dreams. Countless boys, young and old, have dreamt of wearing the oval “G” and representing what being a Bulldawg is all about. I and my teammates get that opportunity every time we put on the “G”.

The first time I heard the phrase “playing for the G”, I was in freshman orientation for the signing class of 2005. We sat in a room for seven hours going over what would be expected of us as freshmen student-athletes. Chester Adams, one of the upper classmen, spoke about wearing the “G”. At first I did not understand what it meant; I did not know that I was not just playing for myself but for all the men that have ever worn the “G”. I tell the guys everyday that what we do here reflects on the whole program. Georgia football is bigger than any one player on the team. I asked some of my teams this same question, “what does it mean to wear the ‘G’?” Rod Battle said “playing for the ‘G’ is like competing for the United States in the Olympics. It’s my home state, a place where I’ll be forever connected to. Plus I have all the extended family members I have grown to love here”.

Since I am not from Georgia wearing the “G” has a different meaning to me. Playing for Georgia has changed my life in so many different ways; I have grown spiritually, mentally and physically. I have grown spiritually by finding Christ as my Lord and Savor, our team Chaplin, Thomas Settles, has been like a big brother to me. I have grown mentally at Georgia because of the high priority on educational excellence. I have grown physically at Georgia by getting bigger, faster, and stronger. When I step on the field next season I will play every game like it is my last. This is what it means to me to wear the “G”.

Everybody that has played football at the University of Georgia has a special memory about wearing the “G”. I can remember my first time running onto the field as a Georgia Bulldog. It was in 2005 against Boise State; I did not know what to expect. My heart felt like it was beating five hundred miles per second; on the first play from scrimmage Tony Taylor caught an interception and the crowd went crazy. I also remember my first time getting into that game. I was so nervous I could not even concentrate on the play call. By the end of the game, however, I made three tackles in my first collegiate game.

I look back from 2005 and see where I am today. I was only a pup then and I did not know that with great privilege comes great responsibility. Now that I’m a full grown Bulldog, I know that wearing the “G” on Saturdays speaks volumes. I not only wear it for myself but for all the legends that have come before me, like the Hines Wards’, Thomas Davis’, Greg Blues’ and the countless other men who have carried on our great tradition. I wear the “G” in honor of the history that has been made in Athens and the history that has yet to be created. It is an honor and I am very thankful to have an opportunity to play for the University of Georgia.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Q and A with Rod Battle



1. When is your birthday? November 14, 1986
2. What high school did you attend? Frederick Douglass High School
3. What is your major? Sport Management
4. What is your favorite restaurant to eat in Athens? Wingster’s
5. What is you favorite color? Gray
6. Do you plan on staying in Georgia after college? Yep, but I would like to live in other places before settling back down in GA at some point.
7. What's your favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with people I love and who love me.
8. Who are some of your best friends on the team? Too many to name. I would leave someone out.
9. Who inspires you the most? My grandmother
10. What is your favorite song (hip hop/R&B/Soul/Country/Gospel/Jazz)? There are too many good songs to choose from.
11. If you could change one thing about yourself physically, what would it be? God made me….me. And I love his creation.
12. What is your favorite movie? Green Mile, Gladiator, Scary Movie 2, and Dumb and Dumber
13. What do you like to do for fun? Listen to music with friends, and play video games.
14. What's your favorite meal to eat? Spaghetti
15. What size shoe do you wear? 14
16. Why did you choose UGA? UGA felt like a program that is built on family. With me being a family guy, I felt comfortable with the players and coaches because of the family atmosphere.
17. What's your proudest moment at UGA? Beating Florida in 2007 – 2008
18. What cell-phone service do you have? AT&T
19. What's your fondest childhood memory? Doing stupid things that ended up getting me in trouble.
20. In which other city could you see yourself living? Washington, DC
21. What is your favorite Dessert? German Chocolate Cake
22. If you could dream up your dream mate what would she look like? Smart, Naturally Beautiful, Athletic, Nice Teeth,
23. What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is fear. Fear prevents you from doing what God may have planned for you.
24. What is your greatest accomplishment in life? I would like my greatest accomplishments to be being a great father to my kids, a great husband to my wife, and a great son…especially when my parents get older and need me more.
25. Where are the top 3 Spring Break places you would love to visit? Not sure, I’m not really into Spring Break like that.
26. Who is your favorite male actor? Female actress? Gabrielle Union
27. If there is one woman you could marry, who would it be? Gabrielle Union
28. What's your favorite TV show? My favorite shows are the Office and 24.