Another Day, Another Delay

June 24 + 25, 2013 
Killington, Vermont 

As if the qualifier cancelation wasn't enough. The past two days we have experienced more weather delays in Killington. The mornings have been fine, but as soon as the afternoon hits we have had thunderstorms. The superintendent told me today that anytime the weather is over 80 in Killington there is a chance of thunderstorms. We are right in the mountains at this course, and they have been rocking lately.

Tommorow will be an interesting day. We have a 6:15 a.m. restart, this will be the earliest start in the history of team five. Leaving our cottage at 4:30 will be a new experience, but I'm sure we will figure it out. We are trying to finish 54 holes at this tournament, the weather is not cooperating, but we will do our best sun-up to sun-set.

During the rain delays things can be hectic, but today we managed to have a little fun. First the superintendent did trivia with the kids awarding them ice cream sandwiches for correct answers. Then some of the staff played some card games with the juniors. These delays have been long and unfortunate, but today we were able to have some fun.

Lets hope the storms miss us tomorrow.

Three days, three storms, we are due for a nice day. 

Timber

Killington, Vermont 
June 23, 2013

For the first time since May 19 I didn't set an alarm clock this morning. I was not due at the course until 4:30 p.m. What a change of pace this was. I didn't get out bed until 10:45 a.m. This really brought me back to a few months ago when that was a regular wake up time. It was fantastic to catch up on sleep and chill for a little while. Once I got to the course the chillin went a way in a hurry.

As soon as fellow sleep-iner Kelsey and I got to the course things got crazy. We saw lightning on our ride in, and we knew that we were walking into a delay. What we didn't know is that this was not going to be a standard delay. First there was a small storm that didn't do much. Then the big one came, and luckily everyone was off the course. This storm was insane, torrential downpour with lightning and high winds. At one point in the storm I looked out the window and a tree fell on No. 1. I had never seen a tree fall like that before, it was pretty crazy. The worst of it didn't last long, but the timing and severity of the storm forced us to cancel the qualifier. Team five made it one week without a weather delay, but that didn't last long.

The tree that fell on No. 1 during the big storm today. 

New Week

Killington, Vermont 
June 22, 2013

Today was our first full day in Vermont. Things are going to be very different this week. The first three weeks all of my team members and I stayed in private housing, mostly in pairs. This week we are all under one roof. Every member of team five and the full time staff all together this week. We are staying in a ski cottage about 10 minutes outside of the course. The Ski cottages is nice and will be fun this week, it may be a little small for 12 people, but a great experience nonetheless.

Another big change this week is our headquarters. The HQ at every tournament is where the communications department and the tournament director set up shop. The first three weeks our HQ has been a good size and a good place to work. This week is a little different. We have a homemade cubical in the small corner of their bar and grill. The HQ this week is not big nor quite, but every tournament is different and that's part of the fun.

Today was purely a set-up day. The operations crew was on the course all day marking and setting it up for tournament play. Us in the communication department got things set up for the upcoming golf by making cart signs, scorecards, and pairings.

Our food situation this week is fantastic. Our tournament director Katie's mom has flown in to Vermont to hang out with us, and cook us food. So far it has been deliscious. Eating home cooked meals is another change of pace this week or team five, but I am sure I speak for all of us when I say we welcome and enjoy the change.

OB: 
Although the majority of our meals this week will be home cooked, last night we went to a unique restaurant. We went to Outback Pizza a Killington resturant who's speciality is wood fired pizzas. The food was outstanding, but the place itself was very unique. Fist of all it was enormous, there was space everywhere with games, music stages, and televisions. We had some live music with our meal which made for a cool night. The restaurant had open windows with a creek right outside. The sound of water moving through the rocks was clear all through the restaurant. Outback Pizza also had a rotating glass machine that chilled their glasses in the winter months. The place was not that busy tonight, but I'm sure in the winter with all the skiing, the restaurant gets packed.

Tight quarters this week in Vermont. Paul, Michael and I's room this week features three beds in one room. Should be interesting ! 

Avon to Killington

On the Road

June 21, 2013

Team five is officially on their way to New England. We left the Cleveland area around 7 a.m. and we are on our way Killington, Vermont. I am excited to get back to New England. Although I will still be three and a half hours away from my home which in New England is an eternity, I am still glad to be headed back. In small doses Vermont is great. This will be a few of our teammate’s first trip to New England, hope it doesn’t disappoint.

When we were heading out of Ohio we drove right by downtown Cleveland. I don’t know why it gets a bad rap, it looks like a cool place, and Progressive Field is huge! The next state we were in was Pennsylvania; we had a brief stay in the keystone state before we hit the New York border. Driving through New York takes a while. We drove across the entire upper half of the state. Avon to Killington was the longest drive team five has had this summer. We had a couple five hour drives; we easily doubled that number today. In total the drive took us 12 hours with a couple gas stops and a lunch break.  We were in Vermont for dinner.

I am excited to get this week started. We are back with our week one tournament director. We are excited to work with Katie again, and I’m sure she’s over the moon to work with us. There will be ups and downs with team five, but we always keep it interesting. We are staying at a ski resort this week. I’m glad were here in the summer because for someone from New Hampshire I am not a fan of wintery weather, and Killington gets pounded in the winter.

Time to get this week started. We hit the course tomorrow.

OB:

Last night the Miami Heat were crowed champions of the basketball world for the second time in as many years. This year’s edition of the NBA Finals was one of the best in a long time. This series was up and down, and game six was an all-timer. Lebron started slow but was fantastic down the stretch in this series. I guess right now his “decision” is looking pretty good. Lebron took his talents to South Beach, and now has two rings. The people of Cleveland will never forgive him for the way he left though.

Speaking of the people of Cleveland, last night there were times when I thought I was watching the game at a San Antonio bar. Ben the legendary host Dad had us over for one last cookout and to watch game seven. He had some of his friends from the Cleveland area over. Their disdain for Lebron was evident as every Danny Green three bricked of the rim in game seven. It’s not that they wanted to see the Spurs win; they just couldn’t bare the thought of Lebron winning another title. Lebron was their guy, he was the savior, and he was going to be the catalase to the first Cleveland title since 1948. I talked to Ben’s friend who use to have 4^th row seats to the Cavs at mid-court. He has since given them up, he said the Q “was electric,” when the king was there. Even with Kyrie “it’s just not the same.”  Now he has two rings for the people of South Beach that leave game six of the NBA Finals early. Sometimes being a sports fan just isn’t fair.

It didn’t work out for my new friends from Cleveland, but hopefully someday they will see a championship parade. This week really reminded me of how lucky I have been as a sports fan. I am 22 and I have already seen seven championships, and were on the cusp of another one (Go Bs). Anyone in Cleveland born in 1949 or later has never seen any of their teams win a title! This is crazy, what a bad run they have been on. I know how lucky I am to be a Boston sports fan at my age.    
     

Sometimes it is hard to put in perspective when you get punched twice in the gut by the Giants in Super Bowls, and blow a 13 point lead in the game 7 against the Lakers. This week definitely gave me some perspective on how good my friends and I have had it watching seven (hopefully eight) parades in eleven years. I was talked with a die-hard Cleveland sports fan that worked in the cart barn at Red Tail.  He was explaining to me a lot about the cities sports culture.  He told me football will always be king, and if any team wins a title it will be mayhem. However if the Browns ever won a Super Bowl, the city  may burn down. For all the people I met this week, I hope some year the first Sunday in February will be the busiest day in Cleveland Fire Department history.

                     Great photo of Red Tail Golf Club in the morning taken by fellow intern Kelsey. 

Goodbye Ohio

Avon, Ohio 

June 20, 2013

I woke up the this morning at 4:45 a.m. excited for the final round of golf, but disappointed that this was out last day in Ohio. This state has treated me real well. Team 5's host family situation this week was off the charts. Our week culminated with one final cookout at Ben's. We wrapped up the week in style. The people of Red Tail really showed us a good time this week. This was my first week in the state of Ohio, but after this experience I definitely want to come back. 

The tournament ended today and both featured good finishes. I was able to watch the last few holes in each division because I was taking leader photography. Both winners missed the No. 18 green and needed to get up-and-down to secure the win. In the Girls Division the winner knocked it real close then tapped in for the win. The Boys winner hit a bunker shot to about four feet, and knocked the putt down.

Post  round was a little hectic with all the awards photography I needed to do. Luckily all the players were helpful and cooperative , and I got everything I needed. The uploaded process didn't go as smoothly as we hoped because we had some server issues. Nevertheless we got everything done and the golf portion of this week went well. We had a great week in Avon, not off to Vermont!

Another highlight from the Avon week was our curtesy cars. We had an Infinity, Denali, and Mercedes 

For Starters

June 19, 2013
Avon, Ohio

Today was the second round in the Junior All-Star at Red Tail. This morning I got to do one of my favorite things. For the first 20 or so tee times I was the starter. I like this job for a couple reasons. Number one I get to meet and talk with all the juniors which is cool and interesting. Number two I like to add a little something extra to the announcements. I like go jazz up the hometowns and names as much as possible on the first tee. Most of the competitors seem to enjoy it, and like the change up. I like to announce them as if their at The Masters, even if their going to shot 88. Some players from Ashland came up to me and said they were glad I was starting again because they like my announcing in Kentucky. The juniors seem to like it, so I'm going to go with it for the summer.

The scores were very impressive today. In the Boys Division we had a 66 and 67. It's crazy how low some 12-15 year olds can go!

Red Tail Golf Club is an impressive place as I have mentioned. One other thing I like about it is the wildlife around the course. During the qualifier I saw a lot of Fish and Birds in all shapes and sizes. Today I saw a few Deer which are incredibly impressive animals in person. I have seen my share of Deer living in New Hampshire, but at home it always seems to be at night. Today was in the middle afternoon, and it was cool to get a good look at the animals.

Deer hanging out in the green side hazard on No. 15 at Red Tail

OB:

Last night was game six of the NBA Finals. This was an epic game that seemed to feature everything. Or at least this is what the highlights tell me. I did not see the entire game. A 9:00 p.m. start with a 4:45 a.m. wake up call was not a good combination. The highlights seemed insane, and by all accounts it was an all-timer. Judging by the highlight, I am pretty surprised the Spurs are not NBA champions right now. One good sign to not being up is that it would have been tough to see Ray Allen hit a huge three in the NBA Finals in the wrong uniform. If the Spurs can gather themselves, game seven should be epic, might have to stay up tomorrow.

Back Up North

June 18, 2013
Avon, Ohio

After three consecutive weeks in the south, I was reminded of my hometown today with the brisk Ohio winds. We were not in Georgia anymore. I was taking pictures today in full-out rain gear. It was definitely chilly, team five got their money's worth out of the rain gear today. Two months ago I was waking to class in 12 degree weather, but today I felt very cold in the Ohio wind. When you step foot in eight different states in a two month stretch a lot can change.

The tournament started today and the scores were better than I expected with all this wind. The Girls Division leader shot 69, and the Boys shot 70. Given the conditions, and the tough course I was impressed. If the winds calm down I think we could see some lower scores tomorrow.  I have been really  impressed with Red Tail Golf Club, it is new and really nice. I would like to come back some day and play it.

Today my responsibilities were taking pictures of every player in the field.  Taking pictures is a new thing to me, but I do enjoy it. Finding creative shots and different angles can be fun and challenging. This day seems a little slow compared to others, because I am sitting or standing in the same spot for a good six hours. We always take pictures on a par-3, so I've gotten to see a lot of interesting things included a hole-in-one at our first tournament in Ringgold.

OB:

One of the coolest parts of this week has been the host family situation. One of the hosts has been particularly great to us. Two doors down from where I am staying is Paul and Zach. Their host is an extremely cool guy named Ben. He and his family couldn't be nicer and there a lot of fun. They have had us over nightly to watch hockey and sit on their patio with a fire going. Ben likes hockey so it was great to find another fan to watch the games with. The course and tournament has been great, but Ben's patio has put this week over the top. Shout out to Ben and his family, and all the host families in Avon for making this week solid.

Warm Up

Avon, Ohio 
June 17, 2013 

The first round of the Junior All-Star at Red Tail starts tomorrow morning. Today we had a PBE Qualifier, which is essentially a one round tournament for juniors to earn status. The morning was hectic, and unfortunately we couldn't get started on time. Hopefully that will never happens again.

The weather was perfect today. There radar was looking iffy at times, but we had blue skies and sun all day. I think this is the hardest golf course we have been at this summer. Red Tail is long with thick rough. Our first tournaments were won at 3-under-par and 6-under-par. I don't think we will see the champions score that low this week.

One big part of the AJGA is there pace of play initiative. Pace of play is a major issue in Golf, and the AJGA is trying to do something about it. Golfers should not spend more then four hours on an 18-hole round. Red Tail does not set up well for pace of play. There are long gaps from greens to teeing grounds, not to mention the course can play 7000 yards from the tips. I think the designer Robert Von Hagge figured most people would be taking carts on this course. Last week we had plenty of rounds under four hours everyday. I don't see that happening this week. The pace of play is going to be interesting to monitor this week. We averaged right around four hours last week, I think this weeks average will be closer to four and a half hours. The change goes to show you that every golf course is made differently, and they are all unique.

OB:

Five years ago today the Boston Celtics thumped the Los Angeles Lakers to win their NBA record 17th Chamionship. From everything twitter seems to tell me the core of the "08 Celtics team may be gone in the near future. Ray Allen has already taken his talents to South Beach, and Kendrick Perkins has a confusing role on the Thunder.

If the latest rumors are true about Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers heading to the Clippers, I don't see Perice making it through the construction project that will be the 2013-2014 Celtics. There is a chance that by November the only member of the most recent Celtics championship will be Rajon Rondo, and more than likely Rondo won't be ready to go by then. It is definitely not 2008 anymore.

I do think it is time to move on from this crew and hand the team to Rondo. If Rondo is the best player and leader of the Celtics, I have no idea how it will turn out. I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the Lotto or if with a couple pieces they were in the 2015 NBA Finals. To me Rondo is the most enigmatic player in the league. At times he looks like he's bound for Springfield, other times he looks checked out and pissed off at the world. I think he's closer to the All-Star than the questionable PG.

As a Celtic's fan if in one week Rondo is the only remaining 08er I wont feel like a Wizards fan just yet. The one thing I have to hang my hat on is the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Mostly missed in the media during all the Lebron scrutinizing was how fantastic Rondo was in that series. He was simply ridiculous, I still don't know who was the best player in that series him or Lebron. At 6'1 Rondo put on a great Magic Johnson impression. I know Garnett was great inside against the Heat, but put a middle of the road PG in there instead of Rondo, and the Heat move on in 5.

A lot is changing with my Celtics, but if Rondo is the leader of this team come Fall, I will always remember the 2012 East Finals and feel pretty good about the Cs.

I was at the 2010 NBA Finals. 2013-2014 could be the first year without any member of the Finals years besides #9 Rajon Rondo.

Happy Father's Day

AVON, OHIO 
June 16, 2013 

Today was our first full day of work in Avon. We only set things up today, so there wasn't a lot going on. The golf will start tomorrow with the PBE Qualifier. Red Tail Golf Club is a great course. The track is in great shape, and looks like it would be a lot of fun to play. No. 3 from the tips is 630 yards, definitely not a yardage you see on every course. Since there wasn't a lot going on, I will get right into the non-internship thoughts.

OB:
Father's Day is definitely one of my favorite days of the year. I am missing home on a day like today. Father's Day at home usually includes cooking food on the grill, watching the final round of the US Open, and hanging out with my dad. Father's Day is always solid, and when the weather corporates in NH, it's perfect. I am so glad to be traveling with the AJGA this summer, but I do kind of wish I was home today.

The US Open is such a great event. This is one of the only tournaments that actually tests the pros. I think it's exciting when a tournament is won at even-par, or worse. Its fantastic that the final round lands on Father's Day every year, makes for a real cool day.

As I write this the final group is heading to the No. 16 tee. When the final group was on No. 15 we had a three way tie for the lead. But Hunter Mahan doubled, and Phil Mickelson bogied the par-4 15th. Now Justin Rose leads by one over Mickelson, and has a chance to win his first major. There's plenty of golf left, after I post this blog we could have a lot of change. If things remain the same Rose will now have a new title in front of his name- US Open champion.

 

En Route To Avon

AVON, OHIO

June 15, 2013

Team five is back on the road once again. Ashland, Ky., is in the rare view mirror and Avon, Ohio is plugged into the GPS. Kentucky was a new and interesting place and I enjoyed my time there. We left for Ohio early in the morning, we crossed the Kentucky, Ohio Stateline right away, but to get to Avon we still had five hours to go. The drive itself had limited theatrics, but we did stop at an Amish Restaurant, Der Dutchman for lunch, which was interesting to say the least. Around 2:00 p.m. we arrived in Avon ready to work the Junior All-Star at Red Tail.

Avon is in an awesome location. The town is located right near Lake Erie, and only 20 miles from Downtown Cleveland. This is my first time in the Buckeye State, but I really like what I’m seeing. We got right to the course, did a little work, and then we had a warm welcome from our host families. All the host families were great; I could tell this was going to be a good tournament. Our host gave Michael and me a tour of the neighborhood surrounding the golf course. Then another host invited us to his home to hang out, and watch the Bruins game. The first night in Avon was a great success, we got to see the course, meet the hosts, and the Bruins won courtesy of a Daniel Paille snipe in the first OT.

One of my favorite parts of this internship so far has been meeting our host’s families, and staying with them. Michael and I are three for three with really nice hosts. Through this internship we get to see all different types of people and homes. I have already stayed in three different states, with three different families. I am well on my way to a great sociology term paper. I like meeting new people with different backgrounds, and this internship has given me a great opportunity to do this.   

OB: 

 Tim Tebow is a Patriot? It is very easy to fall out of the sports loop during this internship. We don't exactly have time to catch a couple loops of sportcenter everyday. However some events are just impossible to miss. About a week ago my favorite professional sports franchise, the New England Patriots signed arguably the most polarizing athlete in America. Even though I didn't get the analysis on 98.5 the Sports Hub or CSNE like I normally would, my texts and tweets still blew up when it happened. 

My gut feeling is that I like the signing. Mostly because why not? (other) Organizations may worry about the media circus and distractions that would come with a signing like this. In Foxboro distractions have never existed under the Kraft/Bellichick rule. He will not become a distraction like he was with the Jets, Bellichick just won't let that happen. So why not sign him? He obviously can play the game of football in some way, anyone who disagrees (and there are plenty) is just ignorant. I know his mechanics make him look like a high school QB at times, but you can't change the results. In his one chance, he lead the Broncos to the playoffs, and beat the Steelers in the playoffs. He has more playoff wins in a bronco uniform than Peyton Manning.  

He obviously won't be starting anytime soon, because last time I checked we have one of the best QBs in the history of the game. Bellichick will figure things out, maybe use him in other capacities for the near future, and who knows if he can stick around for a while maybe one day he will be QB1 in Foxboro. 

Final Round

ASHLAND, Ky.
June 14, 2013 


The NRP Bluegrass Junior is official over. We have a new winner in the Boys Division and a repeat champion in the Girls Division. The Girls Division feautured the winner having an eight stroke lead, then recorded a quad on No. 14, then needed a 50 foot putt on No. 18  to win the tournament. Of course she knocked the putt down, and won her second NRP in the most dramatic fashion possible, other than that the Girls Divison was pretty boring. If this finish happened on the PGA tour it would have lead sportcenter for a month.

The weather greatly cooperated for the final round. Today was perfect weather, and everyone enjoyed after not having to worry about the radar or delays. The juniors started on Nos. 1 and 10 today. The round flew by and golfers were off the course by 1:30, it was definitely nice to finsh up a little early.

This was my first time in Kentucky and it was nice checking things out. Ashland was fun and Bellefonte Country Club treated us well. I would like to come back to Kentucky some day, possibly go to a UK basketball game. Most of this state seems obsessive over that program, the support is unreal. The wildcats are everything to a lot of people in this state.

Off to Avon, Ohio. Leaving in the a.m.

OB:

I am a big fan of television shows; one of the toughest parts of this internship is not having time to watch any programing.  Netflix along with the iPad is probably my favorite invention over the past 22 years. One of my favorite TV shows is Arrested Development. The first two seasons are two of my favorite seasons of television ever. So naturally when Netflix bought the rights to AD I was beyond fired up. The show dropped during the training of this internship. If I was at home I probably would have banged out the season in a couple nights. Since our free time is a limited I have only seen the first 4 episodes.

I know it’s a small sample size, but through the first five I have gone from fired up, to fairly confused. This version seems completely different, and thus far it hasn’t been for the better. First of all, this show ran great in 22 minutes, these episodes seem a little long in 29-31 minute range. The old AD was quick hitting and fast moving, these four have seemed like a really big lineman running the :40.

My biggest pet peeve so far with these episodes has been the format. I don’t understand why each episode needs to revolve around one character, why does Ron Howard start each episode with “This is Lindsey Bluth's Arrested Development?” This makes me upset, the characters of these shows are some of the best ever written, but they’re not solo artists. Why are Lindsey and Tobias going to India, this is 20 minutes of content that is about as relevant as GOB’s magic career. Most importantly why I am watching episodes without seeing Buster, GOB, Tobias, or George Sr. at all? I don’t ever remember the FOX version leaving certain characters out of episodes, and they had seven less minutes. 

In the old seasons we had the office, the model home, the penthouse, and the boardwalk area as the main settings, it was clean, concise, and flowed perfectly for the content and jokes. Now we have a college and India?? The dysfunctional Bluths are funny at their core because of who they are and how their written. We don’t need a song and dance to get some laughs.  With all that being said, I still have a small sample size. Five episodes in I’m worried.  However there is plenty of time for a 
recovery. I’m hopeing it turns around and the show gets back to its old form, but as of now I'm feeling like a packer fan because I wish AD never came out of retirement. 

The view from behind the No. 15 green at Bellefonte Country Club, they treated us well but it's off to Ohio.

Stormy Thursday

ASHLAND, Ky.
June 13, 2013 

For the second time in as many tournaments we experienced a rain delay. Last week in Ringgold the delay was about four hours. This delay took about half the time, but we saw full effects from the storm. A fairly large tree fell right in front of the pro shop. The winds were furious and the rain seemed endless. Luckily the storm moved fast and we were back playing golf in an hour and 50 minutes. Last week in Ringgold lightning struck the No. 18 fairway. Team 5 is two for two with unique weather happenings.

Tomorrow is the final round. There was so much going on this week sometimes you forgot there is actually a huge tournament going on. Tomorrow will be more about the golf and the juniors. The final 18 holes or possibly more should be exciting, anything can happen in the final round, and it should be fun to see the action unfold. There is a player from Massachusetts right in the mix, which is nice to see. The 144 player field has been cut in half, and by the end of Friday we will have our 2013 NRP Bluegrass Junior champions.

OB:

I am not a fan of fast food at all. I only eat it as a last resort. Never liked McDonald's or Burger King. However until three weeks ago I had never had Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A doesn't exist in New England. Ever since I had the chicken for the first time at training, I am starting to rethink my stance on fast food. Chick-Fil-A is fantastic. That chicken is really tasty, and the Chick-Fil-A sauce is flames. The jaws of my teammates absolutely dropped when I said this was my first Chick-Fil-A meal. This restaurant almost seems as important down south as SEC football (almost). I don't think I will ever see a Chick-Fil-A in New England, but while I'm down south I will definitely relish the chance to enjoy eating fast food.

Back to the Juniors

ASHLAND, Ky. 
June 12, 2013

There was a time when I struggled to get up for an 11 a.m. class. I would always set my alarm for 10:22, but after a couple of snoozes I wouldn't get out of bed until about 10:40. As I begrudgedly walked to class I thought to myself "I wish I got more sleep," in my hayday sleeping in was considered noon or after. This internship has turned my definition of sleeping in upside down. Today marked the second day in a row that I set a 4:30 a.m. alarm. I am starting to get use to early mornings and funcationing before noon. There's no doubt that this new sleeping arrangement will help me out in the long run. I guess I should start acting more like a normal human, and less like a bat. The drastic alarms will help me greatly when I enter the "real world," if that place actually exists.

The Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior is our event this week, and it seems to be a special one on the AJGA calendar. The event has excelled in many areas including longivety. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event. The people of Ashland and the Bellefonte Country Club really seem to care about this event, which is great to see.

This event has many layers. First there was a qualifier to get into the tournament, then there was a Junior-AM,  then a practice round, followed by another Junior-AM. All those events lead to today. 144 juniors got the 30th NRP Bluegrass Junior under way with first round action. There was as lot going on all over the course before this day, but when the first tee-times came things seemed normal, the ACTUAL TOURNAMENT had started. The golf was solid as always, there were a couple of 66s and many rounds under 70 in the Boys Division. I was the starter today which I really enjoy because I get to talk to all the juniors. One thing I am still getting use to is talking with someone who is disappointed in a 74. There are just so many different levels of golf.


OB: (non internship thoughts) 

Tonight is a special night in the world of Hockey. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final commences tonight. This is a particularly special night because my team the Boston Bruins are playing for their second cup in three years. After a rollar coaster regular season the Bs nabbed the 4th seed in the east. This lead to a matchup against the less superior Maple Leafs. Unfortatly the Bs snoozed through most of the series. Then game 7 happened. Down 4-1 late in the third Milan Lucic was not ready to exit the playoffs, he turned up the heat, and with :52 seconds left in the 3rd period Patrice Bergeron scored to make it 4-4. Bergeron added one more in OT to advance the Bs onto the second round.

After the most remarkable comeback I have seen in the history of my life the bruins sailed into the cup final taking care of the Rangers and Penguins in just nine games total. The match-up for the final couldn't be any better. Blackhawks vs. Bruins is an original six match-up in two great hockey cities. This should be an epic series and I cannot wait to watch as much of it as I can.

I wish I could be back in New England watching with my friends and family, but for now a basement in Ashland, Ky., will do just fine. Tonight I caught a break because game one was on NBC. The next couple are on NBC Sports Network which is not easy to find down south. Looks like games two and three may have to be iPad games. This channel is a must-have in New England, but hockey just isnt as popular down south, maybe someone should tell Gary Betman?

My totally biased prediction is that the Bruins will win the title in six, and raise the cup in the Garden. Winning it in Boston would be really special. During this unreal era of Boston sports (7 parades in 11 years) only one title has been won in the city. The 2008 Celtics whooped the Lakers inside the Garden to raise another banner. This would be a great time to make it two titles won within the 617 border.

GO BS
CUE THE DUCKBOATS!

-Tim Hamilton

State Frame of Bellefonte Country Club

Catch Up

June 11, 2013
Ashland, Ky.

This summer marks my first summer as a college graduate, it also marks my first summer away from the state of New Hampshire and the New England area. Currently I have started a summer long internship with the AJGA. The American Junior Golf Association is a non-profit organization who aims to develop and grow young men and women who are looking to earn a college golf scholarship. I am a traveling summer intern for th AJGA, I will be going around to all different parts of the United States (and Canada) working at golf tournaments on the communication sides of things. I am a little late to the party on the blogging. I actually began this internship on May 19. I am going to try and update daily from now on. First a quick catch up on the beginning stages of my journey.

Training May 19-May 30: 

Eight days after my college graduation ceromony in Manchester, NH I was at Logan Airport in Boston getting ready to catch a plane down to Atlanta. I was very excited to get the summer started. I wanted to do some traveling domestically, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I arrived at the airport around 2 pm. AJGA staff  took me to their headquarters in Braselton, Ga. I had been there once before for the intern recruiting weekend the company had held in March. I arrived to my room first at the Country Inn & Suites, shortly followed by my training roommate Zach. Zach had just finished up at LSU.  The first day was relaxed with with pizza and conversation. The next morning is when things really got going. We went heavy on the training right away. There was a lot to learn in a short amount of time. Sometimes the learning process was overwhelming because of all the content, but luckily the communications staff gave us a descriptive
binder with extensive information on our tasks. This binder eases the thought of everything that needs to get done, all together the jobs look endless, but one by one in the binder it should flow smoothly. The AJGA has six intern teams this summer to cover all ends of the United States. I was assigned to team 5, we are all over the place, as far east as Vermont and as far west as Texas with many stops in between. Team 5 seems like a solid group of people, I think our team hit it off pretty good from jump street. May 19 through Labor Day is a long time, luckily I have a good group to travel with. Training went on, and concluded with no causalities and limited fireworks. By May 30, team 5 was as ready to hit the road as they were every going to be. Our first stop was Ringgold, Georgia, for the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star.

Stop #1-
Ringgold, Georgia:

Our drive from Braselton to Ringgold only took about 2.5/3 hours. Compared to other teams our
commute was a laugher. Ringgold is an interesting place, it lies right on the Tennessee border. I stayed with a host family, and they have to pay property taxes in both states because their house is literally on the border. The event was played at WindStone Golf Club. No. 1 at WindStone is unique because players tee-off in Georgia, but putt in Tennessee. Our first tournament was a great experience. Couldn't have asked for a better week. The sponsors, Ringgold Telephone Company were outstanding and treated us fantastically. Our host family was ideal. My roommate at this house was another teammate Michael, our host family was so great that Michael and I had our laundry and ironing done for us on more than one occasion. The tournament went smoothly aside from the four hour rain delay, but that's golf. Highlights from the week included going to a music festival in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., lowlights include having to go to the hospital after having an allergic reaction in a Chatanooga restaurant, but hey you can't win em all. Guess I need to stay away from chickpeas and hummus from now on. Thankfully I had stellar help especially TD Katie, ATD Johan, and fellow teammate Paul.  Interesting start to the summer to say the least, but I lived to hit the road once again
with team 5. This tournament was the first in a long line of tournaments for team 5 this summer. Time in Ringgold flew by and before you knew it we were on our way to Ashland, Ky. The ride was a little longer this time about 5.5/6 hours. We made a stop in Knoxville, Tenn., for lunch. I thought this was a really cool small city. I had never been to Tennessee before, but after seeing Chattanooga and Knoxville I would definitely classify it as a cool state. Ashland awaits us with an extremely busy schedule.

-Tim Hamilton

My travailing companions this summer. Team 5 has many different hometowns and backgrounds.