Here at Fontbonne we have campus event almost every week. Basketball season is about to begin, and this year Fontbonne’s “Late Night” has turned into “Griffinsanity”. In the gym this Friday from 7-9 p.m. students, Fontbonne alumni, and others will be entertained with music, contests, boy’s and girl’s basketball scrimmages, and two performances from the Griffin Girls! As if that isn’t enticing enough, the first 75 students will receive a free Griffinsanity t-shirt!

As a part of the Griffin Girls dance team, I have been preparing for this event along with the rest of the team for the past month. We have really worked hard to make our performances the best they can be. I hope all of you try to make it, not only to see the routines, but to support Fontbonne Athletics. We have a jazz performance and a routine with special guests prepared for all who attend. Your Griffins need your support this Friday so come and check it out!

I am especially anxious about Griffinsanity this Friday. I am both nervous and excited because it will be my first dance performance in a year and a half! Whether you’re interested in dance, basketball, or just the chance of winning some neat prizes, Griffinsanity will be the place to be Friday night.

Until next week…

It’s that time of year again! Our Women’s basketball team has made it to the conference tournament. We got the third seed in the tournament, facing us up against Eureka College on Friday night. It has been a long season full of hard work. I am so glad it paid off! I love playing with all of the girls on the team. It is really cool how easily we all connect. Our passion for the game is the glue that holds us all together. Wish us luck this weekend!!

-ava 

I just wanted to start off the new semester by saying hello to any new followers! This is my first blog of the semester and it seems as though it could not have come at a more exciting/anxious time in my college career. This semester I am juggling twenty-hours which include a 300 hour internship. In my little bit of spare time I am playing basketball, golf, and possibly lacrosse. In other news I just took the LSAT last Saturday and am restlessly awaiting the score for that while filling out what seem like endless law school applications. That being said…I couldn’t be doing this all if I wasn’t able to lean on those people at Fontbonne who have guided me thus far and will continue to help until I walk down the graduation aisle in May! Therefore, I just wanted to take this blog to highlight and say thank you to some key people who have helped me have an enjoyable Fontbonne experience that I can use as I move on after graduation. My past and current advisors Rex VanAlmsick, Ben Moore, and Jack Luzcow have helped to guide me through the undergraduate process while the entire time putting my interests first and foremost. With their supportive guidance both in and outside of the classroom I have managed to double major and graduate in three years. While school did come first for me, I full heartedly admit that my experience at Fontbonne would be incomplete without all of my other activity involvement! Therefore, I must also thank past and current coaches and teammates for all the fun and support they have given me. Special thanks to coach Quigley, Greta, and Heather and every single teammate that I have had at Fontbonne. Whoever said that many girls can’t get along definitely didn’t come to Fontbonne! Even the older girls who I played with my freshman year came to support me at my senior night last Tuesday! Fontbonne truly has been the tight knit community that I needed to get me from where I was to where I wanted to go.

Senior Night is already here. Oh my, I can’t believe that the season is almost over. Our basketball season started the first week of school. We have become a family and meshing really well the past couple of weeks. I am going to be really sad once it is all over. I am now wondering what I am going to do when I don’t have practice. It has been a part of my every-day schedule, and I feel like I will have too much time on my hands and will become bored. My little sister and my brother have the same spring break. From now until spring break we are having a competition with the Nike trainer application on the iPhone. It will keep me motivated to work out when basketball is over and stay in shape. It is a very intense workout but totally worth it.

Hello all! Today is my first blog EVER! Exciting right?! My name is Ava Johnson and I am a Junior here at Fontbonne University. My hometown is Perryville, Missouri. For those of you who don’t know, Perryville is sort of considered to be a farm town. All the boys in town drive trucks (as well as a many of the girls!) and everyone knows EVERYONE. I graduated from Perryville High School in 2009. I love my small town because you can really count on just about anyone for just about anything. I was really nervous in trying to figure out where to go to school. Throughout my high school career I found that my niche was sports. I played volleyball, basketball, and soccer. There was NO WAY I would be able to quit playing when I went away to school. I was very timid when looking for a university that fit me. I didn’t want to be lost in the crowd and labeled as a number. My best friend is a year older than me, and she chose to attend Fontbonne. After visiting her a few times and taking a tour,  I immediately knew Fonty was my fit! The small community feel drew me in right away. The campus was beautiful, the basketball gym huge, and the class sizes small and personal. I consider myself to be a pretty smart person, and I knew that my main concern about school was academics and then athletics. The teachers and advisers I met with were really nice and made me feel completely comfortable and welcome. Not only were the people and academics a perfect fit, but athletics was too! I currently play for the university’s women’s soccer and basketball teams. I love the competition level as well as the commitment and passion my teammates and I have for the sports we play. Fontbonne has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge while at the same time, allow me to play the sports I love!

Until next time,

ava

p.s. Tomorrow we play Westminster Girls Basketball team at 6:00! It’s going to be a great game and we’d love to have more fans there!!

Being part of a team is something that everyone should experience at some point of their life. Griffin’s women’s basketball gelled quite well over Christmas break and is taking victories left and right. Our latest win was Wednesday against Greenville. The last time we played at their home, it was a game to remember. Greenville was ready for us, and took a 17-1 lead in the matter of five minute. We obviously didn’t know what happened. But then we had to fight like crazy in overtime and pulled out a win. Wednesday, our first half against them blew us out of the water. Everything seemed out of sync and they were up by ten at half, 36-26. Well, in 15 minutes of communicating with everybody, we came out during the second half motivated with so much energy. Greenville didn’t know what was coming their way. We ended up playing the best half we have ever had to continue our five-game winning streak. The next tip will be Saturday against Blackburn.

When the majority of all students were home with family for the long Christmas break, both men’s and women’s basketball were here at Fontbonne playing. Over break, we had a lot of conference games. Most recently we played Webster. Now if you don’t know, Webster is our biggest rival. We call it the Big Bend rivalry. I wasn’t here last year so I didn’t really understand how intense the game was going to be. Fifteen minutes before the girl’s game started, people were packing the stands. Sad to say there were more Webster fans then Fontbonne at that time, but it was nice to have a crowd. It was a physical game from start to finish. We played harder then any other game because we wanted and needed this win badly. It was a satisfying game, because we have the lead the whole game. What a sweet victory. This week both men and women play Spaulding Thursday and Mac Saturday. Let’s get two more wins Fontbonne!

The Fontbonne women’s basketball team finally won our first game of the season. With all the hard work we’ve put in, it was a great win that was much deserved. We started out our conference play on Saturday with a big victory (82-52) against Blackburn. Even though we started the season on a 0-5 slum, it is nice to be able to start with a clean slate with a conference play record that now reads 1-0! The excitement shifted from the court to the locker room when we got to award Coach Wick with the game ball representing his first win as head coach at Fontbonne University.

Last week could have been described as the calm before the storm. It was the last full week of classes and now finals week begins. It was nice to get a win yesterday because I will be able to start my studying out with a positive attitude. For those of you reading this who have yet to go through finals week, a bit of advice—know what you need to get done but don’t let it overwhelm you, take one thing at a time. It will be over before you know it, so don’t be afraid to work your little heart out!

Fontbonne has been my best decision in my academic career. I previously went to University Missouri St. Louis for a year and a half, and then came back home to Springfield, Illinois and enrolled in a semester at Lincoln Land Community Center. Transferring is not the easiest of things to when you are super frustrated and stressed. I left UMSL because I had a horrible experience with my basketball coach and team. Coach Wickenhauser, the women’s basketball coach here at Fontbonne, just so happened to volunteer some time as an assistance coach at UMSL. We became close friends and kept in touch throughout the years. He knew my spirits were down, so he wrote me a letter which told me all about what Fontbonne had to offer. “I know in my heart that FBU is a place where you can learn and blossom into the young woman you aspire to be.” After I read that I saved the date to come visit.
I made the two hour trip down south and spent the day in Clayton to take a look at the campus and to meet with the advisors. Coming from a big campus where you are known by your ID number, to this smaller, homier, atmosphere is just what I wanted. It was absolutely beautiful when I walked into Ryan Hall. I love the dorms here because you can get anywhere in five minutes and your neighbors soon become your family. The faculty, staff and students are so nice to be around as well. Every corner I turn I am greeted with a smile or hug. College is supposed to be filled with good times, late nights, Ryan food, and lots and lots of pictures. I’m not just learning for the sake of getting it done and out of the way like I was at UMSL. I am enjoying every minute of it, while learning and loving basketball life at well. I have my own family here with my basketball friends, and I am happy to say Fontbonne is where I call home now.

Hello Everyone!

This is my first blog, and I’m excited to get to share my college experience with all my new followers! I am currently a junior at Fontbonne University in St. Louis majoring in English and Pre-Law. I also play NCAA division three basketball and golf. Even though I have to spend a lot of time studying and practicing, I still find plenty of time to have FUN! If I had to choose my favorite part about my entire college experience, it would definitely be all the new people I’ve met. I didn’t know anyone when I came to Fontbonne but by living in the dorms and playing sports, I’ve met a ton of good friends.

Until next time,

“The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.” – Elbert Hubbard