The Chief Perspective

Official Press Release for the Chief Illiniwek Event

Below is the official press release for the November 15th event....

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Students For Chief Illiniwek, a registered student organization at the University of Illinois, will host a celebration of the Illiniwek tradition Saturday, Nov. 15 at the University of Illinois Assembly Hall in Champaign. "The Next Dance" will feature presentations on the Illiniwek tradition along with a performance by student Logan Ponce, the 37th portrayer of the Illiniwek tradition.

Start time for the celebration will be determined at a later date, but will be either before or after the University of Illinois football game with Ohio State at Memorial Stadium that afternoon. Kickoff for the football game has yet to be announced.

The event will feature general admission seating, with free tickets for University students with a valid I-Card. Tickets for the general public will be $5. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Oct. 31,

at 10 a.m. at the Assembly Hall Box Office, Ticket Central at the Illini Union or through Ticketmaster. Students are encouraged to pick up their free tickets in advance.

Proceeds from this event will go toward worthy causes.

F

or further information, contact Roberto Martell, president of Students for Chief I

 

lliniwek, at 630-849-8967 or rmartell2@gmail.com

Download illiniwek_release.pdf

The Second Coming of Chief Illiniwek....he rises to dance again November 15th.

On November 15th before or after the Ohio State Game, Chief Illiniwek will give his first performance after being "retired" by the NCAA and the University of Illinois.  It's going to happen in the Assembly Hall for a hopefully sold out crowd to really "Paint the Hall Chief".

The Council of Chiefs have been in the loops, but as Robin Kaler is quoted in the paper, "The university may have essentially retired Chief Illiniwek, but "students have free speech rights," Kaler said.

I have to admit, it wasn't something I thought could be done as quickly as it has, but give it to the Student's for Chief Illiniwek for organizing this historic event.  Read today's News-Gazette for more details, but I'm excited and amazed at the same time.

Chief fans plan rally at Assembly Hall next month

By Christine Des Garennes

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 7:04 AM CDT

E-mail Story Printer-friendly

Chief Illiniwek supporters are planning a rally at the Assembly Hall next month.

The event, which is expected to include an appearance by the student most recently chosen to portray Chief Illiniwek, is scheduled for Nov. 15, according to information obtained by The News-Gazette.

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An exact time for the rally has not been announced yet, but it is expected to be held sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. On that day, the University of Illinois football team will face Ohio State at Memorial Stadium. The time of the game's kickoff has also not been announced yet.

Students are planning to hold a press conference on campus to announce details sometime on Thursday, said Roberto Martell, president of Students for Chief Illiniwek, a registered student organization on campus. He declined to offer any more information about the event.

The last official appearance of Chief Illiniwek was on Feb. 21, 2007, at a men's basketball game at the Assembly Hall. A month later, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted to end the use of American Indian imagery, effectively retiring Chief Illiniwek.

The board's decision removed the university from the NCAA's list of universities subject to its sanctions on American Indian imagery. The NCAA's policy, issued in August 2005, prohibits postseason competition events at schools that have "hostile or abusive" racial, ethnic or national origin mascots.

"This will be the first public appearance of the Chief in regalia on campus" since the Feb. 21, 2007 basketball game, said Roger Huddleston, president of the Honor the Chief Society.

Huddleston said his organization is not organizing the Nov. 15 event, "but we'll encourage and support (the students) and encourage our members to go."

The last official Chief Illiniwek was Dan Maloney. However, a new Chief Illiniwek, Logan Ponce, was chosen in April by former students who portrayed Chief Illiniwek. They conducted tryouts in Gibson City. Ponce was the assistant Chief Illiniwek in 2007.

Chief Illiniwek's original outfit is stored in the University Archives, according to UI spokeswoman Robin Kaler.

Former Chiefs Illiniwek have had a replica of the original costume made.

Since the Chief's last public dance at the Assembly Hall a year and a half ago, former Chiefs have appeared at various public events, including a Chief Illiniwek festival in Gibson City and Honor the Chief Society dinners. A group of students showed their support for Chief Illiniwek during the homecoming parade. And fans also frequently invoke the university's former symbol by calling out "Chief" at sporting events.

The university may have essentially retired Chief Illiniwek, but "students have free speech rights," Kaler said.

The Nov. 15 rally is not a university event, she said.

"We're not having an event. We don't have a Chief, and we are not having a Chief event," she said.

Calls made to the director of the Assembly Hall and Ponce were not returned.

A great Illini legend passes away...

  I'm really sad to hear about the passing of Illini basketball legend Nick Weatherspoon, who died at his home in Ohio last weekend.  I'm always sad to see how people who have made such an impact can slowly fade away in such a sad fashion.

He was only 58.

The thing that makes it really sad is that his condition was potentially treatable, but overtime it just got worse and worse.  I pulled a section from the linked article:

When his career ended, Weatherspoon fought for insurance benefits and eventually lost an Ohio insurance business he started. "It was mentally devastating," he said in a Tribune interview last year. "My mind still deals with that. I guess I'm still livin'. I can talk, but I can't get around too much. I'm in a bad situation."

I hope other athletes aren't in a similar situation, but if so, I hope teammates and loved ones can somehow help.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Go Illini!

What I learned from running the Chicago Marathon.

For the last 18 weeks, I have been training for my first marathon, which I finally ran last Sunday in Chicago.  It was an incredible experience and something I will never forget.  Chicago is such an amazing city and the marathon allowed you to see so much of it, a lot that I had never seen before.

Once I finally crossed the finish line, got my medal and started my slow trek home, I was reflecting upon the good, bad and the ugly of my first marathon and thought for those who cared, I’d share my thoughts.

Please note, these are thoughts that are from my own perspective and reflective of me as a first time runner.  If you ran it, you may agree with me or may brush it off based on my neophyte status….

• Start the race 1 hour earlier.  It allows most people (like me) 6 or more miles to get in before the heat really kicks in. 
• We need a food sponsor for miles 18-24.  They supposedly offered bananas at mile 18, 21, and 23, but they ran out of bananas in the first two stops.  I need something and gels weren’t doing it.  Clif bar anyone?
• Related, if you say you are offering bananas, make sure there are bananas!  The worst feeling is running for something that isn’t there.  Every empty table made me run slower and slower each mile.
• Let the community know what they can offer to people.  I loved people who offered lollipops or pretzels.  Cheering is great, but food to get my body going is needed after 12 miles.
• Related, encourage people to line the route from mile 18 on.  It was nice to see people early in the route, but I was hurting the most for support at the end.
• Running with a group is wonderful, but make sure you have a running buddy who will stick with you and vice versa until the end.  You can play off of each other, especially during miles 23-26.  When you run with a group and need to slow down, the group has to make a decision on staying with you or cutting you loose.
• I wish someone would have told me that 99% of the people get bad cramps running their first marathon.  In addition, if I would have been able to train on how to run with cramps, I could have been able to push it a bit more.
• I was underwhelmed with the “official” bands that lined the route.  The unofficial efforts of people blasting music from their homes was so much better.  I wish there were more of those and spaced evenly throughout the route.  Heck, I’d even have a contest that would reward the most popular “unofficial” effort.
• Put signs up when I entered a new section of Chicago.  I’m focused on running, not figuring out where I am.  However, since I’m running more than four hours, I’d like to enjoy knowing that I’m running at UIC, Chinatown, and Pilson… if I knew that’s where I was.
• If you have to pee, whether you are a guy or girl, do it when you can and where you can….don’t wait for the port-a-potties.  We understand.
• Marathon watchers, I understand you need to cross the street sometimes,  but not in the middle of 100 of people trying to run.  You seriously cramp my pace.
• When you are drinking your water or Gatorade cup, please watch where you dump.  It may be on my shoes when I’m running by.  If so, expect payback later.
• Somehow, listening to  AC/DC makes total sense when running.
• Related.  Could you post “I am here” maps throughout the course.  While I knew how far I went from my watch and mile markers, I wanted to know how far I was from the next “turn” or next section.  I kept running down Adams wondering how long until I turned.   
• Yes, write your name on your shirt.  It pays dividends when you are cramping, tired and doing everything you can to take the next step.
• Even in hot weather, misting stations stink when they are actually open hydrants or people’s personal hoses spraying large amounts of water all over you.  I don’t have a towel, so getting soaked from head to toe doesn’t help my run.  It doesn’t help my blisters either.
• Dear Pilsen area, I love the aroma, but please don’t sell your yummy food so far into my run.  I was dying from the inability to enjoy the food. 
• Unless you are cheering me at mile 25, don’t tell me I’m almost there.  I’m not.

Well, that’s all I have for right now.  Take it for what it’s worth.

Go Illini!

Jerrance Howard earning his change...

What a great Sun Time article about Illini Assistant Coach Jerrance Howard  efforts to innovate and lead the effort to get what may be the best recuiting prospects on campus for this weekend's "World's Largest Basketball Practice."

By the way, I have two tickets (seat cushions) available in the horseshoe with a parking pass available to anyone who wants them.  Leave a comment and your email and I'll figure it out.  I'm looking for $50 for all of it.  Remember, the basketball practice is immediately after the game!

Go Illini!

Enough Said.

 

(photo used from: http://gnagel.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p592302930-4.jpg)

Please note that I was cheering along with everyone else during this incredible game.  My wife and I went back and watched the ESPN College Football Game Day taped earlier in the day and they were convinced Illinois would "blow out" Michigan and last week's win was an abberation.

Well, not only did Illinois play an incredible game, but Michigan didn't help themselves at all. 

Go Illini!  Go get Minnesota next weekend!