It's the Christmas season, so I figured that I would post some video about a few of my favorite things in case anyone was wondering what to get me for Christmas. We'll start with the aircraft that I have the most hours in and the one that is my favorite to fly. The Glasair Sportsman. Starts at a very economical $162,000.
Just in case your my mom and you happen to be reading this, this video talks a bit about the safety of the Galsair Sportsman.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Hello Sweethearts....
There is one unseeded team still alive in the NCAA Tournament and as unlikely as it seemed just over a week ago it is the Washington Huskies. They defeated #2 seed Nebraska at the Hed Ed Pavillion in Seattle Friday night and will play Pac 10 rival California Saturday night for a trip to the Final Four.
Washington's win secured the Pac 10 a spot in the National Championship match. UW faces Cal and the winner of that will face either Stanford or USC in the national semifinals. UW lost to the Cal Bears twice this season, winning just one set out of seven played.
To be fair, it was obvious last week against Michigan and Hawaii that this is not the UW team that lost eight matches during their Pac 10 season. This UW team is utilizing the athleticism of middle hitter Bianca Rowland and the power of senior outside hitters Becky Perry and Kindra Carlson. This is the team that everyone expected to be in the running for a Pac 10 title during the preseason. This is not the team that struggled through their regular season.
Before the tournament started, the Huskies spoke about how they had a couple good weeks of practice and were looking forward to relaxing and just playing their game in the tournament. Senior setter Jenna Hagglund was ecstatic when UW found out that they would host first and second round matches. Many people wondered why she was excited when they saw that they not only had Hawaii in their end of the bracket, but they had a first round match up with a very good Michigan team. Two sweeps later, no one gave UW a chance against second ranked Nebraska.
Now, California has to feel great about not facing Nebraska in the elite eight, but terrible about facing UW. Not many people would bet against the Huskies right now. With number one seed Florida also out of the picture, it could be a sweetheart trip the the Huskies second ever national title.
Washington's win secured the Pac 10 a spot in the National Championship match. UW faces Cal and the winner of that will face either Stanford or USC in the national semifinals. UW lost to the Cal Bears twice this season, winning just one set out of seven played.
To be fair, it was obvious last week against Michigan and Hawaii that this is not the UW team that lost eight matches during their Pac 10 season. This UW team is utilizing the athleticism of middle hitter Bianca Rowland and the power of senior outside hitters Becky Perry and Kindra Carlson. This is the team that everyone expected to be in the running for a Pac 10 title during the preseason. This is not the team that struggled through their regular season.
Before the tournament started, the Huskies spoke about how they had a couple good weeks of practice and were looking forward to relaxing and just playing their game in the tournament. Senior setter Jenna Hagglund was ecstatic when UW found out that they would host first and second round matches. Many people wondered why she was excited when they saw that they not only had Hawaii in their end of the bracket, but they had a first round match up with a very good Michigan team. Two sweeps later, no one gave UW a chance against second ranked Nebraska.
Now, California has to feel great about not facing Nebraska in the elite eight, but terrible about facing UW. Not many people would bet against the Huskies right now. With number one seed Florida also out of the picture, it could be a sweetheart trip the the Huskies second ever national title.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
UW vs Nebraska Volleyball Hype
Huskies vs Cornhuskers brings about vivid memories of the 2005 National Championship match for Huskies fans. It's one of the dissappointing memories in the minds of Nebraska fans, who were the number one seed at the time. The teams have played once since then, a five set thriller that came back from a 9-3 deficit in the fifth set to eliminate the Huskies from the NCAA tournament in 2008. Friday night, they meet again in Seattle at Hec Ed.
Read the Seattle Times Coverage of UW vs Nebraska
Read the Seattle Times Coverage of UW vs Nebraska
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thinking about your Food, Calories and Where they Come From
I spend a fair bit of time working with clients on strategies for them to pick foods that will help them reach their goals. For the last two years, the majority of the clients that I have worked with have been focused on measuring the calories they consume and comparing them with the calories that they burn. This is the most basic formula for weight loss and weight gain, which are the concerns of most health conscious Americans.
Calories in vs Calories Out doesn't tell much of the story
This simple formula will help you gain for lose weight, but it isn't really much of a blue-print for how we should eat. Last week, the famous Weight Watchers point system underwent a major overhaul and no longer features calories as part of their counting process. Instead, they now count carbs, proteins, fiber and fats. The new system is designed around the basic principal that not all calories are created equally. Our bodies process different foods better than others and gain more benefit from some macro nutrients than they do from others. One of the most notable changes is that Weight Watchers clients can now each fruits and veggies without adding to their point total. End result, people are encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables. Go figure.
Processing the price of the process, reversing our instincts
Processed foods are generally more calorie dense and easier for the body to digest than unprocessed foods. This is a great thing if your society has a shortage of calories. It's even been argued that humans discovering how to cook their food allowed their bodies to use calories more efficiently and provided the calories we needed to use additional calories for the development of brain function and consequently to ascend to the top of the food chain. Nowadays, calories are available to Americans by the millions. It takes very little effort to consume far more calories than are needed and our bodies love to do it. We still have not evolved beyond our cravings for high calorie foods, and food companies have provided for these cravings with easily available fat and sugars. Now, we need to retrain ourselves to seek out less processed foods and avoid the high quantity of calories that are available to us. Essentially, we must reverse our instincts in order to avoid obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems that come with over consumption.
Losing the feelings for our food
Throughout history, the food chain has been a very intimate part of the human experience. Native cultures treated hunted animals with respect and reverence. Farmers had a relationship with the living beings they raised to provide sustenance for themselves and their communities. Healthy, relatively contented animals were crucial to success in production. Today in America, the vast majority of us don't know a farmer. We don't hunt our own food and we rarely encounter any of the meat products we consume until they are wrapped nicely in Styrofoam at the grocery store. The logic behind the fact that the average American consumes more meat than ever before (about 200lbs. a year) would lead to the notion that more farmers and ranchers are raising meat than ever before, but that is not the case.
Food factories
There are five companies that control about 80% of the meat production in the United States. There is one company that "owns" the soybean production in the United States. Nearly 30% of the land in the United States is used for corn production. There are 13 meat packing plants in the country that handle the aforementioned 80% of the meat we consume. A single cheeseburger could have meat from over 1,000 cows in it thanks to the mass production of meat at these plants. All of these numbers are a little overwhelming. What does it actually mean though? One of the consequences of this is that most of our food is controlled by just a few companies. They have developed ways to produce more food than we actually need, but their focus has been on quantity and profit with little regard for quality and conscience.
Ignorance is bliss
My guess is that spending a few hours at a modern slaughterhouse, would cure most of us of our desire for meat. Even a few images in movies like Food Inc. or Fast Food Nation get me to swear off factory produced meats for some time. I just can't handle watching animals being treated as part of an assembly line. It is against my nature. It's the fact that we don't see our food that allows us to eat it without much thought or thankfulness. Hunting, raising or gathering your own food is not easy, but should, in my opinion, be part of the human experience. When your closest connection to your food chain is the Safeway on the corner, you are less likely to make smart decisions about what you eat and more likely to choose foods that will have health risks in the future. Even if raising, hunting and processing your own meat is not your thing, meet someone who does and purchase your food from them. Bring your food chain closer to home and see if just maybe your eating habits and overall health improve as a result.
Learn some more
Please spend some time this holiday season thinking about your food and how you can make some subtle changes to bring yourself back in line with your food chain.
Movies
Food Inc.
Fast Food Nation
Supersize Me
Websites
Organic Consumers Association
Takepart.com
Please take the time to post some of your favorite food related websites in the comments section.
Calories in vs Calories Out doesn't tell much of the story
This simple formula will help you gain for lose weight, but it isn't really much of a blue-print for how we should eat. Last week, the famous Weight Watchers point system underwent a major overhaul and no longer features calories as part of their counting process. Instead, they now count carbs, proteins, fiber and fats. The new system is designed around the basic principal that not all calories are created equally. Our bodies process different foods better than others and gain more benefit from some macro nutrients than they do from others. One of the most notable changes is that Weight Watchers clients can now each fruits and veggies without adding to their point total. End result, people are encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables. Go figure.
Processing the price of the process, reversing our instincts
Processed foods are generally more calorie dense and easier for the body to digest than unprocessed foods. This is a great thing if your society has a shortage of calories. It's even been argued that humans discovering how to cook their food allowed their bodies to use calories more efficiently and provided the calories we needed to use additional calories for the development of brain function and consequently to ascend to the top of the food chain. Nowadays, calories are available to Americans by the millions. It takes very little effort to consume far more calories than are needed and our bodies love to do it. We still have not evolved beyond our cravings for high calorie foods, and food companies have provided for these cravings with easily available fat and sugars. Now, we need to retrain ourselves to seek out less processed foods and avoid the high quantity of calories that are available to us. Essentially, we must reverse our instincts in order to avoid obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems that come with over consumption.
Losing the feelings for our food
Throughout history, the food chain has been a very intimate part of the human experience. Native cultures treated hunted animals with respect and reverence. Farmers had a relationship with the living beings they raised to provide sustenance for themselves and their communities. Healthy, relatively contented animals were crucial to success in production. Today in America, the vast majority of us don't know a farmer. We don't hunt our own food and we rarely encounter any of the meat products we consume until they are wrapped nicely in Styrofoam at the grocery store. The logic behind the fact that the average American consumes more meat than ever before (about 200lbs. a year) would lead to the notion that more farmers and ranchers are raising meat than ever before, but that is not the case.
Food factories
There are five companies that control about 80% of the meat production in the United States. There is one company that "owns" the soybean production in the United States. Nearly 30% of the land in the United States is used for corn production. There are 13 meat packing plants in the country that handle the aforementioned 80% of the meat we consume. A single cheeseburger could have meat from over 1,000 cows in it thanks to the mass production of meat at these plants. All of these numbers are a little overwhelming. What does it actually mean though? One of the consequences of this is that most of our food is controlled by just a few companies. They have developed ways to produce more food than we actually need, but their focus has been on quantity and profit with little regard for quality and conscience.
Ignorance is bliss
My guess is that spending a few hours at a modern slaughterhouse, would cure most of us of our desire for meat. Even a few images in movies like Food Inc. or Fast Food Nation get me to swear off factory produced meats for some time. I just can't handle watching animals being treated as part of an assembly line. It is against my nature. It's the fact that we don't see our food that allows us to eat it without much thought or thankfulness. Hunting, raising or gathering your own food is not easy, but should, in my opinion, be part of the human experience. When your closest connection to your food chain is the Safeway on the corner, you are less likely to make smart decisions about what you eat and more likely to choose foods that will have health risks in the future. Even if raising, hunting and processing your own meat is not your thing, meet someone who does and purchase your food from them. Bring your food chain closer to home and see if just maybe your eating habits and overall health improve as a result.
Learn some more
Please spend some time this holiday season thinking about your food and how you can make some subtle changes to bring yourself back in line with your food chain.
Movies
Food Inc.
Fast Food Nation
Supersize Me
Websites
Organic Consumers Association
Takepart.com
Please take the time to post some of your favorite food related websites in the comments section.
Friday, December 3, 2010
UW flex their Pac-10 Muscle against Hawaii
It was hard to believe that about two weeks ago the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine were the number three team in the country while watching them get dismantled by the University of Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night. The Wahine had no response the variety and power of the UW attack. They weren't big enough, weren't fast enough, weren't composed enough and just flat out weren't good enough to compete with the unranked and unseeded Huskies who finished fifth in the Pac-10 and suffered eight losses at the hands of conference foes.
Credit Where Credit is Due
UW played a fine match. They used the speed and athleticism of Biannca Rowland to confuse Hawaii's blockers, then switched up to the feature the power of Becky Perry before finally crossing up the bewildered middles with Kindra Carlson attacking from the back row. Jenna Hagglund again had a fantastic match leading her team to a .328 hitting percentage and there is little doubt that UW is playing their best volleyball of the season. Few would argue after watching the last two matches that red shirt freshman libero Jenna Orlandini is the real deal as well. UW have a good thing going right now and a lot of momentum coming out of a dominating win. That's a good thing, because they are going to need it. More on that later.
Being Hawaii is Just Not Good Enough Anymore
Hawaii did not look ready to play. WAC player of the year Kanani Danielson hit just .176 and was such a non-factor that she was moved to the right side in the third set. Senior setter Dani Mafua looked on the verge of a breakdown at times and just looking at the UH team made some fans wonder if the University of Hawaii even bothered with an off season conditioning program. The large contingent of Hawaii fans had every right to feel a bit short changed by the product that came to Seattle this weekend. The fact that this team was ranked as high as number two in the country this season seems to have had far more to do with the reputation of the program and little to do with the quality of the team. Volleyball on the mainland has come a long way in the last 10 years and this weekend may just prove that it is no longer good enough to just be Hawaii anymore.
Level of Competition
In hindsight, the writing was on the wall last night when UH struggled at times with lowly Portland State last night. The tendency for Hawaii fans was to chalk the lackluster performance up to a combination of anxiety, travel and an overachieving Portland State squad. The Wahine did not rise to the occasion against Washington and looked very much like the same team that struggled with Portland State, but facing a much stronger opponent. The truth is that Portland State is much more in line with the level of competition that the Wahine have seen over the course of their undefeated Western Athletic Conference schedule. They had no answer for a quality opponent like the University of Washington, and Washington was far from intimidated by the Wahine after banging heads with the likes of Cal and Stanford this season. One could fathom that being in the WAC puts Hawaii at a severe recruiting disadvantage and leaves them relying on homegrown talent like Danielson and Mafua, who may have all the potential in the World, but are not developing the same way at Hawaii as they would against the competition that a Pac-10, Big-12 or Big-10 school would have to offer.
So much for the green koolaid
After having read about Danielson for the last three years and listening to a number of UH matches on the Internet, I was starting to believe that she may just be the best thing that has come out of Hawaii since L&L Drive-in. After seeing her in person this weekend, I am starting to wonder if watching the Wahine beat up on WAC opponents has warped the Hawaiian volleyball communities vision of what a great player is. Kanani is impressive physically, but she is undeveloped. She looked young and vulnerable on the court tonight. She looked like she had potential, but so does every u16 that you see at the Junior Olympics. She has a lot of promise, but little refinement and little poise. Lack of consistent big match experience may have cost her the opportunity to play overseas and may cost her a shot at the US national team. If her career fizzles after this weekend, I fear that will do little to promote the UH recruiting efforts, even in the islands.
UW move on
It seems a bit unfair that the reward Washington earned by upsetting (technically) Hawaii is a Friday night match against #2 Nebraska. Is it too much to hope that they get to face two horribly overrated opponents in a row? If they play the way they played tonight, Nebraska may not need to be overrated to fall to the upset minded Huskies.
Credit Where Credit is Due
UW played a fine match. They used the speed and athleticism of Biannca Rowland to confuse Hawaii's blockers, then switched up to the feature the power of Becky Perry before finally crossing up the bewildered middles with Kindra Carlson attacking from the back row. Jenna Hagglund again had a fantastic match leading her team to a .328 hitting percentage and there is little doubt that UW is playing their best volleyball of the season. Few would argue after watching the last two matches that red shirt freshman libero Jenna Orlandini is the real deal as well. UW have a good thing going right now and a lot of momentum coming out of a dominating win. That's a good thing, because they are going to need it. More on that later.
Being Hawaii is Just Not Good Enough Anymore
Hawaii did not look ready to play. WAC player of the year Kanani Danielson hit just .176 and was such a non-factor that she was moved to the right side in the third set. Senior setter Dani Mafua looked on the verge of a breakdown at times and just looking at the UH team made some fans wonder if the University of Hawaii even bothered with an off season conditioning program. The large contingent of Hawaii fans had every right to feel a bit short changed by the product that came to Seattle this weekend. The fact that this team was ranked as high as number two in the country this season seems to have had far more to do with the reputation of the program and little to do with the quality of the team. Volleyball on the mainland has come a long way in the last 10 years and this weekend may just prove that it is no longer good enough to just be Hawaii anymore.
Level of Competition
In hindsight, the writing was on the wall last night when UH struggled at times with lowly Portland State last night. The tendency for Hawaii fans was to chalk the lackluster performance up to a combination of anxiety, travel and an overachieving Portland State squad. The Wahine did not rise to the occasion against Washington and looked very much like the same team that struggled with Portland State, but facing a much stronger opponent. The truth is that Portland State is much more in line with the level of competition that the Wahine have seen over the course of their undefeated Western Athletic Conference schedule. They had no answer for a quality opponent like the University of Washington, and Washington was far from intimidated by the Wahine after banging heads with the likes of Cal and Stanford this season. One could fathom that being in the WAC puts Hawaii at a severe recruiting disadvantage and leaves them relying on homegrown talent like Danielson and Mafua, who may have all the potential in the World, but are not developing the same way at Hawaii as they would against the competition that a Pac-10, Big-12 or Big-10 school would have to offer.
So much for the green koolaid
After having read about Danielson for the last three years and listening to a number of UH matches on the Internet, I was starting to believe that she may just be the best thing that has come out of Hawaii since L&L Drive-in. After seeing her in person this weekend, I am starting to wonder if watching the Wahine beat up on WAC opponents has warped the Hawaiian volleyball communities vision of what a great player is. Kanani is impressive physically, but she is undeveloped. She looked young and vulnerable on the court tonight. She looked like she had potential, but so does every u16 that you see at the Junior Olympics. She has a lot of promise, but little refinement and little poise. Lack of consistent big match experience may have cost her the opportunity to play overseas and may cost her a shot at the US national team. If her career fizzles after this weekend, I fear that will do little to promote the UH recruiting efforts, even in the islands.
UW move on
It seems a bit unfair that the reward Washington earned by upsetting (technically) Hawaii is a Friday night match against #2 Nebraska. Is it too much to hope that they get to face two horribly overrated opponents in a row? If they play the way they played tonight, Nebraska may not need to be overrated to fall to the upset minded Huskies.
Second Round Match-ups Don't Get Sweeter than This, Washington vs Hawaii
Hawaii's surprise loss to Utah State in the WAC Championship saw them drop from a #3 ranking to a 15 seed in the NCAA tournament and was probably the worse thing that could have happened to the unranked unseeded Washington Huskies as they would have to defeat the Wahine in the second round to advance to the Regional Semi-Finals.
Both teams took care of business Thursday night with 3-0 wins. Hawaii was shakey early on against an impressive Portland State squad who were very competitive through the first two sets. The Wahine and outside hitter Kanani Danielson got their business together after the break and exerted their dominance with an impressive 25-8 win in the third set.
UW came out of the gates fast behind the energy of the home crowd and with a lot of help from a woeful performance from the service line by the Michigan Wolverines. Becky Perry led the Husky attack with 10 kills and the middle hitter combination of Lauren Barfield and Bianca Rowland combined for eight blocks and eleven kills. Freshman libero Jenni Orlandi anchored the defense and provided the passing platform for Senior setter Jenna Hagglund to lead her team to an impressive .321 hitting percentage.
Friday Night Lights, Volleyball Style
Washington vs Hawaii is the most intrigueing match-up of the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this season. The teams come together after polar opposite seasons that saw Hawaii face tough challenges in the early season before cruising to a 16-0 record in the WAC. Washington cruised through the early season with a national ranking as high as number five before the grueling PAC-10 schedule wore them down and dropped them from the top 25.
Washington has everything to lose Friday night in front of their home crowd with the promise of playing in front of their home crowd next weekend in the Regional Championship matches. Hawaii will be looking to write another chapter in the amazing career of powerful outside hitter Kanani Danielson by brining the Wahine to their first national title since 1987.
Players to Watch
Here is a quick look at some of the players who stood out last night and will be sure to have an impact on tonight's match.
Kanani Danielson #5 OH Hawaii
Strong barely begins to describe Danielson. Her broad shoulders and awe inspiring power point to her receiving serious consideration from the US Women's National Team. Her power can dominate a match. UH seemed very careful not to be one dimensional against Portland State, but when Danielson is your one dimension, it might just benefit the Wahine to get her the ball and let her pound down the UW defense.
Jenna Orlandini #4 Libero Washington
Jenni was reportedly recommended to UW by none other than US Women's National Team assistant coach Karch Kiraly and after watching her average 4.68 digs a set this season as a redshirt freshman, it is easy to see why. Orlandini had the benefit of learning from Tamari Miyashiro last year and is now showing the potentail to surpass Tama as the best defensive player in UW history.
Dani Mafua #11 Setter Hawaii
Mafua earned honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2009. This year her and fellow senior Danielson have National Championship and ambitions. Her court vision and leadership were evident against Portland State. She averages over 11 assists per set and has led the Wahine to a .287 hitting percentage on the season. Her ability to spread the UH offense around and create open opportunities for Danielson will be a key to the match against the big block of Washington.
Becky Perry #10 OH Washington
Perry finished second on the team in kills this season behind fellow senior hitter Kindra Carlson. Her size and power were on display against Michigan Thursday as she led the team in kills and hit a blistering .364. If she can be as big a part of UW's 1-2 senior punch Friday night, the Huskies will benefit greatly. If she struggles to find consistency and hits closer to her .271 season average, it could be a long night for the Purple and Gold.
Match Details
First serve is at 7:30pm Friday night. Tickets are avaialble at the box office at Hec Ed Pavillion. See you there.
UW Press Conference Follwing Michigan Match
Both teams took care of business Thursday night with 3-0 wins. Hawaii was shakey early on against an impressive Portland State squad who were very competitive through the first two sets. The Wahine and outside hitter Kanani Danielson got their business together after the break and exerted their dominance with an impressive 25-8 win in the third set.
UW came out of the gates fast behind the energy of the home crowd and with a lot of help from a woeful performance from the service line by the Michigan Wolverines. Becky Perry led the Husky attack with 10 kills and the middle hitter combination of Lauren Barfield and Bianca Rowland combined for eight blocks and eleven kills. Freshman libero Jenni Orlandi anchored the defense and provided the passing platform for Senior setter Jenna Hagglund to lead her team to an impressive .321 hitting percentage.
Friday Night Lights, Volleyball Style
Washington vs Hawaii is the most intrigueing match-up of the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this season. The teams come together after polar opposite seasons that saw Hawaii face tough challenges in the early season before cruising to a 16-0 record in the WAC. Washington cruised through the early season with a national ranking as high as number five before the grueling PAC-10 schedule wore them down and dropped them from the top 25.
Washington has everything to lose Friday night in front of their home crowd with the promise of playing in front of their home crowd next weekend in the Regional Championship matches. Hawaii will be looking to write another chapter in the amazing career of powerful outside hitter Kanani Danielson by brining the Wahine to their first national title since 1987.
Players to Watch
Here is a quick look at some of the players who stood out last night and will be sure to have an impact on tonight's match.
Kanani Danielson #5 OH Hawaii
Strong barely begins to describe Danielson. Her broad shoulders and awe inspiring power point to her receiving serious consideration from the US Women's National Team. Her power can dominate a match. UH seemed very careful not to be one dimensional against Portland State, but when Danielson is your one dimension, it might just benefit the Wahine to get her the ball and let her pound down the UW defense.
Jenna Orlandini #4 Libero Washington
Jenni was reportedly recommended to UW by none other than US Women's National Team assistant coach Karch Kiraly and after watching her average 4.68 digs a set this season as a redshirt freshman, it is easy to see why. Orlandini had the benefit of learning from Tamari Miyashiro last year and is now showing the potentail to surpass Tama as the best defensive player in UW history.
Dani Mafua #11 Setter Hawaii
Mafua earned honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2009. This year her and fellow senior Danielson have National Championship and ambitions. Her court vision and leadership were evident against Portland State. She averages over 11 assists per set and has led the Wahine to a .287 hitting percentage on the season. Her ability to spread the UH offense around and create open opportunities for Danielson will be a key to the match against the big block of Washington.
Becky Perry #10 OH Washington
Perry finished second on the team in kills this season behind fellow senior hitter Kindra Carlson. Her size and power were on display against Michigan Thursday as she led the team in kills and hit a blistering .364. If she can be as big a part of UW's 1-2 senior punch Friday night, the Huskies will benefit greatly. If she struggles to find consistency and hits closer to her .271 season average, it could be a long night for the Purple and Gold.
Match Details
First serve is at 7:30pm Friday night. Tickets are avaialble at the box office at Hec Ed Pavillion. See you there.
UW Press Conference Follwing Michigan Match
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Bracket Challenge
Wahine in Seattle Thursday night and beyond...
The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine lost the Western Athletic Conference Championship match to Utah State last weekend. Now they are coming to Seattle for a first round match Thursday night. If they defeat Portland State, they will play the winner of the Washington vs Michigan match in the second round, which will be Friday night. The Regional championship will also be held in Seattle the following weekend. Sorry Huskies, but this year I'm hoping to watch the Wahine win as many matches as possible.
Florida, Nebraska, Stanford and Penn State take top seeds
Florida has been chosen as the favorite by the selection committee with good reason. Their road to the title will most likely have to go through three time defending champion Penn State, who were selected as the number four seed. On the other side of the bracket, the two seed Nebraska will most likley have to defeat either Hawaii or Washington to get to the final four where they will likely face Stanford. The Cardinal seem to have a rematch with Pac 10 rival USC in their future with a berth to the Final Four on the line.
Upset Alerts
Here are a few matches that stand a good chance to produce upsets this weekend.
#7 Cal vs Utah State
Utah State is fresh off an upset of Hawaii in the WAC title match and is great form right now. Cal will not be able to sleepwalk through the first round this year.
Middle Tennessee vs #16 Purdue
Not much of an upset in my book, but Middle Tennessee is as likely to advance to the sweet 16 as Purdue is. If I had to bet, I'd leave this one to a coin flip although Purdue is technically favored.
UCLA vs Texas
UCLA will most likely have a chance to mess with Texas in the second round. With Destiny Hooker gone and UCLA coming off a brutal Pac 10 schedule, this match up could easily go to the Bruins.
Arizona vs #5UNI
This is the one upset that I have in my bracket. I think the Wildcats will take out the number five seed and could make it as far as the elite 8.
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