March 9, 2007
In the second edition of the Illini Big Ten Journal, sophomore Marc Spicijaric talks about the tough Big Ten schedule
Last weekend, we started off our Big Ten season. We got off to a strong start against Michigan State and this weekend we are playing at Purdue and at home against Wisconsin. The Big Ten season is always tough to play because every match counts. Playing for Illinois, we are used to being one of the top competitors in the nation and especially in the Big Ten. In the past few years, however, the Big Ten has become a much deeper conference, so taking care of business every time we go out on the court is even more important. As a team, we decided going undefeated in the Big Ten regular season is not good enough; we want to win the tournament too.
Playing on the road is very tough. We have to deal with obnoxious fans who are just trying to get inside your head, but that makes it that much more fun to play in front of. The Big Ten always has crowds that are loud and show a lot of support for their home team, so each match brings a great atmosphere.
Road trips are one of my favorite parts of the season. We rent a van that has a T.V., so we always put in movies or use the time to tell stories of what has been going on the last few nights or from previous road trips. One time we even had a dance party in the van at three in the morning, which made the time fly by.
Every year, we go on a trip to Napa Valley in California to play an invitational. On the last day, we went to a really nice restaurant at the country club where we played at and our freshman Billy Heiser decided to order a BLT. Now, Billy does not like lettuce or tomato and is probably the pickiest eater I have ever met. He gets his sandwich, opens it up and has an extremely confused look on his face. He looks up at everyone and asks us where his turkey is. BLT stands for bacon, lettuce and tomato and it definitely said this in captions on the menu, lol. Since then, every meal we eat with Billy this story comes up.
Before matches, we have a pre-match meal and it varies on where we are. A lot of us have superstitions and order the same thing every time if we get Italian or the same sandwich if we go to a deli. The one thing you can count on with our team is that we will eat a lot. If we go to someone's house for a meal, they better make a lot of food, otherwise, there will be nine hungry college kids, and that is not good.
Well its been good catching you guys up, but its time to get ready for the weekend against Purdue and Wisconsin ...
Until next week,
Marc "Mr. Clutch" Spicijaric
