FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[BigBlue02]

While "googling" on another unrelated topic, I stumbled on another Florida recruit committed to Millikin.  Anthany "Spud" Wingo. 

http://blogs.berecruited.com/2008/01/25/anthany-spud-wingo-commits-to-millikin-university/

does anyone know if there are any chicago area kids going down to Millikin? 

There was, but they actually visited Decatur and changed their minds!!  

It wasn't too long ago that kids left naperville and wheaton to come to millikin.  And decatur is not a bad place,,I guess if you want to spend your whole life sheltered then live at home with your parents and stay in naperville. 

Wow... CardinalAlum hit a nerve there.  Or should I say severed a nerve?

First of all, I'm sure CardinalAlum does live with his parents. 

But I find it hard to believe most people would prefer Decatur over the western suburbs of Chicago.  Yes I know it is a matter of taste, but the difference in population between Decatur vs. western suburbs might shine a bit of light on this.

Decatur (and surrounding area) - about 125,000
Western suburbs - somewhere around a million or so

I guess if you want to live on the edge, in a carnival atmosphere, where the fun never ends, Decatur is the place. 

College life and normal life is quite different. Lets compare the opportunities to party,

Decatur-45 minutes from Illinois State,,,,1 hour from University of Illinois,,,,1.5 hours from St. Louis,,,,,Three bars right next to campus, including the best non-white trash bar in Decatur. 

Western Suburbs- Chicago,, gotta love the city, but I doubt that students at wheaton and north central are going into the city to go bar hopping, most college kids dont have 150$ to blow on drinks on a saturday night,,,university of chicago, not going to party in the library,,,northwestern,same thing

Rock Island- It is decatur except on the mississippi,,,,close to iowa city

So the difference between night life at these school is negligible (I will concede to the carnival atmosphere of the city of decatur).  Then it comes down to how close you want to live to your parents while in college, football facilities, and the recruiting ability of the coaches.

[Mugsy]

While "googling" on another unrelated topic, I stumbled on another Florida recruit committed to Millikin.  Anthany "Spud" Wingo. 

http://blogs.berecruited.com/2008/01/25/anthany-spud-wingo-commits-to-millikin-university/

does anyone know if there are any chicago area kids going down to Millikin? 

There was, but they actually visited Decatur and changed their minds!!  

It wasn't too long ago that kids left naperville and wheaton to come to millikin.  And decatur is not a bad place,,I guess if you want to spend your whole life sheltered then live at home with your parents and stay in naperville. 

Wow... CardinalAlum hit a nerve there.  Or should I say severed a nerve?

First of all, I'm sure CardinalAlum does live with his parents. 

But I find it hard to believe most people would prefer Decatur over the western suburbs of Chicago.  Yes I know it is a matter of taste, but the difference in population between Decatur vs. western suburbs might shine a bit of light on this.

Decatur (and surrounding area) - about 125,000
Western suburbs - somewhere around a million or so

I guess if you want to live on the edge, in a carnival atmosphere, where the fun never ends, Decatur is the place. 

College life and normal life is ARE quite different. Lets compare the opportunities to party,

Decatur-45 minutes from Illinois State,,,,1 hour from University of Illinois,,,,1.5 hours from St. Louis,,,,,Three bars right next to campus, including the best non-white trash bar in Decatur. 

Western Suburbs- Chicago,, gotta love the city, but I doubt that students at wheaton and north central are going into the city to go bar hopping, most college kids dont have 150$ to blow on drinks on a saturday night,,,university of chicago, not going to party in the library,,,northwestern,same thing

Rock Island- It is decatur except on the mississippi,,,,close to iowa city

So the difference between night life at these school is negligible (I will concede to the carnival atmosphere of the city of decatur).  Then it comes down to how close you want to live to your parents while in college, football facilities, and the recruiting ability of the coaches.

Typical collegiate response...  Bars = Fun.  A completely ignorant response if you are building your entire argument for Decatur based on proximity to bars.  What???  There aren't any bars in the western suburbs?

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son." 

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3846674432/tt0077975

BTW... I doubt many students from Wheaton are going out "bar hopping" period, since it is against school rules.

Further case of ignorance... A majority of Wheaton football players are from out of town, in fact over 50% are from out of state, so it has little to do with "staying close to mama" as you imply.

I'd argue facilities and recruiting are primary reasons why Millikin has fallen off over recent years.

[BIG Orange -Florida Connection]

I'd argue facilities and recruiting are primary reasons why Millikin has fallen off over recent years.

This is going to be changing fast.  They just spent about $60K on the locker room.  The new building that is going up on the visitor side of the football field will have a new weight-room, etc., plus the new area they use for meetings and visitors is very nice.  Also, they are looking at changing the turf this off-season.  They should be starting that soon.  I know when we were there a few weeks ago the head coach was in a meeting discussing the turf.

Recruiting wise they are very good.  We have met with or talked with about 20 coaches in the midwest the past few months.  Millikin stood out. 

Overall Millikin has a lot to offer.  I'm very proud that my son has decided to go to Millikin.

[Mugsy]

I'd argue facilities and recruiting are primary reasons why Millikin has fallen off over recent years.

This is going to be changing fast.  They just spent about $60K on the locker room.  The new building that is going up on the visitor side of the football field will have a new weight-room, etc., plus the new area they use for meetings and visitors is very nice.  Also, they are looking at changing the turf this off-season.  They should be starting that soon.  I know when we were there a few weeks ago the head coach was in a meeting discussing the turf.

Recruiting wise they are very good.  We have met with or talked with about 20 coaches in the midwest the past few months.  Millikin stood out. 

Overall Millikin has a lot to offer.  I'm very proud that my son has decided to go to Millikin.

Millikin's upgrades may well be coming soon...  Millikin spent $60K on locker rooms and are changing the turf.  Great. 

North Park built a state of the art fitness center that is arguably the best in the CCIW if not all of D3 and revamped their stadium and locker rooms.  NCC has arguably the best stadium in the CCIW (the Chicago Fire professional soccer team used it until this past year).  Wheaton put in turf, lights, built a fitness center a few years back and installed a brand new scoreboard (complete with HD Jumbotron with instant replays).  These are just a few examples from other schools that resulted in "leap frogging" Millikin from a facilities standpoint.

From my perspective:  As of the 2007 season, Millikin's facilities did not match up well against many of the other CCIW schools.  In addition the resurgence of NCC, Wheaton and Carthage, along with the continuing year-in-year out competitiveness of Augustana has drained the recruiting pool for Millikin. 

Time will tell how good Millikin's recruiting is this year.  On paper it may look like a solid recruiting class, but that is on paper.  A true picture of a recruiting class does not become clear for a couple of years when the players start to see the field.

Over the past 5 years though, it is not difficult to argue Millikin's drop from the top of the CCIW.

2003: 7-3
2004: 5-5
2005: 5-5
2006: 3-7
2007: 2-8

[CardinalAlum]

I guess if you want to spend your whole life sheltered then live at home with your parents and stay in naperville. 

Where were you with that advice before I got married and had kids??  I never knew how good I had it at home!! 

[CardinalAlum]

College life and normal life is quite different. Lets compare the opportunities to party,

Where exactly does that part go on a job application??   

[BigBlue02]

I also based my argument on proximity to other large schools with more bars than just the ones in decatur.  bottom line is Millikin needs those new facilities/recruits because if we lose to north park the wheels could come off.

[burly]

lose to north park the wheels could come off

That's going to happen to one CCIW team this year. 

Mr. Sager, do you agree?  Is this the year?  

Let's get this debate started early...

[Gregory Sager]

The whole "bar scene" argument as a polemic for students to attend Millikin really cracks me up. How much? Let me count the ways:

1. The legal drinking age in Illinois is 21. Most undergraduates are not yet 21, particularly the high school recruits who are supposedly going to be swayed by the "bar scene" argument.

2. Touting relative proximity to major college towns such as Bloormal and Chambana begs the question: Why not simply go to ISU or to the U of I if the bar scene in those cities is really a selling point? Or, if playing D3 football is reason #2 for attending college (after the opportunity to party, of course), why not go to Illinois Wesleyan rather than Millikin and be that much closer to ISU bars? And if St. Louis is all that much of a draw, why not simply go to a SLIAC school or to UMSL, SLU, Wash U, etc.? Also, if you have to hop in a car and drive 45 minutes just to get to a particular bar, are you really sure that this is going to be a selling point in your favor? Lastly, do the initials "DUI" still mean anything downstate?

3. If Millikin has "the best non-white trash bar in Decatur" right next door, is it an African-American trash bar, a Hispanic trash bar, a Chinese trash bar, or an Australian Aboriginal trash bar? Inquiring minds want to know.

4. One can only imagine what is going through BIG Orange-Florida Connection's mind as he prepares to send his son off to Millikin, only to find that the school's primary selling point in the eyes of Millikin's lone poster on this board is the proximity to illegally-acquired alcohol for MU students.

5. If I'm an Augustana supporter and I read the words "Rock Island -- it is Decatur, except on the Mississippi," the next time that I venture to Millikin I'm bringing torches, pipe bombs, and zip guns with me and a plan to wreak some serious rage-induced havoc on the MU campus.

6. Am I the only one who noticed that BigBlue02 listed as collegiate selling points: a) availability of local bars and reasonable driving distance to major-college watering holes; b) proximity to parents; c) football facilities; and d) recruiting acumen of coaching staff, without including an e) academics?

7. In all fairness, if I was stuck in Decatur for any length of time, I'd probably drink like a fish, too. An atmosphere of total despair does funny things to a man.

8. Believe me, it does not cost $150 to get drunk in Chicago. There are any number of gentlemen on streetcorners here with paper-bag 40s who could set you straight on that score.

9. I'd like to see CardinalAlum's question answered, too: Where does "opportunities to party" go on a job application?

10. This is your free Mad Swede Memorial proof-of-purchase enumerated point.

[Gregory Sager]

lose to north park the wheels could come off

That's going to happen to one CCIW team this year. 

Mr. Sager, do you agree?  Is this the year?  

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast."
             -- Alexander Pope

[CardinalAlum]

The whole "bar scene" argument as a polemic for students to attend Millikin really cracks me up. How much? Let me count the ways:

1. The legal drinking age in Illinois is 21. Most undergraduates are not yet 21, particularly the high school recruits who are supposedly going to be swayed by the "bar scene" argument.

2. Touting relative proximity to major college towns such as Bloormal and Chambana begs the question: Why not simply go to ISU or to the U of I if the bar scene in those cities is really a selling point? Or, if playing D3 football is reason #2 for attending college (after the opportunity to party, of course), why not go to Illinois Wesleyan rather than Millikin and be that much closer to ISU bars? And if St. Louis is all that much of a draw, why not simply go to a SLIAC school or to UMSL, SLU, Wash U, etc.? Also, if you have to hop in a car and drive 45 minutes just to get to a particular bar, are you really sure that this is going to be a selling point in your favor? Lastly, do the initials "DUI" still mean anything downstate?

3. If Millikin has "the best non-white trash bar in Decatur" right next door, is it an African-American trash bar, a Hispanic trash bar, a Chinese trash bar, or an Australian Aboriginal trash bar? Inquiring minds want to know.

4. One can only imagine what is going through BIG Orange-Florida Connection's mind as he prepares to send his son off to Millikin, only to find that the school's primary selling point in the eyes of Millikin's lone poster on this board is the proximity to illegally-acquired alcohol for MU students.

5. If I'm an Augustana supporter and I read the words "Rock Island -- it is Decatur, except on the Mississippi," the next time that I venture to Millikin I'm bringing torches, pipe bombs, and zip guns with me and a plan to wreak some serious rage-induced havoc on the MU campus.

6. Am I the only one who noticed that BigBlue02 listed as collegiate selling points: a) availability of local bars and reasonable driving distance to major-college watering holes; b) proximity to parents; c) football facilities; and d) recruiting acumen of coaching staff, without including an e) academics?

7. In all fairness, if I was stuck in Decatur for any length of time, I'd probably drink like a fish, too. An atmosphere of total despair does funny things to a man.

8. Believe me, it does not cost $150 to get drunk in Chicago. There are any number of gentlemen on streetcorners here with paper-bag 40s who could set you straight on that score.

9. I'd like to see CardinalAlum's question answered, too: Where does "opportunities to party" go on a job application?

10. This is your free Mad Swede Memorial proof-of-purchase enumerated point.

2008 post of the year nominee!!  <standing ovation>  As always, VERY well put, GS!

[Mugsy]

Greg,

K+... A wonderfully humorous post, unless you think about the potential ramifications of BigBlue02's priorities. DUI, totalled cars, etc...

As always you have captured the absurdness of a post in a much more eloquent fashion than I.  Thank you.

[Mugsy]

6. Am I the only one who noticed that BigBlue02 listed as collegiate selling points: a) availability of local bars and reasonable driving distance to major-college watering holes; b) proximity to parents; c) football facilities; and d) recruiting acumen of coaching staff, without including an e) academics?
is your free Mad Swede Memorial proof-of-purchase enumerated point.

Apparently I went about it all wrong when deciding what college to attend. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Serves me right for pondering the best response - Greg beat me to it again!

To a 17-18 year-old recruit the "bar scene" is pretty irrelevant, except perhaps "do the bars seriously card" and/or "do the cops really care about underage parties"?

Of course, Mr. Ypsi spent all his weekend evenings at the Fred Young Fieldhouse or the library.  It is a canard that his favorite bartender nearly stroked out when a cop insisted he card me; he managed to croak out "Happy 21st birthday" to a guy he'd been serving for two years.  (Yes, Mr. Ypsi is so old that he turned 21 before the drinking age was lowered, then raised again.)

[Mugsy]

A month or so ago I hinted that there was good news regarding a coaching change for 2008 at Wheaton.

It is official. Coach Walt Whitehead is back to coach the offensive line.  The 2007 offensive line should not have been a weakness of the team (36 sacks allow and only 3.2 yards per carry rushing).  It will not be a weakness in 2008.

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/News/football/2008/2/26/fb-walt.asp?path=football