A-Game Attire: Season In Review {A Repost}

Hello followers! Coach and I returned home from the Final Four late yesterday afternoon, and I am still trying to catch my bearings from being away for 1.5 weeks! The laundry machine has yet to stop, the fridge has been re-stocked, and Prince is glad to be home!

I wanted to re-post my last A-Game attire post since returning from the Final Four. While there, I had the opportunity to attend many wives events, befriend new wives, and meet two (in-person) that are featured below! In all, I would claim this year's Final Four as a major success!

Without further ado, let me re-introduce you to my starting 5 for the 2014-15 season:

Point Guard - Danyelle Musselman

Shooting Guard - Andrea Hansen

Small Forward - Lisa Compton

Power Forward - Ashley Pittman

Center - Amber Tysl

If you have not done so already, please head on over to each of these ladies' feature posts! Danyelle, Lisa, and Amber have blogs of their own which I do hope you follow! Andrea and Ashley have personal businesses/professions that they discussed on their features, and they be be able to help you in that regard.

Michelyn Cynthia

Question of the Day: Are you a college and/or high school coach's wife or significant other? Interested in sharing your game-day attire and style? If yes, contact me, for more information for the 2015-16 season!

Blog Facelift Edition 2.0

Back in May of 2012, this blog saw it's first facelift which included a name change from Brains & Beauty to it's current name. Well, here we are in 2014, and another facelift has arisen.

May 2012 - August 2014

I am pretty pleased with my facelift, and so happy that Coach Kemp put in the hours to make my vision a reality! Coach Kemp has spent many years developing recruiting materials, and is a self-taught Adobe PhotoShop Genius!

What are your thoughts?

Overall, I felt like the blog was a little too youthful with so much lavender and the polka dots; and figured a white background would mature it overall. Coach Kemp also would not hear my thoughts of ridding the caricature. He may be more attached than I, lol.

Do you see any new additions? Yes, that is Prince sitting on the stack of books vying for some love and attention - which he is obviously lacking.

Go Bobcats!

Michelyn

Currently seeking college and high school  football or basketball wives (including fiances & girlfriends) that would like to be featured in Game Day Attire posts. Please contact me at michelyncynthiaATgmail.com

Road to the Final Four: Thursday & Friday

Well hello from Texas! Some days have been busier than others, so I decided to combine my recaps of Thursday and Friday!

On Thursday, I woke around 9:00am feeling really good after my night out with the boys on Wednesday! Honestly, I was quite concerned with my ability to "hang with the boys" solo but I had a lot of fun on Wednesday. I was not sure what Thursday had in store, I knew that many of my fellow basketball wives were arriving Thursday evening, so I figured I should get a good workout in. I was pleasantly surprised when I was the only person in the workout room for like 3 hours! I ended up running 10 miles and then followed that up with a 10 mile bike ride as well! Coach Kemp returned from the NABC conference around 4:00pm, and we just rested up.

Coach Kemp's parents were also in town as Dr. Kemp, my father-in-law, had a medical conference to attend. We met his parents at the The Oceanaire Seafood Room. Dinner was delightful, I ate the Wild Alaskan Halibut. And even more special because of the company that we were surrounded by. My father-in-law is a huge Wisconsin fan and he was not very pleased with my outfit!

The comical thing is that it was really a coincidence that I was wearing orange and blue!

After dinner we headed back to our hotel where we waited for the ladies to arrive. Unfortunately, Stephanie and Katie's flights were majorly delayed so Coach Kemp and I headed out to meet our Toledo staff in the McKinney area of town.

Friday was a really, really fun day! Well, if you are a basketball fan, at least. I again woke up around 8:00am, and worked out. On Friday the gym was PACKED with coaches so I was very pleased with myself for running a long-distance run the day before. I did a quick 3.5 mile jog and then headed to the Hilton Anatole - team hotel for the Gators and Badgers! I went to the Hilton Anatole to meet up with Emily Ryan, wife to Will Ryan and daughter-in-law to Bo Ryan. It was nice to catch up with Emily and her boys since I haven't seen them in a number of months. Prior to heading out to the AT&T Stadium, we hung out in the Badger dining/game room. I did not get too many photos because the players and coaches/staff were also in the room; however, it was really neat. I also had a nice conversation with Kelly Ryan, I will post more about that later.

We then got on the UW Family and Administrator bus and headed to the AT&T Stadium which is actually in Arlington, TX. Wow! That stadium is humongous!

Even though I am married to a coach, I have never attended a shoot-around, so it was a first for me. I think Coach Kemp was a little bummed that he was not able to experience the fun since he is such a big Wisconsin fan. Although we have been having fun, Coach has also been attending lots of convention meetings. 

After the 50-minute shoot-around, we re-boarded the bus and headed back to the Hilton Anatole. By this time, Coach Kemp let me know that we had plans with some of our basketball friends, so I had to rush back to our hotel to get dressed!

We dined with Coach Richman, Coach Olson, and their wives at Ocean Prime! I highly recommend their Teriyaki Salmon - it was so yummy! After dinner we went to the Adidas party, and out to a few other bars/clubs in the Uptown area. 

Michelyn

March Madness Updates & Rocket Inspired Closet Wants!

Who's Going Dancing as of 3.12.2014?!?

It is such an exhilarating and stressful time of year for many college basketball programs, including the women's teams. I am so thrilled for the North Dakota State University Bison's MBB for winning yet another Summit League tournament all within the last six years (2009 and 2014)! I am also pleased knowing that Milwaukee clinched the win for the Horizon league.

Let's see who else will be dancing! 

Courtesy of ESPN

Now, I would not say that I am a fashionista by any means, but I do find pleasure in dressing. I am not a big fan of the university bookstore t-shirts and regalia - I typically try to adorn the school colors when cheering on my squad. I am all packed and ready to head over to Cleveland later in the day, and I figured it would be fun to do a little virtual shopping. The below outfit is not anything that I packed, but I would don this ensemble in a hot minute!

Toledo Outfit #2 by michelyncynthia featuring a black jacket

Question of the Day: Are you following March Madness? What team are you hoping gets in?

Michelyn

Coach Michelyn: In Coach Kemp's Footsteps?

I try to read/peruse USAToday every day in efforts of keeping abreast to the happenings in our nation and world. I think it comforts me or brings me back to my pageant days when I actually read each and every article, taking notes and developing potential interview questions/responses.

Today an article, In her husband's footsteps: Wives succeed their spouses in Congress, got me thinking about being a wife, in general, and specifically a coach's wife. Would I be able to take over Coach Kemp's job if the unfortunate situation would arise? As an aside this is a very light-hearted post, as I am not aware of any coach's wife taking over for their husband in the history of Division I Collegiate sports.

Bellow Blue Photography

I mean from the look of these photos, one may think I got some skills on the court!

Bellow Blue Photography

Did it, or did it not go in?

I frequently get asked if I played basketball in high school/college, or if I ran track. Unfortunately, the answer to both of those questions is no. I was a competitive dancer all my life, and picked up my fondness for running as an undergraduate at the University of Florida.

Ok, let's get back to the subject!

When I think about all the components of being a Coach, I do believe there are a few job skills that a college coach must encompass. Here is a short list of "characteristics", in no particular order, and how I fair.

First, I am a "people person" and am approachable. I believe this is an important quality for a coach since you meet so many fans; interact with prospective student-athletes, their parents, and coaches; and must work with your staff to be successful.

Second, one must be organized; I am Type-A, so we got that covered. But on top of being organized one must have a good memory which is already one of my pit-falls. Now, do not get me wrong, I can remember the outfit I wore on any major holiday and/or important event, but ask me how many points Junior scored at his last game and I am clueless. How coaches remember all those details, is beyond me!

Another characteristic is being competitive. Coach Kemp and I discuss this all the time, as we both agree that I may trump him in the "competitive" department. Now do not get me wrong, Coach Kemp loves preparing for a game, and coming out on top; but he believes I can be a little intense. My intensity usually comes out when we are discussing drills, practices, and concepts (even psychological) that may be beneficial for the guys to be successful. I definitely go over-board, talking about 5 hour practices, crazy drills, etc. He quickly reminds me that all of my ideas, ok maybe not all, but a majority are banned by the NCAA. Oh, yea completely forgot about those bylaws!

Which leads me nicely into the FACT that I know nothing about the technical aspects of basketball (rules, court layout, and player positions)! Yes, I was a cheerleader, but I still get confused on whether the ref has called a 30-second and 75-second time-out. And let's not even discuss fouls. I am the crazy fan that yells at the refs the entire game: "Wasn't that a foul, he got a little close to XXX!" or "Hol' up, he grabbed XXX's jersey! I demand a foul!"

And my constant screaming, leaning, and grabbing arms... I apologize to all individuals who sit next to me at games, because yes, I yell, lean whenever a 3-point is attempted, and then grab whoever's arm is closest. I know, it is no good; and there are a few nights I wonder how I got myself into this predicament! Honestly, but joking! So the behaviors outlined above are probably not a good look for a college coach, or any coach for that matter! I am 100% certain that I would not be able to maintain my composure during a game.

Which may conclude and answer my question on whether I could take over the reigns for Coach Kemp!

Michelyn

Question of the Day: Could you do your husbands job? Could he do yours?

Coaches Corner: In Love & Basketball

Welcome to yet another installment of Coaches Corner where I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the Toledo Rocket wives whom I consider a dear friend, Allyson (Allie) Clifton Kalsow!

How did you and Kalsow meet? 

My husband and I met at The University of Toledo. However, we were not both students. In fact, I was just about to graduate with my undergraduate degree (3 weeks away), when he, along with the (at the time) NEW Men’s Basketball Coaching staff, was taking their first ever tour of the University. I spotted him in the coaching offices as I was waiting to do my “exit meeting” with my college coach. All I remember is he was (in my eyes at first sight) 7’0 ft tall & his dress pants that he was wearing that day touched the floor…the rest is now history. :)

So, you are a graduate of the University of Toledo and played for the WBB. It seems that you guys have a lot in common. Whose more competitive in the family? 

I know we will disagree on this one (point in case) but I am more competitive…for sure. ;) In all seriousness though I think that is one of the reasons why we are able to love one another so naturally. We are competitive and we both love a daily challenge. It keeps our relationship fresh because naturally we are trying new things with/for one another. It’s fun.

Do you miss the sport of basketball?

There is no doubt that I DO miss the sport of basketball. I miss being a part of a team, being able to lean on one another (my teammates) for support no matter if it is something that happens on the court, or if it happens off the court – that feeling is invaluable. The one thing I always had with basketball was a sisterhood. Luckily I am fortunate and have been able to stay in touch with many teammates. I also feel I am very fortunate because even though my career as a basketball player came to an end physically, I have found a career path in which I am on the court constantly. Being a sideline reporter (currently for Fox Sports Ohio & The Cleveland Cavaliers) I have been able to stay very connected with the game and now at an even higher level. It has been a BIG blessing & I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Wow! You have such a fun and exciting career! Where do you buy most of your wardrobe? Do you have a stylist?

As a sportscaster times are very exciting as I mentioned, yet can be challenging & “stressful” at the same time. What I mean by that brings me back to your question regarding a “stylist.” I do not have a stylist at the current level I am working at (The Regional Level). It makes getting ready and staying fresh (a new look) each and every game, tough. I am the type of girl that I will not wear the same top on air more than once throughout the course of a season (84 games – 7 months). So as you can imagine it can be costly, so I try and shop great deals with still a great look – New York & Company is one of my favorite places. Number one: It has a “TALL” pant selection. I am 5’11…pants aren’t the easiest to find, but they have them. Also, many different professional yet very classy finds.


Who of the female sports broadcasters do you admire most and why?
As you can imagine when ever I watch a sporting event now days, I am hardly watching the actual game. I listen to the commentators and watch the male or female on the sideline. Sam Ponder (College Game Day, Big Ten Hoops & Thursday night Game of the Week for Football) is one of my favorites. She adds a flavorful piece to each broadcast she does. Erin Andrews has always been a favorite as well – exemplifies hard work & what it takes to be successful in such a male dominated profession. There are many others (Rachel Nichols, Dorris Burke to name a few more) that I really enjoy.

You and Kalsow recently got married....

What was the best moment of that day?

We did. It was a day that I wish we could repeat X 10 all over again. We still talk about it & all the fun we had. The best part for me was the moment I spent with my father before and during our trip down the aisle as he gave me away to my husband – it was a priceless moment that I don’t get too often with my father who has been such an incredible inspiration in my life.

Also all the time I got to spend with family & friends leading up to the BIG day was GREAT – so many things, it is very hard to narrow down, I could go on for days as you can imagine.

What famous actor or actress have you met that made you awestruck?

I like this question for many reasons. A lot of people that I come across ask me how I interview NBA players and stay so composed. To me, that part is the easiest because I have played the same game since I was 3 years old & I was fortunate enough to play it at a high level. To me I think of these players as brothers “of the game” to me. I understand and GET, to a certain degree, what they are going through. BUT this past year when I came across someone who I just LOVE…Khloe Kardashian, I was NOT SO COMPOSED. I was with the team in LA for the Cavs/Clippers game when I found myself sitting in a “fold up” chair behind one of the baskets (somewhere you would never expect a celebrity to be sitting, especially not Khloe). I am paying attention to the game about ready to do an interview with Tyler Zeller when I look to my right & there she stood. She politely told me I was sitting in her seat so I moved, but then she said there was an extra seat so I just had to scoot over. No big deal right? One thing led to the next, a picture was captured, I proceeded with my walk-off interview & sent our broadcast to break with “..It’s the Cavs leading the Bucs at the half, stay with us.” (Hopefully you caught that, yes I said we were playing the Bucs…I blame it on being “awestruck” by the one and only, Khloe Kardashian…still a GREAT day!)

What is the most fun aspect of your job?

The most fun aspect of my job is getting to travel to all of the incredible cities, watching basketball & getting paid to do so. Truly sums it all up --- I cannot complain one single bit.           

What is the most difficult?

The most difficult is being away from my husband, Jason. It is not easy to have to live away from the love of your life for 7 plus months of the year. Luckily we are young and feel we can make it work at this time. We are two individuals who are very passionate about our jobs, but are more passionate of one another and our choice to be successful in our careers that we make it work. Communication & dedication to our relationship and now marriage is like our “competition” challenge & we at this time wouldn’t have it any other way.

I simply L-O-V-E Allie! She was my workout buddy prior to Greece, while in Greece, and now it seems that my workouts have slowed down a bit. Let me tell you, if you want to push yourself during a workout and/or feel super out of shape then workout with a former collegiate athlete, turned professional trainer - Yikes! 

Oh, and her story about Khloe Kardashian had me dying. When I originally heard the story, I think I posed about 1 million questions. It may have been one of the first times I had actually met her and I was certain that she saw me as a lost cause! Ha, she may still feel that way!

She has a fabulous family which is evidenced in her response about the best moment of her wedding day... And of course, we could not leave without a picture with the women of the Clifton Household, Allie's mother, sister, and self right before she walked down the aisle! 

Much appreciation to Allie for sitting down with me for a few minutes. She is actually in New York until Friday for some special NBA meetings... Wonder what those are all about?

Michelyn

   

 

Loutraki: Day 3

Hi folks! Let's venture back to Greece and reminisce over our experiences had. If you missed my previous post, here it is where I discussed what we did and experienced over our first two days!

Day 3 we were still in Loutraki and played another exhibition game which we again WON! Our day started with a day trip to Ancient Corinth where we visited the remains of the city. We spent most of our time at the Apollos Temple remains.

UT Men's Basketball Team & Coaches

The whole gang!

After we left Ancient Corinth we took a private cruise through the Canal of Corinth which was quite amazing! To think that humans thousands of years ago were capable of excavating and engineering such a large project.

With Coach Kemp

Later that night we played another game which we won!!!

The Scoreboard baby!!

After the game everyone standing around waiting for the bus to pull up.

All smiles after a W!

Michelyn

Loutraki (Day 1 &2)

If you follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram, then you are quite familiar with our recent trip to Greece. The trip was pretty amazing. A wonderful opportunity to get to know my new Rocket Family, cheer on the guys through 3 wins, and enjoy a get away with Coach Kemp.

For the MBB international games, we had the privilege of visiting three locales in Greece. We landed and departed from Athens, but we first went to Loutraki, then Mykonos, and concluded our trip with a few days in Athens. Overall, Mykonos was the most relaxing, probably because we did not play any games while there and it seems to be similar to Cancun - crazy party and lots of beach fun!

So, let's begin in Loutraki where we stayed at the Achillion Hotel.

Front

Boardwalk View

Loutraki Boardwalk where our hotel was located

View from hotel balcony

We arrived in Athens and transferred to the hotel at around 9am. Many of us decided to take naps, and this was a pretty calm day (I went on a little run down the boardwalk which was pretty amazing!). 

On Wednesday, we departed for Epidaurus and Nafpilion - the huge theater at Epidaurus which has delighted visitors for its symmetry and beauty. This theater is still used today! The theater is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect hearing of un-amplified spoken words from the stage to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating! Isn't that neat!!!

 The views of the mountains were absolutely splendid during our entire trip. It is simply surreal that we had the honor to see these sites with our own eyes!

A Group Shot in the theater

After our tour of the theater and on-site museum we headed back to the hotel for some down time in preparation of the first game! 

And we won Game 1 as indicated by all the smiles on Coach Kalsow and Coach Kemp's faces, and obviously Ally and I. 

That documents Tuesday and Wednesday of our Greece trip. I will continue to post summaries of the trip over the next few weeks intermittently. 

Michelyn