Sometime before 8 on this New Year's morning--while most Miami revelers were still in bed or realizing that it might be a good idea to head there--I rolled out of my bed, into some running shoes and out the door for a morning run on the beach. It was still more than 36 hours until kick-off and I needed to sweat out some New Year's Eve toxins, breathe in some salt air and reflect on the Orange Bowl experience thus far. Our new motel is less than a quarter mile from the The Westin, the Orange Bowl headquarters of Wake Forest, and as I slugged by in the deep sand I thought it might be funny to take a brisk walk through the Westin lobby wearing my gray UofL tee shirt. Maybe later.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the UofL Alumni Association has been hosting one amazing event after another here in Florida. Yesterday's "UofL Day at the Races" at Calder Race Course featured two races sponsored by the university. Race 4 was "President Ramsey Day At The Races Classic." Race 5 was "The University of Louisville Alumni Association Classic."
The fact that the Alumni Association race came just after Dr. Ramsey's saved me from a little excitement in a race track elevator. President Ramsey and his wife, Jane, along with UofL Board of Trustees Chairman Chester Porter, the Alumni Association's Jonathan Israel and a group of students--Darrell Messer (president of UofL's Student Government Association), Andy Goss, Zack Brooks, Teresa Pierce and Savannah Wall (all student assistants in the President's Office)--went down to the winner's circle to present the trophy for Race 4. I visited with them as we descended five floors in the elevator and made our way to the Winner's Circle. But I didn't go back up with them because I needed to hang around for the 5th Race.
Lucky move.
Apparently, the elevator got stuck on the return trip and they were cooped up for about five minutes in the small elevator. I would not have liked that! I don't like tight spaces, and I probably would have had some kind of claustrophobic meltdown right there in front of the president, his wife and those nice students. Andy Goss snapped a photo from the elevator using his cell phone. He showed me it last night at the New Year's Eve bash. I hope to post it soon.
Last night, the Alumni Association gave Cardinal fans a fun way to ring in the new year with a great New Year's Eve Party at the Bluepoint Ocean Grill overlooking Paradise Lake at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The event, which sold out in advance, was highlighted by a Midnight champagne toast and a laser light show out on the lake. I had never seen a show like it. A smoky wall of mist shot from the middle of the lake creating a kind of misty backdrop for showing different images--from music performances to a wild light show.
Next door at the Renegade Barbecue Company, President James Ramsey hosted a similar bash. It was dueling New Year's parties on the lake. John Drees, associate vice president of communications and marketing (aka "my boss"), was pressed into photography duty for both events. University photog Tom Fougerousse got food poisoning or some kind of horrible stomach bug and spent New Year's Eve back at the hotel room licking his wounds and rallying his immune system. John stepped up beautifully--taking nearly 100 photos at both parties. Be sure to check some of them out.
By the way, Tom saw me off on my morning beach run. His color is back and he seems ready to press on for the rest of this Orange Bowl madness. Today, we're off to watch some New Year's Day football with Cardinal fans at some designated gathering spots. We're definitely checking out the Clevelander on Miami Beach. There's going to be a UofL pep rally there at 2 p.m. We'll rest when we get back to Louisville, I reckon. For now, it's forward on. I hear there's a football game at the end of this road.
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