Today marks the moment of truth, my last column for the Daily. It’s a time in a young columnist’s life where he can stop getting pointed and laughed at by his readers. Come to think of it, he can stop getting pointed and laughed at by his co-workers too.

Get the Puck Out of My Face!

I’m staying local today. Last week, it was reported that a recent alumnus of this university is revisiting his roots, sort of. Daniel Blumhagen, a 2001 ISU graduate, is suing the entities of the city of Ames and USA Hockey, Inc. for an incident in which he got hit in the face with a puck.

The event happened on Jan. 20 of last year and left Blumhagen with a broken jaw and many fractured teeth. Now, more than a year later, the alumnus is seeking justice due to what he claims were unsafe conditions at the arena. He says that the ice was not properly maintained, lowering the boards below height standards and leaving people more susceptible to injury.

What a load of crap. It’s true crap, but crap nonetheless.

It was true that the ice at the old arena was improperly defrosted, leaving bumps and crowns on the surface. However, the fact that this alone was the reason that Blumhagen was struck is stupid.

I was at that particular game where the ISU hockey team was facing the squad from Western Michigan. It was the second of a two-game series, and the visiting Broncos had been heckled by fans and pelted by shots all weekend.

During the second period of the game, Broncos defenseman Karl Merkle obtained the puck in his own zone. He then turned towards the crowd and proceeded to shoot the puck towards the crowd, blasting the puck into the stands where it struck Blumhagen. Merkle received misconduct penalties and sat for a lot of the rest of the game.

Let me tell you, the way that the puck was hit into the stands, I doubt that ANY arena could have held it within its glass boards.

So would the defendant have done this to any NHL franchise or arena? Don’t think so.

Blumhagen should go after the one man who had control of where that puck generally ended up, Merkle.

To blame the arena and its constituents for Merkle’s anger release and his own inattentiveness is not the solution.

My hope is that this lawsuit is not an afterthought of the recent occurrence in which 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil died from a deflected puck which entered the stands and struck her in the head. Even the thought of that would be disgraceful in honoring a girl whose life left the Earth too soon.

In many respects, Blumhagen should be thanking his lucky stars that this incident wasn’t as unfortunate as that one, not looking for a quick “vengeance” buck.

Absurd Predictions

Today is my last chance to bring the public my brand of absurdity in regards to my assortment of predictions.

I could talk about this weekend’s upcoming Kentucky Derby as a stepping stone into greatness. However, the search for greatness is about as fleeting as a favorite’s chances at Churchill Downs.

For the past year (going back to last summer), I’ve had the opportunity to make people cringe, laugh, scoff and shake their heads at my prognostications of the athletic world’s greatest events.

Stay with me a minute as I get philosophical.

Webster’s defines prediction as “to say in advance what one believes to happen.” Since athletics is performed more than believed, there is no qualitative way to see into the future. That means all predictions – whether they are based on absurd facts, hard facts or mere guesses – are insane to begin with.

The same holds true in life. No one person knows exactly what will happen from one minute to the next.

Many life-altering changes can take place within the span of eyeblinks.

So what is my prediction to you?

That you will live life on your own terms, only being guided (not controlled) by the forces surrounding your person.

Hopefully, this prediction is one that will hit on the money.

Oh, what the hell. Since I’m feeling inspirational, I’ll take Buddha to win in Louisville.

Jonathan Lowe is a senior in meteorology from Kansas City, Mo.