We don’t know when and we don’t know how, but we do know that people are often taken from this world when we least expect it. Death is especially difficult to understand when it takes healthy, vibrant, young people so unexpectedly.

Elizabeth Lykowski was one young woman whose death shocked everyone who knew her. A student at Indiana Tech, Lykowski was found dead in her dorm room on Saturday, Oct. 3. Doctors said a heart defect caused her death.

She was 21, full of life and had endless possibilities for her future. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed volleyball player from Indiana Tech was all set to graduate this May with a degree in human resources. According to Monroe News, she was going to coach volleyball at her alma mater, Whiteford High School, next fall.

Lykowski was hard worker and dedicated to both her studies and her sport. She would have celebrated her 22^nd birthday on Oct. 27.

It’s one of those times when reality hits you right in the face. For the Cornerstone volleyball team, it certainly forced them to think about it because Indiana Tech was their next game.

“It really made us all stop and think ‘What if that was someone on our team?’ because it could have happened to anyone,” junior Holly Cousins said.

“Also, it made us have a reality check too, not to take things or people for granted because you don’t know when their time is up.”

Sophomore volleyball player Alicia TerHaar said how unreal it seemed. Seeing death on the news or in movies is one thing, but “you’d never guess it would happen to close to home,” she said. “We were told about what happened before practice on Monday and everyone was totally shocked.”

“It’s scary how at any time, life could end,” TerH               aar said. “It’s even scarier if there’s nothing left after death…at least as a Christian, we have reassurance that there is something to look forward too. It’s just crazy to think about. I could not imagine losing a teammate or classmate.”

Surely the students at Indiana Tech couldn’t imagine it either happening to one of their own either, until last week. It’s important that CU keep the school in our prayers, especially since it is not a Christian college.

“In this situation, it has been a really good opportunity to witness to the Tech community,” TerHaar said.

We may not always know why God does what He does. In fact, we often question Him, especially when a life is taken. But this can be a way for students here to reach out to people who are hurting.

Pray for Elizabeth’s family and her school. Pray that God will make Himself known through this.

Think about it yourselves too. It could have been your friend, your sister, your teammate. Life is precious and so short. We are fragile human beings; God didn’t design our bodies to last forever. He didn’t tell us when our time would be up. Keep that in mind as you go about your daily routine and thank Him for life, because it is a gift.

Cornerstone President Joe Stowell smiles as he sings these words from the famous Cubs anthem, written by Chicago folk legend Steve Goodman.

“There’s no fans like Cubs fans; they always pack out Wrigley field,” Stowell said. “’Go Cubs Go;’ all the fans sing it after they win a game. The whole place sways.”

It’s obvious from the way Stowell talks about this team that he loves the Cubs. But his passion for Chicago baseball wasn’t always there.

“I grew up in New Jersey, just outside of New York. I was a raving fan of the New York Yankees in the good old days,” Stowell said.

In fact, Stowell’s favorite sports story doesn’t involve a Cubs player, but his hero Mickey Mantle from the Yankees.

“I idolized Mickey Mantle. Every time I played sports I chose seven. I used to want his autograph, but I never got it,” Stowell said.  He’s shared the story of wanting Mantle’s autograph so many times, he now has three baseballs autographed by Mickey Mantle. According to Stowell, it’s because people felt sorry for him.

But the best part about Stowell’s hero was that he became a Christian.

Before Mantle died, Stowell’s friend Bobby Richardson shared some incredible news with him. Richardson, who knew Mantle, led him to the Lord before he passed away.

“I heard he accepted the Lord two weeks before he died. When I go to heaven, I want to go there for Jesus but maybe when He’s busy someday…” Stowell trailed off with a laugh.

After moving to Chicago and living there for 22 years, his love for the Yankees began to turn over into a passion for the Cubs.

“Slowly but surely in Chicago I became a Cubs fan. If you live in Chicago and you like baseball, the Cubs are more fun. Wrigley Field is like a classic baseball stadium,” Stowell said.

Even when the Cubbies are losing, he, along with all the fans, remain faithful. He remembered the curse of the goat, as all Cubs fans do, which began in 1945. Of course, some of the team’s woes are attributed to the curse, but the fans are steadfast.

“There’s a certain something about Cubs fans, they all share in common rooting for losing teams. They wouldn’t be our Cubs anymore if they won!” he exclaimed, laughing.

His favorite Cubs memory was when one of his favorite players, first-baseman Derrek Lee, hit a grand-slam to win a game last season.

“Last season the Cubs were in a terrible slump,” Stowell said. “I was at the game and we were behind by three runs in the ninth, bases loaded with two outs. It was Lee’s first day off the disabled list and who should come out of the dugout? The place went wild.”

And then, he hit a grand slam and the fans really erupted, Stowell said.

Kind of like the city would if both its teams went to the championship.

“Chicago would just go crazy. There would be riots if the Sox and Cubs went to the World Series,” he said.
“If you’re a Cubs fan, you hate the Sox. It’s a north-side, south-side (rivalry). Cubs are the north-side, more white collar. Sox are working class,” Stowell said. “When the Sox played in the ’05 World Series, not many Cubs fans rooted for them. If the Cubs make it to the Series, Sox fans wouldn’t care or watch.”

This of course translates into a good-natured rivalry between Stowell and Dr. Tweitmeyer, an avid White Sox fan.

“I’m worried about him and his spirituality. I’m worried about having a faculty member with this poor judgement,” Stowell joked.

With season tickets, Stowell is hoping for the Cubs to go all the way, since he will still have his seats for the playoffs and World Series.

So if Cornerstone is missing its president in a month, it can only mean one thing: the Cubs have finally made it to the World Series.

Chicago boasts two teams that will be playing this year in the White Sox and the Cubs. The cross-town rivals are 3-3 in their games this year and the Chicago faithful are anxiously awaiting another match-up to see who will break the tie.

For Dr. Trenton Tweitmeyer, professor of kinesiology, his hopes and dreams lie with the south-side team: the White Sox.

Sitting in a chair in his office and wearing a gray t-shirt with “White Sox World Champions” written on the front, it’s obvious where Twietmeyer’s loyalty lies.

Born and raised on the west side of Chicago, Twietmeyer has been a White Sox fan all his life. The youngest of four brothers, his father, uncles and brothers all taught him which team was best.

“They’re all still White Sox fans” Twietmeyer said of his family. He elaborated on a big part of the reason why Sox and Cubs fans are such rivals.

“The north side (Cubs side) is richer; that’s where the high palootin’ people are from,” Twietmeyer said.  “In the south side, when I was a kid the steel mills were still there, the Chicago ampitheater and the slaughterhouses too. It’s an uptown, downtown sort of a thing and that’s why the fans don’t like each other.”

Twietmeyer recalled playing Chicago-style softball at the playgrounds when he was a child, using a big ball and pitching underhand.  The ball itself was 16 inches and unique to the Chicago area, according to Tweitmeyer. The boys also played without gloves. He compared his younger days of playing to the movie “The Sandlot,” where the boys played baseball non-stop.

“The school across the street had a big open area. We’d play Cubs against Sox all day long and the ball would get all meaty so we’d have to go get the dads of one of the kids to get us a (new) ball,” he said.
Twietmeyer has been to approximately 150 White Sox games and even caught a foul ball. He smiled as he recalled catching that ball as one of his most memorable moments. When the Sox were out of town, he and his friends watched the Cubs play. There wasn’t much cheering going on though.

“We’d boo them,” Tweitmeyer said with a smile.

One of Tweitmeyer’s favorite memories of baseball was traveling to New York with his son, Nate, to visit the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. It was a graduation gift for his son, and he said the two had a great time looking at all of the memorabilia of past legends of the game.

As for favorite players, right-fielder Harold Baines tops Twietmeyer’s list. Baines was “a gentleman,” according to Twietmeyer, and is still with the White Sox as a coach. Currently, his favorite player is first-baseman Paul Konerko.

“He’s been a fine player for us. He was instrumental when we won the World Series,” he said.
When president Joe Stowell arrived at Cornerstone, Twietmeyer found out he was a Cubs fan “shortly after he got here.”

“I wanted to give him the gospel of baseball,” he said with a laugh. But Stowell would have none of Tweitmeyer’s White Sox ways. He admits they both razz each other about their teams when they meet on campus, but it’s good-natured. Tweitmeyer doesn’t hold the fact that Stowell is a Cubs fan against him, at least not too much.

Ah, the beauty of sports rivalries and the beauty of autumn. Many people will be enjoying both this October.
For some, like Tweitmeyer, the joy of the fall season would be that much greater if another championship is claimed by the White Sox.

This quote is emblazoned on the front of the student-athlete handbook and sets the tone for what CU requires of its athletes. A little intimidating right? You bet it is. But the fact remains that as athletes, we are held to a higher standard.

Academically speaking, athletes have to maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher to be eligible to play. If an athlete’s GPA falls below a 2.5, he or she must attend study table for two hours a week. The requirements are even stricter for freshmen and transfers.

If their high school or previous college GPA is below a 3.5, then they have to attend study table. If it is above a 3.5, they must submit a written study plan for the semester that has to be approved by the study table chair. There is a deadline for this plan and if the athlete fails to meet it, then he or she must attend study table.

And speaking of deadlines, turning assignments in on time when you miss a class can be tricky especially if you leave a day early. It seems that athletes always have to be one step ahead, remembering to schedule make-up times for missed tests and quizzes as well as getting work in.

Balancing classes and sports is not easy. There is always a contest that conflicts with a class. And there is always that one professor who can’t seem to understand why you have to miss the important class.

Then there’s the stigma of simply being an athlete in the classroom. In many people’s minds, academics and athletics don’t mix. You’re either good at one or the other.

At CU, athletes don’t receive any kind of special treatment in the classroom. They are expected to finish assignments on time whether they miss class or not, and they live with the pressure of being scrutinized by students and faculty simply because they play sports.

Another standard that athletes here must adhere to is the drinking policy. According to the athletic handbook, no athlete, even those over 21, may consume alcohol during the calendar year. This includes both Christmas and spring break.

Since teams can make their own rules, some coaches decide that their players are not allowed to drink during the summer either.

Are these rules fair? Why are athletes viewed differently than other students and held to higher standards?

A big part of the reason that athletes have such high expectations placed on them is because they are put on display in front of people. Let’s face it, people watch us. Professors, other students, fans from opposing schools, even the media see our actions and judge accordingly.

When we put on that uniform, we are living representations of that name on the front of it. How we act during a game reflects our school, whether we realize it or not. And people remember you after seeing you play, so the burden of responsibility goes beyond how you act in a game because they will see you outside of the athletic arena.

We are examples. Excellence is expected of us because we choose to be placed in the public eye by playing sports. Being an athlete is challenging. Not many people rise to meet that challenge.

View the extra expectations as an honor. We are trusted to represent our school and our team, and as Christian athletes, we have the added responsibility of representing Jesus.

Knowing this, shouldn’t we be willing to go the extra mile to achieve excellence?