About Me (In case you were wondering)

From the sixth grade up until my sophomore year of high school, I thought I was going to be Division I bound. Maybe it would be K-State and Deb Patterson… maybe I would spend two years playing at a JUCO and THEN it would be K-State and Deb Patterson. Either way, I thought I would end up playing under the lights at Bramlage.

Me desperately trying to cling to my basketball hopes and dreams

It turns out, being a 5’9’’ point guard in class 1A makes it tough to draw the attention of top college scouts. It’s even tougher when you’re only strength is solid defensive fundamentals and the ability to rattle and piss off the opposing team’s best player simply by being obnoxious. Those traits don’t make the stat book, and they don’t get noticed by scouts. Turns out, you actually have to score points and rebound the ball if you want to play at the next level. What a rip.

This picture is the most accurate snapshot of my playing days.
In case you can't tell, I'm the goober in the back ruining the entire picture.

No matter, I still found a way to play under the lights at Bramlage. Instead of basketball, I’m playing an Alto Saxophone… in the Cat Band. Yep, I went from a starter on the varsity squad in high school to an all-out band geek. Not that I wasn’t a band geek in high school, it was just sort of like a side gig. Now, it’s basically my identity. I mean, I was always the odd one on the basketball team, but in band, I fit in. I fit in because EVERYONE is a little odd in band.

As you can tell, in the mass of everyone being super serious
for game day, my own serious personality fits in very well.
Oh wait, I'm the idiot in the back with the giant smile, once again
ruining the entire picture. 

Not that I really mind. I’ve met my best friends in college through the band. And college-level marching band? It’s basically a sport, and if you don’t agree, then get out of my face. I was in track, basketball, and volleyball and I kid you not, the week of band camp is tougher than any sports practice I’ve ever been through.

As you can tell by my facial expressions, I am always very excited
about band practice in the blinding sunlight and radiating heat.

I can’t decide if I did band so I could play my instrument and make friends, or if I did it so I could get into Division I sporting events for free. It was probably a little bit of both. There’s no way I would have gotten to the Big 12 tournament, the Alamo Bowl, or the KU/K-State games without being in band.

I was on the floor for the Big 12 tournament.
The refs heard about every call I disagreed with loud
and clear. (I did not get kicked out) 

Sure, I do the occasional media thing with KSDB, the campus radio station, but more often than not I’m stuck in the studio doing board production.

Not that I really mind. Board Production is actually really fun,
and it prevents me from saying something really stupid on the air.

I might be a huge geek, but I love sports. Every time I see the women’s basketball hype video before every home game, I think to myself: “You know, I could do it. I could walk on. Maybe by the time I’m a senior, I could get four or five minutes a game…”

But then I remember that in college, girls are sometimes over six feet tall. I also remember my greatest achievement in high school was third team all-league my senior year. Finally, I recall the fact that a former JUCO player absolutely ate my lunch in the rec game I played in last night.

I also remember I'm a huge geek.

So my playing days may be over, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t pretend I know what I’m talking about when I talk about sports. This blog is for all those geeks out there who have sat in the pep band section and wondered what the hell was going on out there on the playing field/court. It also might include some hilarious stories from my life, because weird things often happen to me.

Keep smiling,

Liz Heath
Do you think I'm funny? Or maybe you want to politely tell me never to post on a blog again.
You can find me on Twitter! Just follow @SaxophoneLizard