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Bye to My Cousin
Last week, I went to a party for my cousin. It had two purposes, the first being his birthday and the second being a going away party.
I first met my cousin, Andrew Collins, when I was in the 7th grade when my family and I decided that it would be best for me to be Bar Mitzvahed at the Conservadox synagogue. Conservadox is a term meaning half conservative and half orthodox. He and I became best friends. About a year later, we found out that the woman his grandfather married after his divorce was my cousin’s grandmother. He and I were so happy when we found this out.
My 8th grade year, he was going out with this girl and I tagged along to a movie with them and we told her I was his cousin, this was all before we found out we were. About 6 months later, he and I got back from Colorado, where we went skiing for Winter Break. That night he threw a New Year’s Eve party and she was there, so since that had broken up already, we decided to break the news to her. She wasn’t too happy about it.
Tuesday was when he left to go to Utah with his parents. I texted him after I got done with camp to ask if he had left and he told me he was about to. I wasn’t going to get to see him since I had to go pick up my brother from work. When I got back to my parents store, I looked at my mom and just broke down. I hated the face that he was gone. I felt like I lost a part of me. He was my 1st true best friend. He and I are brothers. We talk about everything, from our friends to our families to girls to sports. He is one person that has always been there for me.
I’m going to miss going over to his house and playing knee hockey, making fun of our moms, and just being around each other.
Tuba, you’re my boy!
My Parents
There have always been two people who have always been by my side, through the good and the bad. Through my first years playing sports through my first girlfriends. My parents have always tried to make it better for me than they had it. I can only hope that when and if I become a parent I can be half as good of one as they are.
The most recent example of this is them allowing me to be away from home for 3 weeks driving to three different stops, two of which I didn’t have somebody to go stay with. They knew this was something I wanted to do in order to help get me into my chosen career path of coaching. I would call them and tell them what I was doing and the phrase that I kept hearing from them was “We are so proud of everything you are doing.” If I didn’t feel that I had my parents support I probably wouldn’t pursue it. My parents support means the world to me, and they have always wanted me to do what makes me happy.
The fact that my parents have always been there for me and put me in situations to succeed is why when I get my first coaching job, they will be the first to know and I will want them by my side and sharing in my success. The success they helped in making.
Remeber, parents are the reason for your success, whether they are like my parents or not. They gave birth to you and without them you wouldn’t be here.
Summer Plans
Every year people make plans for what to do over the summer. Vacations, working, visiting family and friends, and much more.
Well, I’m no different. My plans are a little different. I’m leaving Boca May 7th and will drive back to Little Rock with my brothers and maybe Mom and Grandma. I might then drive to New Orleans to go see some friends and family. In June, I am planning on going to work a couple of basketball camps. Its already set that I’m going to work at Clemson University’s camp, and I’m still working on getting into the University of Memphis’, Southern Methodist University’s, and the University of Oklahoma’s camps.
In the coaching business, its not what you know, its who you know. This is how I got into Clemson’s and hope to get into the others. At Clemson, one of the basketball players here has a brother that works for them, and he helped me out. My Uncle is the travel coordinator so I’m hoping he can help me get into the camp. And one of our coaches here went to Oklahoma and worked at SMU, so he’s trying to help get me into those camps.
In July, I’m hoping to spend 2 weeks rigth outside Pittsburgh working the Five-Star Basketball Camp which is a national showcase camp, where a lot of high school and college coaches are at.
The times that I’m not working camps, I plan on being in Little Rock with my family and friends, who are some of the most important people to me.
Well, I’ll update you soon on how the plans develop.
Gene
My Parents
Everybody has the people that they say they owe everything to, whether it be a teacher, mentor, parent, or other family member. I owe everything that I have and ever will ever have to my parents, Charlene and Paul “Chuck” Prousnitzer.
My parents have always put my brothers and I in a position to succeed in whatever we do. This summer, the coaches want me go work different basketball camps in order to gain experience, as well as contacts. My parents have been giving me suggestions on where I could go. I assumed my parents wouldn’t want me to go too far, but my mom recommended I try to go Knoxville, Tennessee and try to work at the University of Tennessee. Coach Bruce Pearl and I have a little bit in common. We both are Jewish and in college, he was a manager at Boston College. I’m also going to be trying to work at SMU in Dallas; the University of Arkansas-Little Rock; the University of Arkansas; the University of Memphis, where one of my uncles is the Travel Coordinator; the University of Central Arkansas; the University of Oklahoma; the University of Tulsa; Mississipi State University; Louisiana State University; and my high school, Catholic High for Boys.
When I was growing up, and played a bunch of different sports, my parents where the one’s taking me to practice and games, even when I had to leave one game at halftime, in order to make it in time for another one. My dad would coach my teams, but never gave me preferential treatment. In fact, he was actually harder on me, but I know its because he wanted me to succeed. My dad even taught me a move in basketball that is one of the best hustle plays, the charge. When I play, I’m known to take charges, and I love it. In fact, in a game in high school, I was guarding a guy who was bigger than me, and my dad told me he looked to another parent and said he thought I was in a mismatch, then he heard a whistle and he looked and the ref called a charge on the other player.
My mom has always been there for me to have someone to talk to and offer advice. She is one person who I could always trust, and I felt was not only my mom, but my friend.
I love my parents and would do anything to repay them for everything they’ve given me. My friend asked me if I had a million dollars whats the first thing I’d buy and my response is the same as what I’d say anything “A nice house for my parents.”
Remember, always love those who sacrificed to put you in a position to succeed.
Gene
Family/ Friends
Its hard to find friends who you can depend on to be there and listen when you need an ear, when you need a shoulder to cry on, and when you need someone to celebrate a victory with. Well, I have been lucky enough to find such people. I don’t know where I would be without these people. They have all forgiven me when I get mad when I shouldn’t have. They have all seen me break down, as well as on top of the world.
The person that has always been there for me, mainly because he is my brother, is Philip. I love him. He has talked me out of stupid decisions many times. That is the person, that, besides my parents, I owe everything to. I will always be here for him, like he is there for me.
There are two people that I feel like I can talk to about anything here at school. They are my roommate Anthony and my friend John. The three have a lot in common and are all brothers. I tell everybody that when I get married I want them to plan my bachelor party.
The two most important people in my life though are my parents, Chuck & Charlene Prousnitzer. I owe them everything. They have done everything to help my brothers and I get ahead in life. They are the two most important people and I don’t ever want to do anything to disappoint them. I will always be in debt to them.
A 4 Day Break
Well i got into Little Rock on Saturday at about 1:30. My dad picked me up and we went and met my mom at their store. We went to lunch at my favorite BBQ place, Chip’s. My mom and I went to the store called Perisan’s, a clothing store, and I got a new suit for basketball. After that we went to Men’s Warehouse for me to get another suit. I got a couple shirts and ties so I will look good for next semester’s games. Later that night, my parents and Lauren, a girl that works for my parents, went to my favorite steakhouse, Arthur’s. I call Lauren my little sister. Lauren and I then went to the mall so we could get our mom’s gifts. I got my mom a robe and some body lotion. After I dropped Lauren off, I went to meet Sophia for a movie. We went to see National Treasure, SUCH A GOOD MOVIE!
The next day I hung out with my parents and went to dinner with them, my brother Ben, my grandmother, and my great-Uncle Jim. Then we went home and my brother and I played a little bit of Nitendo Wii and then I went to go meet my friend Erin. Today, I went and met my friend Lauren to catch up with her. Then I went to dinner with my family and my Aunt Harriet, whose husband is the Travel Coordinator and the University of Memphis. Tomorrow we are going to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant, FuLin’s, then I will head back to school Wensday morning at 6:40.Â
Staying on campus during Christmas Break
Well, today everybody finished exams today and most people have left for a month, until next semester. However there are a few small groups that are staying on campus. The Conservatory of Music students are, as well as both Men’s and Women’s basketball teams are staying here. The men’s team is here until the 22nd, and we come back the 26th for practice. While the time we get with our families is short, it will be great. The one thing I learned from last year is that when your away from your family for a good while, you realize exactly how much you love them and miss them.
Tonight we had our first game over the break. We played at Palm Beach Atlantic. The game was a tight game the whole time and our whole team stepped up. Corey Lewis got his first Lynn career points, and had a couple of big boards. Greg Boxell came in off the bench and provided a huge spark, crashing the offensive boards and playing extremely hard. I was extremely proud of our whole team because if something started to go wrong, they banded together and played strong. I hope that our team takes this momentum and run with it.
You said we’re a team. One person struggles, we all struggle. One person triumphs, we all triumph.- from Coach Carter
Idols
Everyone has their idols that they look up to in their life. This can be a celebrity, a professional athlete, a teacher, or a parent. Well, my happens to be one of those. Mine is my dad, Paul Charles Prousnitzer, or as everyone calls him, Chuck. My dad has always been there for me and is someone I have always looked up to. He is a great father, a great husband, a great business owner, but more importantly, a great person. My dad has always taught me to do my best and to never give up. This are the most important lessons I have ever and will ever learn. I have always stated that when I become a dad, I want to raise my children like he has my brothers and myself. He instilled an amazing work ethic in us. I have always held my dad in high regard, even if he doesn’t know, and while he and I may have fought over the years, we have always made up and have an amazingly strong relationship. I love my dad and always will. He is my idol, but most importantly my friend.
Here is a great wuote I found that I like about dads. “Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.”-Anne Geddes
The Next two weeks
So the next two weeks are going to be intense. The basketball team is starting what our coaches call “Boot Camp.” The coaches got this from Billy Gillispie who coaches at Kentucky and they decided to bring it back to our program. The team will lift weights at about 5:45 in the morning, and then will be running on the track at Pope John Paul High School next door, or conditioning in the gym. Then after that I’ll go to my classes. Then from 12:30 to 3:30 our team will practice. On Friday, I will be leaving to go to Easton, Pennsylvania for a party for my uncle who recently got married to his partner of 23 years. I get back Sunday and Monday we continue “Boot Camp.” Then on Thursday the 11th, I will be speaking at an event for the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus about when my brother came out to me, and my family and culture’s view on homosexuality. Then a couple of days later my mom, grandmother, and uncle will be coming in town because my grandmother has to go to an eye specialist in Miami, so they will come up and visit me. My brother will also most likely come and visit at that time too. He graduated from Eckerd and is planning on going to see some friends in St. Petersburg then come over for a couple of days. On Tuesday I have my second history test. The last time I had a test in history I got an 83, so I’m hoping to duplicate that or do better, but we shall see.
So in closing, I’ll leave you with a quote from my all-time favorite basketball coaches, John Wooden:
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
South/Arkansas
Ok, so I am from Arkansas. And as far as I know, I am the only one at Lynn who lived only in Arkansas. Most people at Lynn are from New England or international students. So, I get a lot of crap for being from the south, but I love being from the south. While I am from the south, I am not part of the KKK, I don’t date relatives, I am literate, and I don’t eat food I find on the road.
But, I do love high school and college football. If I was offered a ticket to the BCS National Championship game or a ticket to the Super Bowl, I would take the ticket to the BCS National Championship in a heartbeat. I love the atmosphere and the tailgating. As a kid, anytime the Arkansas Razorbacks played in Little Rock, I was there. My dad and I would show up hours before the game and walk around and find people giving out food and we would get some, especially if it was BBQ. The greatest game I went to was in 2002 with my cousin Andrew. We were sitting on the 50 yard line. Arkansas was losing by 6 and Matt Jones threw a 31 yard pass to the endzone with about 20 seconds left against LSU. The winner went to the SEC Championship. Decori Birmingham jumped between 2 defenders and caught the pass. The crowd when nuts and it was amazing! About a minute before the people in front of us left and told the LSU fans next to us to enjoy Atlanta, where the SEC Championship is played, and left their program, so I picked it up and still have it to this day.
In high school, my first two years our football team was a joke. Then our team got ok my junior year, but my senior year our team was awsome. Most the students were at the games, so the atmosphere was awsome. Students were tailgating and having a good time. We made it to the state semi-finals where we lost to Springdale High School, which had 6 players who currently play Division I. Their QB was the National Gatorade Player of the Year. For the first time in about 15 years, we beat our archrivals. It took overtime to do it, but it was awsome.
There is a restaurant back home I always go to. Its called Green Mill Cafe. Its a little hole in the wall place that I’ve gone to eat for about 15 years and I’ve always had the same dish, Chili Mac and Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy. It is so good! There is another restaurant I like to go to called Chip’s BBQ. I used to get a Beef BBQ sandwich with fries and a salad, but recently I’ve been getting the BBQ Salad with Beef, Carrots, and BBQ Sauce. It may sound nasty, but it is so good.Â
So, in closing, I love the south. I love the football and the food.
