What A Day

I woke up at 8 AM this morning to work on homework and masters of exercise science applications.  Little did I know in a short amount of time that my morning would change...drastically.

After being wait listed by all of the physical therapy schools to which I applied, I put a lot of prayer, thought and conversation into a "plan B".  Plan B was to work at the Y this summer as a camp counselor and then begin work somewhere on a masters degree in exercise physiology this fall.

In accordance with plan B, I set up a meeting to meet with my boss at the Y to discuss the summer and how camp would operate.  The meeting was scheduled for 11 AM this morning.

It was 8:57 this morning and I was watching SportsCenter when my phone began to ring.  I glanced down at the screen and did not recognize the number.  The area code was 419 (Toledo).  I thought "well maybe it's someone calling from Siena who lives in the Toledo area code."  I thought again and realized who might be calling.  I answered.

Hello?  Hello, this is Michelle Masterson the director of the physical therapy program at the University Toledo, may I please speak to Brandon?

I was in shock.  Just yesterday I had a conversation with a close friend who inquired about my plans for the summer.  I told him that I would be working at the Y and pursuing my masters in the fall.  I also told him that physical therapy programs have until April 15th to fill all openings for the class of 2016.  I mentioned that I still had hope but I wasn't getting my hopes too high as April 15th continued to inch closer.

Good morning, I was just calling to inform you that we had an applicant decline a position in our program and we would like to extend an offer for that position to you.  Are you interested?

I told her I was interested and inquired about what happens next.  Dr. Masterson informed me that I would receive an acceptance letter in the mail by the beginning of next week that I need to sign and return to officially claim my position in the program.  The start date for the program is June 10th.

Wow.  I tweeted it this morning and I'll say it again

God's timing is absolutely remarkable.

The day that I was supposed to meet with my boss to discuss working summer camp for a fourth summer and begin "plan B" God showed me His plan in a BIG way.  All the trust and faith has paid off and you better believe that I'm going to continue to trust Him because doctorate degrees are no walk in the park.

I followed through with my meeting with my boss to inform her of the news and to provide her with as much information as I could to help her and her staff be successful this summer.  She was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to work camp this summer but completely understood and had no problems with me being unable to return to the Y.

I've been telling people all day that I truly am at a loss for words with everything that has transpired.  My emotions are a mixture of excitement, surprise and happiness.  I'll leave you with two things, one of my favorite verses that I've posted before and a quote from a friend.  

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing."

Thank you all for your never ending support throughout this process, I appreciate each and every one of you more than you realize.  If you take one thing from this post it is to never give up on your faith and trust in our almighty God.  We have to realize that sometimes we may want something in our lives and the Lord says "no"; other times He may say "wait", but today for me He said, "yes."  

  

DPT Admissions -- The University of Florida

After quite some time, yesterday I received a letter in the mail from the University of Florida.  Well my mom received it back home in Hilliard and texted me it had arrived.  I called her immediately curious as to what the letter said.

She read it to me.  It seems to have been a common theme throughout this process, "Our program is very competitive, we aren't accepting you, thanks for applying, don't take it personally."  Of course there has been plenty of other "fluff" in these letters but you get the main idea of what they have said.

Regardless of what that letter said yesterday, I wasn't going to wake up worried today.  The Lord is on my side and He is on your side too.  How encouraging is it to know that we serve an almighty, all powerful God who already knows our futures?  If you ask me that's pretty awesome.  No worries, no fears, at all.

I've mapped out what I believe is God's current plan for my life in a previous post but I'll review it quickly again.

Spring 2013 - Apply to masters of exercise science programs.  I am currently considering The University of Toledo and Ohio University.

Summer 2013 - Work as a head camp counselor the the Hilliard YMCA.  The absolute best job on the face of the earth, I love it.

Fall 2013 - Provided I receive acceptance to a masters program, I will begin a masters of exercise science program.

Thanks again to all who have supported me throughout this process.

I stumbled across this verse this morning and thought it was pretty fitting, God is awesome.

Matthew 6:34  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

A Time to Reflect

Yesterday was senior day and it came and went in the blink of an eye.  I just wanted to offer a few thoughts while they are still fresh.

Yesterday was awesome.  End of story, no questions asked.  I arrived about a half hour prior to when we had to start getting ready.  I walked into the locker room and taped to my locker was a note with my name written in big black letters on the front of it.  I sat down, opened it and read it.  Absolutely incredible.  What my teammate Zak Krug had to say in that letter is between he and myself but he really spoke to the impact we've had on each other's lives both on and off the floor.  I was speechless.

After I changed, I walked out to the floor and took a seat on the bench.  At that point I was just trying to grasp that it was in fact my last home game...ever.  My parents arrived.  I can't even begin to tell you how much they mean to me and the incredible impact that both my mother and father have had in my life.  Both mom and dad are extremely humble and would do anything for me or my brothers.  To have them at my final home game as a Saint made the day that much better.

The team worked through warm ups and continued to prepare for what was going to be a very winnable match.  The clock struck triple zeros and it was showtime.  We quickly lost games one and two.  Things couldn't have been going much worse at this point but I had to put a smile on my face for the recognition of the team's seniors, myself, Juan and Austin.

My name was called first.  I walked across the court with Coach Watkins, motioning for my parents to come join me.  Both mom and dad were determined to catch this memorable day on video and were both filming, mom on her iPad and dad on his iPhone.  Eventually they realized they needed to come down on the court with me.  That moment, the three of us, was bittersweet.  I gave them each a hug and teared up a little bit.  My mom was a bit frustrated with how we had played so far and as she so often does said to me "Go out there and be a Branimal!"

Austin and Juan were announced next, escorted by their families.  Two great men on and off of the court that I am extremely happy to call my friends.

I don't know what happened during the short ten minute intermission but something clicked for us as a team.  Almost as if the break and recognition rejuvenated the team and gave us new energy.

Game three came and went, and we destroyed them.  Cougars:  2 games  Saints:  1.  We still had a long way to go, needing to win two more games.  Sure enough we took game four, in part due to great serving by big Juan.  The guy is a freak and could easily be playing division 1 volleyball somewhere but I'm definitely happy he's a Saint.

Tied at two games a piece we started game five.  A race to 15 points.  We had them on the ropes, up fourteen to eight.  I went over to Juan and told him to set me, I wanted to end my final match on Coach Smith Court with a kill.  Unfortunately a nice defensive play by the St. Xavier defender eliminated that opportunity.  I thought I had the game winner after I put a pretty good swing on the ball but they were able to get the dig and rally to win the point.  Fourteen to nine Siena Heights...serve out of bounds, game, set, match.

I was quickly greeted with a big hug from Zak.  Yesterday's victory was truly a testament to the season we've been having, filled with ups and downs.  Down 2-0 we didn't quit and in the end came out on top.  It was great.  Thank you to everyone who was there or watched online.

I'm going to miss it.

The End of the Road

This morning I want to take a moment to digress from my usual blog entries and reflect on something else that is very important to me.  Volleyball.

When I was in middle school I got cut from the baseball team.  I was heart broken.  Baseball was my favorite sport since I was five years old.  I was looking for something else to occupy my time and something new to try.  One day my neighbors were peppering in their backyard so I figured "what the heck, I'll go and try to play with them."  I was awful.  Years later they told me how they hated it when I came over to play because I was so bad.  I knew they didn't mean anything bad by it, it was just something we all look back on now and laugh at.  If it weren't for Caitlin and Margaret Masty it's safe to say that I wouldn't be sitting here this morning typing this entry.

The spring of my freshman year at Hilliard Davidson High School I tried out for the boys volleyball team.  I made the freshmen squad and even saw action on JV that season.  My sophomore year the opportunities really started to open up for me.  We graduated twelve seniors the year before.  As a sophomore I made and started for the varsity team.

My junior year we saw our most success, although the season didn't win with a state championship as we had intended we finished 20-5 overall and 10-0 in conference.  That was a fun season.

My senior year had it's ups and downs.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving I was at practice for the club volleyball team I played for.  I dove for a ball and my shoulder popped out of place.  Upon impact with the ground it went back into place.  Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain.  The next day I visited the top shoulder orthopedic specialist in the state of Ohio hoping for the best.  The news wasn't the greatest but it wasn't the worst.  I had dislocated my shoulder and had two options for recovery.  Option #1, undergo surgery and jeopardize playing for Davidson in the spring or option #2 undergo intense physical therapy and see what happens.  There were no guarantees.  This injury occurred right in the heart of recruiting season, so it was looking as if there would be no collegiate volleyball future for me.

After a long grueling three months of physical therapy, I returned to action over Valentine's Day weekend at a tournament at Penn State University in Happy Valley.  In that tournament I pulled a muscle in my back pretty bad, I couldn't catch a break.  At that point we decided it was best for me to stop playing club and make sure I would be healthy in time for the high school season.

We experienced a lot of success my senior year and ended the season as regional runner-ups.  I received 2nd team all state accolades and was surprised how far I had come after such a severe injury.  We were playing in the Buckeye Classic and the end of the season (a large tournament at the Columbus Convention Center hosting teams from all across the nation) and I sprained my ankle in warm ups.  High ankle sprain...out two weeks.  Now this was important because my current head coach, Mike Watkins, had come to the tournament to watch me play, only to find out that I wouldn't.

To this day I am forever grateful for Coach Watkins.  He was one of four coaches that still offered me an opportunity to continue playing volleyball beyond high school.  Coming to Siena Heights was the absolute best decision I made in my life.  Not only for volleyball but for the university's academics and the countless number of amazing people I have met in my time here.

With all that being said and as the title of this entry indicates, everything comes to an end at some point.  This afternoon I will take the floor at home in the Siena Heights University field house one last time.  It's incredible how fast the time has gone, I can't believe it.  I received a tweet this morning from a teammate and close friend that read "Today, for you."  But today I'm playing for all of the SHU men's volleyball players that have come before me and the ones still to come.

I'm at a loss for words.  I don't think things will really set in that this is it until I head over to the field house in about an hour and a half.

I really appreciate the support the faculty, staff and student body has provided us over the past four years.  It's been great.  So come out today and enjoy it and soak it all in one last time.  1 pm, SHU field house, against St. Xavier (IL).

#saintsnation

What Now?

Over the course of the past month I've put a lot of prayer, thought and conversation into what the Lord wants me to do next in this process.  As those of who you regularly follow my blog know, as of now I have not received acceptance into any DPT programs.  My admission status for each of the schools to which I applied can be found in the post directly below this one.  The schools are required to set their final acceptance list by April 15th, so there is still time.

After I was wait listed by the University of Toledo, I had no idea what would occur next in my life.  I was so certain for so long that the Lord wanted me to attend physical therapy school, but as we can all see He is either saying "No" altogether or "No, not yet."

At that point it seemed like I was back to square one.  I wasn't worried but I was a little uneasy at this point.  I really began to question pursuing physical therapy and it wasn't just a little bit, I was really second guessing myself.  It was bad.  There is one thing that has remained constant throughout this long process and that is our Lord.  The power of prayer is absolutely incredible, I began to pray for guidance.

Within about a week, I was pretty certain what the Lord wanted me to do next:  work for a year, and reapply for DPT admission next year.  However, it wasn't until a few weeks later that He exposed me to a different option.  I'd have to say I didn't expect to have the Lord speak to me through one of my roommates but He did.

My roommate is in a similar situation to mine having not been accepted to dental school and has been considering potential options for the next year.  He spoke with an admissions rep at one of the schools to which he applied and the rep suggested earning a masters degree in order to become more competitive for professional school admission in two years.  It was at that point that things "clicked" for me and I felt like this was the path the Lord wanted to send me down and not the former.

So, what does this mean now?  Well there is a masters program that will bridge the gap from undergrad to DPT school quite nicely.  The program, "exercise science",  is also called exercise physiology, health and exercise science, kinesology among other names, and is offered at a variety of schools across the country.  I narrowed my searched to schools within the state of Ohio.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with exercise science, in its simplest terms is the study of the movement of the body during exercise.

Following some initial research I determined that there are six schools in state that offer the masters of exercise science program.  After digging a little deeper, however, I found that this was not the case.  Two offered "education of exercise science" (not the same program), the admission period of another is closed and a fourth is not financially feasible.  So what are we left with?  Two schools.

Ohio University & The University of Toledo.

Wait listed by both for DPT but back on the board for a different field of study, exercise science.

I am currently working on applications for both programs and will hopefully have them submitted within the coming weeks.  Both programs are two years in length and begin in the fall of 2013.

As for this summer I intend to return home to Hilliard for a fourth tour of duty working summer camp at the Y by my house.  Although I had not originally thought I would be at home, it looks like that is where I will be this summer.  A lot could still change in the next two months so we'll see.  I'm certainly not going to complain about being able to play another summer of slow pitch softball and sand volleyball though.

I appreciate your continual support.  I would be so grateful if you could continue to pray for me and God's plan for my life.  Who knows, maybe going for my masters doesn't work out.  I have absolutely no idea what my future holds.  But one thing is for sure, God knows my future and He knows yours too.