Tag Archives: Spurrier

SPEAR CHEER

Holly Ramey graduated from Florida State University in 2006, and went on to earn her Masters degree in Sports Administration from FSU as well in 2007.  I would call her a former cheerleader, but she will tell you she's been cheering for the garnet and gold since birth, and will never stop.   I was lucky enough to chat with Holly fresh off the nirvana of a victory in the recent Chick-Fil-A-Nole!

Andy:  First thing first.  How do you feel after your Seminoles put the beatdown on the Gamecocks last weekend?

Holly: It was just an amazing year.  Nobody thought we would be in the hunt for a National Championship just yet, but to have a 10 win season with a rookie head coach in which we beat Miami, Florida & Spurrier? As a Seminoles fan, that's pretty hard to top!

Andy:  That is quite the trifecta!  Watching cheerleaders as closely as I do (it's a sport!), I've noticed it can be a little rough, and being a cheerleader is much more dangerous than most people think.  Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Holly: Very true, and like you pointed out, most people don't realize that cheerleading is very much a sport.  And like any of the other major division I sports, only the best cheerleaders from across the country make the cut, and the competition at the college level is intense.  Due to the acrobatic nature of the sport, the amount of catastrophic injury that occurs in cheerleading is pretty high.  Catching an elbow in the face on a regular basis is something that definitely isn't unheard of.

LAZY SATURDAY

Andy:  When you were growing up, did you always want to be a cheerleader?

Holly: I've always been athletic, and in high school I played on the flag football team in addition to cheerleading.  It wasn't for gym class or intramurals, either;  it was a developmental league, and we played other high schools in what has now become a sanctioned sport.  Basically I would say that I was always interested in, and wanted to participate in sports on some level.

Andy: You were lucky enough to cheer on the sidelines while Bobby Bowden was still at the helm.  Did you ever get a chance to meet with him, or were the coaches and players strictly off limits?  Any specific thought on Coach Bowden?

Holly: Our squad did many public appearances, pep rallies, and meet & greets with the team, so we did get to meet with the coaches on a personal level.  Gameday was 100% off limits however.

HOLLY WITH THE BEST EVER

I grew up in Talahassee.  27 years and hadn't seen a different coach my entire life.  I feel Coach Bowden was the best ever.  Not taking anything away from Joe Paterno and others, but Bobby's record of 14 straight years of finishing in the top 5 is unmatched.  Not even close.

Andy:  Recently, you were kind enough to feature the Original Retro Brand in a holiday fashion piece on your most awesome blog: PINKCleats: Converting the Language of Sports for the Female Mind a)  THANK YOU!  b) How'd you hear about us, and what do you like so much about the brand? c) What is the premise behind Pink Cleats?

Holly: a) You're very welcome - I really love the brand!  b) Actually it was my very cool Mom that turned me on to Original Retro Brand.  She is in the sports business industry, and told me she really thought I would love these t-shirts from this cool & edgy company. So as any good daughter should, I took her advice.  And she was right.  The shirts are cool, edgy & nostalgic at the same time.  They are comfy & fashionable. - not the same old, same old. My friends love it.  c) I know that women want sports stories, but from their perspective.  Yes, they want to know the same things as men do about sports, as in when Brett Favre is really going to retire, etc., but they also want to know what to wear at a tailgate party!  Human interest stories and side stories too - Make-up that won't melt on game day, and what ORB gear to buy for Christmas!

We want to thank Holly for her support and time.  We highly recommend you put in the time to check out her blog, and you can also find PINKCleats on Facebook and follow on Twitter.  You gamers can also find Holly and her non-melting FSU face paint, in the latest EASports NCAA Football video game (below).

EA SPORTS NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD....

If you are a big fan of the Original Retro Brand, and want to be featured on “5 Questions with…” please forward a picture of yourself wearing Original Retro Brand gear, and a brief description of what you do for a living to andyphyman@gmail.com If we like what we see, you may be contacted for an interview. You don’t need to be an FSU Cheerleader like Holly to be featured, and we’ll even send you an Original Retro Brand T-Shirt if we decide to post your story!

FOR UPDATES ON CONTESTS, FASHION, AND FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND,  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.

We've got 3 more weeks of "High-5" contests left including this week, and 3 of the major conferences still don't have outright champions or division titles in the bag.  This weeks matchups should help determine some of those outcomes, and we'll get to them shortly.

The SEC East & Western divisions are in the bag. Auburn's Cam Newton put controversy behind him, and Heisman in front of him to bury the Dawgs, (and shut me up....until Georgia Tech in 2 weeks!), and Marcus Lattimore carried 40 times for 212 yds and 3 TD"s  for South Carolina, in shocking the Gators in the Swamp to clinch the SEC East.  Nice touch, Mr. Spurrier.

We had a very strong turnout last week with 64 entries.  Most bit on Florida taking out the Gamecocks, but we had an equally strong amount of entries banking on the Old Coach, with 8 picking all 5 games correctly.  I hate that we can't send a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt to all 8, but we did choose 2 winners in the drawing this week, and they are.........Daniel Wright from Crawfordville, Florida, and Reid Fenlaw from Denver, Colorado.  Congrats to both!

Before the games, the rules...

1) Each Tuesday I will preview 5 of the most compelling College Football Matchups for the upcoming weekend and offer my expertise, or more commonly lack thereof as witnessed by last week, as to who will win & why, along with a predicted final score.

2) Contestants will e-mail their picks for the same 5 games to me, and the person that beats me and/or the person who picks the most games correctly (no point spreads, straight up wins and losses) will win a FREE Original Retro Brand t-shirt of their choice.  In the event of a tie, we will have a drawing to determine the final winner.  Send your picks to me at andyphyman@gmail.com no later than kickoff of the first scheduled game to be counted!

3) I will announce the winner each Tuesday following the weekend’s games with the upcoming new picks on the blog.  In addition to the FREE ORB T-shirt, the winner will also receive an imaginary heartfelt High- 5!

OK, NOW TO THE GAMES!

GAME 1:  # 25 Florida State vs. Maryland:  HUGE win for the Noles on a 55 yard field goal as time expired last week over Clemson.  They'll need to beat Maryland, and get some help to stay in the hunt for the ACC Atlantic.  Meanwhile, NOBODY thought the Terps would be in a position to win the ACC Atlantic, and they can do just that with wins over FSU & NC State.  Maryland will be wearing special camouflage uniforms in support of the Wounded Warrior Project this weekend and I'm going with them.  MARYLAND - 33, FLORIDA STATE - 24.

GAME 2:  # 16 Virginia Tech vs. # 24 Miami: Don't forget the Hokies just missed beating Boise by a hair in the season opener before being shocked by James Madison (I know, James Madison?).  They've managed to win 8 straight since, and with a win over the Canes, the Hokies would clinch the Coastal Division title and a spot in the ACC Championship game for the fourth time since joining the ACC in 2004.  Freshman backup QB Stephen Morris has more than stepped in for injured Jacory Harris, and led Miami to 2 straight impressive wins over Maryland and Georgia Tech.  This is a tough one!: VIRGINIA TECH - 28, MIAMI - 21.

GAME 3:  # 9 Ohio State vs. # 13 Iowa: The Buckeyes have wreaked havoc since losing to the Badgers four weeks ago, and I believe they will continue to wreak.  The Hawkeyes seemed to have lost their swagger since routing the Spartans, barely beating Indiana and losing to Northwestern last week.  Havoc at home for Hawkeyes:  OHIO STATE - 36, IOWA - 23.

GAME 4:  # 8 Nebraska vs. # 19 Texas A&M: You've got to be impressed with the Aggies.  They could have folded tent after dropping three straight, but instead they've roared back with four straight wins including drubbing a then # 8 ranked Oklahoma followed by another romp over upstart Baylor.  They now host the latest # 8 in Nebraska, who is trying to clinch the Big 12 North.  A&M is currently in a 3-way tie for first in the Big 12 South & could win it, but will need help from Kansas & Oklahoma.  It could happen.  TEXAS A&M - 28, NEBRASKA 23.

GAME 5:  Army vs. Notre Dame: Ok, this game doesn't mean much in the scheme of things, but I like it because the Fighting Irish came out of nowhere to stun # 14 Utah, and Army needs this win as a gear up for the Army-Navy classic to follow....plus we have awesome new U.S. Military Academy t-shirts! NOTRE DAME - 28, ARMY - 17.

That's it - send your picks to andyphyman@gmail.com before kickoff to be counted, and GOOD LUCK!

PARTING FYI’S: My record now stands at 26-25 and I've yet to go 5 for 5.  One of these weeks I won't bet with my heart and wishful thinking and maybe I'll win!.....Lot's of new Original Retro Brand product starting to pop up on the site - check out the JWilliams & Quad lines, for those who love the look, style, fit & feel of our shirts, but just ain't into chest logo's......this weeks "5 Questions with..." interview features former Arizona Wildcat & NFL Kicker Steve McLaughlin, who is also a successful singer-song writer.

FIGHTING ARMY

FOR UPDATES ON CONTESTS, FASHION, AND FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND,  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.