Final Thoughts and Quotes

Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey goodbye.

Not only is this the last eclectic of the year, but it is also the last one for this writer. Some final thoughts:

Char Joslin is the most incredible athlete at Harvard. Anyone that can play three sports at any school is amazing. Yesterday, Joslin made the front page of The New York Times sports section. Bo Jackson, eat your heart out.

The softball team deserves a better field than the run-down one it plays on now.

The Harvard hockey team can be successful in the Beanpot every year if it continues to play games before the 'Pot.

Equestrian News: Harvard equestrian member Susan Andersen will be one of the best riders to come through Johnston Gate. Here's why:

Andersen, a novice on the flat class, finished fourth out of 13 riders at the 16th Annual Intercollegiate National Championship Horse Show at Mount Holyoke, which included riders form all over the country.

The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association has members from 174 colleges in the USA and Canada, and over 3000 riders.

"It was very exciting, and it was an honor to be in a horse show that included so many fine riders," Andersen said. "I think given the resources available, I prepared myself as best I could."

Quote City: Ever since the Eclectic Notebook appeared on February 12, 1988, this writer has searched through several college newspapers for its Quotes of the Week.

Now it's time for the spring semester's top five quotes:

5. "I'm very proud of our hockey team. I'll probably send Mr. [Bill] Cleary a note saying that I hope he does better in the second half of the season [15-0] for a Harvard team. Whenever we're ranked first in the nation, I began to worry."--Harvard President Derek Bok on his reaction to the Harvard hockey team's number-one ranking in the national polls.

4. "I didn't know if I was winning or losing. I didn't know I was making a comeback either. All I could think about was 'Oh My God, my thesis is due in 11 days.'"--Harvard women's fencing Captain Penelope Papailias about her rally from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Yale's top-ranked fencer in March.

3. "In Harvard locker room parlance, 'defense' usually refers to U.S. capabilities vis-a-vis NATO, 'formations' often are those of molecules and 'Big Red' is the people's Republic of China. But we try to keep familiar with all the definitions to keep the coaches happy."--Harvard defensive tackle Jim Bell discussing the football team's plays.

2. "I was scared. I thought he was going to hit me. But his eyes were as big as cookies out there."--Harvard hockey player Ted Donato referring to Kevan Melrose, who scored the game-winning goal off a Donato pass against Vermont in January.

(Drum roll, please).

1. "Today was a good showing of where we stand. We showed that we have the power of a wooly mammoth, the stanima of an okapi, the spring of a wallaby and the intensity of a mother bear guarding her cubs."-Harvard squash player George Polsky after the Crimson defeated Dartmouth, 7-2.

After learning of his honor, Polsky was reached by phone in his room at Quincy House last night.

"Of course, winning my first Grammy was a tremendous thrill, but being voted as Eclectic Quoter of the Year really takes the cake," Polsky said.

"I will now be spoken in the same breath as other quoting greats such as Lene Falape, the little known muse of Western Samoa and Parla Augusta Ordunia, patron saint of Fiji," Polsky said. "This year has been like a fairy tale. First the Nobel Peace Prize, then the national championship, and finally this highly coveted prize. In a nutshell, I truly feel marvelous."

In a nutshell, the Eclectic will return in the fall. But with a different writer, who will keep searching through pages and pages of college newspapers.

Editor's Note--We'll miss you, Trace.