Presque Isle Downs and Casino (Erie, Pensylwania) - opinie

Race information

• What? Presque Isle Half Marathon
• When? July 16, 2017
• How far? 13.1 Miles
• Website? https://www.bigwhitetrailer.com/erc-presque-isle-half-marathon-results-2017/

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	PR (Sub 1:44)	Yes
B	Sub 1:40	Yes
C	Run an even pace	Yes

Splits

Mile	Time
1	7:58
2	7:32
3	7:39
4	7:23
5	7:33
6	7:25
7	7:30
8	7:27
9	7:31
10	7:39
11	7:44
12	7:39
13	7:32

Training

Before I begin I wanted to give a background about my prior running experience, since this is my first time posting on reddit. I'm currently a Junior in college and trying to get back into high school XC/Track shape. I ran all throughout middle/high school and ended up with a 17:42 5K best and a 2:04/52 best for the 800/400. I got in really poor shape after graduation and failed to even tryout for my college's team. Slowly, but surely the fitness is returning and I love running again. Training for the race consisted of low mileage because I tend to be very injury prone and like to be cautious with how much volume I do. My longest run prior to the race was only 5.5 miles, but there were quite a few 5Ks and a 10K thrown into the training cycle to keep the speed up. My girlfriend is following her summer training plan for her first year of college XC so I did a lot of base-building runs with her as well.

Pre-race

Pretty standard. Got a good nights sleep prior and had some pasta. The race started at 6:45 AM so I got up around 5:15 to get a light breakfast in. Parking is a nightmare though, I thought I was going to miss my race to be honest. The race was on the Presque Isle peninsula in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Race

The race went about as smooth as smooth could be. I hit my desired splits almost to a T and I finally tried gels during a longer race and they really did help with fatigue in the later stages. The first mile was slow due to the position changing and finding a comfortable pace, but luckily I found a group of people to run with that were running right around my goal pace. The course is beautiful and very flat with only a 10 foot elevation change. During my first Half Marathon I hit the wall around mile 10 and had to walk numerous times during the final 3 miles, but I felt like a new man during this one. I met my goal and it felt great to finally PR in something! My final time was 1:39:12.

Post-race

I cooled down with my girlfriend who also ran a 5 min PR of 1:46. We stretched and soaked our legs in Lake Erie right after. The race atmosphere was great and the organizers had plenty of post-race necessities for all the runners.

What's next?

Pittsburgh Marathon in May!
This report was generated using race reportr, a tool built by BBQLays for making great looking and informative race reports.

Listen, I have finally worked up the nerve to tell someone this. When I was 14 I moved to Erie, Pennsylvania. We moved into our house on one of the first warm spring days of the year and despite the bright sun you could feel the icy cold seeping off the great lake to the north. I spent the morning helping my parents move into the house. After lunch I was eager to explore the city on the new bike I was bought because of my parents guilt about the move. So I sped down the driveway and then down the street with their calls of “Be careful” echoing behind me.
One of the first things I realized is everything sloped downward towards the lake and the lake was north. I caught my first glimpse of it on a bluff before a steep road about a mile away from my house. It was a endless sparking blue seeping over the horizon. The sight made me remember my father telling me that the city sat on a the rim of an immense bowl cut by the glaciers receding thousands of years ago and their melt formed the lake at the bottom of the bowl. I kept riding north past derelict factories then under a railroad overpass then past a glittering glass office building. I cut west until I hit the main central street of the city. State Street ran north (down) to a pier on the lake and dotted on each side with bars and restaurants. Well, it didn't actually run to the lake it ran to the bay that the peninsula created. The peninsula, Presque Isle, was a 12 mile arm of sand and woods that hugged its own small lake of water to the shores of the city.
Even at 3pm on a Tuesday the drunks were out. They walked with a zombie like gate down the street with no expression on their numbed glassy eyes. I had fun zipping close to them and watching their delayed startled reactions. I cut down an alleyway next to the cities art museum and slammed on my breaks when I heard a voice behind me speaking in high pitched windy whispers. I was expecting a drunk when I turned around but instead I was surprised to see a girl roughly my age maybe a little younger. She had wild brown hair and dark green eyes that were concentrated at a spot on the asphalt.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Channeling the n-space background energy.” She said staring at the ground and not looking up.
“Well... hows that going for you?”
“Good. Those bastards don't understand our capabilities.” She looked up then approached me quickly and clamped her palms over each of my temples. She vibrated her palms for a second while I stared at her quizzically. “You're perfect. It's fate.”
When she spoke it was in a rushed frantic manner. I knew she was strange but even at that age I had the understanding that strange people tended to be the most interesting.
“What did that whole hand thing do?” I asked.
“Nothing, but you didn't immediately run away, so like I said you're perfect!”
She put on her back pack and climbed onto her bicycle and was halfway out of the alley when she turned back and said “are you coming?”
We rode a couple blocks in silence. She scanned her surroundings continually in a twitchy animalistic way.
After a while she broke the silence. “This a fucked up town.” She said without looking over at me.
“I just moved here but it seems pretty nice. The lake is pretty.”
“Do you know who John Keel is?”
“Is he a singer?”
“No, he is a guy in the know. You don't understand what this city is. John Keel came here to investigate a sighting on Presque Isle and what ever he found out here really freaked him out. For the rest of his life he claimed men in black were tracking him and tapping his phone. I'm Livia by the way.”
“I'm Trevor.”
She rode forward at a furious pace as I struggled to keep up. She told me about all the weird things she knew about the city. She rambled about underwater bases, mystical artifacts, POW camps filled with Nazi war criminals, something called project paperclip, and the different types of inter-dimensional beings as I tried my best to pay attention. We rode along a bluff where we could see the bay and the lake beyond. The deep blue of the lake stretched out to the horizon where it met with the light blue of the sky. The sun burned low and red above the water.
We reached the base of the peninsula as the last rays of the sun were being pulled under the horizon and Livia was finishing up on the topic of cattle mutilation. There was an unsettling purplish tint to the world. Soon we were riding on paths through the woods as the purple slowly faded to black. I started to get nervous. The only noises were the odd chirps of birds and Livia's heavy breathing with the ever present white noise of the waves cracking in and rushing back on the nearby beaches.
She held her hand up. We stopped. “This beach is where I heard they would be tonight,” she whispered. I nodded despite having no idea what she was talking about. We laid our bikes down in tall grass and crawled silently up the a sand path. We peaked over the ridge onto the beach where whitecaps glowed milky in the moonlight. We hunkered back behind the ridge out of the sight of whatever she thought was supposed to be there. She opened up her back pack. She looked up into my eyes and smiled as she reached in and pulled out two pieces of wood shaped vaguely like handguns. Pieces of wire were wound round them in a haphazard fashion. She handed one to me and said “Focus on the energy and guide it though the gun and you can kill them. They're weak to our psychic energies that's why they take us so they can study us.”
I just stared at her and was torn whether to be horrified or double over laughing.
“Let's give them hell.” She said then she took off running over the hill.
I looked over and watched her in thin white light of the moon. She was jumping and rolling about thrusting the gun forward oddly with what I assumed was her imaginary recoil. I rolled back on my back and was seized with the tearful uncontrollable laughter that I did my best to stifle to save Livia's feelings. When I looked up back over the ridge she was doing the same odd movements while tracking something moving in the sky. Then she began jumping up and down screaming “That's what you get” over and over again.
She jogged back to me beaming. “Well you turned out to be a dud but luckily I, because I'm so amazing, took care of them.”
I just smiled and looked at her. “Yeah I'm really sorry I really fucked up back there.”
“All good new friend. It all works out. We dealt a solid blow to their organization and made them regret taking three hours from me.”
We rode back on the dark road and I could not stop smiling. She rambled for ten minutes about all the people who didn't believe her about all the things she knew. She was crazy but at least she was fun crazy.
Then something flashed behind us.
My heart jumped up in my throat like I had just gone down the hill of a roller coaster. I peddled as quick as I could. I heard her bike clicking behind me but the sound was slowing down and fading off. I turned around and saw her bike rolling riderless and begin to destabilize. I watched as it toppled over in the middle of the street. I should have stopped to look for her but I sped up.
Then I began to see shadows moving at the edge of the woods. They slid between trees unnaturally and their vaguely human shapes leered from behind the trunks. All black they were nothing but the pure absence of light. I broke into a cold sweat and peddled even harder. I was running out of breath and my legs burned. I tried to focus on the road and not look into the woods. I broke down and glanced over and the shadows were still there. They stopped moving and their forms became clearer then all at once their eyes opened and glowed pure white all staring at me and flash went off at my back.
I remember reaching my driveway as the sun was coming up. My parents grounded me for not coming in or calling. For a while I was able to convince myself that it had been a trick. That I had been fooled. But then the missing person reports started on the news and continued for months until her family gave up hope and then the reports stopped.
This is a mystery that still consumes me to this day. It was my first encounter with the strange forces that echo throughout this city and reverberate in the depths of the lake.

Mercyhurst University (MU)
Atlantic Hockey Association (AHC)
Year Founded: 1926
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Enrollment: 2,573
Total Attendance: 16,958 (942 average) – 54th place
Nickname: Lakers
With Mercyhurst located on Lake Erie, the nickname "Lakers" seemed the perfect fit. A "Laker" is a fisherman who has the skill, tenacity, and resourcefulness to meet the challenge of life on the water.
Live Mascot: Luke the Laker
Luke the Laker was introduced at the beginning of this year after the old mascot, Louie the Laker "passed away." Due to flooding in the Carolyn Herrmann Student Union last semester Louie's costume was destroyed. According to his backstory, Luke is the nephew of his dearly-departed Uncle Louie. He grew up on Lower Baggot Street in Dublin, Ireland, and was a fisherman on the Irish Sea until the time came for him to sail to Erie to take Louie's place. Luke has a tattoo of an anchor and the number 94 in roman numerals on his arm. This is a tribute to his predecessor, the original Mercyhurst mascot the Old Man in the Sea, born in 1994. The Old Man in the Sea was followed by Louie and now Luke.
Luke even has his own twitter account @LuketheLaker
Uniforms
Band: The Green and White Pep Band
Mercyhurst did not have a band in any capacity until 2012 when Athletic Director Joe Kimball began to invite opposing teams' bands to perform. This spurred the university to create its own band for athletic and academic events.
Fight Song: "'Hurst Fight Song" (set to the tune of "Anchors Aweigh"

Go for it Lakers
Fight for the Hurst
Show us the spirit
that has always made you first
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Win for the Blue and Green
Bring home the game
Look for the lights that burn
forever in the hall of Old Main

Alma Mater:

We hail our college Alma Mater
The 'Hurst that's stood upon the hill,
With love for all she has taught us,
Traditions that we carry still
Old Main stands for the future,
The opportunity,
To seize each moment of the future
Awaiting you and me!
The gates stand always open
The trees stand silent all around,
For when we come to Mercyhurst,
There's no better to be found.

Arena: The Mercyhurst Ice Center (MIC)
Exterior Interior
The MIC is a 35,280 square foot arena built in 1991 for $1.4 million. Prior to the construction of the Mercyhurst Ice Center, the men's team was affectionately known as the "Boys on the Bus," playing almost all of their games on the road and practicing at the crack of dawn at public rinks. In their third year of varsity play, the team played 27 out of 33 games at out-of-town arenas. Due to their rise in prominence at the Division III level, the Mercyhurst board of trustees directed college officials either to build a rink or to abandon the sport. In a unique funding arrangement, Mercyhurst students agreed to pay for the ice center through a $56 increase in their annual building assessment fee. The money generates $80,000 each year and will retire the school-backed bond in 2021.
On December 8, 1991, the Mercyhurst Ice Center opened for business. The Lakers' first game in the new arena was against RIT. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost 5-4.
In 2007 the university spent $175,000 for improvements to the facility. In early 2015 Mercyhurst, along with First Niagara Bank, announced an estimated $300,000 renovation. Currently, the arena has a capacity of 1,500, making it the 5th smallest arena in Division I men's hockey. However, the planned renovations were not only to overhaul the lobby, but also increase its capacity.
Town Information: Originally occupied by the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and the Seneca Nation, Erie was settled by the French in 1753. Building Fort Presque Isle near the present day city center, the French would abandon their post a mere seven years later. It was subsequently taken over by British forces until 1763 when the Seven Years War ended.
The city emerged as a maritime center after the American Revolution, then as a railroad hub during the great American westward expansion. Erie became an important city for iron and steel manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution and thrived well into the 20th century with big industry. Today, over 10 percent of the USA's plastics are manufactured or finished in Erie-based plastics plants. The city is an emerging center for biofuels and environmental research, producing over 45 million U.S. gallons of biofuel a year.
Erie sits in what would was a disputed triangle of land that was claimed by New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1792, after all but Pennsylvania released their claims to the land, it officially became a part of the state. That's why Pennsylvania has the funny little horn in its top left corner. Present day Erie sits almost directly between Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. Most of the cityscape includes renovated and refurbished factory buildings, mid-rise housing, single family homes, and office buildings.
Check out Visit Erie for more about activities around the city.
First Season: 1999 was the first season for Division I hockey. The Lakers spent five years in Division III (1987-1992) and seven years in Division II (1992-99).
Former Athletic Director John Leisering, at the urging of faculty member Dr. Bob Cisek, sold the idea of elevating Mercyhurst's club hockey program to the board of trustees in 1987. Fred Lane was named head coach for the inaugural season of Laker hockey that year. His Laker team went 16-7 playing a composite schedule made up of club teams and Division III programs. Lane, however, did not want to quit his first job with the Erie Water Works, and at the beginning of 1988 Rick Gotkin was brought in from RPI. Gotkin's first team went 11-16-1 playing a vast majority of their games on the road.
All-time Record: 488-346-69 (306-242-61 in Division I)
Championships: 0
Frozen Four Appearances: 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII)
Tournament Appearances: 1991 (DIII), 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII), 2001, 2003, 2005
Conference Titles: 2001 (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament), 2002 (MAAC regular season) 2003 (MAAC regular season and tournament), 2005
Rivals
Robert Morris Like kissing your sister, the Lakers series has almost as many ties (8) as victories (10) over conference foe RMU in the series between the programs. Although RMU started varsity hockey in 2004 the two teams would not meet on a regular basis until the 2010 season, owing to the fact that RMU played in the rival CHA conference (which has since folded). The back and forth nature of the in-state rivalry came to a head last year as the Lakers downed the No. 1 overall seed Colonials in the AHC semifinals, dashing any hopes of a repeat champion.
Canisius Dating back to their days as Division III opponents in the ECAC West, Mercyhurst holds a 40-32-10 all-time advantage over the Golden Griffins from Buffalo. However, Canisius has begun to turn the series, owning an 8-3-1 mark against the Lakers in the last 12 contests. The rivalry had its biggest game when Canisius won its first Atlantic Hockey title over the Lakers in 2013. In the 2014 AHC semifinals the Griffs again topped the Lakers in double-overtime, securing a 5-4 victory and a spot in the championship game against the aforementioned Colonials.
Honorable mention: Air Force, Niagara, RIT.
2014-2015 Season
Record: 19-16-4 (14-10-3)
Coach: Rick Gotkin
2014-2015 Roster
Season Summary
Last season ended with heartbreak and thoughts on what could have been. After winning the regular season AHC title in 2014, the team failed to make the conference final. Yet, despite a slew of injuries the Lakers made it all the way to the Atlantic Hockey championship game in 2015. There, they fell to an upset-minded RIT squad that later sent No. 1-seeded Minnesota-Mankato packing from the NCAA tournament. Despite the loss in the championship game the season has to be viewed as a success because how they got there: A split with then-No.4 Colgate in November, a loss and a tie with Ohio State in the Snowtown Throwdown, and a split with rival Robert Morris. Mercyhurst, however, could never solve the riddles of Canisius or RIT, going a combined 0-5-1 against the two in conference play.
Ending the season on a down note the Lakers entered the playoffs as the 5th seed. The opening round series against Bentley would go to the third and deciding game where Nardo Nagtzaam scored the series winning goal with 5.5 seconds left on the clock. The Falcons took an early 2-0 lead, but the Lakers battled back for three unanswered goals and the win.
In Rochester the Lakers met Robert Morris in the semifinals where they upset the favored Colonials thanks to a stellar performance by freshman goaltender Brandon Wildung. His performance, coupled with Zac Frischmon's goal at the 3:04 mark of overtime lifted the Lakers to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory. With the game tied late in the third period Wildung was pulled and Chris Bodo buried a shot with 35.5 seconds left to force overtime. The next night the Lakers would not fare as well, falling to RIT 1-5.
2015-2016 Season Schedule
Drafted Players on Roster: 0
Key Games

• Oct. 16-18 at Michigan: The Lakers visit Yost Arena to take on the big boys from the Big Ten. With Wolverines returning a majority of their roster from last year's team these games have the potential to be ugly. The games should be a good test for a young Mercyhurst squad.
• Nov. 6-7 vs Air Force: Air Force and Mercyhurst games always seem to get chippy and this two game set will probably be more of the same. The Falcons and the Lakers split their series last season.
• Jan. 2-3 vs Rochester Institute of Technology: A home-and-home series with perennial AHC power and reigning conference champion RIT. The Polisseni Center will either be rocking or it may be a bit empty since RIT's winter break ends on January 2nd.

Players to Watch

• Brandon Wildung, Goalie, Sophomore: When reigning Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year Jimmy Sarjeant re-aggravated a hernia in January, Wildung jumped into the fire. Against RIT and Bentley he had back-to-back 40 save games, going 1-1. Facing Robert Morris in the in the AHC semifinals, he stopped a career-high 59 shots, but faltered the next day against RIT in the final. He finished the season with a 11-10-3 record, a 2.58 goals-against average, and a .924 save percentage. He was also named to the Atlantic Hockey's All-Academic Team. As he goes, the teams goes. His mask is nifty, too.
• Jack Riley, Forward, R-Sophomore: The son of Army head coach Brian Riley, Jack returned to the ice after hip injuries derailed what was to be his freshman season. He rebounded to score nine goals, and added 15 assists for 24 points last winter. From Dec. 6 through Jan. 13 he had an eight-game scoring streak with two four point games: Dec. 6 vs Army (2g, 2a) and Jan. 9 vs Sacred Heart (1g, 3a). He was named to Atlantic Hockey's All-Rookie team for his efforts.
• Anthony Mastrodicasa, Defenseman, Senior: One of only three seniors on the team, Mastrodicasa will likely be the captain for this season. Playing in all but one Laker game last year netted him 20 points (4g, 16a), including two 3-point games: Oct. 24 against Merrimack (1g 2a) and Dec. 13 against Robert Morris (2g 1a). He was also named to Atlantic Hockey's All-Academic Team.

Mercyhurst History
Greatest Players:

• Gary Bowles, Goalie: "Bubba" Bowles was the first goalie in program history. During his four years, Mercyhurst went a combined 64-44-6. He still holds the records for most wins (56), most minutes played (5627:55), and most games played (101). He was the goaltender of record when the Lakers won their first playoff game, a 5-4 triumph at Elmira March 8, 1991. He was chosen as team captain in both his junior and senior seasons, and played in 101 of 114 games in his four years. Of those 114 games, only 35 were played in Erie.
• Scott Burfoot, Forward: He set nearly every team-scoring record during his career, including most goals, points and assists. In his junior year, 1990-91, Burfoot led all college/university players in points with 96. He finished with a career mark of 290 points, a school record that will probably never be broken. Twice named ECAC West Player of the Year, 1990-91 and 1991-92, he continued his brilliance on the ice as a member of the Erie Panthers, leading the East Coast Hockey League in points in 1994-95. He currently holds two NCAA Division III records: most short-handed goals in a season (10), and most short-handed goals in a career (25).
• Jamie Hunt, Defense: The only Laker ever to play in the NHL, the undrafted Hunt suited up for the Washington Capitals for a single game on Dec. 29, 2006 against the Devils. At Mercyhurst he was an offensive defenseman, capping off his senior season by leading all Atlantic Hockey defensemen in scoring with 45 points. Playing just three years at Mercyhurst, Hunt totaled 81 points (20 goals, 61 assists) and a plus/minus rating of +34.
• Honorable mention: Peter Aubry, Cullen Eddy, Troy Winch

Mercyhurst University (MU)
Atlantic Hockey Association
Year Founded: 1926
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Total Attendance: 13,790
Average Attendance: 862
Nickname: Lakers
Mascot: Louie the Laker. A Laker is a fisherman who has the skill, tenacity, and resourcefulness to meet the challenges of life on the water.
Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
Fight Song: 'Hurst Fight Song (set to the tune of Anchors Aweigh)

Go for it Lakers
Fight for the Hurst
Show us the spirit
that has always made you first
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Win for the Blue and Green
Bring home the game
Look for the lights that burn
forever in the hall of Old Main

Arena: The Mercyhurst Ice Center (MIC)
Exterior Interior 1 Interior 2 Interior 3 Zamboni
The MIC is a 35,280 square foot arena built in 1991 for 1.4 million dollars. Mercyhurst spent 175,000 dollars in 2007 for improvements to the facility. In a unique funding arrangement, Mercyhurst students agreed to pay for the ice center through a 56 dollar increase in their annual building assessment fee. The money generates 80,000 dollars each year and will retire the school-backed bond in 2021.
Uniforms
First Season: 1999 was the first season for Division I hockey. The Lakers spent five years in Division III (1987-1992) and seven years in Division II (1992-99).
All-time Record: 469-330-65 (266-213-50 in Division I)
Championships: 0
Frozen Four Appearances: 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII)
Tournament Appearances: 1991 (DIII), 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII), 2001, 2003, 2005
Conference Tournament Champions: 2001 (MAAC), 2003 (MAAC), 2005
Conference Regular Season Champions: 2002 (MAAC), 2003 (MAAC)
Rivals
Robert Morris A new rivalry, it heated up when RMU joined the Lakers in the AHA. Erie is just a quick drive up from Pittsburgh on I-79. The inital match-up came in the first year of RMU's program during the 2004-05 season when the Lakers won by a score of 8-2. MU currently leads the series 6-4-3.
Canisius The rivalry between the Lakers and the Golden Griffins extends back to club hockey.
Note: To be honest I don't know much about the rivalries and could not find much in the way of information. I'm sure someone out there knows more than I do. If you do, please let me know. Thanks!
2012-2013 Season
Record: 19-17-5 (12-11-4)
Coach: Rick Gotkin
2012-2013 Roster
Season Summary
Improving on their finish in 2012, Mercyhurst made it all the way to the AHA final against Canisius. Big wins along came in the form of a 5-2 victory over Maine in Orono; a 3-2 OT win over Canisius; and in the AHA quarterfinals against Holy Cross. Mercyhurst would finish the regular season in sixth place before catching fire and reaching the AHA championship game. With the quarterfinal series against Holy Cross tied 1-1, goalie Jordan Tibbet stopped all twenty-eight Crusader shots to preserve the 1-0 victory. In the semifinals the Lakers bested the Huskies of UConn, 4-1, setting up the pivotal game with with the Griffs. Ultimately, however, another AHA championship was not meant to be as a disastrous second period doomed the Lakers. Canisius' win propelled their program into the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Coach Gotkin would say after the championship game, "The second period was an absolute schmozzle. I've been doing this a long time and it was one of the craziest periods of hockey I've ever been a part of. It was a nightmare second period for us."
2013-2014 Season
Schedule
Drafted Players on Roster: None
Key Games

• Jan. 23 and 25 vs Canisius
• Feb. 7-8 @ Air Force
• Feb. 21-22 vs Niagara

Players to Watch

• Matthew Zay, F, Jr: Finished the 2012-13 winning the AHA scoring title. Named to the Atlantic Hockey Association Third Team. He had at least one point in 26 contests, nine multiple-point games, and two separate scoring streaks of seven consecutive games during the season.
  
• Daniel O'Donoghue, F, Sr: Captain of the team. He finished third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. Had career-highs in goals (12), assists (24), points (36), plus/minus rating (+15), and shorthanded goals (3).
  
• Jordan Tibbet, G, RS-Jr: Started 15 games in goal last season, finishing with a 7-7-1 record. He replaces departed starting netminder Max Strang. Last year he posted a .925 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average.
  

Mercyhurst History
Greatest Players:

• Gary Bowels, G: Bowels was the first goalie in program history. During his four years, Mercyhurst went a combined 64-44-6. He still holds the records for most wins (56), most minutes played (5627:55), and most games played (101). He was the goaltender of record when the Lakers won their first playoff game, a 5-4 triumph at Elmira March 8, 1991. He was chosen team captain in both his junior and senior seasons, and played in 101 of 114 games in his four years. Of those 114 games, only 35 were played in Erie.
  
• Scott Burfoot, F: He set nearly every team-scoring record during his career, including most goals, points and assists. In his junior year, 1990-91, Burfoot led all college/university players in points with 96. Twice named ECAC West Player of the Year, 1990-91 and 1991-92, he continued his brilliance on the ice as a member of the Erie Panthers, leading the East Coast Hockey League in points in 1994-95.
  

Note: These are the only two hockey inductees, along with the 2000-01 team, in the Mercyhurst Hall of Fame. If you believe there are other "greatest" players, please let me know who they are and I will add them to the list.
Greatest Coaches:

• Rick Gotkin, 453-323-65 (266-213-50 in Division I): Coach Gotkin returns to Mercyhurst for his 26th year behind the bench. Taking over the program in its second season, Gotkin is the the only coach in NCAA history to lead a school to the NCAA Tournament at all three levels. He has guided the Lakers to more than 400 wins, six NCAA tournament appearance, and four league championships. In his distinguished career he has produced seven All-Americans, four ECAC (Division III) Players of the Year, three ECAC Rookies of the Year, five MAAC First-Team selections, 20 AHA All-Conference selections, and two AHA Rookies of the Year. In 2001, he was named MAAC Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award.

Greatest Games:

• Mar. 17, 2001 vs Quinnipiac, 6-5: Mercyhurst pounced on two defensive breakdowns with ten minutes remaining to claim their first MAAC title. Eric Ellis beat goalie Justin Eddy to tie the game with nine minutes left, and Mike Carter got the winner when two Quinnipiac defensemen went after Ellis in the corner. Ellis fed an open Carter in front with 6:48 left. The MAAC championship secured a spot in the NCAA Tournment, the first time the program had made it to the tournament at the Division I level. The Lakers faced vaunted Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Despite stopping 47 Wolverine shots, goalie Peter Aubry and his Mercyhurst teammates were unable to pull off the upset, losing 4-3.
  
• Mar. 23, 2003 vs Quinnipiac, 4-3: Defenseman T.J. Kemp scored on the power play with 11:15 remaining to break a 3-3 tie with the Bobcats to earn the second MAAC championship in program history. Laker David Wrigley was named tournament MVP. A week later the Lakers clashed with eventual NCAA champion Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament, ultimately falling by a score of 9-2.
  
• Mar. 19, 2005 vs Quinnipiac, 3-2 OT: Mercyhurst overcame two separate deficits en route to their first AHA championship. Tournament MVP Scott Champagne scored the game winning goal 4:56 into overtime. The win propelled the Lakers to their third appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament in five years. Facing Boston College in the opening round, the Lakers' Mike Ella made 52 saves against the Eagles, three short of the NCAA record for a non-overtime game. The Lakers would not be able to pull off the victory, however, losing 5-4.
  

School and City Information
City Population: 101,047
School History
Mercyhurst University is a Catholic liberal arts college.

In 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors on a wind-swept hill overlooking Lake Erie, just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. Today, the college is in its 87th year after being founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Erie Catholic Diocese, who were led by Mother M. Borgia Egan, first president of Mercyhurst College.
In Mercyhurst history, five dates stand out above all others: Sept. 20, 1926, when the college opened; Oct. 5, 1928, when the school received its charter; Feb. 3, 1969, when the board of trustees voted to admit the first class of men to Mercyhurst; March 27, 1991, when the 100-year old Redemptorist Seminary in North East, Pennsylvania was purchased for use as the North East campus; and May 28, 2005, when Mercyhurst College purchased a 405-acre site in Girard, formerly the site of the Divine Word Seminary, as the future site of Mercyhurst West, now in operation in a temporary facility in Girard, Pennsylvania.
In 2012, Mercyhurst College officially became Mercyhurst University and opened an academic center in Dungarvan, Ireland.

Source
Traditions
I am not aware of any traditions, but if anyone is please let me know.
Local Dining:
Head over to Peach Street, a seven minute drive from campus. There you will find multiple restaurants and stores.

• El Canelo - Mexican
  
• Casablaca Grill - Middle East Mediterranean
  
• Plymouth Tavern
  
• Cornerstone Bar & Grill
  
• Presque Isle Downs is a casino and horse racing track just south of Erie.
  

Random Trivia:

• Rowing is the only other men's sport that competes at the Division I level.
  
• All other sports compete in Division II, primarily in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
  
• The music contest at the beginning of the film That Thing You Do! was filmed at Mercyhurst. The fictional band The Wonders were depicted as residents of Erie.
  

Academics
Mercyhurst offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with 67 concentrations as well as unique adult programs and eight graduate degrees. Its main 75-acre campus is set in Erie, the state's only port city; the campus is approximately 100 miles from Cleveland, OH and Buffalo, NY and 130 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA.
The university is comprised of five schools:

1. The School of Arts & Humanities
2. The Walker School of Business & Communication
3. The Hafenmaier School of Education & Behavioral Sciences
4. The Zurn School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
5. The School of Social Sciences

Mercyhurst is best known for its programs in archaeology and forensic anthropology, intelligence (Institute for Intelligence Studies and Center for Information Research Analysis and Training), forensic science, dance, music, and art therapy.
Notable Alumni:
James "Buster" Douglas: Former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion. Knocked out previously undefeated champion Mike Tyson, who was considered to be the best boxer in the world.
Meghan Agosta: Two-time Olympic gold medal winner with for the Canadian women's ice hockey team. In 2010 she was named MVP of the Olympic women's tournament in Vancouver.
What is and what is to come
Expectations are high in Erie to begin the season. The Lakers were picked second in the AHA Coaches poll behind Niagara and tied with Air Force. Falling in the AHA championship to Canisius has left a bitter taste in the players' mouths. Eight of their top ten scorers return this season; their top three forwards (Jay, O'Donohue, and Ryan Misiak) all return as does most of their defense, led by senior Nick Jones and junior Tyler Shiplo. The only question remains in goal with Tibbett; how he performs will account for how far this team is able to go.
It's been eight years since Mercyhurst's last appearance in the NCAA tournament. Can they get over the hump this year and make it back? That remains to be seen. Last year's run to the AHA championship showed that they are a team to be wary of: This year the Lakers will play 25 games against schools currently ranked in the USCHO.com poll. The challenging schedule, coupled with the experience from their AHA tournament run last year, should prove invaluable.
Coach Gotkin knows what he's doing. He's built the program from the beginning and has consistently put winning teams on the ice for twenty-six years. I can't imagine that they would have a significant drop off as long as he is coaching.
Miscellaneous

• Mercyhurst women's hockey also competes in Division I and have appeared numerous times in the NCAA tournament. They have reached the Frozen Four on three occasions (2009, 2010, 2013). In 2009 they finished as runners-up, falling to Wisconsin in the final, 0-5. In 2011 Mercyhurst hosted the women's Frozen Four at Erie Insurance Arena, home of the Erie Otters of the OHL and Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League.

Note: I'm not a student or graduate of Mercyhurst. All of this information was culled from around the internet. I can count on one hand the times I've been to Erie. It's a strange but lovely city.
Credit to JohnDoeMonopoly for heading the project. I'm a little late to the party, I realize, but I was surprised to see how many teams were not profiled. These are fun to make and it's interesting to learn about schools I have only been vaguely aware of in the past.
Thanks for reading!

 
Written in 2012, featured on my new blog http://theephemeraleverywhere.blogspot.com/2015/10/test-post-test-post.html (in case reddit makes it a block text)
 
Help Isn't Available
 
Apparently, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. No, really, just ask the stickers on the trash cans, or the one peeling off the ATM. There’s a warning on all the ads, and at auctioneer speed during the end of the radio commercial. And while I've only ever been to one casino, Presque Isle Downs and Casino, I go there a lot. Usually it's shortly after payday, but most of the time I go just because I get that itch. You know that itch. It's the same one that presses the snooze and supersizes your fries. It's the force that drives kids to do most of what they do, from sunrise to bed-without-suppertime. Much the same, when I enter the casino, it's Chuck-E-Cheese all over again.
 
If you or someone you know has an epilepsy problem, I hope there is help available. The lights on the ceiling are dim, but the hundreds of slot machines all flicker and blink like mad. Simultaneously I'm hit with enough sound effects from the dozen themed-machines by the door to believe I really am trapped in a castle in the jungle, under the ocean, and in ancient Greece all at once. I'm not a slot person, but my friends, all staring at the screens, live in their spinning worlds. I see no point in differentiating between the computerized games; they all follow similar rules and betting options. Plus, I don't trust them. I used to play them, I really did like the whale game, but the computer deciding whether I keep my paycheck or not gave me a new Orwellian mindset. Besides, I never want to be the hunched, long-haired woman with oxygen mask in one hand and shrinking cigarette in the other, petting her machine and whispering to the characters. She reminds me too much of my mother.
 
If you or someone you know has a smoking problem, an ashtray is available. During the days, the air filtration works fine, but on crowded nights you can't see through the haze even when if you do remember your contacts. I'm not an avid smoker, but I'm probably up a pack by the time I get to the table games. If the five dollar buy-in blackjack tables aren't too crowded I'll claim a seat. The other players cramped shoulder to shoulder will look up hollow-eyed and fancy the idea of how long they've been playing, or how much they've spent, for just enough time that it takes the dealer to clear the last hand and start slinging the next. I'm familiar with a few regulars that haunt these tables. The slim older man, whose hairline could use his goatee, nods at me. His name is Bill, or Bob. He smokes clove cigarettes that will make your stomach ache even if you had eaten breakfast. Before that happens, on a usual night, I'll have to make my first visit to the ATM. The closest one is ten paces across a blue and green floor dancing with Model-T cars and gold swirls. The next is maybe fifteen farther. ATMs in a casino are easily accessible; everything in a casino is easily accessible.
 
A casino designer is equal parts businessman and psychologist; they've spent a lot of your hard earned money to research the proper AC temperature and carpet pattern to ensure that people postpone their bills. They have classic tricks of the trade, namely removing all clocks and windows from the building and allowing gamblers to lose track of time. They also have more subtle avenues to the senses. Recent studies have found red-hued lighting and fast tempo music to increase the speed of gambler's betting. Other scientists have experimented with different aromas being ventilated throughout the casino. To design casinos is to have an innate sense of human nature, and to prey on it. The concept of casinos, by nature, piques any gain-driven brain: put a dollar down here, press this button, and then watch two dollars come of it.
 
A study of Capuchin monkeys by Yale economist Keith Chen has provided wonderful insight into behavioral economics and incentives. Chen, by utilizing a Capuchin monkey's “bottomless stomach of want” has successfully implemented a system of currency with the animals. By training the monkeys to realize the buying power of small silver discs, he was able to conduct economic experiments with them. One such experiment involved two gambling games. The first game involved Chen giving a monkey one grape, and, depending on a coin toss, the Capuchin would either retain the original grape, or win a bonus one. In the second game, the monkey is given two grapes, and depending on the coin toss, keeps the two, or loses one.
 
Essentially, these games are the same economic gamble, only that one is presented as a potential win, and the other as a potential loss. Performed on humans, the outcome of this experiment shows a preference for the first option. Not surprisingly, the monkeys also choose the potential win. What this says about the nature of gambling? That it's in our nature. Now up the ante, from grapes to dollars, and the temptation grows. If a grape is dangled before me, sure, I'll flip a coin for it. If half my paycheck could be doubled and then tripled on the spot? Well, that's the kind of place I could spend all summer at. After all, it's only a gambling problem if I'm losing, right?
 
Honestly, if I go to the casino more than most people, it's because my mom works there. If it's around eight- or nine-o'clock on a weekday, I'll sit at the bar and get a fishbowl-sized drink with my own mother who just got off work at the horse track. If you or some horse you know has a drug problem, help is available. My mother is one of the people who ensure a race is won fairly by drug testing the horses like they do athletes; that is to say, by testing their urine. Once again, to get a racehorse's urine those casino scientists have devised a clever plan. A middle-aged woman is sent into a small stall armed with only a stick and a cup, this pee-catcher then whistles to imitate morning birds, and tries to elicit a typical post wake-up urination. It works surprisingly well. This is also why, if standing by the paddock where they walk the horses before the race (to allow viewers to bet nonsensically on who looks the best) guards will approach anyone whistling and ask them to please stop.
 
I haven't been to the track part of the casino, or even visited my mother, in over a month. The last time that I did, I waited, leaning on the fence near the edge of the racetrack, for her to walk up from the barns and wait for the race she'd been assigned to begin. Eight races are run in the course of the night, and the third was just underway. As the horses and their riders thundered around the second turn and passed the crowd, the lead pair went down, cartwheeling through the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust. As is with any sporting accident, the crowd was instantly frenzied. There was no signature sickening crunch, as oftentimes there is during a horse wreck, so the spooked filly was able to leave her jockey in the dirt and take off after the pack. She was able to reach full speed in her escape, but her brain was in fight or flight mode. Again, she spooked and took a jagged right turn. She slammed full-speed into the metal guard rail that separates the track from the workers from the crowd. Her chest plunged into the metal and she pitched over it. It was all human gasps and horse screams. Kicking violently for a few seconds, a puddle was already formed by the time she righted herself; her sagging chest ran like a faucet. Guards swarmed and hurried her back to the barns, amazed that she hadn't broken any bones. The races went on.
 
I stood by the fence until they hosed off the metal and the ground nearby. I watched an old Mexican man walk the same path the filly did, spraying down the trail she'd left all the way to the barns. In the Erie Times, following the accident that night, the article interviewed the horse's owner. He was quoted saying that her gash required over three hundred stitches to close. The next quote was his disappointment that she wouldn't make the next big stakes race, that she was sidelined until next season. And while I hate his attitude, I know that this 2-year-old race filly, Princess Baby, does want to keep racing. It's what she was trained to do, it's become her instinct. The Casino has manufactured her as a means to their end. I understand that filly. I can cut a three-hundred stitch hole in my wallet and be begging to return next weekend.
 
That night I walked back into the casino and sat at the first blackjack table I found. It was the day I met Bob, or Bill. He offered me a cigarette and I played, numbly, for a few hours. I'd never won so much money than I did that night, probably four hundred dollars, but I wasn't counting. I was feeling smaller than a Capuchin monkey and duller than a horse. I played so much that the man in the suit that oversees the dealers walked over and gave me a coupon for a free Presque Isle Downs and Casino baseball cap. And at the bottom of the coupon, right below the Downs logo, there's a little warning, “If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available.”
 
And I know I do have a gambling problem. If I called 1-800-GAMBLER, right after the nice older lady says, “Pennsylvania problem gamblers helpline, how may I help you?” I could go hoarse over the problems I have with gambling. I'm not the first monkey to get riled and refute this system, throw his feces at the scientists and retreat to the far corner of his cage. I could chain myself to the doors of the Presque Isle Downs and, tear-streaked, carry on about the monkeys and the horses. PETA would put me on posters; that's until my human rights campaign began. Then, everyone would just wonder what I was carrying on about. I can hear them already. “Sure, sometimes you'll lose a hundred bucks, so what? I think I'm smarter than some animal,” or “It doesn't mean I'll go back. I'll just have some self-control.” Then, “well, the place was so colorful, and, wow, come to think of it, I could win next time, and then it wouldn't be like I lost at all, right? Didn't it smell great in there!” Yeah, the men at the door would probably recognize me anyway. They would welcome me in, and sit me at a table. They would give me a hat and validate my parking. I used to wonder why the casino would put up so many warnings about gambling and offer help against their business. I've since realized that you can offer all the help you want, and not make a difference, if you've got people by the hopes.

This was about 15 years ago. I was twelve years old, and my parents finally agreed to rent out my favorite place in the entire world for my birthday: Camp Notre Dame in Fairview, Pennsylvania. They offered fatheson and mothedaughter weekends in the Fall, and week-long summer programs between June and August for children ages 6-17. My dad, mom, sister, and myself had all attended these programs multiple times. We were all otherwise involved. Both of my parents worked there in their late teens, my sister worked there in college, and I worked there briefly immediately after high school. For years, I viewed this as the safest, most family-oriented place I could imagine.
I'll paint the picture with a little bit of a preface. At that particular time, I lived in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was about 15 minutes from the camp. Along the way, one would pass a few schools and ball fields, a slew of 13 beaches called Presque Isle, and Waldameer (amusement) Park which is home to one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the US. Things were pretty nice in the city. As soon as you traveled outside the city limits along Route 5 and eventually turned down Eaton Road down towards the camp, everything instantly went from suburban and inviting to wooded and desolate.
I was more excited than usual for this particular birthday party. A lot of people had confirmed their intentions to intend. I was quite a less-than-popular kid in elementary school, so in my mind, this was going to be the greatest day ever. The big day came, and I couldn't wait to get out there after I'd heard my parents had picked up the keys from the camp manager. We were, of course, the first car to roll up to the building we'd chosen to hold the party. This particular building was called the Ranger Post. From left to right, there were two rooms with dozens of bunk beds, a large bathroom, the kitchen and dining room, and finally a dining room complete with fireplace and multiple instances of taxidermy adorning the walls. This building was normally used for the aforementioned fatheson and mothedaughter weekends during the Fall months, but for this entire day, it was my domain. Unfortunately, I wish this day had even lasted long enough for me to get to the part with the cake and presents.
My parents unlocked the left door to the Ranger Post, the one closer to the bunk beds and bathroom. Myself, as well as my friends Tyler, Danny, and Jon bolted into the main hallway. We darted to the storage closet to see if the camp manager had left the bows, arrows, and BB guns in there. He had. This was going to be an amazing day. The rest of my friends began to follow us into the building and set up shop in the living room. The four of us were too excited to play a board game, so we ran into the bunk rooms where we'd spent so many weekends before.
Going from the main hallway, the right door will lead you into the bathroom, and the left door will lead you into a smaller bunk room. At the end of both, doors will lead you into a much larger bunk room. We all hopped up onto the top bunks in the middle of the room and just started to catch up. In the back of this large room, there was one last tiny bunk room with just a few beds meant for the overflow if one of the family weekends may have been overbooked. None of us paid it much mind. Until...
A low, harsh voice emanating from the back bunk room screaming at us, "GET OUT! RIGHT NOW!" This was late September. This building had not been unlocked for any reason since the middle of August. I refused to continue my party there. My parents gave in and agreed to move us to the other side of the camp. We made our way to the "Green House" across the property which was, quite literally, a green house. This is where most of the camp counselors stayed during the summer programs. Before we could even get anywhere near the front door, another (yet different) harsh voice also yelled at us to leave immediately. I canceled my "greatest birthday party ever" right then and there. Upon turning to walk back to the Ranger Post to get in our cars, I saw someone peeking around the side of the Green House. He was dressed in all black and wasn't anyone that any of us had ever seen at any camp gathering before. I never went to any camp programs again after this.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132591395@N03/17168681072/in/dateposted-public/
Above is a picture I took a few years back of the Ranger Post, simply as a point of reference.

 
Written in 2012, featured on my new blog http://theephemeraleverywhere.blogspot.com/2015/10/test-post-test-post.html (in case reddit makes it a block text)
 
Help Isn't Available
 
Apparently, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. No, really, just ask the stickers on the trash cans, or the one peeling off the ATM. There’s a warning on all the ads, and at auctioneer speed during the end of the radio commercial. And while I've only ever been to one casino, Presque Isle Downs and Casino, I go there a lot. Usually it's shortly after payday, but most of the time I go just because I get that itch. You know that itch. It's the same one that presses the snooze and supersizes your fries. It's the force that drives kids to do most of what they do, from sunrise to bed-without-suppertime. Much the same, when I enter the casino, it's Chuck-E-Cheese all over again.
 
If you or someone you know has an epilepsy problem, I hope there is help available. The lights on the ceiling are dim, but the hundreds of slot machines all flicker and blink like mad. Simultaneously I'm hit with enough sound effects from the dozen themed-machines by the door to believe I really am trapped in a castle in the jungle, under the ocean, and in ancient Greece all at once. I'm not a slot person, but my friends, all staring at the screens, live in their spinning worlds. I see no point in differentiating between the computerized games; they all follow similar rules and betting options. Plus, I don't trust them. I used to play them, I really did like the whale game, but the computer deciding whether I keep my paycheck or not gave me a new Orwellian mindset. Besides, I never want to be the hunched, long-haired woman with oxygen mask in one hand and shrinking cigarette in the other, petting her machine and whispering to the characters. She reminds me too much of my mother.
 
If you or someone you know has a smoking problem, an ashtray is available. During the days, the air filtration works fine, but on crowded nights you can't see through the haze even when if you do remember your contacts. I'm not an avid smoker, but I'm probably up a pack by the time I get to the table games. If the five dollar buy-in blackjack tables aren't too crowded I'll claim a seat. The other players cramped shoulder to shoulder will look up hollow-eyed and fancy the idea of how long they've been playing, or how much they've spent, for just enough time that it takes the dealer to clear the last hand and start slinging the next. I'm familiar with a few regulars that haunt these tables. The slim older man, whose hairline could use his goatee, nods at me. His name is Bill, or Bob. He smokes clove cigarettes that will make your stomach ache even if you had eaten breakfast. Before that happens, on a usual night, I'll have to make my first visit to the ATM. The closest one is ten paces across a blue and green floor dancing with Model-T cars and gold swirls. The next is maybe fifteen farther. ATMs in a casino are easily accessible; everything in a casino is easily accessible.
 
A casino designer is equal parts businessman and psychologist; they've spent a lot of your hard earned money to research the proper AC temperature and carpet pattern to ensure that people postpone their bills. They have classic tricks of the trade, namely removing all clocks and windows from the building and allowing gamblers to lose track of time. They also have more subtle avenues to the senses. Recent studies have found red-hued lighting and fast tempo music to increase the speed of gambler's betting. Other scientists have experimented with different aromas being ventilated throughout the casino. To design casinos is to have an innate sense of human nature, and to prey on it. The concept of casinos, by nature, piques any gain-driven brain: put a dollar down here, press this button, and then watch two dollars come of it.
 
A study of Capuchin monkeys by Yale economist Keith Chen has provided wonderful insight into behavioral economics and incentives. Chen, by utilizing a Capuchin monkey's “bottomless stomach of want” has successfully implemented a system of currency with the animals. By training the monkeys to realize the buying power of small silver discs, he was able to conduct economic experiments with them. One such experiment involved two gambling games. The first game involved Chen giving a monkey one grape, and, depending on a coin toss, the Capuchin would either retain the original grape, or win a bonus one. In the second game, the monkey is given two grapes, and depending on the coin toss, keeps the two, or loses one.
 
Essentially, these games are the same economic gamble, only that one is presented as a potential win, and the other as a potential loss. Performed on humans, the outcome of this experiment shows a preference for the first option. Not surprisingly, the monkeys also choose the potential win. What this says about the nature of gambling? That it's in our nature. Now up the ante, from grapes to dollars, and the temptation grows. If a grape is dangled before me, sure, I'll flip a coin for it. If half my paycheck could be doubled and then tripled on the spot? Well, that's the kind of place I could spend all summer at. After all, it's only a gambling problem if I'm losing, right?
 
Honestly, if I go to the casino more than most people, it's because my mom works there. If it's around eight- or nine-o'clock on a weekday, I'll sit at the bar and get a fishbowl-sized drink with my own mother who just got off work at the horse track. If you or some horse you know has a drug problem, help is available. My mother is one of the people who ensure a race is won fairly by drug testing the horses like they do athletes; that is to say, by testing their urine. Once again, to get a racehorse's urine those casino scientists have devised a clever plan. A middle-aged woman is sent into a small stall armed with only a stick and a cup, this pee-catcher then whistles to imitate morning birds, and tries to elicit a typical post wake-up urination. It works surprisingly well. This is also why, if standing by the paddock where they walk the horses before the race (to allow viewers to bet nonsensically on who looks the best) guards will approach anyone whistling and ask them to please stop.
 
I haven't been to the track part of the casino, or even visited my mother, in over a month. The last time that I did, I waited, leaning on the fence near the edge of the racetrack, for her to walk up from the barns and wait for the race she'd been assigned to begin. Eight races are run in the course of the night, and the third was just underway. As the horses and their riders thundered around the second turn and passed the crowd, the lead pair went down, cartwheeling through the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust. As is with any sporting accident, the crowd was instantly frenzied. There was no signature sickening crunch, as oftentimes there is during a horse wreck, so the spooked filly was able to leave her jockey in the dirt and take off after the pack. She was able to reach full speed in her escape, but her brain was in fight or flight mode. Again, she spooked and took a jagged right turn. She slammed full-speed into the metal guard rail that separates the track from the workers from the crowd. Her chest plunged into the metal and she pitched over it. It was all human gasps and horse screams. Kicking violently for a few seconds, a puddle was already formed by the time she righted herself; her sagging chest ran like a faucet. Guards swarmed and hurried her back to the barns, amazed that she hadn't broken any bones. The races went on.
 
I stood by the fence until they hosed off the metal and the ground nearby. I watched an old Mexican man walk the same path the filly did, spraying down the trail she'd left all the way to the barns. In the Erie Times, following the accident that night, the article interviewed the horse's owner. He was quoted saying that her gash required over three hundred stitches to close. The next quote was his disappointment that she wouldn't make the next big stakes race, that she was sidelined until next season. And while I hate his attitude, I know that this 2-year-old race filly, Princess Baby, does want to keep racing. It's what she was trained to do, it's become her instinct. The Casino has manufactured her as a means to their end. I understand that filly. I can cut a three-hundred stitch hole in my wallet and be begging to return next weekend.
 
That night I walked back into the casino and sat at the first blackjack table I found. It was the day I met Bob, or Bill. He offered me a cigarette and I played, numbly, for a few hours. I'd never won so much money than I did that night, probably four hundred dollars, but I wasn't counting. I was feeling smaller than a Capuchin monkey and duller than a horse. I played so much that the man in the suit that oversees the dealers walked over and gave me a coupon for a free Presque Isle Downs and Casino baseball cap. And at the bottom of the coupon, right below the Downs logo, there's a little warning, “If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available.”
 
And I know I do have a gambling problem. If I called 1-800-GAMBLER, right after the nice older lady says, “Pennsylvania problem gamblers helpline, how may I help you?” I could go hoarse over the problems I have with gambling. I'm not the first monkey to get riled and refute this system, throw his feces at the scientists and retreat to the far corner of his cage. I could chain myself to the doors of the Presque Isle Downs and, tear-streaked, carry on about the monkeys and the horses. PETA would put me on posters; that's until my human rights campaign began. Then, everyone would just wonder what I was carrying on about. I can hear them already. “Sure, sometimes you'll lose a hundred bucks, so what? I think I'm smarter than some animal,” or “It doesn't mean I'll go back. I'll just have some self-control.” Then, “well, the place was so colorful, and, wow, come to think of it, I could win next time, and then it wouldn't be like I lost at all, right? Didn't it smell great in there!” Yeah, the men at the door would probably recognize me anyway. They would welcome me in, and sit me at a table. They would give me a hat and validate my parking. I used to wonder why the casino would put up so many warnings about gambling and offer help against their business. I've since realized that you can offer all the help you want, and not make a difference, if you've got people by the hopes.