Tag Archives: Ncaa

Caddyshack was righteous: 17 people sickened at NCAA women’s golf tournament

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I’ve seen a lot of people barf on a golf course, whether during my early morning caddying rounds at the local private club 45-years-ago (Caddyshack is one of the most historically accurate films ever made) to annual golfing trips to Virginia 15-20-years-ago.

It was almost always from over-indulgence the night before.

According to Austin Public Health, 17 people became ill from a virus during the NCAA Women’s Golf Tournament in Austin, Texas.

The cause is yet to be determined, but the illness could be foodborne based on the symptoms.

While the investigation continues, the number of people reported sick could increase. The cause of the illness will be difficult to determine as the people ate at different locations.

Katie Overbey: March gastro madness

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Katie Overbey, a food science graduate student at NC State who focuses on food safety communication and norovirus writes:

Basketball has been on my mind a lot this past week and I’ve wondered a few times what would happen if a team participating in the NCAA tournament fell victim to norovirus? Today, I got my answer.ncaa-san-diego-st-duke-basketball.jpeg10-620x412

San Diego State men’s basketball players and coaches got a bit more March Madness than they were counting on this past weekend when members of the team came down with GI illnesses before their game against Duke on Sunday. According to Fox Sports, multiple players, as well as the head coach, experienced symptoms, which sounds like norovirus (but wasn’t confirmed).

The trouble began when senior guard Aqeel Quinn came down with what the team thought was a case of food poisoning after eating a turkey sandwich Thursday.

Head athletic trainer Tom Abdenour said he started hearing that others weren’t feeling well by Saturday evening.

“Coach Fisher said he wasn’t feeling well after practice, then … there’s a text from this one, text from that one,” he said. “It was, ‘Wait a second, what’s going on here?'”

Abdenour said Fisher and assistant coach Brian Dutcher needed IVs on Sunday, while several players told him they weren’t feeling well at breakfast.

Abdenour said radio play-by-play announcer Ted Leitner was also battling the bug.

“That’s not fun to deal with that, but that had no impact on how we competed, what we did, how we played,” Fisher said. “That had no bearing on it.”

Intense GI distress of the norovirus variety doesn’t usually leave me in peak physical condition.

Kansas State BBall star barfing but ready to give it all tonight

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March Madness is March Boredom. Basketball is that dull.

Some of the food safety nerds I know have a NCAA pool called Food Safety Nerds who Like Basketball. Amy gets involved. I don’t. Hockey is more interesting at this time of year, and like hockey a few years ago, the rules for basketball seriously need to change: the last two minutes of each half cannot each take an hour to complete.

But, being in a college town, I know the chances of Kansas State hinge on The Beard: as senior Jacob Fear-the-Beard Pullen goes, so go the prospects of KState.

The Kansas City Star reported that Pullen was sick Wednesday and did not practice.

Kansas State officials told Star that Pullen had been suffering from flu-like symptoms and a high fever, but they expect him to recover in time to play against Utah State on Thursday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Teammates said Pullen was suffering from food poisoning.

Sophomore Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, who apparently does not have a future in epidemiology, told the Star,

"It was from something he ate last night, a cheeseburger or something like that. But he’s going to be all right and he’s going to go tomorrow. I know Jake … he’s going to give his all tomorrow whether he’s 100 percent or not."
 

NCAA swimming and diving delaying because of barf

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Basketball is interminably dull.

The first college game I ever went to on Jan. 30, 2008, Kansas State beat the University of Kansas – who went on to win the national crown – for the first time in 24 years.

All games should be like that. They’re not.

But I’ll watch tonight as K-State goes up against Xavier in a sweet-16 showdown, the first time K-State has been to that particular dance since 1988.

What would be a great storyline is if West Virginia met K-State for the final. Bob Huggins was rescued from career oblivion when they hired him as coach a few years ago. Huggins repaid K-State’s generosity by leaving after one year.

Locals are still upset.

But he left behind assistant coach Frank Martin, who’s turned K-State into a national competitor. The prodigy going up against the mentor. It would be like me and Chapman going on an all-nerd food safety Reach for the Top (trivia note: Chapman was actually on Reach for the Top or whatever the Ontario version was called when he was in high school).

In other NCAA news, the start of the Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships has been delayed 24 hours to Friday after 18 student-athletes and a coach were treated for a possible gastrointestinal illness since arriving in Columbus, Ohio.

K-State’s Bramlage Coliseum would make an excellent hockey arena.
 

Kansas wins NCAA men’s basketball

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The fans have taken to the streets 90 miles east of Manhattan (Kansas) in Lawrence, celebrating the dramatic come-from-behind-overtime KU victory over Memphis in the U.S. men’s college basketball championship tonight.

People on TV swarming the streets in Lawrence are saying this is the happiest moment of their entire lives.

Ahem …

Being Canadian, I don’t get all the intra-state rivalry; this KU logo may draw more vigorous complaints than Honduran cantaloupes.

But I say, good for Kansas. And besides, Kansas State was one of three teams that actually beat KU this season.

Now, about that hockey arena …