We’ve all seen the walk off hits in baseball, the game-winning field goals in football and the buzzer-beaters in basketball. Every little kid’s dream is to be the hero and the one that delivers in the clutch. The greatest feeling in the sports world is when your teammates swarm you after finishing the deal. I can finally say I lived my dream.

It’s the championship game in intramural sand volleyball. Barb’s Boys, my team, is up one game to nothing and leading 29-25. Championship point and we’re serving for the T-shirt. Make fun of that if you want, but I know you’re jealous; those shirts are awesome!

I’m positioned in the front row with the responsibility of blocking spikes that are coming at my face at rates of speed only seen on the NASCAR circuit. I’m standing there praying, one, that we win the title, and, two, that I don’t end up the like the lady in “Meet the Parents,” who takes Greg Focker’s spike right to the face.

Serve, in. Bump, set and here it comes. Spike-fest 2010 happens, but this time I was ready. Timed the jump, raised my arms and “BAM!” blocked. The velocity of the spike sent me flying backwards landing flat on my back. The next thing I hear is screaming. I look up and the opponent is deflated, walking around with a puzzled, defeated look. The ball lands in the back right corner of the court; game, set, match, T-shirt! Two seconds later, I felt like Michael Jordan or Christian Laettner. My teammates swarmed me in the sand, pushed me around, high-fives everywhere, and it was awesome!

As I walked to the referees to thank them, and then to the opposition to shake their hands, I couldn’t really put into words how I felt. The only thing I could think of was, “Wow, this could make a great column, and can someone please help me get this sand off my body.”

This championship wasn’t a national championship, not even a club championship, but it meant something to me. More than you would even know. I was finally on top of the world again.

Being the only senior on a team of sophomores, I felt I was the leader, I felt I was the veteran. I wanted to win this title for our floor in Jacobs.

Coming into this senior year, I made the goal of leaving my mark on Ashland University. When our team received our shirts and lined up for the championship picture, I wondered if my mark was made, or was it just the fact that I was standing next to Mark Scott, Jr. and I was confused.

Walking away from that court, I continued to replay that block in my mind. All the sand on my body, all the sand in places that aren’t appropriate to describe in the paper was worth the effort. Whether or not that’s the mark I leave here at Ashland, I can honestly say I’ll remember that play and that celebration for a long time. Playing with a group of great friends, coming together and winning the title and then celebrating like little kids was a feeling only champions can describe.

So to the members of Barb’s Boys: Jerry Arko, Brendan Jenkins, Chris Kohuth, Ryan Mckenna, Mark Scott, Jr. and honorary coach, Matt Wojciechowski, we did it! Queen said it best, “We are the Champions!”