Dear Scared,
As long as she’s letting out all her furry on the court, then you should be safe. Many female athletes are fierce when it’s gametime. Though, if she ever loses or has a bad game, I’d let her cool down for a bit after the game before seeing her again. You don’t want a hand to the face.

Dear Anthony,
I got my girlfriend some chocolate for Valentines Day, which she enjoyed. She got me chocolate, too, but she also ate mine. How come all of my gifts are also her gifts?
Sincerely, Those Are Mine

Dear Those Are Mine,
Gifts are one of the things that make women very happy. For the most part, when they get you a gift, they buy it knowing they can use it, too. For example, if she buys you tickets to a game, she knows that sh will also go and you will end up buying stuff for her there. It’s a game that they play, and they play it well.

Dear Anthony,
Is it solely the man’s responsibility to bring the condoms?
Sincerely, Trojan

Dear Trojan,
You should feel just as strict, if not more, than a woman when it comes to protection. I know I care enough about my prized possesions to make sure nothing ever happens to them.

Dear Anthony,
Why do girls say that they prefer guys with a sense of humor when we know that’s such a big, fat lie?
Sincerely, Not Falling For It

Dear Not Falling For It,
It makes them sound better when they say that rather than saying that they just want a guy with ripped abs. They just don’t want to sound shallow, but we just sit back and laugh when we hear them say that.

With 81 days until Spring Commencement, CMU’s Alumni Association will host its seventh annual Grad Fair Wednesday and Thursday in the University Center Ballroom.

“This is a one-stop shop,” Director of Alumni Relations Rick Adleman said. “It’s a chance for seniors to know what’s out there after they graduate.”

This year’s event will offer 20 different vendors including various hotels, Partyland, Hooters and the Grand Valley Young Professionals. Each vendor will also give away a door prize.

“We try and recruit businesses who would be useful when planning graduation parties,” Adleman said.

Graduating seniors will be entered into the drawing for the door prizes when they register with the event’s email list.

Orders for caps, gowns, class rings and announcements will be taken through Herff Jones. Cap and gown orders will be taken through March 31. Students who did not order their gown before the deadline will be able to purchase one in May with a $30 late fee.

The Alumni Association holds the event before graduation and final tests.

“The stress hasn’t hit them yet, so it’s still fun,” Adleman said.

The Alumni Association works year-round to put on the event for CMU students. They have a committee that begins contacting vendors in October and starts recruiting volunteers in January. This year, over 20 alumni will help out with the event.

The Alumni Association will also hold a Grad Fair next fall for December graduates.

“We will definitely do some type of Grad Fair in the fall,” Adleman said. “It will probably be smaller, but with the same purpose.”

All students, regardless of grade level, are welcome at this year’s event.

“Even if you’re not a senior, we welcome you to stop by and survey what the fair and the Alumni Association has to offer,” Adleman said.

“We also encourage seniors to bring their parents if they’re involved in the party planning process.”

The Grad Fair will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday. For more information on the event or the Alumni Association, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cmualumni.

The Fruita Community Center was packed Saturday with health conscious community members and their families for the City of Fruita’s fifth annual Sweet Heart Run and Health Expo. The event was managed and promoted in part by the CMU Public Relations Club.

Grand Valley residents attended the 5K run/walk and 10K run. The top two male and female winners in each of the age categories received custom SockGuy arm warmers.

Aside from helping promote the event, PR Club members helped the event in many ways including directing runners, handing out water and directing traffic on the roads.

In addition to the runs, Family Health West’s Health Expo featured vendors promoting health and wellness.

“It was a community service project for the PR Club,” PR Club President Ashley Foley said. “It was very good practical experience for us. We got to learn how an event is run.”

The first 400 participants received custom Loki running gloves and goodie bags.

“It was a lot of fun and we hope to do it again next year,” Foley said.

The PR Club’s goal is to provide practical experience to students outside the classroom in the public relations and advertising field. They meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Mass Communications Library on the third floor of the Fine Arts building. For more information, email Foley at afoley@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

“The Ambassadors goal is to bring everyone together to relax and have a good time,” Fundraising Coordinator Tad Schrader said.  “All proceeds will help support the Ambassador group to become more involved on campus and in the community.”

Registration and check-in begins at 1 p.m. The event is open to the public.

“The bowling tournament is a wonderful opportunity to not only raise money for our program, but also include the community in supporting CMU,” Schrader said. “As a group, we want to make solid connections with the community members in an inexpensive way.”

To preregister, email Schrader at tschrade@coloradomesa.edu.

The Ambassador program is composed of a group of student leaders who are given the opportunity to introduce incoming students to the school and make sure they acclimate well to the tight-knit community of campus life. The program is designed to serve prospective CMU students as well as parents of the community by leading by example and connecting students and community resources.

To Mike Dominguez, winning is everything.

“If you’re not trying to win, you shouldn’t be playing,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez, a CMU graduate assistant and former Maverick basketball star, knows how to win – his basketball career attests to it. Dominguez has won titles at the high school, college, and professional level.

At age four, Dominguez trained on the plastic, child-sized hoop in his backyard in Espanola, New Mex. As a kid, Dominguez was naturally competitive.

“I always had to be the best. It didn’t matter if I was a kid playing ‘who can throw the rock the furthest. I had so much pride, and I wanted everyone to know it.”

Dominguez eventually grew too big for his plastic hoop, honing his skills and earning a starting spot on his high school varsity team as a sophomore. During his sophomore campaign, he averaged double figures in scoring. More importantly, he grew five inches, allowing him to excel in his self-proclaimed “breakout season.”

Dominguez continued to succeed the following year, leading his team to a state championship. In the title game, Dominguez led his team in scoring and exploded for nine points in the final 90 seconds to secure the state championship.

After propelling his high school squad to a 53-3 record over three seasons, Dominguez set his sights on playing at the college level. He played two years at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling before being recruited by Florida International University, a D1 school in Miami. He averaged double figures for the Golden Panthers, but the injury-plagued squad fell well below .500, leading to the firing of the head coach.

Without a coach or plans for the following years, Dominguez wanted out of FIU. He wanted to play in D2 to avoid sitting out a year, and he wanted to play in the RMAC so he could be close to home. He had pivotal decisions to make in very little time.

Then he met Maverick head coach Jim Heaps.

“The first thing we saw in Mike was his uncanny basketball IQ,” Heaps said. “His court intelligence was off the charts.”

Dominguez had one year left to play college basketball, and he would suit up for the Mavericks to do it. However, the Mavs had five seniors on the squad who had played together since freshman year. Dominguez had to prove himself quickly, and he did exactly that.

“When Mike came to practice for the first time, he wasn’t the best player on the court,” Heaps said. “But he worked hard and stepped up during games. He made on-court observations that I hadn’t even thought of. I don’t know if it’s something you learn or something that’s bred, but he made decisions that were right on the mark.”

Dominguez immediately made an impact as a Maverick, leading the team with 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. The Mavs finished the year with a 23-6 record, a first-place finish in the RMAC and a trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

However, Dominguez’s raw talent can’t be boiled down to statistics. He proved to be a clutch performer as well.

The Mavs travelled to New Mexico Highlands University for a typical RMAC matchup, but the atmsophere wasn’t as typical. The Highlands campus is less than 30 minutes from Dominguez’s hometown. The gym was filled with his closest friends and family members, as well as fans who had seen Dominguez dominate as a high school player.

“Everyone knew about Dominguez in that gym,” Heaps said. “People in the state knew how good he was.”

Dominguez lived up to the hype, scoring 37 points, highlighted by a game-winning shot that lifted the Mavs to a 81-79 victory.

“It was an excitement that I can’t even explain,” Dominguez said. “Everyone wants to take the last shot. But when it comes down to it, I want that shot.”

The last-second victory was the third win during a 10-game winning streak for the Mavs.

“It was exciting to keep winning,” Dominguez said. “I still watch the tapes from those games. It was one of the funnest times of my life.”

After only one season as a Maverick, Dominguez’s college basketball career came to a close. But his basketball career wasn’t over yet. Within weeks of appearing at Regionals, Dominguez was fielding phone calls from professional squads all over the world.

“When you’re that good, it’s always on your mind to play at the next level,” Heaps said. “There was no doubt that he had the talent to go pro.”

Dominguez signed a contract with the Toros de Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, and the experience was memorable despite the difficult adjustment of living in a new country.

“It was very different,” Dominguez said. “I basically went into what is a third-world country. I saw people struggling, and it made me appreciate what I had in the States.”

Despite troubles acclimating to a new culture, Dominguez and the Toros won the Liga Nacional Championship.

With a professional baskestball championship under his belt, Dominguez had succeeded at every level of his sport. Next on his agenda: pass on his experiences, values, and winning ways to future generations. Dominguez is back at CMU, finishing his degree in Physical Education and working as a graduate assistant for the Mavs under Heaps.

“Mike knows his niche,” Heaps said. “He wants to teach and coach at the high school level. He’ll be great it at, too. He’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached, and he’s a great guy.”

From plastic hoops to professional championships, Dominguez has proven himself as a winner. When he becomes a teacher and a coach, it will be the most important principle he teaches to his students and athletes.

“I want to teach people to never be satisfied,” Dominguez said. “You see people win, and it makes you want to win. It keeps me pushing in sports and in life.”

“Everyone came into the RMAC Championship meet with high hopes of doing well.” Peter Szekely said. “I think we well exceeded those expectations.”

Peter and the rest of the men’s team finished third out of six teams.

After heading back to his home country of Venezuela last year to attempt to qualify for the Olympics, senior Alejandro Hernandez broke RMAC records in Texas. Hernandez cruised to a 3:59.3 in the Men’s 400 IM, beating the record of 4:01.38 set back in 2009.

“A lot of people got their best personal times.” Hernadez said. “That’s what really counts.”

The Mavericks also qualified four divers for nationals. Freshman Amanda Jennings was one of the four who qualified.

“It was like a dream come true.“ Jennings said. “It was honestly one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt.”

Sophomore Brock Martin left the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio with first place finishes in the one and three meter dive competitions. Those two wins, coupled with the strong season that Martin is coming off of earned him the 2012 RMAC Diver of the Meet honor, along with the 2012 RMAC Men’s Diver of the Year.

Freshman Brooke Lera wasn’t about to let Martin leave with all the diving glory. Lera won the women’s one meter diving event, Making her and Martin the RMAC champions. Both Martin and Lera were among the four CMU qualifiers for nationals in March, held in Dallas.

The Mavericks finished up their 2011-2012 campaign with 18 individual school records, 10 relay school records, 50 women’s individual records, and 62 men’s individual records.

Brock Martin, Brooke Lera, Amanda Jennings, and Savannah Craft will represent CMU in Dallas March 13-17.

The Mavs were out for revenge after a 58-57 loss to the Mountaineers earlier in the season. The Mavs won, 57-54.

Both teams struggled to start the game, going nearly 10 minutes without scoring. Jeff Hart broke the 3-3 tie with a layup, and CMU students threw rolls of toilet paper on the court, which gave the Mavs a technical foul. After the toilet paper was cleared from the floor, baskets began to fall for both teams. The Mavs and Mountaineers ended the half in a 22-22 tie.

Kevin Screen ended the first half with seven points. Shawn King and Michael Bear each added four points.

In the second half, the Mountaineers started the period with two threes, but the Mavs responded, building a 38-34 lead.

“Sooner or later, you got to step up and make some shots,” coach Jim Heaps said. “Those kids stepped up and made shots when we needed them.”

With the Mavs and Mountaineers trading baskets throughout the second half, the game boiled down to a 44-44 tie with 27 seconds left on the clock. Estes took the last shot for the Mavs, but missed over the backboard. Western threw a long ball down the court to attempt a buzzer-beater, but the pass was intercepted by Mike Melilo, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Mavs built a lead on three baskets, but the Mountaineers scored five straight points to lead by one. With 1:30 left, Bear nailed two free throws, putting the Mavs up 53-52. It was Bear’s first game since missing six games with a high ankle sprain.

After a missed three pointer by Western, Kevin Screen hit a clutch jumper with less than 30 seconds left to put the Mavs up 55-52. The Mountaineers attempted another three on the following posession, bouncing of the rim. Nate Nelson reeled in the rebound and was immediately fouled. Nelson made both free throws, sealing a Maverick victory.

The Mavs went 13-19 from the line and shot 67 percent from the outside. Hart fouled out late, but led the Mavs with 13 points.

CMU pulled off the 57-54 thriller, on a night honoring Maverick seniors Blake Francom, Bear, and Nelson.

“Our seniors played a huge part just like they should every year,” Hart said. “We are a very tight-knit team, so it’ll be really hard to watch them go.”

The Mavs end the season with road matchups against Adams State and Fort Lewis.

“Their quick start might have gotten in the heads of our girls which made for a rough game,” midfielder Allie Henderson said.

The Regis forwards continued to run past the Maverick defense and poured in nine goals through the first 12 minutes. Then the Mavs found some energy and answered with several goals of their own, first from freshman Lexie Chavez with 16 minutes remaining in the first half, followed by a well-placed shot from Henderson.

After the rally, the Mavs controlled posession for several minutes. Their ball movement led to a yellow card on Regis defender Kendra Burch, after Burch’s stick hit Amanda Simon in the face, giving Simon a free shot attempt. Simon capitalized and brought the Mavs closer, but still trailed 10-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the half.

The Mavs picked up momentum after a back-and-forth struggle and had several chances to get back into the match. Henderson picked up a loose ball and weaved her way into Regis territory before earning a penalty shot. Freshman Maddie Spor failed to convert the free shot, leading to a Regis counter-attack.

Regis’ Jessika Carlstrom silenced the home crowd when she took a pass from Emily Behr and found the back of the net, putting Regis up 11-3. The Mavs tried to score before halftime but the Regis defense wouldn’t allow it.

The Mavs went into the half down 11-3, and were outshot by the Rangers 18-9.

Regis opened the second half the same way as the first, scoring in under a minute to open the half. Over the next 20 minutes of the match, Regis outscored the Mavs 9-3, demolishing any hopes of a Maverick comeback.

“When Regis started pulling away, it was hard on all of us,” freshman Rachael Sutton said. “But it didn’t discourage us really. It made us want to get the ball back that much more.”

The Mavs presence wasn’t felt until Sutton sprinted by five Regis defenders and produced a scorching shot that found the corner of the net with 1:26 remaining. Sutton and Chavez would add two more goals, but it wouldn’t be enough to threaten the Regis lead.

Regis would score with two seconds remaining after Monica Gorciak cut through the defense.

“We had a lot of little mistakes,” Henderson said. “We dropped a lot of passes in transition and forced too many shots.”

Despite a tough loss, Henderson and the Mavs seem optimistic heading into next week’s game.

“The first game is always tough,” Henderson said. “I am more than confident that the girls and I will pick it up in our upcoming games.”

The freshman duo of Chavez and Sutton netted three goals each. Henderson, Simon, and Tayler Lansdown each added a goal. The Mavs were outshot 38-18.

The Mavs will look to rebound next Friday at Lindenwood University, followed by a home game on Saturday against Lake Erie College.

The Mavs struggled to score early and didn’t score for the first five minutes of the game. They trailed by as much as 14, but Kelsey Sigl and Tara Gehring cut the lead to three before halftime, 28-25.

“There was a lid on it early,” coach Roger Walters said. “But once we cut it to three I knew we were back in it.”

Sigl got good looks inside, scoring 11 points in the first half and grabbing four rebounds. Amy Weitzeil chipped in five points and Katrina Selsor added four points and four rebounds.

The second half was much closer, with neither team leading by more than five points. The Mavs got a pair of layups by Weitzeil and Hanna Bowden in the first minute to go up by one but Western State matched each Maverick possession with a basket of their own. Tempers flared in the half as a questionable call led to Walters being assessed with a technical foul.

The Mavs got to the line often and went 7-8 from the charity stripe in the last two minutes of regulation. With 17 seconds to go, senior Alaina Brennan went to the line and hit one of two free throws, putting the Mavs up by three. However, the Mountaineers were able to hit a three with 2.6 seconds left to tie the game. After a last second try came up short for the Mavs the game went into overtime with the score knotted at 66.

The overtime period saw only five made baskets by both teams and with the score tied 70-70. Sigl was fouled and went to the line with the chance to put the Mavs up for the first time in overtime. After making the first, Sigl missed the second shot and the Mavericks were up by one with a lot of time left. The Mavs played solid defense and the Mountainteers failed to make shots late, helping the Mavs retain their one-point lead with six seconds left. The Mountaineers had one chance to win the game with the ball under their own basket. With time running down the Mountaineers threw up one last shot but it bounced off back iron, giving the Mavs the narrow one-point win.

“We just played with heart at the end.” Gehrig said.

She finished with 11 points and Sigl racked up a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

After shooting 31 from the field in the first half, the Mavs shot 61 percent in the second half while holding Western State to just 39%. The Mavs were able to get to the line often and capitalized on their opportunities, shooting 72 percent. “If we don’t shoot 72 percent we don’t win,” Walters said.

The Mavs will wrap their season on the road at Adams State and Fort Lewis this weekend.

After you dig out your Mavcard from under a pile of laundry, find clean gym clothes and get to the gym, you’ve already wasted half an hour.

The real fun happens when you get to the gym.

Within 10 minutes of starting your workout, you will have observed some of CMU’s finest gym-goers.

The first type of person you’re likely to run into is the grunter. This person (usually male) grunts loudly, his veins popping out of his neck and his eyes bulging. At the end of his set, he drops the weights on the floor in such dramatic fashion you feel the floor shake. I’m sure the grunter thinks that every grunt helps him build muscle, but I’ll let you all in on a little secret. It doesn’t. It’s just annoying, and when I can hear you over my iPod, you’re too loud.

The next person you’ll run into will be the PYT (pretty young thing). These girls are the ones who have their shirt, shorts and shoes perfectly color coordinated. They have their hair up in some fancy ponytail, and they look like they have just applied a fresh face of makeup before arriving. Throughout their whole workout, they maintain that fresh face, while the rest of us all try not to let our tongues hang out of mouths and the sweat run down our faces. They prance around from weights to bikes, maintaining their cheery disposition.

Usually, these PYT’s turn into the gigglers. These gigglers occupy the Group X room, and they laugh the whole time. They laugh when they mess up a Zumba move, or when the teacher says “show some attitude.” They usually run in and out of the room three times during the class to recruit their friends. After five Zumba songs I’m about ready to die. The gigglers are not taking things very seriously. They can be seen flirting with the guys.

Of course, as in every setting in life, there are gym rats. Gym rats can run around the track for an hour, do a yoga class, and lift weights – and that’s just their morning session. They come back two more times before the day is over, doing 10 laps of lunges around the tracks, then doing backwards lunges for another 10 laps. They make the hardest activities look easy.

The last type of person you’ll run into is the elliptical runner. Elliptical training is a good option for people who can’t run, or who are just getting started on a workout program. However, the people who just ride the elliptical on level 1 for an hour aren’t really accomplishing anything. They spin their little legs as fast as they can go, talking on their cell phones or reading a book. If you’re not doing intervals or setting the incline to at least five, then you’re just spinning your wheels. They’re usually more interested in looking at the guys working out then working out t