Chet and Don, the founding fathers of what has simply become known as "State", have started a legacy that now three generations of Conley's, along with extended family and friends have participated in. Chet and Don have been at it for almost 20 years, and 11 years ago the fab five was created (Chet,Don,Javan,Seth,&Micah). As each year progresses, the group gets larger and larger (19 people in 2009). Over the years we have developed some great traditions. Below are just of few of the annual traditions that we always look forward to.
Considering that the entire weekend revolves around food and basketball, there is no better way to start off the festivities than with some good grub! Each Wednesday night before State, the guys get together to kick-off the weekend with what has become known as the annual "Pre-State Dinner". This tradition started with Javan, Seth, and Micah at BW3's back in 2001. In 2007 the Findlay Crew (Dad,Don, and Geoff) joined in on the fun and the tradition was born. Careful consideration goes into the restaurant selection process for each year...similar to the selection process the Olympic Committee goes through when naming the site for the summer and winter olympics. Past sites from left to right include Eddie George's Grill 27 (2007), Champs at Easton (2008), Thurman's Cafe (2009), Montgomery Inn (2010), Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill (2011), BJ's Brewhouse (2012), Smith and Wollensky (2013), and Dave and Busters (2014). 2015 was the first year there was not a pre-state dinner due to a family surgery, but the tradition picked right back up with Brio at Easton (2016), Elevator in downtown Columbus (2017), Firebirds Wood Fire Grill (2018) and the brand new Top Golf (2019).
Sometimes sitting through a blow-out, or watching two teams who would prefer to hold the ball for minutes at a time can be a little boring. So, to spice things up a little, we started the tradition of points and attendance. This tradition began many years ago when we first noticed the arena announcer announcing the attendance for each game at the end of the third quarter. It started out as a simple "guess out loud" to one another, then small wagers began - a bag of skittles, maybe some nachos, or perhaps a 7-11 coffee to the winner. Eventually we said heck with the treats, and started collecting cold hard cash! To beef up the pot, we decided to start guessing total points as well. Seth serves as the bookie and collects $1 for points, and $1 for total attendance from all who are willing to man up. Everyone writes their guess for each game on a ticket stub or a notepad, and then the fun begins! There are two pots: attendance and points. The person with the closest guess without going over wins the pot. If there is no winner, the pot gets carried over to the next game.
Ask anyone who has ever participated in this tradition and they will tell you this has definitely created some unforgettable memories. One memorable story was when Geoff was one point away from winning the pot and the team with a 20+ point lead decided to hold the ball for the final 30 seconds of the game. With quite a bit of money on the line, Geoff is yelling at the top of his lungs from the 300-section, "SHOOT THE BALL!!!!" Obviously he received more than a few confused and annoyed looks from the hundreds of fans sitting around us! The guys will tell you, nothing makes a state tournament game more exciting than when everyone is in the hunt for total points and it's decided on the last shot, or in the last few seconds of the game.
Other than food, the only thing that can bring our rowdy group of guys to a complete silence is hearing the announcer say "attendence at today's session is. . ." This is by far one of the most popular, and most entertaining traditions!
Ask anyone who has ever participated in this tradition and they will tell you this has definitely created some unforgettable memories. One memorable story was when Geoff was one point away from winning the pot and the team with a 20+ point lead decided to hold the ball for the final 30 seconds of the game. With quite a bit of money on the line, Geoff is yelling at the top of his lungs from the 300-section, "SHOOT THE BALL!!!!" Obviously he received more than a few confused and annoyed looks from the hundreds of fans sitting around us! The guys will tell you, nothing makes a state tournament game more exciting than when everyone is in the hunt for total points and it's decided on the last shot, or in the last few seconds of the game.
Other than food, the only thing that can bring our rowdy group of guys to a complete silence is hearing the announcer say "attendence at today's session is. . ." This is by far one of the most popular, and most entertaining traditions!
As of 2007 we started taking group photos to chronicle how our group has grown over the years. This tradition can be attributed to our lovely wives who are avid scrapbookers. As mentioned earlier, the fab five started making State a yearly tradition in 1998. As of a few years ago, the group grew to include sons, first and second cousins, in-laws, nephews, grandsons, and friends. This picture is usually taken on Saturday before the second to last game (before dark). It is always fun trying to rally the guys around to take the photo as they are usually scattered around the parking lot eating, throwing the football, etc. We've managed to get everyone however for the last five years.
The Saturday afternoon meal is yet another tradition that has lasted over 10 years. This usually takes place between the second and third games after the grill has been packed away for the weekend. In the good old days Dad would usually pay for his boys, but now that he is on a fixed income and our numbers have grown considerably, we are left to fend for ourselves. Damon's and BW3's used to be our usual spots, however we have branched out over the last few years.
2014 marked the beginning of a brand new State tradition affectionately known as "the throwback game." In the early years of state, a simpler time with limited funds and limited ticket connections, the 300 level became a very familiar place for the early state-goers. The likes of Adriene Payne, Andrew Lavender, Dequan Cook, Lebron James, John Diebler, O.J. Mayo, and Bill Walker were witnessed from the nosebleeds. As the years passed and the ticket connections improved, so did the seats. Thankfully, the days of the 300 level tickets has become a thing of the past as we now acquire ticket pairs in the 100 and 200 levels. While the view is unbeatable, the gang is split up into various locations. In an effort to relive the glory days of legs stretched over the seats, naps at halftime, walking halfway around the arena to find an open concession stand, and an empty seat in between each of us, the throwback game was born. For at least one game out of the 12 for the weekend, we take the extended ride on the escalator and bypass our lower level seats to reunite the entire crew in one section. In addition to having the entire gang in one location, this year's throwback gave us plenty of arm and leg room to bust out our own "Harlem Shake!" The 2014 throwback game was a hit and is likely to become a favorite state tradition for many years to come!
Unfortunately due to several factors, the main one being the transformation of the Holiday Inn on Lane being turned into campus housing, this tradition is no longer part of the state weekend. However, for over 10 years, every Friday morning the gang would the Holiday Inn on Lane Avenue for the annual University of Findlay Alumni breakfast. Sure, only one of us is a true alumni (Javan played basketball for Findlay from 1993-1997), but that didn't stop us from getting busy on the buffet! The $5 all you can eat smorgasbord was definitely worth the boring speeches we had to sit through! Plus we usually come out of there with some pretty funny stories (ask Seth about the bacon boy). Nevertheless, our crew had been regular attenders of the breakfast since 1998. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the 2009 breakfast as the University of Findlay boys basketball team was coming off an exciting 67-65 victory the night before in the NCAA DII national semi-final. The Oilers were scheduled to play in the national championship game the next day. Anxious to hear how things turned out for the 2009 Oilers? Check out the "Archives" tab and click on "2008-09 State Recap" tab. (above middle pic: Javan and University of Findlay boys basketball coach Ron Niekamp (2008)
In case you haven't figured it out by now, State pretty much consists of basketball and food. Tailgating is one of the longest traditions going. 2006 saw the beginning of a beautiful era...the Coleman Roadtrip Grill (purchased specifically for State). This bad boy has grilled countless hamburgers,brats, hot dogs, onions, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bagels, and yes even bologna (for Big Mike). We all back our cars up to each other, bust out the lawn chairs and coolers, and basically gorge ourselves on the finest meats, chips, little debbies, coffee, gatorade, soda, skittles, sunflower seeds, and occassionally some fruit!
Leave it to Jake to remind us all of how old we are by bringing the football. There are really only four main objectives in parking lot football:
1) try not to injure yourself
2) try not to injure or run over other small children
3) try to keep the football out of the river
4) avoid hitting any cars (with the football or your body)
1) try not to injure yourself
2) try not to injure or run over other small children
3) try to keep the football out of the river
4) avoid hitting any cars (with the football or your body)
You can't fully experience the state tournament until you've taken the time between sessions to tour St. John Arena. This is an excellent activity that we all enjoy, and it is highly recommended that your visit take place during the evening when the arena is completely quiet and the lighting is low. Only then are you truly able to take in all of the history and appreciate all of the trophies and artifacts that are housed in the building. It is an amazing feeling walking onto the floor, looking up at the wooden seats, and seeing the massive scoreboard overhead. Ask anyone and they will tell you, this place never gets old, and each visit is just as exciting as the last. Over the last two years we have welcomed a third generation into our crew - Mason, Ethan, and Christopher, and seeing them walk through the facility for the first time was pretty awesome. The top left picture was Mason's first tour of St. John with his dad, taken on the floor of the arena.
Ok, so this is more of an "un-official" tradition, but it seems to happen every year. By the end of the weekend, everyone starts getting a little delusional after three straight days of completely destroying our bodies with mass quantities of junk food and little or no sleep. It is also the final hours of "man time" most of us will get with each other for the rest of the year. So "The Final Walk" is the last group walk from the parking lot to the Schott for the division 1 final. Since the group pretty much splits and heads for home immediately following the game, we all walk together one last time. What happens during the walk can really only be described in pictures...no words do it justice!
Again, this is more of an "un-official" tradition, but just like The Final Walk, this happens every year...who can capture the best chow-down pic? Over the years, nobody has topped Big Mike's monkey lips suctioning out all of the Hi-C fruit punch (bottom right pic). Nevertheless, attempts have been made by all to try and take the crown. With as much food that is consumed, you are bound to have your picture taken while stuffing your face!