There were a thousand stories that could have been told aboutthese six men's cross country team members and their house. They,however, focused on the one about an old wooden porch swing.
Prior to the men moving into the house, some members of thewomen's soccer team lived in the home. One night, one of the guysheard something on the porch but thought nothing of it. The nextmorning they noticed their porch swing was gone and they had noidea who had taken it.
Over time they eventually found out it was some of the soccerplayers. Upon finding this out, they went to steal it back, only tohave it stolen again within a week. About two months ago they foundout where it was and stole it back. Now it hangs on the porch,chained to the pillar with a padlock.
"They can try, but they'll never get it," Andy Fritz said.
The porch swing story was only one of many that often aroseafter a certain topic was brought up. There were stories about whenthey met, stories about cleaning, stories about cooking, storiesabout anything they talked about.
Michael Johnson, Steve Samuel, Jason Ritter, Joe Mitchell, AlanHemmelgarn and Fritz are in their second year of living together.Almost all of them met on the first day of practice a few yearsback and as with any team, the guys became close friends. Eatingbreakfast and dinner at the "Buffet" together, going on runstogether and eventually even finding a house together.
Ritter and Samuel lived together in the dorms two years beforemoving into the house while Mitchell and Fritz lived togther forone year before moving into the house.
The guys are very clear about the fact that they were the firsthouse in which members of the team lived together.
"Everything cool the other house did, we started it first andthey copied off us," Johnson said about the second house down theblock that also houses members of the men's team.
"We're probably the most non-college house on this campus,"Johnson said.
However, the piles of random possesions that are scatteredthroughout the house, along with a kitchen that gets neglected,would tell a visitor that they are indeed a very normal collegehouse. Fritz often takes charge of what cleaning does get done,mainly because he cares the most.
"Stuff gets really dirty and then somebody will have time andthey'll get tired of it and clean it," Samuel said.
A cleaning system does not work for them because not everyone inthe house would value the system. The housemates agree that Ritteris the worst when it comes to cleaning up.
"I think he has a lot of cleaning ability, but he just doesn'tdo it," Fritz said.
Mitchell would be a perfect example of a non-college student. Heis the earliest riser in the house: other roommates often wake upto him watching "The Today Show," although sometimes he has alreadyleft on a bike ride by this time.
"Mostly, Joe has accomplished more before six o'clock then mostof us do during the day," Fritz said.
The rest of the house tends to wake up early as well and it'snot often that people will be up after midnight.
Whether or not the house resembles a common college house oncampus doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that six guys canlive together, have such a good time and have numerous stories totell about their experience later.
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