New Jersey Institute of Suck

Winter Haven residents attended the UVU Women's Basketball Team last home game. Although the lady Wolverines have struggled throughout the season, falling claim to one of the worst rankings in the "Great" West Conference, they overcame any reservations they had about winning to beat The New Jersey Institute of Technology.
NJIT pulled an early lead, but our Wolverines rallied back to win the game in the final minutes. Thanks to all those that attended and enjoyed free t-shirts and pizza for MAWL members. Good luck with the rest of the season, UVU.

Archery sponsored by Kevin Costner

When someone says "Archery" what's the first thing that comes to mind? That's right, Kevin Costner shooting an arrow through the hand of Christian Slater in the 1991 Blockbuster movie, Robin Hood. with this image cemented firmly in our minds, more than a dozen of us from Winter Haven went to Jake's Archery to try our hand (pun intended) at this beautiful sport.
The wonderful folks at Jake's Archery provided us with right and left-handed bows, arrows, and cardboard cut-outs of Christian Slater's hand to use as targets. One resident remarked, "I've never shot archery before so I didn't think I would be able to get the hang of it. But when I saw Slater's back-stabbing hand up there in front of me I was like, 'you don't try to usurp your half- brother like that and get away with it.'" Needless to say, this resident's skills greatly improved upon realizing that Slater's "piss and wind" needed to be quelled with his help.
Special thanks to Jake's Archery and an even warmer thanks to those that proved it doesn't pay to be a whiny, self-centered half-brother whose only concern is that "Daddy loved you (Kevin Costner) best."

The Need for Speed Dating

On 10 February we teamed up with the residents at Summerwood Apartments to have a speed dating session. There was about thirty people, but there was a lot more love. Participants had the opportunity to ask each other questions for about 2 minutes each and then decide if they liked that person. All things were done anonymously so no worries about awkward pressure.
We're happy to say that a few of the residents were able to hit it off quite well. In fact, Trac Norris, who holds the school record in the mile run, said "I didn't think I could find a date from this, I just wanted to have fun! But what do you know, it's like someone cast a 'love-out-of-nowhere spell' on me and I've got a date for this weekend!"
If anyone else has success stories from this event, feel free to share them with us here!

Yoga

On 3 February we were fortunate enough to have Niki Bennet come and teach us the ways of relaxation, exercise and Yoga. We met in the workout room here at Winter Haven which could not have been a better venue. There were about a dozen people that showed up for this exclusive yoga session and whether you were a beginner or grand master, there was all sorts of fun to be had.
Niki not only provided yoga lessons, but allowed us to delve deeper into the realm of yoga by offering us literature a music. Special thanks to Niki for volunteering to help us and thanks to all those that came.

S"no"w Showing

We apologize that the snowshoeing activity never precipitated as planned and expected. The school's OAC program really dropped the ball on us and we apologize to the dozen or so you that came out for this event. Our most sincere regards.

"Up" Down below

Question: What's more ironic than a movie about an old man who floats away in his own house with a boy scout after his barren wife passes away and he beats someone with a walking stick? Answer: Watching it in the underground parking lot.
There may have been some scheduling conflict for most of the residents (by most I mean all but half a dozen) on thursday night because there was a meager showing for the Winter Haven premier of the movie "Up." Despite the low turn out, we enjoyed popcorn, hot chocolate, and we watched the #1 animated film of the year on the big screen.
We owe a special thanks to all those that helped set up and to the handful of people who came and enjoyed the movie. Ladies, we promise that the Gem will be there next time, and guys, we promise that the Gem will be there next time too.

Pass me the rock

Holler for a dollar! Shout for some clout! Holler for a dollar! Let's turn this party out! Cheers to the thirty residents that joined us in supporting the UVU Men's Basketball team. Unfortunately the team lost to North Dakota, a division one powerhouse, but it was a victory for Winter Haven residents who represented the majority of the attending crowd!
For those of us that attended, we were able to boast our baby blue Winter Haven sports regalia T-shirts and we also got in for free courtesy of the UVU Publisity Office in the Athletic Department. Thanks to all those who attended in supporting our local athletics. When North Dakota ended up clinching onto a narrow victory, it was heart-warming, to say the least, to see all the mad-dog faces from true UVU fans!