Blaze(r) of Glory

This is my second post in a row using Bon Jovi song titles/lyrics in my post title! *high fives self*

Today, I want to talk about a blazer. This blazer, in fact:

I saw this beauty while shopping with my mom in late 2012 (or early 2013. Before the spring semester of 2013, in any case). I was immediately in love because, hello, look at it. But it was also more than I wanted to spend, despite the fact that I WAS looking to buy professional-type clothes.

When I told my mom that I wasn't going to get it for myself, she said, "Than I'll get it for you. It's too perfect for you not to get it."

I'm sure I thanked her profusely, being the fantabulous daughter that I am, but the only thing I remember saying is, "I'm going to wear this when I interview for a job at the USOC."

Yes folks, I pulled a Babe Ruth and called my shot.

It was an odd call to make, too, since unless I was already in Colorado Springs, this hypothetical interview I was talking about would be conducted over the phone and attire would be a moot point. But hey, dream big, right?

So the blazer came home with me, and then went to Miami with me as I began my final semester as a student and intern in the athletic department. I tucked it away in my closet, not wanting to wear it just anywhere. I mean, the office I worked in was way too casual, and it was just too beautiful to "waste" on an average day! So it laid in wait until Duke basketball rolled into town. I was on the schedule to work that game, and decided it was the blazer's time to shine. Hosting the No. 1 team in the country in front of a sold-out arena and ESPN primetime cameras is a worthy occasion, amirite?

Well, the occasion turned out to be even worthier than anticipated, as my then-unranked Canes demolished Duke by over 20 points. The whole night was electric, the student section rushed the court, and the Cinderella season had officially begun. Basically, it was perfect. I firmly believed my blazer had some awesome juju going on, so it went back into my closet to await the next perfect occasion.

Lo and behold, nine months later, I was asked to interview with the USOC while I was living in Colorado Springs. My bold prediction had come true! I was going to wear this blazer when I interviewed with the USOC! I'd never been so excited and confident going into an interview, and I walked out of there positively elated with myself.

And then... I didn't get the job.

I was equal parts devastated and furious, and it snapped me out of my belief that this blazer had any special meaning. Um, hello, it's just fabric. Any specialness that I'd attributed to it was solely in my head.

So along comes January. I'm at home in New York and unemployed, when I'm contacted by a different department at the USOC for an interview. It ended up getting scheduled for the same day I got the email about it, mere hours later, a day that I'd spent digging out my room and wearing giant, slouchy pajamas. I briefly thought of breaking out my blazer and fancying myself up, but then I thought... why? Nobody was going to see me except myself. All getting dressed up would do was cut into the limited time I could've spent preparing. It wasn't going to make me perform any better or feel more confident in myself! So I decided to prepare. My blazer stayed in my closet (heck, I don't think I'd even unpacked it from my suitcase yet), I did my interview homework, and it was a great interview conducted from the most comfy clothes I own that are probably about eight sizes too big for me.

Blazer or no blazer, I got the job.

I'm not one to be superstitious or give articles of clothing such extreme importance, and I can (hopefully) honestly say I won't do it again. I mean, if I can get my dream job in flannel pants a foot too long for me, what on earth is so special about a blazer?

...But that didn't mean I wasn't going to wear it on my first day of work. ;)

You know you were missing awkward, low-quality photos in your life. Don't lie.

Has anyone else gotten all misty over a piece of clothing that was supposed to be "special"? Please, tell me I'm not totally crazy!

USA Hockey Jerseys: The Good, The Bad, and The Ones You Shouldn't Complain About

Earlier today, USA Hockey revealed the jerseys that are going to be worn by Team USA at the Sochi 2014 Olympics. From what I've seen on social media, people are really, really not happy about them.

(Really? People are upset about something being worn during the Olympics?! WHOA, shocker!)

Personally, my first reaction was, "Oooooh, love them!" so, uh, clearly I'm not in the majority here. I'm also not the biggest hockey aficionado, so I decided to look up old U.S. hockey jerseys for comparison -- I mean, is there a reason people are so disgusted by this jersey? Have we had real gems of sportswear in the past?

Well, to put it plainly...

No, we haven't. Thus, I present;

1. It pays homage to the golden teams of the past. This is incredibly awesome. Have past jerseys done this? Either way, I'd have to imagine it'd be pretty damn inspirational pulling this jersey over your head and being reminded that your country hasn't won a gold medal in 34 years. (Interestingly, both gold medals in hockey won by the U.S. were won in the U.S. Coincidence? Home ice advantage? What the heck happened in Salt Lake City, boys?)

2. The whole thing is a throwback, basically. American Olympic hockey jerseys rocked a crest front and center from 1920 through 1948, and featured a small crest all the way through 1964. We're essentially returning to our roots.

The U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1932. Look familiar?

3. It evokes the flag without actually being the flag. Unless you'd rather...

There are six stripes on the bottom of that puppy. That's literally half the flag.

 4. Sneaky, hidden patriotism. That's pretty much how America rolls when it comes to bleeding red, white and blue. We may not show it, but when the Olympics roll around, we all have a secret patriotic streak.

5. The U.S. played in throwback jerseys for a few games during the 2010 Olympics anyway...

Wait, is this 2010 or 1960?

So why not just go whole hog?

6. The flag logo was (and is) kind of dumb. It's uber-American, sure, but why are we so into flag imagery? Stars and stripes aren't enough? We have to declare to the world, "HELLO EVERYONE, this is what our FLAG looks like! Remember? 'Cause it's a flag!" Pretty sure that's self-explanatory.

Also, it's USA Hockey's logo. Why was this ever put on jerseys in the first place? What if other sports had the USA from their NGB's logo on its jerseys?

Uh, cute...??

 Also also, why is it USA Hockey's logo in the first place? It's rather glaringly missing, oh, I don't know, hockey imagery? Every other NGB has somehow made their sport a part of their logo. It's not like a hockey stick is a hard thing to work into a logo. Make it one of the legs on the A or the tail on the Y and you're good to go!

But thankfully, in 2010 the IOC banned sports from having their federation's logo on their jerseys and we were back to the classic block "USA" in Vancouver.

7. The stars are subtle. Plastic-y, yes, but they look almost black, and the shiny-ness is actually a really cool effect.

Does he not look star-spangled without being obnoxiously star-spangled? [x]

 Unless you'd rather...

Yowza.

These were the 1976 Canada Cup jerseys, not the Olympics, but still. The '70s were a scary time, man.

8. It makes us look like a hockey dynasty. (Which, as the new jerseys so kindly remind us all, we are not.) Something about the crest just makes it look/feel like a big deal.

[x]

I think those photos make the players look extremely impressive. These, however...

Good lord. [x]

...Yeah, not so much.

The only thing that irks me about the 2014 jerseys is the fake lacing. Kiiiinda weird. But overall, I'm a big fan of the classic look. It's very no-frills, but the stars give it a touch of special.

And hey, Team USA is going to be playing Russia, in Russia this time, with the son of a 1980 U.S. player on the U.S. roster and the grandson of the 1980 Soviet Union coach potentially on the Russian roster. Maybe we can recreate the 1980 magic? A girl can dream, right? ;)

What do you think of the 2014 jerseys?

(All info about & pictures of jerseys from the past courtesy of unitedstatesofhockey.com -- thanks for doing all the hard work for me!)