I have always hated leads. I truly have. I can never for the life of me find a way to adequately start a story whether it be a recap, feature or column. They always turn out to be some type of cheesy play on words, as I am sure Tyler Dukes knows. But seeing that this is my farewell column and I can say what I please, without further ado…

“I tend to think of myself as a loner. A kind of one man Wolfpack…”

Okay, just kidding, but now that we have the ball rolling; my four years at N.C. State have been a wonderful experience for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better four years.

It has been a whirlwind of a four years, but here are a few memories that stand out, even if they may be slightly blurry.

I had the opportunity be slammed by the posters on PackPride, I shotgunned who knows how many beers  well before midnight out on the fairgrounds outside of Carter-Finley Stadium, drank my fill of $1.50 well drinks at Rum Runners, went on a Mardi Gras trip that was out of control and I got to see the men’s basketball team make it to the NCAA Tournament, even if it was only one year.

Wait, that didn’t happen? Oh don’t worry, it will. What Debbie Yow is doing with N.C. State Athletics as a whole is remarkable. She has finally done what has needed to be done for 10 years now and stopped accepting mediocrity.

Finishing in the middle of the ACC year after year is no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated.

I am proud to be a member of the 2011 graduating class. We have a special bond, athletically speaking, being that we have attended State during what could be seen as one of its worst four consecutive years of athletics in its history.

Had it not been for what football coach Tom O’Brien, Russell Wilson and Nate Irving did this season, winning the Champ Sports Bowl, while being in the running for a chance to play in the ACC Championship Game, the whole four years would have been a failure.

But hey, win or lose we have a good time and that’s what makes State fans such a rare breed. We constantly stick by our team with unwavering faith, even though the results have been less than impressive, thus far anyway.

But for you returning students, I am truly jealous. Yesterday my compadre Sean Klemm stole a lot of my thunder as he wrote almost the identical column as to what I wanted to say, but I believe it needs to be said again.

I truly believe the best is yet to come for N.C. State Athletics, and I am jealous of you freshmen, sophomores and juniors that will be returning for next season. O’Brien has already laid the groundwork for a solid football tradition that will only continue to improve and grow.

As for the basketball program, Mark Gottfried has my stamp of approval (for whatever that is worth.) He has the experience; the tenacity and the fire to compete with the powerhouses down the road and will make the Tobacco Road Rivalry once again a three-way fight.

Anyway, it still amazes me how I got to this position as the sports editor of the Technician. To say that English and grammar are not my strong suits would be an understatement. I mean, I came close to failing my copyediting class with Professor Cockshutt had it not been for the written final.  But I have done my best to provide you students and faculty with the best possible sports stories I could.

I have tried to stay positive in a four-year span where there weren’t many positives and I hope at least at one point over my two plus years at the paper, you enjoyed something that I produced.

And if you are still reading at this point, see ya later, because here comes the always interesting thank yous. The first thanks goes to my first editor Taylor Auten for giving me a shot at writing, followed closely by my favorite editor Kate Shefte, who was always critical of my writing ability, which I believe was just out of spite due to the countless ass-whopping’s she got in Jenga up at the office.

To Tyler Everett for somehow conning me into this job, to Sean Klemm and Tucker Frazier for sticking by me this semester, to Ashley Gwyn for putting up with the late hours I spent up at the office and finally to my roommate Scott Riggsbee who was never short of critiques on my articles, thank you.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride and even though I don’t want it to end, it looks like it is my turn to get off. So I raise my glass to you students. Thanks for the opportunity.