Rubik's Cube, breakdancing and diversity

The iPhone pic is terrible...but this shows the Gustie campers applauding a Spanish boy who solved the Rubix Cube in 40 seconds. The Spanish Armada, as they dubbed themselves, are seen giving him a standing ovation in the back left.

In between good times on the water — tubing down the Cannon River and at the family cabin up north — I recently spent another interesting week at Gustavus. I celebrated the birthdays of four friends, including GAC women's basketball player Julia Schultz. My girls team, which was led by Ben Woodside's little sister, helped me bounce back with a title. It was enough to make me forget a winless week from my boys. Barely.

The highlight of the camp, however, was the performances of a pair of minorities.

The camp included 14 kids from Spain. One, in particular, stood out for a very non-basketball reason. The son of a pair of scientists, the middle school (or Spanish equivalent) boy performed one of the most impressive feats I've ever seen. After about 20 seconds of inspecting a Rubik's Cube, the boy (I didn't catch his name) solved it in around 40 seconds. One minor mistake cost him seven seconds, according to a friend. His personal-best time is an impossible 32 seconds.

A black boy named Cory provided another few moments worth of entertainment by showcasing his breakdancing ability in front of the camp. He was offered the chance to do so again during the final presentation and didn't disappoint — the parents loved the show.

The bigger question then becomes, could we be seeing these guys on campus in a couple of years? While I don't mean to perpetuate the notion that minorities aren't intelligent, the facts suggest Gustavus will continue to diversify its portfolio, so to speak.

Gustavus dropped standardized testing in the spring of 2006, which many institutions around the nation have done as a precursor to greater diversity on campus. Peter Haugen, the new football coach, comes from an inner-city high school where he was often forced to recruit his players from the classroom — which he did with great success. For better or for worse, I don't think it's a stretch to expect him to target those same players as a college coach.

Gustavus had a black population of just 4.5% when I enrolled in 2000. Given the current climate and the push to increase those numbers, I would expect those numbers have at least doubled in the nine years since I set foot on campus. And, if a recent e-mail from GAC president Jack Ohle is to be believed, that is exactly as planned.

"The incoming class is academically very strong, one of the most
diverse ever, and retention for next year looks good. In fact, we are on
track to meet our enrollment goals for 2009-2010," Ohle wrote.

Odd and Ends
• Hamline's Don Meyer will receive ESPN's prestigious Jimmy V Award. That picture says it all.
• Trevor Wittwer recently returned from a basketball showcase in Las Vegas. Let's hope it went a little better than a recent Howard Pulley game, when U of M recruit Rodney Williams yoked on him. Hard.