When Katie Meinhardt told the television reporter at the Boston University women’s basketball game Saturday, “This is the year,” she was talking about her team winning an America East Championship.
I absolutely agree with her, but I also think this is the year for another feat. I think this is the year BU’s Rachael Vanderwal will conquer the America East as well as the rest of the country.
Occasionally at home games, you can hear the chants of “Rae Rae for President,” a cheer that was coined about two years ago. At first, you may have laughed at the idea of the always-smiling collegiate basketball player leading the entire nation. But then, if you really thought about the qualities you would want in a President and then think about the qualities Vanderwal has shown, you may have asked yourself, “Why wouldn’t you want Vanderwal to be President?”
If you look at nothing but her career as a BU basketball player – after all it is her public image that counts the most – then you will find my ideal candidate for President.
Vanderwal has proven she has the ability to compete on the court. This year she’s scored double figures in six straight games. Last year, she led her team in points per game with 11.3 and she played a program single-season record of 1167 minutes.
She’s played in three America East Championships, giving her plenty of experience in high-pressure situations. And soon, she will have a battle scar on her right ear that will denounce anyone’s suspicions about her “military” service.
She also knows how to work a crowd and capture an audience. Last week in the women’s first home loss of the season, Vanderwal took a hard foul late in the game as she drove to the basket, flipping over the lone cameraman on the baseline and slamming neck (and ear) first into the door.
The entire gym went silent, except for the murmurs of the two radio announcers. All eyes were on Vanderwal as she lay in a pool of her own blood. She was escorted from the gym and the game went on, but the thoughts of the crowd and her teammates were certainly with her.
But being the perfect candidate she is, the almost-indestructible Vanderwal bounced back a few days later.
She made it back just in time for her televised America East game against the University at Albany. She scored a career-high 22 points to lead her team over the Great Danes. Vanderwal’s timely recovery shows she’s a master of propaganda. Think it’s a coincidence that she wears No. 22 and she scored 22 points?
Vanderwal even has a sense of fashion. Maybe not quite that of Jackie O., but after all, it’s “Rae Rae for President,” not for First Lady. In the game Saturday, she sported a piece of protective headgear (half of a wrestling helmet) over her right ear, and she accompanied it with her signature headband, both the same color red.
She’s even been recognized for her noble accomplishments. She garnered America East Co-Player of the Week – an award she’s won only three times in her four years – twice coming this season.
Vanderwal’s more than a team player. She’s proven she’s more than willing to stick her neck out for her team — literally. She’ll even pass the ball to her teammates. She’s now tied for fifth all-time in school history with 319 career assists. (She’s tied with Alison Argenteri, ’03.)
Just like any great leader, Vanderwal has an amazing support staff. Fellow co-captain Meinhardt is as good a running mate as you could ask for, especially now that she’s healthy.
And then there’s fellow senior Shannon Petranoff, whose own career has been hindered by injuries. Petranoff’s pleasant demeanor would make her an excellent cabinet member. Erica Kovach will help Vanderwal win the vote in the South.
And if her teammates’ characters are not enough, their play certainly would be. They score more points per game than the men’s basketball team and they seem to be peaking at the right time.
Vanderwal is also at the peak of her BU career – there’s no better time than this to jump on the bandwagon. After all, if former Pittsburgh Steelers great Lynn Swann can run for Governor of Pennsylvania, why can’t Vanderwal run for President?
Still, to those who don’t know Vanderwal, the chants of “Rae Rae for President” may seem random and a little absurd. She would have my vote for President. Except for one thing: she’s from Canada.
And even though she can’t technically take over the country, she’s already in the process of taking over the America East.