The Board Behind Presidential Barack-et

A white board is just a white board unless it happens to be the white board the President of the United States will use to fill in the NCAA tourney brackets.

That’s when it turned into a scramble for the Cheshire company that delivered that board to ESPN, which then delivered the board to President Barack Obama at the White House.  
 
On March 11, Michelle Etheridge, a project manager for local sign provider Creative Dimensions, got the call from ESPN. They wanted an NCAA tournament bracket form made on a five-foot dry erasable board, according to the Meriden Record-Journal. They needed it in 48 hours to take to the White House.

First ESPN wanted a dry eraser board, then it wanted a magnetic board. Etheridge went on a shopping spree to get the materials. By the end of the day ESPN backtracked and said it wanted a dry eraser board again, the Record Journal reports.

ESPN picked up the board on Monday and it made the journey to Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, the board appeared with Obama on ESPN in an interview dubbed "Barack-etology."

Obama personally filled in his picks, choosing Louisville, North Carolina, Memphis and Pittsburgh for the Final Four.

UConn was not happy about being left out of the Final Four and has issued a challenge: if Memphis wins the Final Four, UConn's Conn Men, an a cappella group, will go to the White House to perform the Memphis fight song and Hail to the Chief.

But, if the Huskies beat the Memphis Tigers, Obama would get an honorary degree and speak at graduation in May 2010. There’s been no word from the White House on whether the president accepted the challenge. 

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