1st Down Pirates…. Arghhhhhhhh……
I heard that over and over again last Saturday! As the heat pounded down on us and the game became closer and closer, I could feel it slipping away!
As many of you know I am a HUGE Virginia Tech fan. There is a story behind that but that is a later blog entry! Anyway, Ellen got us tickets to the ECU and Virginia Tech game that was held in Charlotte last Saturday! I was so excited and looking forward to the start of another football season. We piled in a van and headed down to the game. I was sitting in the front seat next to Laura in my Virginia Tech garb, and the other 5 people in the van decked out in ECU, purple and yellow!
When we got to the game, we found our seats, and I started to look around and realized just where I was. I was in the belly of the enemy. Nothing but purple and yellow surrounded me. It was literally a sea of purple and gold and I stuck out like a sore thumb in my orange and maroon. Not only was I surrounded, but I was in the student section, here I am sitting in a college football game’s student section, wearing the other team’s colors! What was I thinking!!!!
As the game wore on ECU would do something good and you would hear the roar from the crowd surrounding me, and then Virginia Tech would do something good and I would stand up and cheer as loud as one man could…. So many times the College kids around me would heckle me about the game! They asked me to move, they rubbed my shoulders any time ECU did something good, they gave me all kinds of grief.
It was really hard to be in that situation until ECU intercepted a pass and one of the guys got on me big time and I turned around to him and said “That was a heck of a defensive effort, what an interception! ECU is out playing the Hokies today!” He looked at me funny and then one of his buddies started to get on me and he said, “Stop man, that guy is a good guy! He should get a sportsmanship award for putting up with us all game!” I just turned around and smiled and watched the rest of the game.
ECU blocked a punt with 1 minute 30 seconds left and ran it back for a touchdown which ended up being the game winner. As the clock ran out and the section was going crazy, I turned around and shook each of the guys hands and I told them it was a great game and their team played their hearts out and deserved to win the game. That same kid smiled at me and said, “Thanks!” And he told the people with me, “He’s a good guy!”
Often we are put in tough situations and it is hard to make the decisions that life hands us. I had to make a decision Saturday, how would I react to what was happening around me. If I choose to confront those guys and cause trouble, who knows where the day would of gone, but I choose to enjoy myself, respect ECU and the way they were playing and try to teach those around me a little bit about self control and being in the belly of the enemy!
I will say though, next time, I want to sit with the VIRGINIA TECH fans!
