Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Enter Sandman...

                                        I took this picture 2 years ago at a VT game!


I can hear it now, Metallica’s Enter Sandman blaring across the stadium, the crowd yelling and screaming, the stadium rocking back and forth as people jump up and down, the players running out of the tunnel onto the field, and the flags waving as the cheerleaders run up and down the field.  That’s right; it’s time for some HOKIE FOOTBALL. I love Virginia Tech, especially Virginia Tech football, but most everybody knows that.   When I get the chance to go to a game, I love to get there early enough to watch the team take the field and hear Enter Sandman playing throughout the stadium.  Sometimes it is even fun to watch from the parking lot where you can still hear the song, but you can see all the people in the stadium jumping up and down.   Although I love it, I still have such a love hate relationship with football season.  
Every year Virginia Tech is ranked very high in the standings, sometimes too high, but often they deserve to be in the top 25.  The problem with Virginia Tech football is that we just can’t seem to win the big game.  We can’t seem to get over that line between being a good football team and being a powerhouse.   Even though we try not to, my father and I always have high hopes for the season but every year, except for the year 2000 when we played for a national championship, we are disappointed.  We will talk about the upcoming season and state that we are going to let it suck us in and we are going to just enjoy it without expectations.  That never happens and although we end up disappointed.  Have you ever watched a Virginia Tech football game with me?  Then you know how I am.  For those of you that haven’t, it is an interesting experience.
Now I know what your saying, why do you get so bent out of shape over football, it’s just a sport.  You are right, it is just a sport.  You see, the thing about it is that it is more than that.  It is a bonding between father and son.  My father and I always talk about football, we get excited about it and we can’t wait for the season to start.  It is also a family bonding experience as well.  My mom loves to go to VT games, although I think it is more for the tailgating and friends than the football, LOVE YOU MOM J.  My brother also loves Virginia Tech and follows it at home and when he can come up for a game. 
It is such an important part of our lives.  Don’t you have something like that, something that your family bonds over?  It might be board games, or yearly vacations, maybe its concerts, food, or camping, maybe its beach trips or everyone participates in collecting something, or other hobbies.  You probably get really excited about it and anxious over it but someone else might say but it’s only a board game, or it’s only camping, or it’s only football. 
Time with our family is sometimes over looked.  Common interests and bonding opportunities are far and few between.  So I say embrace them.  Take them to an extreme and enjoy every minute of that monopoly game.  Make extensive plans for that annually family vacation.  Get fanatical over your families baseball card collect.  Enjoy concerts with each other.  Get excited for the football season knowing what might happen.  Love your family for who they are and enjoy their company because if you’re not careful, life will get in the way.  
So Dad, I will see you Friday night for the opening game of the season on Saturday!  I promise that this year I won’t get excited and have expectations about the Hokies or this year’s season… Yeah right!  Let’s Go Hokies!


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