For this trip we rented a bus and paid an extra fee to have satellite TV so we could watch the LSU vs. Alabama football game. We, as dedicated LSU students, had been highly anticipating this game that had been dubbed The Game of the Century.
Everyone on the bus was excited to watch the game and cheer for the Tigers, even if we could not be in Tuscaloosa for the game.
When we got on the bus for the return trip, we immediately noticed a problem. When we switched the channel to CBS we were greeted with an all grey screen with the message, “No service. For subscription information call [Direct TV toll free number].”
Our captain made calls to Direct TV, the bus company, our coach who was driving separately with the trailer and numerous sports bars along the route home showing the game over the two hours until kickoff. As time and phone conversations wore on, it became increasingly doubtful that we would be able to watch the game.
An hour before kickoff, Jonathan Dejean, our captain and one of the most die hard LSU fans I know, announced that there was no way for us to watch the game. Instead we would be stopping for dinner as quickly as possible and re-boarding the bus to listen to the game on the radio.
I was devastated. I have been a devout LSU fan my entire life. I am a third generation LSU student. My grandfather was in Tiger Stadium on Halloween night when Billy Canon made his famous rumbling punt return. Both my mother and father were students at the “Earthquake Game” against Auburn in 1988. All of my family agreed; this game against Alabama was the most hyped game in memory.
To add to my angst, my father and brother had made the trip to watch the regatta and were staying an extra night with a family friend in Chattanooga. My coach had given me permission to stay with them an extra night and ride home separately from the team.
I debated whether I should stay or ride with the team. In the end a cramped bus seat, 15-inch screen and the guaranteed camaraderie of my 60 teammates trumped the promise of a warm bed and reliable high-definition cable.
As long as I got to watch the game I would be fine.
I silently brooded while I bought my dinner after Dejean made the announcement.
When we got back on the bus we tuned the radio to a station broadcasting the game. We were driving through Alabama at the time and the only station we could pick up was broadcasting out of Tuscaloosa as part of the Crimson Tide Sports Radio Network.
The homerism made me sick.
But as the game progressed my teammates and I became less frustrated with the situation and more anxious about the outcome.
When a big play happened we collectively groaned or cheered.
By the time the game went into overtime, the bus had reached Meridian, Mississippi and the edge of the radio range. The reception crackled in and out. The voice of the announcer was overwhelmed by static.
We heard bits and pieces of the commentary. It was first-and-ten. then there was some kind of penalty. All of the sudden Montgomery made a third-down sack and Alabama was lining up for a 52-yard field goal to take the lead.
When they missed we went nuts.
Everyone was standing in front of his or her seat with an ear pressed to a speaker straining to hear what happened when LSU had the ball.
The static got worse, but the words and phrases we caught from the Alabama announcers became more depressed. When we lined up for a field goal the station started to change to one playing oldies, but it faded back to the staticy broadcast of the game in time for us to hear “The kick is up… and good. The Alabama Crimson Tide has lost its first game of the season.”
The bus erupted.
As upset as I initially was that I did not get to watch the game and that I had not chosen to stay with my family in Chattanooga, I realize now that my experience Saturday night is one that I will value forever.
I have not touched on it much in this blog, but our team has always put fellowship first. We realize that we may not win every race or any regatta, but even if we were to do so those accomplishments would pale in comparison to the value of the tight-knit community of life-long friendships our team has created.
Saturday is a perfect example of that. I will probably forget what place my boat finished in my first Head of the Hooch within a matter of years.
But someday I will tell my grandchildren about my boat mates and I the night we didn’t watch The Game of the Century.
(photo courtesy of Courtney Mills)
No comments:
Post a Comment