Freezing at the football game and other things

At noon yesterday my buddy Matt called and asked if I wanted to go to the Rider game with him (he had free tickets from the radio station), so I went. What a good game.... made even better b/c we were in the old "University section" (for those who don't know - section 28 used to be cheap tickets for university kids - but they got too rowdy in there - drinking, swearing, drugs, etc - so they split it up). Well, the official title is gone, but it is still the "Uni section" (That sounds like a medical procedure doesn't it?)

I have been to three other game this year and have sat in sections where the fan cheering ranged from some yelling to simply polite "golf clapping". There was no golf clapping in the Uni section..... they were cheering and high-fiving when the Jumbo-tron first lit up..... they cheered for TSN reporter Sara Orleski..... they about killed one another jumping for those sponge footballs that they shoot into the crowd... not to mention when the security guards started throwing bags of Old Dutch chips into the crowd (I have never seen that done in any other section - maybe they feed them in hopes that it will soak up some of the alcohol that is in the before they drive home... I am not sure - but we had a feast..... "Duuuuuuddddeeeee.... have some chips, man!!!!!") :)

We never even got close to our seats. When we got to our row there were 23 people standing in an area of 10 seats.... not sure where they should have been but they all were there.... we could see our seats but never got there... we just crowded in with the rest of them. That ended up being good though b/c it was "0" degrees last night (seriously - with a wind that made it like -10), so needless to say the body heat sharing that was going on was welcome. We did not sit down for 3 1/2 hours..... first, we had no seats (as noted above), secondly everyone else was standing and there would be no hope of seeing and thirdly the seats that were behind us were filled with girls standing on them (One of whom kept grabbing my head and shoulders and shaking me every time something good happened.... she apologized profusely for it each time but.........).

Every time something good happened you had to high five everyone within 2 sections and 20 rows of you...... there was a guy in a "Gumby" suit in front of me (don't ask) who snuck a bottle of whiskey in..... it was crazy! People coming and going all through the section all game long (It was like being in a kennel with a bunch a puppies..... jumping and crawling all over each other).... it was bizarre!

I am not endorsing all that went on in there, but in a game that went back and forth (and where everyone was "cheering" at Henry Burris), it was a fun place to be.

Good thing I am still 23 years old.... I would have been out of place otherwise! :)


In other news, we are doing the last few things on "Valerie" today (a little more painting, filling gas tanks, etc). My mom, step dad and brother are coming down today for the race tomorrow. I will post "before" and "after" pictures of the car and give an update when I can.....