Thursday: USU Basketball vs. Louisiana TechFriday: USU Hockey vs. Boise State
Saturday: USU Basketball vs. New Mexico State
Yes. I attended all of them. USU spirit is hitting me full force, and I love it! This is my last semester in the beautiful town of Logan and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it. Starting with USU sports.
Thursday Hilary and I battled the crowds for a seat in the Spectrum. The variety of cheers and the sheer vocal power of the student section is amazing. I honestly feel bad for the opposing teams, Aggie fans are a little rude, and they are always incredibly loud. But the school spirit is positively unmatched. The down side is that you can never understand what is going on because the cheering is continuously deafening.
Needless to say, we blew Louisiana Tech out of the water, 74-57.
Friday included driving to the outskirts of Logan to get to the ice rink and forking out $5 to see the game (basketball games are free to students, but sadly not hockey games). As sad as it is to part with $5--it was worth it. My indifference to hockey has now become love. I love hockey!!! Jessica has infused in me a love for the Olympics, and by extension, a love for all things Canada (Tyson being in Canada helps too). So that hockey is primarily a Canadian sport, and that half of the USU team is actually from Canada, made it amazing. I discovered that hockey is a mix between soccer and football. Soccer because you pass and hit the puck on the ground toward a goal, and football because slamming people into walls is totally legal--within bounds. I happen to love football, thanks to my father, and hockey is basically football on ice. Wicked awesome.
I was confused for a lot of the game because I know absolutely none of the rules, and Hilary and Jessica didn't know them either. But through eavesdropping we did learn one thing. A hat trick is when one player scores three goals during one game and all the fans throw their hats on the ice. It's kind of a big deal. Most games end at like 6-3, so one player getting three goals is a big deal. And after two or three times the referees get really mad and threaten the team with a penalty, because they have to skate around and pick them all up. Hehe.
In between periods they had a couple things going on, mostly kids throwing treats and skating around. But they had a mini hockey game during the 20 minute break and it was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. A group of little hockey players came onto the ice and played a game for us to see. See the pink pants? That little girl is my hero. I wish I was as brave as she is! The only girl on the team. It was just like watching a 6 year old soccer game where everyone groups together in a clump and follows the puck. But I'm certain they skate much better than I do, so I secretly wish I could take hockey lessons, so I could actually learn to skate.
Jessica's secret wish is to someday become the Zamboni driver.
Hilary's secret wish is to date Tai Wesley. He is one of the super fantastic players on the basketball team, and he is apparently really attractive. And we saw him at the hockey game and he sat right next to her. Well, there were 10 seats and a set of stairs between them, but Hilary was technically sitting next to Tai Wesley, and she was ecstatic. As evidenced by this picture. (He is the tiny figure wearing brown.)We left at the end of period 2, with another period to go, but the score was 14-1. We were pretty sure that there was no contest. Sorry Boise. Aggies Rule!
But I am now in love with hockey, and will be attending another game--just as soon as I figure out the rules.
Saturday was another home basketball game, and Michelle's first one ever! This game was aired on ESPN and there were so many people there. By the time the game started there was probably not a single seat empty in the student section, and at the end they said that 10,013 people attended that night. It was a full house.
Every game starts in a strict format. Cheering uncontrollably when USU comes out of the tunnel, and then the band begins playing "Hail the Utah Aggies,"
Hail the Utah Aggies,
We'll play the game with all our might.
See the colors flying,
The Aggie Blue and Fighting White.
How they stir us onward!
We'll gain the victory, All Right!
Hail the Utah Aggies,
We're out to win so Fight! Fight! Fight!
Utah State Hey! Aggies all the way!
Utah State Hey! Aggies all the way!
Go Aggies! Go Aggies! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Immediately followed by the Scotsman:
Show me the Scotsman who doesn't love the thistle.
Show me the Englishman who doesn't love the rose.
Show me the Englishman who doesn't love the rose.
Show me the true blooded Aggie from Utah
Who doesn't love the spot where the sagebrush grows!
In the 30 seconds before the game begins the cheering section starts yelling:
I believe!
(crowd:) I believe!
I believe that
(crowd:) I believe that
I believe that we
(crowd:) I believe that we
(all:) I believe that we will win!
I believe that we will win!
I believe that we will win!
I believe that we will win!
....(jumping up and down required)
The first ten minutes were tense, but once we got a comfortable distance away the tension ceased.We screamed our hearts out nonetheless, and USU ended up winning their 21st straight WAC game 59-49 against NMSU. Go Aggies!
The most exciting part of the night was the half time show. A group of Golden Girls, ages 50 to 94, performed a dance to the song "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. Full of thriller moves, shimmys, and even the robot, it was the absolute greatest half time performance ever. They did an absolutely amazing job, and they worked just like a drill team. I decided that I want to be in Golden Girls when I am old. They are my heroes.
So it's official. I'm a USU sports fan and a convert to hockey. And I'm proud of my Aggies.
