COLUMN: Be an Aggie and take advantage of opportunity
Hey Aggies, I hope all is going well. You’d better be putting in them hours in the library, especially with midterms coming up.
Anyways, let me start off by saying how upset I am that we didn’t demolish BYU on Friday, but hey; I look at rival games like a give-and-take relationship. So best believe next year is our year all-around. Now, I know there are some of you who may feel like you were gyped because you camped out on the Quad, there was a fake alarm, then a real one, then for the rest of your Friday you were cranky, you probably left the game during the third quarter after Chuckie went down, and we lost the game.
Was it worth it?
What I tell students like that is: “Hush, because I’ve been through it.” It’s all a part of the college experience. I can’t tell you how many a times I’ve spent hours out in the freezing cold just to get into a game only to have our Aggies lose. I remember my sophomore year when my roommates convinced me to camp out on the Quad for the Homecoming game against Colorado State.
I’m from the city – the only time I camped out in was my bedroom. After being convinced we were not going to get eaten by the bears that roamed the campus at night, I gave in. I had no idea how cold it could get on the Quad at night.
Back then winter started early and there was snow on the ground. After finding my good side in a fetal position I was able to fall asleep, only to be awoken an hour later to get my wristband. I was so upset. At that point, all I wanted was some hot cocoa, a Sealy Tempurpedic and a Aggiette to cuddle with.Fast forward a couple of hours: I remember being at the game that year. I cheered my whole heart out, and unlike this year’s rivalry game, the Homecoming game went all the way to overtime and we lost. I was furious.
Looking back on it, I am able to say that I’m glad I did it.
It is a part of my Aggie and college experience. Could the campout have been organized better? Yeah. Could we have won the game? Yeah. But I know that I wouldn’t trade that memory for anything. Many students will gyp themselves out of their own college experience after one bad experience, whether its campout, attending the Howl or even going to an athletic event. This is why we have the Aggie Passport Experience; this is why we have events on campus and you should enjoy it while you’re an Aggie. It’s the age old saying: “When in Aggieland, do as the Aggies do.”
So the next time your roommates say let’s go sledding down Old Main – which I am not endorsing in this article or any injuries that may result from it – think again.
– T.J. is a senior majoring in music from Harlem, N.Y. He is a member of the A-Team, Black Student Union and various other clubs and groups on campus. Send any comments to anthony.pratt@aggiemail.usu.edu.