Let the Madness Begin....

March Madness! Today marks the beginning of the end of college hoops and it's a really exciting time. It wasn't until I was in college and began dating the only guy that I've had a serious relationship with that I started to really appreciate the game. When you get to see first hand how hard the players work and the dedication they have for the sport, you can't help but be appreciative of the competition. I remember a couple years ago taking a road trip from Tulsa to Sacramento when we made it to the tournament, but the year before that was the BEST! It was the first year my alma mater made it to the tourney in like 100 years so everybody was beyond excited. That game was in Dallas, so another road trip from Tulsa took place and there were 5 of us in 1 hotel room. At that point it didn't matter, win or lose, we felt like we made it.

Here is my best memory of college basketball at my school: November 15, 2006. All day it was pretty quiet around campus. The bus full of Golden Eagle fans was set to leave before my classes for the day were done, but I didn't really care because this was a big day and class would be there when I got back. Everyone boarded the bus and we were on our way. It was tradition that on the bus we would watch re-runs of past games on the TV screens to get pumped up. We had a four hour drive so everybody got comfortable and I threw on my headphones and took a nap. All of a sudden I felt the bus stop, only to find out that it had broken down. Eventually a new one came and we switched and continued on our journey. Being that we made plans to be at the game extremely early there was a pit stop at a buffet before we made it to the arena. Everyone laughed, talked, and had a good time. Then a few minutes later, we arrived at Allen Fieldhouse, home of the Kansas Jayhawks. Of course we came in the underdog and nobody expected much out of our team, but that night we came out victorious! I was court side and the place was packed with KU fans, with about 30 of us reppin for the Golden Eagles. They talked trash the whole game, but towards the end they got extremely quiet. When the buzzer went off and the scoreboard read 78-71 the feeling was surreal. We had just beat the team everyone considered to be the best. Jumping up and down, feeling like it was a dream, I started calling people, people started calling me, and everyone was in shock! Feel free to read about it here.

College basketball brings a sense of nostalgia for me when I watch because the memories come flooding back of me being ride or die for my team. Making posters, wearing the players jerseys to the games while all the other chicks were dressed to impress, countless hours on the road to see them play, the road to March Madness when it would be teachers vs. the team, and the list goes on. Memories of the wins, the losses that hurt the most, the personalities of the guys that I knew, watching the coach turn red and get tech's on the sideline are priceless. Most of all being able to see the effort that the team had to put in to produce a result gave me first hand lessons in discipline and dedication.

What's your favorite sport? Do you have a memory that you'll never forget?