BYU Cougar Tidbits

As some of you may know, it's a good year to be a BYU football fan. It's been a pretty good year so far. It'll be fun to see how it goes from here. In addition to enjoying the regular season so far, I've had some other BYU football experiences lately that have made it even better. And a couple of those experiences made it better simply because they made me proud to be a cougar fan.

First, on Thursday, September 18, my good friends had a visit of a lifetime with the team. Sadly, this is my friend who is currently fighting an inoperable brain tumor. He was selected as a Thursday Hero to be honored by the BYU team. For a few hours, he and his family were treated like gold by the BYU team. She documented the whole event in great detail at her blog which can be seen here. Be sure to read all the individual entries as they describe each part of the day. It's worth reading if you just need a pick me up to remind you about what's right with the world or if you are a BYU fan and you want confirmation that the program really is about more than football.

The next evening, Friday, September 19, the football team came to do a fireside in our city. They make it habit of doing firesides in the area wherever they happen to be playing that weekend, especially for away games. So, we went to hear what they had to say. For one hour, we heard a couple of the players speak, different groupings of the players sing, and the coach and his wife speak. Afterwards, they spent about 15-20 minutes signing autographs and talking to fans. It was truly impressive. It reminded me that they really are decent young men trying to do good with their lives. I liked that they sang, for us and with their teammates. They weren't great singers, but I liked that it showed some vulnerability in front of teammates. They didn't always have to be the toughest guy. I liked that they were together doing something inspiring and kind the night before the game instead of being in a bar somewhere. The players and coach both seemed to really mean what they say about football not being the number one priority. It was a little bit refreshing. Of course, I was watching them, knowing how kind they'd been to my friend, and they seemed very real.

Then came Saturday, September 20, the game day. On that day I capped off my BYU Cougar experience with a fun adventure, courtesy of my kind sister. Cathy and her husband Clark invited Dale and me to join them for a view of a BYU game from the loges or box suites at the stadium. Clearly, I've now seen how the other half lives. It's gonna be tough to go back. There were 12 of us in the room with seats, tables, a TV, and a great view of the field at about the 40 yard line. I didn't have to climb over anyone to go to the bathroom. I didn't have a sore rear end from the metal bleachers. And I didn't have to plan for the weather. It was great! At the end of the 3rd quarter, one of the BYU food services employees came to the room to deliver sundaes and banana splits just as we had ordered them at the beginning of the game. There really was a moment when it felt a little surreal that I was sitting with my banana split (which I could freely enjoy thanks to the previous day's triathlon!) watching the game in perfect comfort. I'm sure I won't be doing it again any time soon, but it was a fun outing for the day. It was yet another fun summer adventure (fall didn't start till the 22nd) in my summer of fun adventures. Thanks, Cathy, and Gooooooooo Cougars!