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Tonight, as I walk up the stairs into Folsom Field and give my ceremonial gaze at it’s breathtaking views and surroundings, it will mark the 100th consecutive Colorado Buffaloes home game I have attended. This feels special to me, so I am doing what any writer would do… writing about it.
Now, of course, 100 games takes us back many years and any logic will tell you that 9-year old RK was not covering games from the press box in 2001. I was a fan, a big one at that, black and gold colored wig and all (IDK, I thought it was cool). Obviously, as journalists we are taught not to be fans and in my almost four years covering the Buffaloes from that perspective I truly believe I have separated my heart from the team, that’s why I feel comfortable looking back on my time as a fan. There’s no reason to hide it, in fact, I think my close following of the team for all those years has been one the greatest aids to my coverage.
With that said, wow, 100 games, where to start? Oh yeah, at the beginning.
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My mom had a new boyfriend and she had obviously told him of my love of sports, he must have really liked her because he made an early power move to get me on his side.
“What do you have going on this Saturday,” he asked.
“Um, it’s the opening weekend of college football season,” I responded in the smart-ass tone you would expect from a 9-year old know-it-all. “The Buffs are playing on ESPN, I’ll be on the couch all day.”
My mom rolled her eyes, not sure if it was at my tone or the fact that she hated how I spent my weekends inside watching football, probably both.
“You could watch on ESPN,” he threw back. “Or you could come to the game with me, I have a ticket on your name on it.”
My eyes lit up like he had just put a bar of solid gold on the table in front of me, this was the Buffs and Fresno State, Craig Ochs and David Carr! I turned and looked at my mom with a look that was a mix of ‘Mom, don’t you dare say I can’t go’ and also ‘Marry this man right now.’
Now, this would have been a great way to begin the streak but I didn’t go to the game that weekend. Why? Because I was a little **** and “ran away from home” (this really just meant I went to a friends house in the neighborhood) earlier in the day when I didn’t get my way. My plan was to get back before we would leave for the game, but I wasn’t privy to the fact that this new guy likes to get to the stadium four hours before the game to do something called “tailgating.”
My mom went to the game in my place and my older sister made fun of me all night as I cried and whined about not being there while the Buffs battled David Carr and the Bulldogs of Fresno State. The Buffs eventually lost in a heartbreaker, but they must have had a great time because, while my mom was livid with me when they got back, “Buddy,” as he told me to call him, simply said, “Big one next week against Colorado State, how about it?”
I went and we had a blast as Chris Brown and Bobby purify gashed the No. 24 ranked Rams for over 300 yards rushing, Buddy laughing in slight awe every time I would talk about where a guy went to high school or the NFL potential of a certain player. I had earned my invite to the next week and he had earned my seal of approval with mom.
Over the next few weeks, I began to fall in love with the whole thing, I learned quickly why Buddy liked to get there so early: a 15-foot grill and 100 of your closest friends, all with the same thing in mind – food and football. Yeah, this was the life, it was a place where I could go talk sports endlessly with other people as passionate as I. But this was only the beginning of that love, it was later in that same season that my life would change for good.
Continue reading...
Now, of course, 100 games takes us back many years and any logic will tell you that 9-year old RK was not covering games from the press box in 2001. I was a fan, a big one at that, black and gold colored wig and all (IDK, I thought it was cool). Obviously, as journalists we are taught not to be fans and in my almost four years covering the Buffaloes from that perspective I truly believe I have separated my heart from the team, that’s why I feel comfortable looking back on my time as a fan. There’s no reason to hide it, in fact, I think my close following of the team for all those years has been one the greatest aids to my coverage.
With that said, wow, 100 games, where to start? Oh yeah, at the beginning.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
My mom had a new boyfriend and she had obviously told him of my love of sports, he must have really liked her because he made an early power move to get me on his side.
“What do you have going on this Saturday,” he asked.
“Um, it’s the opening weekend of college football season,” I responded in the smart-ass tone you would expect from a 9-year old know-it-all. “The Buffs are playing on ESPN, I’ll be on the couch all day.”
My mom rolled her eyes, not sure if it was at my tone or the fact that she hated how I spent my weekends inside watching football, probably both.
“You could watch on ESPN,” he threw back. “Or you could come to the game with me, I have a ticket on your name on it.”
My eyes lit up like he had just put a bar of solid gold on the table in front of me, this was the Buffs and Fresno State, Craig Ochs and David Carr! I turned and looked at my mom with a look that was a mix of ‘Mom, don’t you dare say I can’t go’ and also ‘Marry this man right now.’
Now, this would have been a great way to begin the streak but I didn’t go to the game that weekend. Why? Because I was a little **** and “ran away from home” (this really just meant I went to a friends house in the neighborhood) earlier in the day when I didn’t get my way. My plan was to get back before we would leave for the game, but I wasn’t privy to the fact that this new guy likes to get to the stadium four hours before the game to do something called “tailgating.”
My mom went to the game in my place and my older sister made fun of me all night as I cried and whined about not being there while the Buffs battled David Carr and the Bulldogs of Fresno State. The Buffs eventually lost in a heartbreaker, but they must have had a great time because, while my mom was livid with me when they got back, “Buddy,” as he told me to call him, simply said, “Big one next week against Colorado State, how about it?”
I went and we had a blast as Chris Brown and Bobby purify gashed the No. 24 ranked Rams for over 300 yards rushing, Buddy laughing in slight awe every time I would talk about where a guy went to high school or the NFL potential of a certain player. I had earned my invite to the next week and he had earned my seal of approval with mom.
Over the next few weeks, I began to fall in love with the whole thing, I learned quickly why Buddy liked to get there so early: a 15-foot grill and 100 of your closest friends, all with the same thing in mind – food and football. Yeah, this was the life, it was a place where I could go talk sports endlessly with other people as passionate as I. But this was only the beginning of that love, it was later in that same season that my life would change for good.
Continue reading...
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