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September 04, 2007
Among The Purple People
It was an ordinary Friday, the first Friday of the fall semester. I had two afternoon meetings and a farewell reception to attend. But there was something else, something that made this Friday different from all the rest. There would be a football game in the Carrier Dome that evening, the first Friday evening game ever. Live music and concessions in the quad, a host of orange-clad tailgaters, students and fans thronging the grounds.
But there was more than a hint of the others on those grounds, The Purple People, the Dawgs, the Husky faithful - my people.
The University of Washington Huskies dropped in for a first-ever game against Syracuse. Naturally, I wore purple throughout the day, clearly identifying myself with the visiting side, separating myself from my current campus, though I did save the Husky gear for the official events.
The UW Alumni Association sponsored a pregame WarmUp event in the ballroom at the Seattle Sheraton. I volunteered to work a shift, registering and greeting fellow alums for part of the party, free then to wander about and enjoy the company. The ballroom was full. Over 400 had pre-registered and more arrived for at the door tickets. A sea of purple engulfed the Sheraton's second floor and spilled down the grand staircase to the picnic in the parking round out front. Just being there, with all that purple, was delightful.
And then They arrived. I got goosebumps as they filed into the ballroom to take their places, and nearly cried when the first notes sounded. The Husky Marching Band was in the house, and the house rocked. I reveled in the sound of the band, delighted in hearing a group of middle-aged (and older) folks shouting out the words, singing "Bow Down to Washington" in full voice (even a capella at one point!). I was transported back to those wonderful autumn afternoons when I could still sit in the student section, three rows behind the band, right in the middle of the field. Magic times. Inspiring times. Great times.
When the band finished the faithful moved up the hill to take their places. My deepest gratitude goes to Suzanne Mercier, who helped me get a seat with the Purple People after the SU ticket office made that effort impossible and had me up in the nosebleed section among the orange folks. No refunds on that ticket, but it was worth paying extra to be where I was.
Legendary coach Don James was in the house too, and several folks came by to greet him. Star tailback Greg Lewis was the master of ceremonies. The fans were loud. The band was awesome (as always) under the skilled direction of Dr. Brad McDavid, and even in their limited numbers (the full band hasn't convened as school doesn't start for a few more weeks) showed up their local counterparts. I discovered I'm not the only Husky alum attending grad school at SU. I cheered until I was hoarse, waived my cap (kindly lent to me by SU fan GR) in time with the beats before each kickoff, and general soaked up that feeling of studentness again. I left feeling academically re-energized in a way nothing has done for me in years.
Oh, and the game? Yeah, the Huskies won. But really, that was almost incidental to the experience.
Posted by cageyer at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)