When you wish upon a star…sometimes dreams really do come true. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t super excited about traveling to LA for the game, everyone coughing on the plane, not a non stop route…but I made it.
A wonderful New Year of homemade Korean food. (So darn good). Play time with my niece, funny stories with my brother and wife, and a nice long run made the downtime before the game go fast.
By game day we were ready. I started off with a 4 mile run to clear my mind. The energy flowed through me. As we made our way through the heavy traffic and all of that SC gear, it dawned on me “we’re back”.
It’s been a long 10 years since the NCAA unfair sanctions. It may have crippled but it certainly didn’t destroy the Troy spirit. The game epitomized every ounce of our being: quick start, horrendous 3rd quarter, fighting back from 14 down to win. As the ball sailed toward the field goal, I just knew it was good..I began praying around the 5 minute mark to give these boys the proper send off. My prayers were answered..it didn’t hurt having an extra Trojan fan in Aunt Leta up there cheering
Instant classic. I’ve been lucky to experience many great Trojan victories..but this one was special. We Trojan fans couldn’t contain ourselves..the beat down from the NCAA, the Kiff firing on the tarmac, Drunk Sark all bubbling to the surface. Those vicious wounds have finally healed. There really is only one way to describe it “pure joy”. Michael and I jumping up and down in perfect harmony.
As we walked back to the car, we ran into our Trojan guard still in uniform. He was hugging his parents. His sister saw us and said do you want a picture. The mom giving me a massive hug. Viane was so gracious taking pictures with all who asked. I just kept saying so Proud of You. He kept saying We did it!
