In our sleepy little area of the world there's several reasons to be excited for winter: the holiday season, cuddling on the couch, and the return of Hope College basketball. My father-in-law has had season tickets to Hope games since the late 1970s. In fact, he's been sitting next to the same couple all that time. They even had a daughter the same age as Jillian and both of them would go to Hope games sitting on their father's lap. This year, we've carried on that tradition with the next generation of the family. Secretly I think my in-laws are starting early in pushing Hope as her future college, but I just hope she likes watching sports with me from it.
(reading the scouting report ... good job Megan!)
When we moved here last year during the middle of the season, Jillian's mom GLADLY willed her seat to me and I became indoctrinated into the tradition. Despite now living a half hour away, this season I've commuted in to the games, and it's been great to have something to look forward to during the week.
Now, at my alma mater, the men's basketball games averaged a couple of hundred people max. But at Hope, because of the large area alumni, they have led Division III schools in basketball attendance over the past several years, with roughly 1500 showing up for games. With that type of crowd, it's easy to get caught up in the emotion.
(One of her rare moments of enthrallment with the actual game)
These pictures with Megan are actually capturing her THIRD game of the season. The first time, Carey and I brought her to a Saturday afternoon game they were celebrating the mascot's birthday, so there were 12 mascots all over the arena. If you could choose a game for a little kid to have as their first experience, this was a great choice. Of course she was more concerned with "Homer" from Home Depot and Chuck E. Cheese than she was with the nuances of the pick-and-roll, but she's young.
I'm not sure if she's a true fan yet, but this was the third Saturday in a row she went to a game. I'd like to believe its the camaraderie with her dad or the exuberance of the crowd, but I'm guessing it's probably the popcorn and M&Ms we share with her that does it.
Hey, I never said I wasn't above bribery to get her into liking sports.
3 comments:
Great post, BP! M&Ms and Division 3 basketball - life doesn't get any better. Go ahead and TRY to convince me otherwise.
-Jake
I'd say she definately looks like a future Flying Dutchman...
Stacy
Is it wrong that I read this, and all I was focused on was- Oooooh, Cute ponytails meg!- ?
Good luck with the whole "liking sports" thing. You can see how well my dad's efforts worked on me! :)
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