Favorite time of the year...Red Raider Football
Now I don't know about you guys, but it has been a week already...and it is only Tuesday. As I got off work I was trying really hard to find the motivation to write this post. I was just looking around on Youtube and stumbled on the one thing I needed that always hypes me up...the Texas Tech Fight Song!
I might be biased...maybe because I went to school there...or maybe it is because I cheered there….I don’t know. But I have to say Texas Tech has the best fight song, traditions, and game day I have ever seen. Trust me I have been to other colleges and it does not compare. If you have yet to have the experience of attending a Texas Tech football game you are losing at life. Now before anyone says anything...I know we have not had the best couple of seasons. Believe me, we know! But there is something that cannot be explained until you see it for yourself.
Imagine this, after a long week of classes, your brain is fried, you look around to see RVs starting to fill up the parking lots and you start to get that little twinge of excitement, because you know that the following day you are going to be surrounded by hundreds of people all gathered to experience a Red Raider football game.
The first football game I cheered at in the Jones stadium was something I will never forget. We had to arrive a few hours before the game even started. I was definitely nervous, our coach gave us a rundown of how everything was supposed to go but still, it was very uncharted territory for me. We stretched and warmed up for Raider Alley. Raider Alley is our pep rally before the game. We filed out in front of everyone and did some of our traditionals and cheers. The excitement was definitely bubbling up at this point. We then split up into our two teams and walked around the parking lot in front of the Jones. Walking around and seeing all these fans with their huge TVs set up, ridiculous amounts of food on tables and still more on the grill was something else. Side note: still to this day, high key upset that we weren't allowed to eat. But one of the most memorable tailgates was Bubba...he has this huge RV and this huge smoker outside. If there was ever a Texas Tech Fan bigger than him I would be shocked. He was so nice and his food was amazing...when he snuck it to us. He would always tell us to come back after the game and he would have a plate ready for us. I believe he has passed, but that was definitely a Red Raider to remember.
Walking down the ramp to the field was an experience in itself, you would walk out and see all the fans spilling in. When we started to set up for the Masked Rider to ride in, that is definitely when the nerves were out. Now if you haven't seen a Red Raider entrance...Youtube that s&%@. You have the band on the field, cheerleaders, pom squad, and the Saddle Tramps. The music is playing in the background getting everyone pumped and the band starts to play. At this point, I am getting ready to run one of the flags and my S.P.S. (Sweaty Palm Syndrome..thanks Davey) starts acting up. In a matter of seconds, you see the Masked Rider riding his horse down the fields and the football team following with the cheer boys running down spelling out Texas Tech. The rest of the game was pretty much a blur, all I know is I was exhausted after the game, but still had enough energy to go out and celebrate. Looking back I have no clue how we lasted during those games.
Like I said before, most of the games I went to were through cheer. When I was in grad school I attended my first football game as a fan...can't even go into much detail because I was already home in bed before the game even started...rookie mistake. After that, you definitely learn how to pace yourself. We would always make fun of the drunk girls stumbling around before the game and we would call them lightweights...turns out I was one of those girls.
I am very fortunate to have had the experiences of being a cheerleader and experiencing the games and being a fan and experiencing them. Being around the Red Raider Nation really gives you a sense of pride and belonging. A simple hand gesture of putting your gun up to the people across the street and them cheering and doing the same really brings a sense of comradery.
The first game is coming up this weekend, we are playing the Ole Miss Rebels at 11:00 AM, even though I will not be in Houston, you better believe I am going to be in front of a TV somewhere cheering my Red Raiders on!
