For all you Ram fans out there who don't have the privilege of living in the great state of Colorado, and you still want to watch the big game, check out the CSU Alumni Association's list of Hometown Huddles. These are groups of Ram fans in various locations around the country who get together to show their colors (green and gold, of course).
And, this upcoming weekend is the Rocky Mountain Showdown, which pits in-state rivals against each other. My beloved Colorado State University Rams take on the University of Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday. This is a long-standing rivalry between the two schools and gives the winning team bragging rights within the state. CU won last year (boo) and CSU won two years ago (yay!). So, to get everyone pumped for the big game, here's our fight song.
Man, that's a great fight song!
I remember going to my first CSU football game as a freshman. They were giving out free t-shirts to the first 500 or so students, so of course, we had to be there early. Because we were newbies, we showed up WAY too early and ended up hanging out in the empty stadium while everyone else tailgated. Wow, we were nerds. But hey, we got our free shirts!
Another staple of CSU football games is the singing of Fum's Song. Thuman "Fum" McGraw played was a great football player for CSU and became one of its athletic directors after an illustrious football career for the Detroit Lions. His song goes like this:
"I'll sing you a song of college days, and tell you where to go.
Aggies, where your knowledge is, and Boulder to spend your dough.
C.C. for your sissy boys, and Utah for your times, D.U. for your ministers, and drunkards School of Mines.
Don't send my boy to Wyoming U. a dying mother said. Don't send him to old Brigham Young, I'd rather see him dead.
But send him to our Aggies, it's better than Cornell.
Before I'd see him in Boulder, I'd see my son in hell!"
It should be noted that when CSU was first founded back in 1870, it was known as the Agricultural College of Colorado (hence the Aggies reference). The name of the university has since been changed to Colorado State University, but in reference to it's agricultural heritage, we've been known to say, "Go Aggies!" The school has also started a big push to remembering the history of CSU and every year, for the Ag Day football game, people wear the old school colors: pumpkin orange and alfalfa gold.
And then, how could anyone forget the famed CSU trombone suicide routine?! The crowd goes absolutely CRAZY when the band busts this out in the middle of their marching routine.
Being part of something bigger and feeling like you are a part of a great community is awesome. CSU taught me this and this week is big for us. The Rams are going into the Showdown 2-0 and the Buffs...well, they're 0-2!! I don't want to jinx anything, so all I'll say is, "Here we go Rams, here we go!"
(Quick note: I am thinking about making my Monday posts about music. Music Mondays...very cliche, I know. But I kind of like the idea of easing into Monday with some tunes.)
There are some songs that, regardless of where or when you hear them, whether it's a snippet or the whole song, you are immediately transported back to a specific point in your life. That is the magic of music. Here are two songs that teleport me back to 2005....Fort Collins, CO...to a simpler time in life.
In the fall of 2005, I ventured out into the wide world of college at Colorado State University. I was about as green as they come, but was lucky enough to have met my very best friend the first day I was there. Meaghan and I were inseparable after that.
These songs became semi-anthems that year. We watched (and fell in love with Grey's Anatomy). We went to see The Fray perform in our arena way before they became the national sensation that they are today. We spent late nights talking & watching movies. We went to basketball games, football games, volleyball games. We went to dorm craft nights & cookie-decorating nights. You name it, we probably did it.
We were so carefree then. We didn't have to worry about bills or rent. We could go to class if we wanted to, but with that, the realization that if we didn't want to, we didn't have to. We learned about ourselves and about others and that relationships are hard, but definitely worth fighting for and cultivating if they are good.
I can't believe that this week, classes are starting at CSU. Another year of freshman are moving into the dorms, hanging up movie posters & figuring out where their classes are. Six years ago, that was me. My, how times have changed. CSU is still there, but there are more buildings. Grey's Anatomy is still on, but it doesn't have the same draw as it used to (we never missed an episode back then). I'm living and working in L.A., while Meaghan is living and working in Denver. We're grown-ups now.
One thing, though, that remains a constant...Meaghan's friendship. And the memories that flood my mind when I hear those two songs.
