My Rose Bowl Weekend

Keri S.

January 2, 2010 - 11:30 AM

As you all may remember, I received a ticket to the Rose Bowl for Christmas from my family. There were hundreds of ways I could have spent New Year's Day, and spending the day with my Ducks was the best way I could have imagined.

My uncle and I flew into Pasadena on New Year's Eve. The second we stepped out of the airport, we could feel the California sunshine, and I knew I was in for a great weekend. Visiting my family in Los Angeles during this time of the year made me question why I was living in Oregon...why have the rain and the cold when you can BBQ Tri-tip at the end of December on your patio?

I awoke the next day excited, and could not believe I was going to the Rose Bowl in only a few hours! As we got in the car and arrived in Pasadena, I was in awe of all the people decked out in either their finest yellow and green or their brightest red for Ohio State. It is one thing to read about fan avidity in a sports business text book or to see the crazy Green Man in Autzen, but was still trying to wrap my mind around encountering 100,000 of these fans at one time. Thousands of dollars were spent and thousands of miles were traveled for ONE game?!? I then realized that I was not observing this event and was one of those crazy avid fans. At that point I took off my marketing student hat and grabbed a beer. I was at the Rose Bowl Baby!

After tailgating, we entered the stadium. I was again overwhelmed. It is a moment I will remember the rest of my life-high fives from strangers, random "go ducks" chants, an "I Love My Ducks" shirt on every other person. Even just inside the Rose Bowl people were overflowing with Duck spirit.

The game itself seemed to go so fast. I am still trying to remember the whole game, but only remember a play or two in all reality. Before I knew it, we missed the field goal and the game was essentially over.

I went down to Pasadena with the attitude that even if we lost, it would still be an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong-it was one of my favorite memories as an Oregon student. However, on the way home I couldn't help feeling extremely disappointed and sad. I felt as though my Ducks had let me down in some way or as though my trip was wasted because we didn't win. I sat in silence the entire 45 minute car ride home and had a sudden realization (warning: this is really cheesy!):

If I was this upset about a stinking football game, I must be some sort of crazy. There are some students who simply go to school to get their degree and get in and out as soon as possible. I, however, traveled over 700 miles for one game and now found myself in near tears. My time at Oregon has really defined who I am and who I will be post-graduation. I realized that Oregon isn't simply a place where I take classes but is a part of what I identify with. I am not simply a student at the University of Oregon-I am a duck tried and true. So here in Eugene the weather may not always be California Sunshine, but what can I say...its home and I wouldn't have it any other way!

If history repeats itself and it is another 15 years before the Ducks return to the Rose Bowl, I hope to be one of the few duck fans returning and sporting their Rose Bowl 2010 shirts saying "I was here for this!"