As I walked towards the colossal red-brick colosseum, I heard the chanting grow louder. The sound brought to mind the harrowing calls of a group of primitive Indians preparing for war. A scared and apprehensive four year old, I looked up at my father with fear in my eyes. He told me that this unison chanting that had previously given me chills was the Florida State University war chant being performed at a football game. Awestruck, my only reaction was to smile, having never seen or heard something so intimidating; the sound was in perfect harmony and serves as an audible reminder that I’ll always associate with Florida State University and the pride I have for the Seminoles.
The pride started off as a baby. Laying in my parents’ arms on August 26th, 1992; wrapped in a baby blanket and wearing a garnet and gold knit hat, I was a mere one hour old. This was the dawn of an infatuation with Florida State University. As the days went on, I’d lie engulfed in my father’s shoulder while watching the Seminoles put the finishing touches on a spectacular 1992 football season. As I grew older, eventually I’d learn the universal “touchdown” symbol. Raising my hands above my head, I’d run around the house in my miniature FSU jersey as if I’d just won a million dollars. Running around like a chicken with my head cutoff, I’d scream at the top of my lungs, “GO SEMINOLES!” Finally old enough to know what was going on, I was privileged enough to watch something very special. The year was 1993 and FSU had amassed an astonishing record of eleven wins and just one loss. Earning a bid to play in the Orange bowl, Florida State was ranked number two in the country. Playing five-time champion Nebraska, was not going to be easy. Bigger, faster and heavil...
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...e campus, and felt comfortable with my professors and their expectations. I quickly realized that the very place that I had been conditioned to like since birth, was truly where I belonged. I had no problems transitioning into college life and had no doubts that I made the right choice. College life at FSU was everything I expected. High school was fun, but nothing compared to the college life and how I felt at Florida State.
As I sit in Strozier Library at Florida State University putting the finish touches on this paper, I realize all of the events that have brought me up to this point. I’m thankful for my family’s constant catechizing of FSU because I realize I made the right choice; this is where I’m meant to be. From the football games to my cousin’s graduation I’m glad to be a part of a family legacy and look forward to continuing it with my own children.
In basketball, the National Championship game is the dream of every kid that plays basketball in college. NC State’s basketball team wasn’t well known in 1983. Jim Valvano was the coach and he knew he had a great group of kids. When they won the ACC tournament against the great Ralph Sampson and Virginia, people thought that the win was just luck and they probably wouldn’t make last when they got into the tournament. Throughout the tournament, NC State kept surviving and advancing. In Johnathan Hock’s documentary “Survive and Advance”, Hock uses stock footage of the games that were played during the tournament, different points of view from the players, and the sequence of the documentary to prove that NC State’s basketball team were the underdogs during the whole tournament; however they were able to win despite their adversity
Throughout College Football's extensive 138 year history, there has been debate over which football team is the greatest dynasty. Many dynasties throughout the nation have the ability to be titled 'the greatest'. Nevertheless, the University of Notre Dame is undeniably the best overall College Football dynasty, when one considers not only statistics but also tradition, heart, and dedication. Notre Dame?s exceptional dynasty has many attributing factors throughout its history. These factors range from the greatest coaches and players to the contagious Irish spirit. No matter what ethnic background a Notre Dame man comes from, the minute he steps out onto 'Rockne's house'(Notre Dame Stadium), he automatically becomes one of the Fighting Irish. It is a telling act that throughout Notre Dame's history, and increasingly in recent years, many players, coaches, and fans have made the university their home purely because of their preference to be in the midst of a community of learning where belief is not merely tolerated, but in fact is celebrated.
Overall, I am glad that I had the opportunities growing up to attend different types of schools. They shaped me into the person that I am today and helped to make me successful, along with the fact that I am very competitive, take pride in what I do and take the time to learn how to work with others. I believe these traits have gotten me as far as I am
Pappano, Laura. “How Big-Time Sports Ate College Life” Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition, 8th ed. Pages 591-600. 2013.
Sam grew up in the small town of Osceola, WI and chose to follow in his sister’s footsteps and attend the University of St. Thomas. Sam’s first thought when entering
I slouch back in my blue canvas-folding chair. My legs are crossed neatly in front of me, making a sturdy table for my notebook. I positioned myself between two tan RVs they both are decorated in their own special ways. My back was facing the Stone building, which is right on the edge of campus. The RV on my right has a garnet flag hanging on the back window with FSU sewn on in gold letters. The RV to my left chose a white a flag with the Seminole emblem, it was hanging from the over hang. People honk as they pass. Strands of my hair blow softly across my face in the cool breeze, and getting into my eyes occasionally. There are so many questions race through my mind as stare at the crowd in front of me. Every Saturday as I walk by the thousands of parked cars I wonder why they are here. What compels these men and women who have real jobs and live in exciting cities to come back here and tailgate? So I sit amongst them, and try to understand them. They talk and eat all around me. We have some camaraderie, but we are different. Maybe because I can't imagine myself in their shoes ten years from now.
On that same day a few yards away, Frank Levi Trimble stretched his legs out in his bed in Hope College dormitory. As a third year student, Trimble had sat through a similar convocation ceremony just a few years earlier. The memory of the experience lingered in his mind this morning as he readied the room for his new roommate, John Hope.
The start if college is like the end of one’s childhood. Yet I had no intension of letting that go when I woke up yesterday at 7:00 am. Still, like high school, my mom dropped me off and picked me up; copping almost the exact same routine from the four years I spent in high school. Just as I thought this ought to be the easiest way of transportation, my mom proved me wrong once we reached the University of Washington’s parking lot.
Attention Getter: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Alabama Crimson Tide? Hatred? Championships? Nick Saban? Picture this scenario in your mind. It may give you great joy to hear. It’s first and goal on the Alabama two-yard line. The Clemson Tigers have the ball. The score is twenty-eight to thirty-one in favor of the Crimson Tide. There is six seconds left in the ball game. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson lines up the receive the snap. The ball is snapped, Watson rolls to his right and hits an open receiver, Hunter Renfroe, for the game winning touchdown. Alabama’s chance at an undefeated season is put to rest in a single play. I tell you this to say this, Alabama is not immune to the heart wrenching
Almost everyone in the United States loves college football on Saturdays especially down in the south. There are many rivalries that have transpired and some bigger than others. One of the rivalries is the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” that features S.E.C East powerhouses, the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs. This rivalry started back in the early 1900’s that wasn’t moved to Jacksonville, Florida until 1933, and the nickname for the series was not coined until the early 1950’s. Both of these teams are very different from each other, and always have been since they have started playing each other. Florida and Georgia differ in various ways including coaching, playing styles, and player types that make them perfect rivals in college football.
On a Saturday afternoon this past November, I was watching a Marshall University football home game on television. I was surprised to hear thousands of fans in the stadium repeatedly chant "We Are Marshall." It became clear to me that this team was supported by a fan base that was emotionally connected to the program. The chant also made me realize that this fan base felt that they were a part of the football team. Then, I understood why the fans felt this way. Even after all these years, students at Marshall and local residents feel connected to the team because of the loss and suffering felt by the community after what Bob Withers called " the worst air disaster in American sports history" (Withers). Few tragedies involving universities
Jealous, Benjamin Todd. "Lessons from an HBCU’s Demise." The Conversation. N.p., 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
In the fall of every year, high school graduate begin this journey toward personal success, whether living on campus or with parents. There is a sense of maturity many of them feel when beginning this journey with the goal of graduating college and receiving the best credential possible to getting a well-paying job. “She Can Play That Game, Too” by Kate Taylor. Demonstrate a very important issue many college students face when beginning of this exciting journey. T...
My high school graduation was one of the saddest moments of my life. Although I was excited about graduating, I did not know what I was going to do with the rest of my life. In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation,” Angelou was excited and proud of all that she had accomplished. In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Late Encounter With the Enemy,” Sally Poker Sash was proud that she was finally graduating and just wanted to show that off to all the “upstarts”. In the two readings the pupils are contrasting in a few different areas, and a couple of those areas are in pride and feelings that their families have being involved in the graduation.
The decisions we make throughout life can have an impact on our future, directly or indirectly. When things do not always go your way, you can learn from these experiences and grow as a person. It will not be easy, but eventually with time things will improve. All the hard times really make a person cherish all the good times. Saying this, I wanted to do something a little more personal for my final paper. The environment has a certain pull on everyone's' lives whether they realize it or not. This paper expresses how the environment of Illinois College has changed my life. I am also including a poem that I composed recently after events that have occurred in my life. I am hoping that my readers will relate to and understand where I am coming from. I am especially directing to this to my peers, as well as the future generations at Illinois College.