Musician's Widow

People may wonder why last night’s win (76 – 70 over Notre Dame) is such a huge deal to Aggies. National Championships are a big deal, sure. But for Aggies, this was bigger than normal.

This was school history being made right before our eyes.

This was our first trip to the Final Four. Then it was our first trip to the National Championship. Then… sure enough… it was our first National Championship Title (in Women’s Basketball).

As the confetti rained down, tears fell from the eyes of the players and fans alike. This win was momentous. This win put this team into the history and lore that is the very fiber of Texas A&M University. This win put the university into the national spotlight, put us where we’ve felt in our hearts we’ve belonged for years. The team just had to claw their way one game at a time to get there.

And they did. But here’s the tidbit of information that might be lost on many…

Texas A&M didn’t even let women attend until 1963. Not even 50 years ago, not a single one of these remarkable women in the spotlight today would have even been allowed to enroll in the university. That, in my mind, is a big deal. It makes this win all the more noteworthy.

Remarkable women… As I watched these young women stand on that stage and accept the trophy last night. As I watched them today at Reed Arena surrounded by thousands of Aggie faithful. I saw poise and respect and pride. I saw wonderful personalities and a sisterhood that comes around oh so rarely. I saw wonderful representatives of the university I love so dearly.

Congratulations, ladies. You worked hard to get where you are today. Oh I’ve seen snide comments by fans of that school just down the Brazos river… (which makes me sad, because Aggies have said they had a great team this year. One of the best in the nation for sure. And yet many of their fans refuse to acknowledge the same towards us.) but those comments are nothing. The fact of the matter is that you worked hard, believed in yourselves and your teammates, and played every game with a singular focus and huge hearts. It’s not luck that you are today the 2011 National Champions. Its hard earned.

Gig’em Ags!

I played basketball in junior high. Yup. I was on the “B” team, though. I have the height, but not the coordination. (Had I made “A” team, I would have probably went on to play in high school. But I didn’t, so I didn’t.)

As part of being on the team, our coach took us to several Lady Aggie Basketball games. It was SO much fun, and I remember watching in awe. The arena was almost empty, though. No one was interested, I guess, but we had fun! We met the players, and I had an autographed poster of the team on my wall for awhile.

Once I quit playing, I quit paying much attention. In college I became like everyone else… oblivious to the fact that we even had a women’s basketball team.

Over the last few years, though, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have become a shining jewel for the university. I’m suddenly a basketball fan… something that baffles my parents and my husband. I fill out brackets. I curse when they get busted. (Really, Kansas!? Really!?) And this year…

This year I might or might not have gotten tears in my eyes when the Lady Aggies made it to the Final Four for the first time in school history. I gathered with my two favorite Aggies on Sunday and SCREAMED at the top of my lungs when they advanced to the National Championship.

Today, I am decked out in Aggie gear (not that that is unusual) having a hard time thinking about anything except tonight’s game. Win or lose, the team has made school history and put my university into the national spotlight in an area that not even Aggies acknowledged just a few years ago.

I am SO PROUD of those girls… what an incredible ride they are on right now, and I hope they enjoy every single second.

Gig’em Aggies!!! Beat The Hell Outta Notre Dame!!! WHOOP!!

Arkansas State Fair

This last weekend, I road tripped to Little Rock, Arkansas to see my husband do a show at the Arkansas State Fair.  (It’s half-way to my parent’s house in Texas, so it worked beautifully to break that drive up.) My Texas A&M Aggies lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks the night before the show, so there was just a touch of wounded pride for me as I crossed the state line.

During the show, the artist my husband works for mentioned how cool Arkansas’s Hog Call is, and the call was done twice through the course of the show, lead by one of the band members.

The Aggie in me was somewhat grudgingly going, “Rubbing salt in the wound!” But in reality, I had to admit… it was pretty dang cool to hear so many people doing the call:

Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!
Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!
Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!
Razorbacks!

Truth be told, it reminded me a LOT of any of Texas A&M’s yells, and I too got wrapped up in the fun, watching in amazement from side-stage.

I couldn’t help but remember back eight years when I attended a concert in Waco, Texas, at the Heart of Texas Fair to see my friend (who would later become my husband) perform. Texas A&M just happened to be playing Baylor the next day, and, as is tradition, we would be holding Midnight Yell practice in the town of the game… which happened to be Waco. To further the irony, they opted to hold it at the fair right after the concert.

I watched the band clear their gear off the stage and promptly get stuck… they could NOT leave because of the hundreds of Aggies that had descended upon the venue. They wouldn’t be leaving until after the Yell Practice.

The artist my husband worked for ended up running to get a video camera to tape the fun and craziness of Yell Practice as the Yell Leaders took over the stage. It was so much fun to watch my friend, his boss, and his co-workers stare at the crowd in amazement… it was their turn to be entertained by this collegiate pride that shook the roof and swayed arm-in-arm.

We all go to concerts for entertainment… to see a great show. But these musicians and artists go state to state being just as amazed and entertained by the traditions and fun of the various areas. This weekend, I myself was blown away by the Pig Sooie Hog Call. Eight years ago, I was among those amazing the entertainment with Midnight Yell.

It’s a give and take with the entertainment world… they give us their all, and as fans we should give them our all right back.