Was it good for you?
Tip: Alcohol can often make your first experience less awkward
Braden Dupuis
Sports Writer
Have you ever been to a Cougars or Rams game?
Judging by the near-empty stands our athletes play to night after night, I’m guessing the answer is no for a lot of people.
That’s a shame, because there are some insanely talented, dedicated and exciting athletes to watch right here on campus.
But, before I go any further, I think full disclosure is in order.
My first year on campus, I didn’t make it out to a lot of games.
Being at a new school can be overwhelming. You’re meeting new people, adjusting to life away from home and (hopefully) getting into lots of trouble.
During my first semester at the U of R, I had neither the desire nor the time to watch sports at the University level.
It wasn’t until someone dragged me to a woman’s volleyball game that I realized what I had been missing.
Despite playing to a crowd made up of mostly parents and field-tripping high school volleyball teams, both teams gave it their all, and it was nothing if not entertaining.
I was blown away by the talent, commitment and passion displayed by both teams on the court.
By the time the final whistle blew, I was cheering along with the parents as if it was my own kids out there – but that may have been the fact that I was six beer deep by that point.
Did I mention they sell beer?
That was a fact I was unaware of at the time, and one that probably would have had me in the front row on opening night, had I known it sooner.
Which reminds me of a funny story.
After enjoying several of said beers during a Cougars basketball game last year, a friend and I were asked to compete in the halftime shootout, with coupons to Applebee’s on the line.
Needless to say, we obliged. Never dangle a free meal at Applebee’s in front of a drunk man’s face.
Long story short, I won the drunken shootout by an embarrassing margin of 13-1 – to protect my friend’s reputation, let’s just call him Dan P.
I guess that story isn’t really that funny, but it’s a great memory that still makes me laugh to this day.
Even though our team lost that game, it was a great night out with my friends, and exciting all the way through.
But the experience is even better when the good guys win.
Take the Rams old-fashioned ass kicking of the UBC Thunderbirds on Sept. 7 as an example.
While there was barely enough people to fill a fraction of Mosaic stadium – although one guy behind me, a regular at Rams games, noted what a “good crowd the boys have tonight” – watching the Rams shit-haul the bad guys was an awesome experience.
The fans that did come out to support the team brought tons of enthusiasm, and every interception and scoring play had us out of our seats and cheering wildly.
And the team – like all of our university athletes – deserved it.
So if you’ve never taken in any campus sports, I highly recommend it. Bring along your student card, and you don’t even have to pay.
Pick a sport, call up your friends, and start your Friday night off right with a cold beer and some hot Cougars action.
Who knows, you might even get a free meal at Applebee’s out of it.
Hi Guys!! Have been reading the Carrilon for 25+ years now and you do a great job. Just a quick comment about attendance at Cougar/Ram events. Although it could be better, we generally are towards the top, especially in basketball, for Canada West schools and the that's a positive. I really hope more students discover the quality of the games being played and come out support the teams.