Once a cougar, always a cougar..

Can I begin this post by expressing my love for this school? I LOVE BYU! I loved BYU before last night but I just love it even more so now. "Why?" you ask. Let me show you via pictures taken by BYU and also my bestie, Arielle Anne. 

BYU basketball is one of my favourite things. I just love love love it. Basketball season always just gives me a giddy feeling. It reminds me of my childhood when I'd be getting all excited to get on the bus with the team to travel to the games with em. It reminds me of eating the staffroom food. Obsessing over the dance team and their star stickers. It also makes summer being over bearable. (Although I will add that I have had a change of heart these last 2 years and can now say that I enjoy the snow so winter isn't all that bad anymore.) Back to the topic at hand.. I have never been one of those people who will camp out in the wet, cold, blowing snow to get a good seat at a game buttttttttt after the blast I had yesterday on the 2nd row, things are about to change. You see with my family in Canada, they try to watch all the BYU games when they are on ESPN and if they aren't on ESPN, they'll watch em on BYUtv. I always try to get on the jumbotron for them. Its my goal at every game and despite my efforts, which may or may not include making numerous ugly faces, bouncing up and down until I cannot do it any longer and also dancing like a mad woman, I can never get on the blasted screen. I discovered yesterday that it is a lot easier when you are up at the front, right where the camera is. That way, I can just yell at the camera man asking him to put me on the big screen.

That fist in the bottom right corner with the black scrunchie is mine :) 

Last night began at 3 in the afternoon actually. Arielle and I arrived at the Marriott Center for the girls game. I don't usually attend girls basketball games *insert sheepish look here* I have just never been a fan of girls ball. But this year I'm gonna try harder.. Not particularly because I suddenly enjoy watching girls ball, but because there are perks of going to the games. Plus, the team is pretty good! We were allowed to keep our seats we had at the girls game for the boys game after. We got there on time so we were fortunate enough to be sitting on the 3rd row to begin with, then we worked our way to the second row. 

The marketing team for BYU sports are in charge of getting the fans noticed. We got to be friends with Harry. Twas a grand ol' time casting spells on the Tennessee Tigers. Expecto Patronum! 

Like I said, the marketing team helps out with getting the fans on tv and such so to our newbies-on-the-second-row surprise, they started handing out blank posters and sharpies to make signs with. Ari, the creative genius, came up with the Yee-Haws deal and it stuck. She made the poster while I watched for moral support. Then during one of the time outs of the girls game, the cheerleaders had people go onto the court to do the chicken dance. I was alllllll over that. SO FUN! I can now say that I have danced on the Marriott Center court and even though it was just the chicken dance, it still counts. You know I gave it my all :) My friend Adam videoed us dancing. I'll have to share that another time.. During the girls game, I also got on the jumbotron during the 'show your muscles' part. I flexed and they couldn't resist putting my guns up there for everyone to see! 

Loving life with my bestie!

After the girls game, we still had two hours to hang out in our seats before the guys game. We spent this time getting acquainted with the other fans. We met some really cool, fun people! This time between games was also spent watching a video introducing the new name for the student section. The ROC! Roar Of Cougars. I LOVE IT! They handed out free shirts to everyone in the student section *shirts seen wearing above* When the team runs out onto the court to begin warmups, they touch a large rock that was cut out of Y mountain. After the game, some of the marketing team wheeled it over to us and I got to touch it. Special moment in my life. 

This poster was Ari's idea and it caught on like wild fire! Everyone would scream "Yee-Haws" when Tyler Haws would score or do anything awesome for that matter. 

Ok, continuing the story. The game was caaaraaazy! The fans that we were with were so into the game the entire time. We got to hold Harry Potter, as you saw above, and the marketing team also handed out  a bunch of long skinny balloons that we could wave around. They also had a bunch of other cardboard cut outs of people such as Ron Weasley, Justin Bieber, and Beauty and the Beast just to name a few. There were a bunch of new cheer things that we were supposed to do and it was really fun learning them and seeing the entire student section get involved! One of my favorites is Roll Call. We do it before the game while the team is warming up and there is a certain chant we yell for each player and we keep yelling it until they acknowledge the crowd. 

Some of the crazy cardboard cut outs and balloons. I am also in this picture. Bottom right hand corner. Behind the 3 boys in white on the front row. You can kinda see me yelling behind them :)

Now for one of my favorite parts, the group in front of us at the game was a really fun group of enthusiastic fans. My kind of people. Apparently they camp out before every game, do shifts and such. And when I say camp out, I mean camp out in a tent with space heaters, a tv, and nintendo 64. Cool right? Well, it just so happens that they really liked Ari and me and inducted us into their group. We are now part of the front row group and will sit on the front row/second row at every game from now on. So pumped! 

So there ya have it folks. I'm a true blue Cougar through and through. Always have been, always will be! Raw, raw, raw, raw, raw! Goooooooooooo Cougars!