While most of my Winter Break has been spent lounging in my humble yet comfortable bed, I have been out and about a few times when I found a commitment luring enough to change out of pajamas/sweats.
One such occasion occurred yesterday, Tuesday, January 8, 2008. I woke up thinking it would be another day of Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency followed by Food Network Challenges and movies on HBO. (Hey, I'm not complaining.) However, a text received while I was sleeping informed me that despite the repeated message of a "sold out game," my friend found three tickets floating around San Francisco.
By some miracle, I would be attending the most intensely emotional basketball game, professional, college-level, or otherwise: The Bruce-Mahoney Basketball Tournament between St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory.
Three years out of high school, my best friend and I have been looking for tickets since December, and I had given up hope of attending until I finally walked through the USF gym doors (after 35 minutes of searching for parking..). The girls had just lost a major defeat, but I knew in my heart that tonight was still our night. As we three alumni climbed the familiar stairs to the upper level of the gym, I felt myself being transported back to high school. No matter how many years have passed since my time at SI, everything is just about the same. The students still show their spirit in the same way: red and blue layered shirts, bright socks, Varsity jackets, jerseys, Senior t-shirts, facepaint. Brother Draper and Ms. Cota still stand in front of the immense crowd of cheering Wildcats, making sure that we keep our cheers classy. Everyone wearing Red and Blue looks relaxed and happy, almost certain of the victory that is coming our way.
A victory it was, as the Cats led the crowd in a magnificent display of every heart-wrenching emotion of a true athletic event. We won 55-52 after starting the game with a disappointing first quarter (23-9 in the second) and never leading the game with more than 6 points. The most important thing was, we won the trophy for a tenth consecutive year. (Basically, the trophy has been in our possession since my oldest sister graduated in 1999.) I kept taking pictures of the scoreboard, knowing that somehow our team would catch up and defeat the "big green." I found myself joining in on as many cheers as I could, yelling and stomping my feet like it was my last year to celebrate.
A part of me wishes I showed as much school spirit in the past, not shying away from the extra facial decorations. But the beauty of SI is that you can always go back. Of course, it is no longer our time. We won't always find friends in the crowd. We won't always have the stamina to stand for a full hour and a half to scream at the top of our lungs. I did feel older than all these Cats; the oldest were freshmen when I graduated. But there is something that pulls you right back in. I am no longer afraid for the future of our school, because now I see us in them. The more years that pass by, the more alumni will join the Ignatian family. When you make that decision afterward to put on red and blue, you can be sure that no one will call you out once you stand on your seat and go crazy with that simple phrase, "We are SI."
So what is it that makes you blend in? The passion for the school, the support for the team, the spirit of our tradition, and the love between all Wildcats that transcends time and generation.
Oooh.. Ahhh.. You wish you were a wildcat.
