oGriz
Well-known member
A nice story by Rob Vanstone, the Regina Leader-Post sports coordinator, who visited Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the EWU game.
A few nuggets from a long-awaited college football trip
By ROB VANSTONE, Regina Leader-Post sports co-ordinator
http://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/a-few-nuggets-from-a-long-awaited-college-football-trip
I have been a lifelong fan of the University of Montana Grizzlies for three weeks.
In mid-November, I joined Regina Leader-Post colleagues Emma Graney, Juris Graney and Nathan Liewicki on a life-altering trip to Missoula, Mont., where this seasoned scribe attended his first American college football game.
Getting there was half the fun, despite the arduous 11-hour drive from Point A to Point B.
Consider a food stop in Havre, Mont., where I woozily entered a fast-food emporium of some charm.
Without enunciating anything properly, I inquired: “What sizes do you have for McNuggets?”
The nice young lady behind the counter, trying to process what I had attempted to say, looked at me rather quizzically and said, “You want 40 McNuggets??!!”
Well, no.
Six would suffice.
Onwards we proceeded to Missoula, arriving at 1 a.m. After some long-awaited slumber, we went shopping downtown before immersing ourselves in the experience that is tailgating.
Rare was the business or establishment that did not display something pertaining to the local football team. “Go Griz!” signs were everywhere.
While having lunch, I met a long-time Missoulian named Joe, who spoke about how much he loved the scenic city — which is nicely nestled into a mountainous region — and its roughly 70,000 inhabitants.
“This city isn’t too big,” Joe said, “and we’d like to keep it that way.”
I could only nod. Everyone we met was overwhelmingly friendly — including the merchants who gave us complimentary popcorn that was in a bag labelled, predictably, “Go Griz!”
The shopping being done, we returned to the hotel and dropped off some of our Grizzlies-related souvenirs before making the short walk across a picturesque river to the University of Montana’s campus.
I stopped several times to take pictures and soak in the atmosphere.
Even from a few hundred yards away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the buzz was discernible. You could hear the music and the merriment — and the kickoff was still two hours away.
“THIS is why I came here,” I told myself, deriving considerable pride from having crossed one item off an expansive bucket list.
Everywhere I looked, people were socializing and barbecuing. Everyone was welcoming — from the Montana fans to a group of military veterans to the visiting supporters of the Eastern Washington University Eagles.
Eventually, hunger and thirst dictated all decisions, so we ended up yakking with U of M pharmacy students Jacob Lopez, Derrick Schoeben and Bryce Benson, who cordially invited us to join them.
Bratwurst, anyone? (Where were the McNuggets?)
Alas, time was moving too quickly. Even though we had arrived on-campus before noon for a game that was to begin at 1:30 p.m., the much-anticipated college football experience (four-down version) was quickly becoming a blur. My head was darting from left to right as I tried to process everything for the first time.
Before I knew it, opening kickoff was looming. We made our way to the stadium, which accommodates slightly more than 25,000 spectators, and found our seats — which were situated in the 41st row.
Showing remarkable (gasp) cardio, I made it to the seat while stopping only four (wheeze) times. I sat down just in time to stand up, because everyone was soon on their feet for the kickoff and the first handful of plays.
“I can’t believe this,” I said, repeatedly.
Never before had I been a first-hand witness to the spread offence. The frenetic pace was something to see. Upon the completion of each play, the Grizzlies could not wait to scrimmage the ball once again. It was exhausting to watch (or maybe I was still winded from the seemingly interminable climb to the 41st row).
When there was time between plays, I looked around and marveled at the surroundings. It was the perfect spot for a football game. The stadium was the perfect size.
The fans were even more enthusiastic than I had expected. When the opposing team had the ball, the fans’ objective was to make as much noise as possible — a reminder of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their leather-lunged loyalists.
And, of course, there was the marching band.
I kept trying to take mental photographs — in addition to snapping pictures with my iPhone6 — and hoping that time would stand still.
But the game flew by, with the Griz winning 57-16. The final quarter was an obligatory exercise, but there wasn’t any temptation to leave. I was in awe the entire time.
Leaving the stadium, begrudgingly, I resolved to make the trip to Washington-Grizzly Stadium an annual event. As soon as possible, I extended an invitation to my all-star wife.
“We are coming here next year,” I cooed via text-message. “Chryssoula in Missoula … what could be better?”
A few nuggets from a long-awaited college football trip
By ROB VANSTONE, Regina Leader-Post sports co-ordinator
http://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/a-few-nuggets-from-a-long-awaited-college-football-trip
I have been a lifelong fan of the University of Montana Grizzlies for three weeks.
In mid-November, I joined Regina Leader-Post colleagues Emma Graney, Juris Graney and Nathan Liewicki on a life-altering trip to Missoula, Mont., where this seasoned scribe attended his first American college football game.
Getting there was half the fun, despite the arduous 11-hour drive from Point A to Point B.
Consider a food stop in Havre, Mont., where I woozily entered a fast-food emporium of some charm.
Without enunciating anything properly, I inquired: “What sizes do you have for McNuggets?”
The nice young lady behind the counter, trying to process what I had attempted to say, looked at me rather quizzically and said, “You want 40 McNuggets??!!”
Well, no.
Six would suffice.
Onwards we proceeded to Missoula, arriving at 1 a.m. After some long-awaited slumber, we went shopping downtown before immersing ourselves in the experience that is tailgating.
Rare was the business or establishment that did not display something pertaining to the local football team. “Go Griz!” signs were everywhere.
While having lunch, I met a long-time Missoulian named Joe, who spoke about how much he loved the scenic city — which is nicely nestled into a mountainous region — and its roughly 70,000 inhabitants.
“This city isn’t too big,” Joe said, “and we’d like to keep it that way.”
I could only nod. Everyone we met was overwhelmingly friendly — including the merchants who gave us complimentary popcorn that was in a bag labelled, predictably, “Go Griz!”
The shopping being done, we returned to the hotel and dropped off some of our Grizzlies-related souvenirs before making the short walk across a picturesque river to the University of Montana’s campus.
I stopped several times to take pictures and soak in the atmosphere.
Even from a few hundred yards away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the buzz was discernible. You could hear the music and the merriment — and the kickoff was still two hours away.
“THIS is why I came here,” I told myself, deriving considerable pride from having crossed one item off an expansive bucket list.
Everywhere I looked, people were socializing and barbecuing. Everyone was welcoming — from the Montana fans to a group of military veterans to the visiting supporters of the Eastern Washington University Eagles.
Eventually, hunger and thirst dictated all decisions, so we ended up yakking with U of M pharmacy students Jacob Lopez, Derrick Schoeben and Bryce Benson, who cordially invited us to join them.
Bratwurst, anyone? (Where were the McNuggets?)
Alas, time was moving too quickly. Even though we had arrived on-campus before noon for a game that was to begin at 1:30 p.m., the much-anticipated college football experience (four-down version) was quickly becoming a blur. My head was darting from left to right as I tried to process everything for the first time.
Before I knew it, opening kickoff was looming. We made our way to the stadium, which accommodates slightly more than 25,000 spectators, and found our seats — which were situated in the 41st row.
Showing remarkable (gasp) cardio, I made it to the seat while stopping only four (wheeze) times. I sat down just in time to stand up, because everyone was soon on their feet for the kickoff and the first handful of plays.
“I can’t believe this,” I said, repeatedly.
Never before had I been a first-hand witness to the spread offence. The frenetic pace was something to see. Upon the completion of each play, the Grizzlies could not wait to scrimmage the ball once again. It was exhausting to watch (or maybe I was still winded from the seemingly interminable climb to the 41st row).
When there was time between plays, I looked around and marveled at the surroundings. It was the perfect spot for a football game. The stadium was the perfect size.
The fans were even more enthusiastic than I had expected. When the opposing team had the ball, the fans’ objective was to make as much noise as possible — a reminder of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their leather-lunged loyalists.
And, of course, there was the marching band.
I kept trying to take mental photographs — in addition to snapping pictures with my iPhone6 — and hoping that time would stand still.
But the game flew by, with the Griz winning 57-16. The final quarter was an obligatory exercise, but there wasn’t any temptation to leave. I was in awe the entire time.
Leaving the stadium, begrudgingly, I resolved to make the trip to Washington-Grizzly Stadium an annual event. As soon as possible, I extended an invitation to my all-star wife.
“We are coming here next year,” I cooed via text-message. “Chryssoula in Missoula … what could be better?”
