Dabblin’ With the Cockspur: The Garnet Army – I Challenge You…
posted by Roger Olivieri, 3/13/2009 11:17:00 AM
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An Open Letter to The Garnet Army:
English 101, in some obscure Gambrell Hall classroom, the professors preached the importance of business letters. That being said, let the record show, today, at the spry age of 37, is the first time I’ll need to enact this very important life skill.
The prof would stare down at us tugging gingerly on his pointed goatee before muttering, “One must always start the business letter with flare. No matter how angry or insubordinate the words to follow may be, one must always start with a compliment.”
So here goes…
Congratulations on a phenomenal season. Your attendance was fantastic. Your triumphant chants were motivating. Your echoing cheers were nothing short of adrenaline pumping.
That being said, on March 13th, the real test begins. Scurrying across campus to make a 7:00 tip at the Colonial Center is one thing, driving from Irmo to the Colonial Center another, but driving 500 miles to Tampa is yet another. It’s a level Tennessee fan acquired, a level Kentucky fan knows as simply “a way of life.” It’s a level that The Garnet Army has not yet met.
Thursday’s first SEC Tournament game pitted Ole Miss against Kentucky in Lexington. Was it really in Lexington? No. Close your eyes for a moment and even the dullest imagination would be swept hundreds of miles away. The St Pete Times Forum was a turbulent sea of blue clad Kentucky road warriors in a season, by Wildcats standards, falling far short of successful.
Friday’s first game will pit those same Wildcats against the SEC’s best in LSU and again, they’ll feel as if they were in Lexington.
Later in the day, Bruce Pearl and an army of orange fans will scream, sweat and taunt the opponent, thousands strong. The Tennessee Volunteers will be lifted by the faithful who travelled the highways nearly 700 miles to cheer their basketball program.
The economy did not stop them. The recent cold spell only gave them more of a reason to head out. Spring Break didn’t stand a chance in the “excuse” department. They were going to be there favorite or underdog because the team needed them like the Gamecocks need you.
When the players need that extra boost they now expect from thousands of garnet fatigued crazies, will it be there? Will The Garnet Army answer the bell? Will they be there for the final buzzer?
Can they become the next school to magically turn any postseason contest into a “home game?”
To those who likened poor past attendance figures to “the product on the floor,” the team can now shout back. They can begin to question. They’ve earned that right. Will The Garnet Army answer the call?
We’ll see.
English 101, in some obscure Gambrell Hall classroom, the professors preached the importance of business letters. That being said, let the record show, today, at the spry age of 37, is the first time I’ll need to enact this very important life skill.
The prof would stare down at us tugging gingerly on his pointed goatee before muttering, “One must always start the business letter with flare. No matter how angry or insubordinate the words to follow may be, one must always start with a compliment.”
So here goes…
Congratulations on a phenomenal season. Your attendance was fantastic. Your triumphant chants were motivating. Your echoing cheers were nothing short of adrenaline pumping.
That being said, on March 13th, the real test begins. Scurrying across campus to make a 7:00 tip at the Colonial Center is one thing, driving from Irmo to the Colonial Center another, but driving 500 miles to Tampa is yet another. It’s a level Tennessee fan acquired, a level Kentucky fan knows as simply “a way of life.” It’s a level that The Garnet Army has not yet met.
Thursday’s first SEC Tournament game pitted Ole Miss against Kentucky in Lexington. Was it really in Lexington? No. Close your eyes for a moment and even the dullest imagination would be swept hundreds of miles away. The St Pete Times Forum was a turbulent sea of blue clad Kentucky road warriors in a season, by Wildcats standards, falling far short of successful.
Friday’s first game will pit those same Wildcats against the SEC’s best in LSU and again, they’ll feel as if they were in Lexington.
Later in the day, Bruce Pearl and an army of orange fans will scream, sweat and taunt the opponent, thousands strong. The Tennessee Volunteers will be lifted by the faithful who travelled the highways nearly 700 miles to cheer their basketball program.
The economy did not stop them. The recent cold spell only gave them more of a reason to head out. Spring Break didn’t stand a chance in the “excuse” department. They were going to be there favorite or underdog because the team needed them like the Gamecocks need you.
When the players need that extra boost they now expect from thousands of garnet fatigued crazies, will it be there? Will The Garnet Army answer the bell? Will they be there for the final buzzer?
Can they become the next school to magically turn any postseason contest into a “home game?”
To those who likened poor past attendance figures to “the product on the floor,” the team can now shout back. They can begin to question. They’ve earned that right. Will The Garnet Army answer the call?
We’ll see.
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Roger Olivieri. Roger began working with GamecockCentral in December of 2007. He currently serves as the site's chief videographer. He may be reached by email at roger(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.