Sports Education (Part ll)

    My charming wife, Carolyn, and I have been working on her sports education. 

   We began with baseball with the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park a few weeks back. A great game to watch from the stands in person as the Braves were on their way to an Eastern Division win in the National League.

   But this is Fall and that means College Football. 

   What better place to experience Part ll of this curriculum. Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA is the perfect spot to learn. The Pitt Panthers were coming to town to face the Hokies in an ACC showdown.

   The day was a little raw, with cloudy skies and a blustery wind. We decided to experience college football from outside the stadium with the crowd noise, at no cost.

   We mixed with the crowd as they moved toward the stadium. After pausing at the Frank Beamer sculpture for a photo shoot, we moved toward a spot where we could see into the crowded stands.

   As the last of the crowd filed onto the concourse below the east stands, we moved up into the gate area with the ticket takers. I explained to the nice gentleman at the turnstile that my wife had never seen the inside of a college stadium during a game and just wanted to get a feel. He moved off to speak to another official, and soon returned with an invitation to come inside the gate. (nice gatekeeper facing us on the left).

      We turned right through the gate and moved north to the end of the stands. Turning to our left, we looked out on the field of play. I have been to several games in Lane, but I'm sure this was the closest I had been to the action. 

   We watched from our "Standing Room Only" spots as the Hokies kicked off to the Panthers

   The early action was right in front of us at our end of the field. The Pitt Panthers drove down the field and scored. It was the beginning of a long afternoon for the Hokies, but a good memory for us to take home.   

   The crowd was big and loud, it was neat to watch the fans and hear the cheers when the Hokies did something good. We were situated right next to these folks in the east end zone stands.

   We didn't stay long. Thinking that we had received a gift from the gatekeeper, we did not want to overstay our welcome. We exited the way we had entered thinking we would at least thank our benefactor, but when we got there he had already left.

   Leaving word with another man at the turnstile, we moved on toward our meeting spot with Doug where we would catch our ride home.

   Looking back on our experience, much more than we anticipated when we hatched the idea with Doug, we knew we had been blessed. It was a free gift, and my wife was more than just pleased. Phase ll of her sports education had been extra special for both of us.

   Coach Beamer, a true legend in college football, had been one of Mayre's and my "wave to" neighbors when we lived in Blacksburg back when.