Chapter 27
Live for the Moment:
“There Snow Excuse This Time”
February 2014
I have become quite fond of this
time of the year; spring is just around the corner, the IM basketball season
has begun, and “The Game.” Since 1920, the UNC-Duke Game has been one of the
most anticipated match-ups of the season. The rivalry only separated by only
eight miles, has created some of the most memorable basketball games in the
history of the game. When I came to Carolina I was well aware of the rivalry
and had grown up watching the Heels beat the Devils on many occasions. However,
all of the victories I had experienced were through television or radio.
Since arriving on campus, we
(Carolina) hadn’t beaten Duke in football or basketball. I was beginning to
think that I had brought some sort of bad luck to the program. My UNC-Duke
record as a student before February 20 was (0-4); we had two losses in football
and two in basketball. However, for some reason this year felt different.
The original
game was scheduled to be played on February 12. However, at noon on game day,
snow began to fall across the entire state of North Carolina. Chapel Hill, in
the matter of hours became a winter wonderland. All classes after 1PM were
canceled and the energy on the campus was electric. News came around 4PM that
the game was still going to be played and the Dookies would be arriving
shortly, or so we thought. The Dean Dome was preparing for what could have been
the most hype game in college basketball ever. Since snow continued to fall,
the season ticket holders were not going to be able to make the game. So, the
University sent another email out shortly after the 4PM email, which explained
that students would be allowed to enter the game to fill the empty seats. The
energy of the campus continued to increase. The thought of a student filled
Dean Dome was unfathomable. We all thought it would be a reality, until the
news came at 5:30PM.
The Dookies, yes the Dookies, said that their bus couldn’t make
it to the game.
The energy that the day had created evaporated in just a few
seconds. It seemed as if all Carolina fans (students or not) let the world know
what they thought about the Dookies. Every social media site totally blew up
with posts, tweets, and pictures. If you were a Duke fan when the decision came
out you probably stayed off of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook because it was
downright brutal.
The postponement was a disappointment to us all, but it also
gave our Heels time to increase their win streak to 7 games. The game was
rescheduled for February 20th, exactly eight days from the original
date, keep that number in mind. Duke was also able to gain some more momentum,
ranking #5 in the nation, while we stood unranked.
When the day finally came there was no snow, no rain, but
sunshine. This year I would be entering the Duke game as a manager, all suited
up, for what would become a night I will never forget. Although the Dean Dome was not completely filled
with students, it was filled and it was filled with electricity. In the Pit
(center-part of campus), hung a sign that said “There snow excuse this time.”
Without further a due, the ball was in the air, and the game
had begun. The game had lived up to all of my expectations. The crowd was live
the entire game, and by live I mean that the only time that the 21,750 fans sat
down was during timeouts and halftime. Later, my parents told me that when they
were watching the game on TV, it felt as if the screen was shaking.
We (Carolina) were losing almost the entire game, but every
time Duke made a run, we had a run of our own. The entire game reminded me of a
tennis match; Coach Williams would make a decision and then a counter-move by
Coach K. Even though I missed a few minutes of the second half due to my manager
duties, I caught the last few crucial minutes. These crucial minutes were
fueled by a raging comeback, which eventually gave us the lead.
It would make since for me to give you the play-by-play of
the last two minutes, but I think you know how the game turned out. Instead of recapping
the last minutes, I want to emphasize the meaning of “living in the moment.”
As the clock hit zero and my Heels secured the victory,
something special happened. In the matter of seconds the Dean Dome floor was
filled with fans from all ages. Screaming, jumping, fist-pumping were all being
played out before my eyes, and then I joined them. I took off my “manager tag”
and happily put on my “student tag,” for this moment was special. We had won
the game 74-66, which ironically was an eight point advantage.
Rushing the court after a win against your arch rival is a
surreal experience. I was chest bumping with people I had never met, screaming
until I couldn’t scream anymore, and felt as if I was in a dream. For a few brief
minutes, I gave life on that court, everything I had; I was living in the
moment.
I have found in my 19 years of existence that it’s not often
that we as humans get to experience situations like the one I experienced. Our
(and my) lives are too predictable. We go to grade school for 12 years, some of
us go to college, and most of us will have families, get a job… and so on. This
cycle has become a part of our culture. However, what if we lived for “the
moment” every day? What if, people (including myself) woke up every morning
with an upbeat and positive attitude to storm the court called life? The answer
is simple. We would become better and we would experience life in a different, much
more enjoyable way.
If I wake up in the morning (Feb 26), I will remember “the
moment” of rushing the floor at the Duke game. The picture on my phone will
most likely send chills up my arm because I can still feel the Dean Dome
shaking. But, tomorrow won’t be February 20th, it’s a new day, it’s time
is ticking away, and it’s time to live for a new moment.
Ian, Me, Kellan (Post Court-Rush)
