Chapter 27- Live for the Moment

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 20^th, 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 20^th, 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)