Musings of a VCU Mom

I have been a student at VCU since fall 2008, and I have always been a huge basketball fan. I joined the Rowdy Rams when I was a freshman, and I could probably count the number of home games I have missed in the last 5 years on one hand. I have painted my face, mimicked the amazing Gold Rush dancers, and waited 12 hours in line for a game more times than I can remember. I travelled to Houston to cheer on the team during the Final Four in 2011. I own a million and one VCU-related t-shirts, and my closet looks like a solid wall of black, gold, and white because of it. During the winter I live in my VCU hoodie, and I lose my voice during tourney time every.single.year.

The VCU Rams are MY team.

I dated James all the way through college and married him the summer before my junior year. We used to get him student guest tickets for like 7 bucks (those were the days) and he sat in the student section with me during every home game. We have looked at each other disgusted after horrible in-conference losses, and we rushed the court together when we beat the Oklahoma Sooners. He jumped up and down with me when Bradford Burgess hit the game winning shot against Florida State, and he stood in the student line with me for hours when he didn’t have to. While we were dating he bought me Ram shaped earrings and surprised me with them at a home game against ODU, and I gave him a shirt with the Final Four team’s signatures on it for Christmas. VCU basketball has brought us together by giving us a common love and passion.

The VCU Rams are OUR team.

          

       

Last July, I gave birth to my little boy, Ryan. When I was pregnant with him last season I attended all but one home game. I stood on my feet the entire game and cheered as we blew Mason away. One time it felt like he did a backflip after our Juvonte Reddic dunked the ball and the crowd exploded. He was cheering from the womb, and last Thursday he was able to cheer from the stands. We took Ryan to his very first basketball game, and he is the Stu’s newest VCU lap baby. He already owns some awesome VCU apparel, and we even bought him a pair of little Ram horns. He squealed with delight when Troy Daniels hit a 3 in the beginning of the game, and he lasted almost all night long. He eventually crashed with ten minutes left on the clock. It was okay though, it was a 50 point blowout.
 

The VCU Rams are MY FAMILY’S team

During the game, I glanced down at the Rowdy student section and I legitimately missed it. I miss jumping around, cheering, yelling at the refs, and high-fiving my friends every time our team did something amazing. I really sat and reflected about what VCU basketball has done for me. I have made some amazing friends through the basketball program and have had some wonderful experiences as a member of the Rowdy Rams these last few years. Memories have been made and they will make great stories to tell Ryan when he gets a little bit older. As I held my sleeping baby at the end of the exhibition game last week, I wondered where I would be without VCU basketball. I know that sounds melodramatic, but it had a really big impact on me and the way I handled life on campus. I have grown. I am no longer that bored freshman in college with a nose-ring sitting next to her boyfriend wondering how she was going to meet people on such a big campus. I am now a huge fan. A grad student. A loyal friend to many. A wife. A mother. VCU basketball played a huge role in my life when I needed an influence the most, and for that I am eternally indebted. I can't wait for Ryan to get older so he can experience life as a Little Ram Fan! Maybe one day he will be sitting in the Rowdy section himself.