It was the kickoff game, Labor Day weekend, 2011. We left on a Thursday morning. It's a ten hour drive from NEPA to South Bend and I think I watched Rudy the whole way. The drive through PA felt like forever, but once we hit Ohio the time flew by and it constantly smelled like popcorn.
We got into Indiana and before we went to the hotel or anything, we went to TJMaxx. If you ever go out to South Bend or anywhere for that matter, team affiliated clothing is much cheaper in TJMaxx and Marshalls than in the bookstore. After a long day, we headed to our hotel in Mishawaka, unloaded the car, then got back in...ya know...to drive some more. We wanted to see if we could find the campus at night. All I saw were tiny little homes and tumbleweed crossing the street...a complete ghost town. And then....I looked to my right and out of nowhere I spotted Touchdown Jesus. The campus is literally in the middle of nowhere. I was amazed. We drove around a little longer and finally went back to the hotel to sleep.
Friday was a packed day. We went to the College Football Hall of Fame, where my mom's cousin, Cosmo Iacavazzi, was inducted into several years back. We went to the campus and hit the pep rally and my favorite thing ever, the trumpets under the dome. Notre Dame has such great tradition, really, unlike any other school. If I was super smart, I'd go to school there. We walked through the tunnel where the players run out on game day. We saw the band march and play the fight song. We met this awesome guy in Wal Mart who was an usher at the stadium. We ate. It was great.
Saturday. Game day. Wake up the echoes. We put on our Notre Dame jerseys and headed to the lobby of the hotel to eat where everyone was dressed in Notre Dame or USF attire. All loaded up on bagels and orange juice, off to campus we went. The atmosphere was incredible. We walked around with a tour guide as she took us to the Grotto where we lit a candle, and under the Golden Dome where she told us the myth of the stairs outside the main building, and to the chapel, where we walked around in amazement at the gorgeous design, and to the library where Touchdown Jesus stands tall. Our tour ended and we headed to the book store, which was MOBBED. My dad got his picture taken with Ara Parseghian and got an idea for a hat when he saw a guy wearing the Golden Dome on his head while my mom, my sisters, and I bought out the whole bookstore. Then it was game time. Time to head over to the stadium. The house that Rockne built. It was like a scene right out of Rudy. I walked in and said "This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen."
3:30 game time. ND is playing decently. Brian Kelly's face is beat red. We all know how that story goes. The student section becomes more entertaining than the actual game with their cheers and traditions, all in their matching blue shirts. Sitting there, at the top of the stadium, with Touchdown Jesus in the background, surrounded by my people (fellow crazy Notre Dame fans) was one of the most incredible experiences in the world.
Then sky began to get dark. They came over the loudspeaker telling us the National Weather Service was tracking some severe weather in the area. Low and behold, just as halftime hit, we hear an announcement. "Will usher 99 please report to the press box." My dad turned right to us and said, "Oh that's probably code for something." Well, next thing you know, all 80,000 people in the stadium were evacuating, heading to the Jordan Center and the wind began to pick up and the sky grew darker. We were directed to the ice hockey rink area, of course. We went from one extreme of 90 degrees all day to the extreme cold on the ice rink. They had large screens set up where we sat for two hours watching the weather and making new friends and exploring the Jordan center.
When they finally allowed us back in the stadium, we were starved. We went to a stand where they had cheeseburgers for an arm and a leg. Once I took a bite, I understood why it cost an arm and a leg. THERE WAS MASHED POTATOES ON THE CHEESEBURGER. These really were my people.
We headed back to our seats were we sat on the ponchos my dad always insists on us bringing anywhere. "Hey Dad, i'm going to a concert." "Wanna bring the ponchos?" "Hey Dad I'm going to Hershey Park." "Wanna bring the ponchos?" "Hey Dad, I'm going to the mall." "Wanna bring the ponchos?" So of course, he says, "Aren't you glad we brought the ponchos?" It was a little chillier and still dark, but the crowd did not lose energy....until with two minutes left to go in the game we hear "Will usher 99 please report to the press box." Everyone in the stadium knew what it meant this time and all at once, we let out a huge "OHHHHHH NOT AGAIN." At this point, it was 9:30, pouring rain, super windy, with deathly lightning, and here the six of us are in our bright yellow ponchos, standing at the gates of the stadium. We had to drive four hours to get to our hotel. We did not figure in the fact that severe weather would prolong the game and booked a hotel in Ohio for Saturday night figuring we'd slice the drive in half. We sadly said our goodbyes to gorgeous Notre Dame and facing death, ran to our car. The storm was moving east...of course, and followed us all the way to our hotel in Ohio, where we checked in around 2AM. But it didn't matter. We made history. First time the stadium was ever evacuated. EVER. And we did it twice....in one day. And my Fighting Irish...lost, but that's ok, I didn't have to watch that awful ending.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBedPq96kr8
No comments:
Post a Comment