"...We lift our voices now to singAll hail to Delaware!"
I never liked the idea of a blog. To me, it was always just someone who wanted a place to share their opinion and hope that someone out there cares enough to read what they type up from the comfort of their homes. Then I met a friend who writes a sports blog (and get's paid for it). The blog he writes and the other blogs on the main site turned out to be 100% legit. Maybe their opinions aren't in line with my views, but the news features on these pages were impressive, creating a "best of the web" for their team with a little fan-dom mixed in. However, there's one major flaw in this blog-o-sphere: no one is representing the Hens. I will.
I know there are a few that cover football, but none cover the full landscape of Blue Hen Nation. This blog will. I cannot promise updates and opinions on the Olympic sports or some of the less covered ones, but when it becomes important enough that you should know it, I will gladly pass what I know along to you. Obviously I will fill this semester with football news and previews of basketball season, but soccer will get it's chance. Also, I will make sure that the women's sports get their time to shine from E.D.D. and the Lady Hens hoops, to field hockey and the women's lacrosse team. I would love to get club sports going too, but clearly they are difficult to cover constantly with the lack of information out there. However, I worked with the hockey team back when I was a student (more later) so I will throw them into the mix when I can. Long story short (too late), this blog is not "All Hail to Delaware Football," so expect the full on coverage from AH2D all year long.
There are so many reasons that I love the University of Delaware. For starters, I met the woman who will become my future wife there (at a football game, of course). I got a first class education from the school (it took me an extra year, but that is my fault). I got to burst out of my shell and become the super fan I always wanted to be. I could attend games for free, paint my face, and go ballistic for my school and feel right at home. I had the chance to go to Penn State. I loved that place too, but how to you stick out in a city? Delaware let me and everyone else get that big school feel without feeling like a goldfish in the ocean.
If I went to Penn State, would a non-communications major get the chance to work in the sports department of the campus radio station? Probably not. Delaware gave a kid with no direction a sense of purpose and a passion for something I never expected to enjoy so much. I got to work games from the sidelines of Tubby Raymond Field, and the press boxes of both the new and old Meadowlands Stadiums, as well as M&T Bank Stadium for the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four. I got to travel with players and get to know them off the field. I met the parents who were always there with the proper pronunciation of their child's name (Kaleikau = Clay-cow). I got to feel the joys of their victories (parties until 6:00 am after sweeping a rival), and the agony of their defeats (silent 7-hour bus rides back to campus from national tournaments) because I knew the players and wanted the best for them. I've gotten to travel up and down the east coast, from Boston (a week before Christmas in a blizzard) to Chapel Hill (longest day, but one of the greatest games). I got to experience all of this not because I chose the school with the big name and national programs, but because I am a Blue Hen.
This brings me back to the Alma Mater. Play that video and listen to the words. If you really are a Blue Hen, you know that nothing could describe you better. You know that you are loyal to the university. The days spent as a student on that campus were some of the most glorious you have ever had in your life, and you should be thankful for them every day. So as a Blue Hen, praise the school by promoting it to others who should attend. Wear the blue and gold proudly as you go about your day. And when you hear the band play the Alma Mater at the West Chester game to kick off this season, do not forget to let everyone in the stadium know the truth at the top of your lungs. That they should all hail to Delaware.
[This will be the longest post I ever write for this blog. Look forward to short updates and posts about UD sports and some of the stories I have from my journeys at the University of Delaware. And of course, AH2D!]
There are so many reasons that I love the University of Delaware. For starters, I met the woman who will become my future wife there (at a football game, of course). I got a first class education from the school (it took me an extra year, but that is my fault). I got to burst out of my shell and become the super fan I always wanted to be. I could attend games for free, paint my face, and go ballistic for my school and feel right at home. I had the chance to go to Penn State. I loved that place too, but how to you stick out in a city? Delaware let me and everyone else get that big school feel without feeling like a goldfish in the ocean.
If I went to Penn State, would a non-communications major get the chance to work in the sports department of the campus radio station? Probably not. Delaware gave a kid with no direction a sense of purpose and a passion for something I never expected to enjoy so much. I got to work games from the sidelines of Tubby Raymond Field, and the press boxes of both the new and old Meadowlands Stadiums, as well as M&T Bank Stadium for the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four. I got to travel with players and get to know them off the field. I met the parents who were always there with the proper pronunciation of their child's name (Kaleikau = Clay-cow). I got to feel the joys of their victories (parties until 6:00 am after sweeping a rival), and the agony of their defeats (silent 7-hour bus rides back to campus from national tournaments) because I knew the players and wanted the best for them. I've gotten to travel up and down the east coast, from Boston (a week before Christmas in a blizzard) to Chapel Hill (longest day, but one of the greatest games). I got to experience all of this not because I chose the school with the big name and national programs, but because I am a Blue Hen.
This brings me back to the Alma Mater. Play that video and listen to the words. If you really are a Blue Hen, you know that nothing could describe you better. You know that you are loyal to the university. The days spent as a student on that campus were some of the most glorious you have ever had in your life, and you should be thankful for them every day. So as a Blue Hen, praise the school by promoting it to others who should attend. Wear the blue and gold proudly as you go about your day. And when you hear the band play the Alma Mater at the West Chester game to kick off this season, do not forget to let everyone in the stadium know the truth at the top of your lungs. That they should all hail to Delaware.
[This will be the longest post I ever write for this blog. Look forward to short updates and posts about UD sports and some of the stories I have from my journeys at the University of Delaware. And of course, AH2D!]
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