Go Utes!

I try to take Griffin to a game or two every year to properly indoctrinate him into being a true Ute fan. He's getting there, though in all honesty - all he really cares about right now is the popcorn, hot dogs, lemonade and dibs he can talk me into getting him while we're at the Huntsman Center. It's pretty much like any activity where there are concessions or vending machines. He does however LOVE to do the cheers and to yell GO UTES when the time is right. Also, he thoroughly enjoys the "Everybody clap your hands" cheer/activity, whatever you want to call it - but really, who doesn't?!?!? I do wish they would play the whole thing where it gets to the "how low can you go" part, that's always fun.

Somehow, every year Griff and I seem to catch the Air Force Academy (AFA) game. I'm not sure why, but we've seen it the last 3 years. At least we have a pretty decent idea that it will always be a Utes Win, so that's a bonus. This year was no different. The Utes pretty much controlled the game from about the mid-first half on - at one point going up 25 points. The downside is the Hunstman Center is not very full at all - even the student section is thinned out for this one - I guess that's a product of a crummy team coming in, but it's too bad more fans don't attend all the games. I know I should attend more, so I can't fault others for not going more. The atmosphere is still pretty good and very loud for the 10k people that were there. And to me, it always feels good to be on campus. Being surrounded by Y fans at work gets old sometimes, so being amongst kindred spirits on campus is a good thing. And, when the Utes made great plays the place still got loud, which is always a good sign that the fans are lively. To be fair, the football stadium wasn't full for Utah State this last season, so I guess expecting the Hunstman center to be full for AFA in hoops isn't realistic. The guys played hard, put on a good show and made sure to entertain a little too, I would say.


All that said, it is kind of a letdown that the Huntsman center isn't always full like it has been in the past. Was that because of the level of talent on the court? Maybe. Was it because the Fatman coached a better brand of hoops? Maybe. Is it because football is king at the U? Maybe (though it was not TOO long ago that Hoops was king, I still have significant issues stemming from the 1998 Final Four). Whatever it is, I'm going to work on getting to more games. It was fun, Griff and I had a great time - he loves cheering for the "Go Utes" (hasn't quite realized that's a phrase not their name, but it's cute, so it works) and the concessions aren't ridiculously priced like at a Jazz game or the movies. We have a great time going, make some fun memories, and he'll be able to tell his college buddies, when he gets to the U, that he's been coming to games since he was 5! We'll definitely keep up our tradition of father/son trips to the games.

We were trying to find Swoop to take a picture but he was gone already. He should really come up to the upper deck - there were lots of families up there with little kids that would have loved to meet him. We'll find him next time!