Although the temperature outside might not reflect it, fall is falling right into our laps (I’m sorry for the terrible pun, but sometimes I can’t resist). The seasonal pumpkin spice drinks may not be out and the leaves are unchanged, but the important thing is this: FOOTBALL HAS BEGUN.
Tabor’s first home football game was Saturday against Morningside, and it was such a blast. To kick it off, the Student Activities Board put on a tailgate before the game complete with good food, lawn games, and free snow cones for students from The Igloo. The SAB team really did a great job pulling it all together and making a fun place for all of us to hang out and enjoy the weather and awesome company.
Even though the heat was intense in the afternoon, there was quite a crowd in the home bleachers. It was a little weird for me, though, because the only college sports games that I had previously been to were those of D1 universities, so obviously those events were on a slightly larger scale than Tabor’s games (exaggeration may be detected). That being said, it was still really neat to see how excited the whole town of Hillsboro gets when there’s a Tabor activity to support.
The band was rocking out way before the ball was kicked into play and hardly stopped throughout the entirety of the game. Its sound didn’t match up with the number of students in the stands; every time I looked at them, I expected to see more brass players blasting away. I’m already looking forward to sitting in the bleachers and hearing other jams they have for us next time.
The game itself didn’t exactly turn out the way Tabor fans wanted it to. As the minutes ticked by and we were still behind, I watched the cheerleaders. No, it wasn’t because of my boredom or lack of school spirit, but because it’s interesting to see how in the world the biggest Bluejay motivators can keep their happy faces on. I noticed that they did an excellent job of keeping things upbeat even when Morningside would score or Tabor was just shy of a first down. Their cheers were still full of pep while Morningside pulled away with every touchdown, ending the game with quite an upset for our Bluejays.
Football, even when the game doesn’t turn out in favor of the home team, is a great way to bring any community together. Hillsboro is no exception. From what I’ve seen, the students, faculty, and community members all formed as one giant crowd with one love: Tabor. I love that I get to be a part of this kind of supportive place. I myself am already ready to sit and watch the boys’ next chance at a victory with some of the biggest Bluejay fans around.
Stay Taborrific!