From the Eyes of a 7 Year Old

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Rouser

Rouser

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So Rouser Junior attended his first Badger game yesterday. I have brought him to several games in the past, a few BIG games and several non conference games. Needless to say, he was very excited to be attending the Badger game. He dislikes anything Wisconsin sports related (doing my job). For the past week he was talking about the game, wondering "what place we will be if we win?" or "What place is Wisconsin?".

Finally game day arrives and we eventually make it to our seats (just in time, thanks for nothing 6pm start time). As we all know, the Gophers didn't play particularly well for most of the game. His excitement waned a bit in the second half and I resorted to ice cream to keep him afloat. Then a funny thing happened.. the Gophers started playing good defenese and Dre started hitting shots. The crowd got louder and louder every time the deficit was trimmed. By the time Dre hit the 3 pointer, my son was literally dancing in the aisle, high fiving strangers and pumping his fist to the rouser. He was crossing his fingers as Austin shot free throws (that boy is clutch from the line). Alas, the gophers lost and didn't put up a fight in overtime. Funny thing, my son didn't care. He had so much fun during the final 5 minutes that he is HOOKED FOR LIFE. He even mentioned how our best players are "really young dad", so we should be really good next year. :)

So, yeah, another close game that we couldn't pull out at the end. However, my son put it in perspective for me. The Barn is awesome.. F U Pat! Also, the team is young and should only get better. Lastly, the team rarely rolls over.. yes, it happens once or twice a season, but mostly, this team fights and fights. I like where the team is headed. If Rodney comes back, we will be very good next year. I get it, Tubby has been here long enough, yadda , yadda. That said, I get the feeling that the key players on the team enjoy Tubby, enjoy Minnesota. I get the feeling that the team is on the verge of a sustained run over the next couple of years.

If we don't go on a run? Who cares, I will still be able to enjoy great fun at the barn with my son.
 

Rouser said:
So Rouser Junior attended his first Badger game yesterday. I have brought him to several games in the past, a few BIG games and several non conference games. Needless to say, he was very excited to be attending the Badger game. He dislikes anything Wisconsin sports related (doing my job). For the past week he was talking about the game, wondering "what place we will be if we win?" or "What place is Wisconsin?".

Finally game day arrives and we eventually make it to our seats (just in time, thanks for nothing 6pm start time). As we all know, the Gophers didn't play particularly well for most of the game. His excitement waned a bit in the second half and I resorted to ice cream to keep him afloat. Then a funny thing happened.. the Gophers started playing good defenese and Dre started hitting shots. The crowd got louder and louder every time the deficit was trimmed. By the time Dre hit the 3 pointer, my son was literally dancing in the aisle, high fiving strangers and pumping his fist to the rouser. He was crossing his fingers as Austin shot free throws (that boy is clutch from the line). Alas, the gophers lost and didn't put up a fight in overtime. Funny thing, my son didn't care. He had so much fun during the final 5 minutes that he is HOOKED FOR LIFE. He even mentioned how our best players are "really young dad", so we should be really good next year. :)

So, yeah, another close game that we couldn't pull out at the end. However, my son put it in perspective for me. The Barn is awesome.. F U Pat! Also, the team is young and should only get better. Lastly, the team rarely rolls over.. yes, it happens once or twice a season, but mostly, this team fights and fights. I like where the team is headed. If Rodney comes back, we will be very good next year. I get it, Tubby has been here long enough, yadda , yadda. That said, I get the feeling that the key players on the team enjoy Tubby, enjoy Minnesota. I get the feeling that the team is on the verge of a sustained run over the next couple of years.

If we don't go on a run? Who cares, I will still be able to enjoy great fun at the barn with my son.
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+1
 


Great to hear there's another young Gopher fan in the making!!
 

+1 rouser. The first game I took my son to a game he was 5 years old. We're walking up to our seats in Sec 114 and he looked on the stairs and picked up a 5.00 bill!
That was 1987 and he has been a fan forever
 


Great story!

My son at the pre-verbal age somehow picked up the rouser, I think from watching a game on TV and we did the rouser in the living room. We were in the car and he kept going, "Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huuuuuuuuuuughn!" We roared when we realized what he was doing!

He went on to learn to read from the baseball box scores ("Kirby went 3 for 4 last night!"), and yes Rouser, I took my son to the game with me last night for his 24th birthday. He was happy our section all won a free lottery ticket, went crazy during the come back AND (watch out for this in your future!) told off the Wisconsin fans behind us.

Here's wishing you many years of joy with your son!
 

Great story, good stuff. Though we still lost yet another winnable home game, I guess it's better to get them used to losing at a young age if they are going to be a Minnesota sports fan.
 

I brought my first grader last night.

Gopher just got done stopping Wisconsin from scoring the go-ahead basket. 30 seconds left. Gopher has the ball...




"Dad, can we go now?"
 

brucekaupa said:
I brought my first grader last night.

Gopher just got done stopping Wisconsin from scoring the go-ahead basket. 30 seconds left. Gopher has the ball...




"Dad, can we go now?"
Click to expand...

Did you put a steak on his black eye?
 




I can remember my first game with my dad too!!! I had been home with the flu all week, dad gets the tickets from a fellow coach, and he takes me!!!

My mom was so pissed off, cuz I should have stayed home after all I was home sick for the past week!!!!!But I told her I was feeling better and it was the GOPHS!!!!


I missed the next week from school to by the way!!! It was great, I LOVE the barn!!!

By the way, anyone can be a father, you are now a special DAD!!! I know, I have one!!!!
 

Nice story.

I think quite a lot of Minnesotans don't realize how good they have it for sports.

I was talking with another local Gopher fan (we're growing) and saying how great it would be to be going to even bad Gopher games. A lot of people don't understand the majority of the US doesn't live in a wonderful metropolitan area and see BCS level sports.

Enjoy it. Wish I could.
 




Well said Rouser

That gets to be a pretty magical age for enjoying sports with your boy. I had my son ( 9 at the time, I think), at the Gophers game in Madison a couple years ago when we pulled it out in OT. He was about ready to break when the Badgers opened it up to about 11 pts in the 2nd half, but hung in there. And then, as we know, the tide began to turn... He'll not forget that one soon.

I agree about the team as a whole as well. Its been tough not to think about what could have been with TM in the lineup (I can see 9-3 in the B1G), but hard to blame coach for that. Need to keep everyone together and next year could be special. Heck, they might still shock the world and make it this year.
 

Rouser great story! My son was a little bit younger but loved to stand up and clap when the Gophers were on a run.
 

Thanks everyone, it was a great time. My son always helps me to keep things in perspective. One last addendum to the story....on the way home, he kept pleading with me to allow him to play hoops on his nerf hoop in his room upon getting home (u know the kind, where is attached to the top of the door). He was so jazzed about basketball and he needed to pretend he was taking the last shot.

I mention this part as every player on the gophers, Mav, Dre, Chip, etc.. had that same thought when they were 7 after watching a game..its what connects the players to us. The youth in all of us should never be lost, its what allows me to feel symphathy for Julian when he misses clutch shot, etc.

Sure, I have expectations. I am a paying fan. I get upset at the coach and the players here and there...but first and formost, I try and keep perspective. Much more so now that I have a young child who looks to me for guidance.

Its time for me to head off to my son's final Little Hoopers game of the year as his 1st/2nd grade team is playing. Of course, little rouser runs point.. :)
 

Rouser said:
Its time for me to head off to my son's final Little Hoopers game of the year as his 1st/2nd grade team is playing. Of course, little rouser runs point.. :)
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Contact Tubby and get him some game film now before Tubby goes another year ignoring the position.
 


Moonlight said:
Great story!

My son at the pre-verbal age somehow picked up the rouser, I think from watching a game on TV and we did the rouser in the living room. We were in the car and he kept going, "Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huuuuuuuuuuughn!" We roared when we realized what he was doing!

He went on to learn to read from the baseball box scores ("Kirby went 3 for 4 last night!"), and yes Rouser, I took my son to the game with me last night for his 24th birthday. He was happy our section all won a free lottery ticket, went crazy during the come back AND (watch out for this in your future!) told off the Wisconsin fans behind us.

Here's wishing you many years of joy with your son!
Click to expand...

I still sing the rouser with my kids and they are in their twenties! The Clem years were huge to them.
 

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