An Appreciation For Spring Weekend
This very much may be a regional thing as I mentioned this on the next episode of Dog Walk Snake Draft (no spoilers but it’s a very good unrated topic) to the Chicago guys and they had no real idea of it. So before we go any further let me explain.
I went to a small school in New England (Go Bison) and our school along with many others in that area had what they called a Spring Weekend. The most famous one was UConn which I never attended because it was always the same weekend as ours but heard all sorts of legendary stories from it before I got to college, including two of my older teammates trying to steal the keg in the middle of a party. My school was small but we had a great group and Spring Weekend really dialed it up a notch. Anyway, Spring Weekend was basically a weekend in which the RA’s, campus safety and the residential directors looked the other way on drinking, partying, loud music, and acting like a dope. Anything but flamethrowers was basically on the table. The rules were your drink had to be in a concealed cup so everyone went and got Stanley (they 100% weren’t Stanley brand back in 2005 but you get the point) and poured in their drink of choice in the cup and much like the scene in the Wire where Bunny Colvin describes paper bags, both sides were happy. We got to drink and Public Safety covered their bases. It was like a reward for them breaking your balls all year over little shit, including RA's who for the most part sucked.
At my school you could go drink and move couches into the outfield for a baseball game and no one said a word. The school even had events throughout the weekend all weekend that everyone liked. They had a “midnight snack” in the cafe Thursday night where everyone poured out of the dorms to shove their faces with Mozzerella sticks, chicken fingers and all sorts of grease to soak up the booze. All while screaming and yelling, breaking balls, and trying to find someone to take back to the dorm for some dancing and romancing at the tables. It was loud, it was funny and for the staff it was obnoxious. They had a comedy show or a concert early Friday. They had a beer garden with free drink tickets Saturday for 21+, and Sunday they had the “Bison Olympics” where everyone competed class against each other in sporting events. Everyone was hungover but took it super serious. We won all 4 years ... no big deal.
It was always the go to weekend for debauchery. It felt like all the lunatics got even nuttier, all the parties got that much better, and everyone got drunker then usual. There was always a story every day that had you laughing. Like two girls getting in a fist fight on the lawn, two people you never expected to find themselves in a room together, someone managing to get in trouble. One of my favorites was my roommate rolling his ankle Thursday of spring weekend playing ball in our yard on an 8 foot hoop. No doctor. Got a left over boot from someone on another team who got hurt months earlier and didn’t need it. Bummed pain killers from people while drinking Captain Morgan’s and Diet Coke … warm which always grossed me out. Spring weekends were a gem.
People without a care in the world and acting like idiots for 72 hours.
At the risk of embarrassing myself, here's a highlight and a lowlight (well maybe two lowlights of Spring Weekend)
My Dad was probably right when he said "you could have broke your neck", but a 8.5 on the dive from the judges so I came out okay.
And ... a word of advice don't funnel 13 beers through a makeshift funnel from a kids toy and a funnel from Auto Zone you rigged together with duct tape and pass out using your scale as a pillow with your door unlocked and permanant markers around.
Anyway, long retired from the game, and very rarely think about college during the day while juggling work, getting coaches phone numbers, etc etc. But once in a blue a memory gets triggered after seeing a clip like Clem's (by the way Clem was likely an ALL TIME ALL STAR at Spring Weekends, I can just guarantee it. All time glue guy, positive vibes, funny etc) and have me have a quick laugh to break up the day. It also helps send a quick text or jump on the phone with an old friend like I did a couple of times this week to have a laugh and see how they are doing etc.
Trust me, send the text, make the call, send the email, organize the lunch, hit the golf course. It all goes so fast, and before you know it's been 5 to 10 years since you've spoken or seen them. And you'll always regret not remembering the last time you see someone.
Lastly, for all you young bucks out there. Enjoy every second of it, and have a great Spring Weekend, you only get 4 in your lifetime … 5 or 6 if you're a dummy and failed classes.
Final - thank you to HB our student events director for being awesome and organizing this thing, and fighting for us to keep it when I'm sure administration said "this is the last one". Your the best.
Be Safe
Final Final …
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