rexvol
The Minister of Defense
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2006
- Messages
- 18,124
- Likes
- 54
I am Tennessee .
I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for
> >> the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her orange and
> >> white cheerleader outfit; the other wears #16 even though he's too young
> >> to understand why.
> >>
> >> I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when the
> >> T was formed by the band. I was too choked even to sing "Rocky Top". For
> >> a moment I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this place.
> >>
> >> I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is now
>
> >> the 3rd generation of UT students in our family. Despite my age, I'd
> >> strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this
>
> >> blasted arthritis.
> >>
> >> I am Tennessee and I have always believed I was different. You can see it
>
> >> when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Florida's
> >> or Auburn's . But the differences go much deeper than my colors.
> >>
> >> Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these
> >> things. To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of character, not of
> >> geography.
> >>
> >> All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the
> >> elite.
> >>
> >> Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been
> >> family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would
> >> rather be a Tennessee Vol than anything else.
> >>
> >> We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Majors and
> >> Neyland. You come from a long line of brothers who names include White,
> >> Gault, Wilson, Manning, Shuler, Nash and Mahelona. It is a great
> >> heritage.
> >>
> >> So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen
> >> spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when
> >> you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice
>
> >> when you run
> >> onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I
> >> will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you
> >> that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the
> >> orange and white. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.
> >>
> >> Tennessee is so much more than a state or a school or a team or a degree.
>
> >> It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of
> >> you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are.
> >>
> >> It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds of
>
> >> miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel
> >> it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their
> >> Orange and White flags or magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at
> >> them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.
> >>
> >> It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of
> >> tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and
> >> invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their
> >> satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course,
> >> all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of
> >> Neyland Stadium later that day.
> >>
> >> It is the Vol Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome with
>
> >> emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to cheer them
>
> >> on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them,
>
> >> and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day.
> >>
> >> It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee
> >> game is like going to church for Tennessee people....you show the same
> >> respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind
> >> you of the days
> >> when you were walking in their shoes and Tennessee was your home...but
> >> then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.
> >>
> >> It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky Top
> >> as the "T" is formed.
> >>
> >> It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are
>
> >> easily identified (Tennessee people always are) and the enemy jeers and
> >> shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just
> >> then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they
> >> are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You
> >> exchange a "Go Vols" and a confident grin, because he/she knows what you
> >> know.
> >>
> >> It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and
> >> interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will
> >> always have our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys that you
> >> are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a
> >> president.
> >>
> >> It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over
>
> >> a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it
> >> were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points
>
> >> yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream "Go Big Orange" at the top
> >> of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate
>
> >> high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
> >>
> >> No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have
>
> >> experienced it.
> >>
> >> It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the clock
>
> >> and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying
> >> and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows
> >> louder and louder...."Its Great To Be A Tennessee Vol."
> >>
> >> It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our
> >> hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Place on the
> >> River"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably look
>
> >> a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the
> >> jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You still
> >> love it as much as you always have, because Tennessee is as much a part
> >> of you as your arms and your legs and the orange blood that runs through
> >> your veins.
> >>
> >> And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these
> >> lines....the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost
> >> time....Its about to start all over again...but then it really never goes
>
> >> away, does it?
> >>
> >>
> >> GO BIG ORANGE!
I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for
> >> the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her orange and
> >> white cheerleader outfit; the other wears #16 even though he's too young
> >> to understand why.
> >>
> >> I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when the
> >> T was formed by the band. I was too choked even to sing "Rocky Top". For
> >> a moment I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this place.
> >>
> >> I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is now
>
> >> the 3rd generation of UT students in our family. Despite my age, I'd
> >> strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this
>
> >> blasted arthritis.
> >>
> >> I am Tennessee and I have always believed I was different. You can see it
>
> >> when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Florida's
> >> or Auburn's . But the differences go much deeper than my colors.
> >>
> >> Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these
> >> things. To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of character, not of
> >> geography.
> >>
> >> All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the
> >> elite.
> >>
> >> Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been
> >> family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would
> >> rather be a Tennessee Vol than anything else.
> >>
> >> We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Majors and
> >> Neyland. You come from a long line of brothers who names include White,
> >> Gault, Wilson, Manning, Shuler, Nash and Mahelona. It is a great
> >> heritage.
> >>
> >> So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen
> >> spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when
> >> you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice
>
> >> when you run
> >> onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I
> >> will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you
> >> that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the
> >> orange and white. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.
> >>
> >> Tennessee is so much more than a state or a school or a team or a degree.
>
> >> It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of
> >> you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are.
> >>
> >> It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds of
>
> >> miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel
> >> it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their
> >> Orange and White flags or magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at
> >> them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.
> >>
> >> It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of
> >> tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and
> >> invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their
> >> satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course,
> >> all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of
> >> Neyland Stadium later that day.
> >>
> >> It is the Vol Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome with
>
> >> emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to cheer them
>
> >> on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them,
>
> >> and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day.
> >>
> >> It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee
> >> game is like going to church for Tennessee people....you show the same
> >> respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind
> >> you of the days
> >> when you were walking in their shoes and Tennessee was your home...but
> >> then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.
> >>
> >> It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky Top
> >> as the "T" is formed.
> >>
> >> It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are
>
> >> easily identified (Tennessee people always are) and the enemy jeers and
> >> shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just
> >> then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they
> >> are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You
> >> exchange a "Go Vols" and a confident grin, because he/she knows what you
> >> know.
> >>
> >> It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and
> >> interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will
> >> always have our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys that you
> >> are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a
> >> president.
> >>
> >> It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over
>
> >> a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it
> >> were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points
>
> >> yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream "Go Big Orange" at the top
> >> of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate
>
> >> high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
> >>
> >> No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have
>
> >> experienced it.
> >>
> >> It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the clock
>
> >> and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying
> >> and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows
> >> louder and louder...."Its Great To Be A Tennessee Vol."
> >>
> >> It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our
> >> hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Place on the
> >> River"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably look
>
> >> a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the
> >> jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You still
> >> love it as much as you always have, because Tennessee is as much a part
> >> of you as your arms and your legs and the orange blood that runs through
> >> your veins.
> >>
> >> And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these
> >> lines....the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost
> >> time....Its about to start all over again...but then it really never goes
>
> >> away, does it?
> >>
> >>
> >> GO BIG ORANGE!
