(-- The Beacon)
By Natalie Wheeler
I've been a bad Pilot, a very bad Pilot.
Ushering in my fourth year at the University of Portland, I have attended one full 90-minute women's soccer game. And that was required.
This is not something I'm proud of. In order to quell my embarrassment, I would also like to make it public that I have been to the first half of several said soccer games, slipping out at half-time like a ninja in the night.
It is not that I hate soccer or disdain purple or am deathly allergic to grass. School spirit doesn't come naturally to me. While others were painting "P"s on their bellies, the games would slip my mind and I'd shrug at my forgetfulness as I read the play-by-play in The Beacon that Thursday.
I figured next game, next season, next time it's not so freakin' cold, I'd get my butt out there.
Alas, here I am in my final year, and I'm getting all nostalgic for stuff I never experienced in the first place.
Let my pathetic tale serve as a lesson to all you Pilots: get to the games. Get to as many as you can, especially when it is still warm enough that the Villa drum squad isn't soaked in ice water.
I know, for most, I am preaching to the choir. But for that minority out there – the ones who hear "college sports" and have visions of USC footballers with kickbacks galore – they know the fact that women's soccer rocks UP's world is pretty awesome. Know that our cheerleaders are guys with deep voices, chanting in full force for the ladies on the field.
And know that only our band, the dear Villa drum squad, wears those kilts and barrels strapped to their shirtless backs with the utmost Portland Pride.
Despite its thousands of fans per game, there is something delightfully intimate about UP's women's soccer games. Maybe – probably – because we're so weird.
Whether we actually help the players or not doesn't matter; Pilot fans feel like active participants in the match. Community – that's the word. Pilot games are all about our rusty little community.
So shall I see you on Oct. 14? I'll be the one shivering in the blanket, mouthing the unfamiliar chants from our cheerleaders.
Natalie Wheeler is a senior comunications studies major. She can be contacted at wheelern12@up.edu.
