Taking pride in K-State

Many things might make K-Staters proud to be Wildcats

VALERI CRENSHAW



E ach morning I wake up and thank the purple heavens above that I am a K-Stater. My heart would shatter if I lived in Nebraska, Oklahoma or that God-forsaken Lawrence.

It should also go without saying that I would rather poke my eyes out than claim one of those Texas schools. If ya'll or howdy ever roll off my tongue, I want you to beat me upside the head.

But even sometimes in this utopia we call Manhattan, we forget how great we have it. Classes keep us too busy. The weather gets a little boring. Professors are on our case, and our roommates drive us crazy. It is times like these when we need to sit back and realize how lucky we are to have purple running through our veins.

When life has gotten a little bothersome or you just feel like throwing the towel in on those darn classes, it helps to sit back and remember the great things about college, especially K-State.

There is a certain happiness that only K-Staters can feel and share with each other, and maybe it is time to contemplate the wonderful aspects of this elite group. I have compiled a short list of the things that make my heart flutter, my eyes water and my face smile.

  • The big purple flag that Willie wrestles out on the football field or basketball court.

  • The ominous sunflowers that forever grace the new and improved Farrell Library.

  • The smell of fresh bread wafting throughout the K-State Student Union.

  • The free T-shirts the cheerleaders sling into the crowd at basketball games.

  • Sleeping in the Union before class while ESPN's SportsCenter blares in the background.

  • The smell of hamburgers cooking on the many grills of fellow K-Staters who flood the parking lot three hours before a football game to tailgate.

  • Seeing the new K-State license plates proudly displayed on cars across the state.

  • The swaying grass of the Konza Prairie.

  • Yelling "Good For Another Wildcat First Down" while witnessing a stadium-wide wave of purple arms.

  • That care-free feeling that sweeps over Manhattan as the last final ends for the semester.

  • The KSC on the wrought-iron gates of Memorial Stadium.

  • Mark Young throwing an elbow that landed in Jacque Vaughn's mouth.

  • The sweet sound of Harley Davidsons in KSU Stadium during Willie's pregame show.

  • Knowing that we were not chosen to house Bob Dole's congressional archives.

  • The mouth-watering taste of ice cream from Call Hall on a hot afternoon.

  • The smell of printing ink seeping out of Kedzie Hall.

  • The K-State Singers belting out the national anthem in Bramlage Coliseum.

  • The electricity of homecoming and the sound of Ahearn Field House shaking from the excitement within.

  • Aggieville.

  • The purple caravan to Dallas highlighted by the periodic highway signs that kept us going.

  • Boris Yeltsin proudly wearing purple and white halfway around the world.

  • Claiming the national victory in Livestock Judging.

  • Knowing that Coach Bob Cope will be enjoying another spring in Manhattan.

  • Being known around the world for agriculture, engineering, architecture and veterinary science -- just to name a few.

  • Being away from Manhattan and seeing someone with a K-State sweatshirt or license plate.

  • The manual scoreboard at Frank Myers Field.

  • Putting K-State on the map with our Debate Championship and knowing that it is undebatable.

  • The thumping of the "Cheers" episode that leads into "We Will Rock You."

  • Driving over the new bridge and seeing the familiar KS on the side of the hill.

  • The elitist feeling you rightfully get when you put on a purple sweatshirt.

  • Seeing the signs on Interstate 70 that advertise the greatness of K-State.

  • Being able to wave the wheat more than KU fans when our football team obliterated them four years in a row.

  • The feeling of accomplishment after working up an honest sweat at the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex.

  • The luring sound of the K-State Marching Band playing "The Wabash Cannonball."

  • Walking under the arch of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.

  • Making most sportswriters eat their words when the women's basketball team, expected to finish 11th in the Big 12, claw its way into the NCAA tourney.

  • School spirit accentuated by alumni support.

  • Everyone singing the words to "Wildcat Victory."

  • Drinking a Wet Willie.

  • Standing room only in Ahearn in support of our top notch volleyball team.

  • The roar of Willie as he drives onto the field, followed by "Let's Get Ready to Rumble."

    Valeri Crenshaw is a graduate student in print journalism. You can e-mail your comments to Valeri at (vrc4359@ksu.edu).


    Valeri Crenshaw's previous columns

    This item was published on Thursday, March 13, 1997
    Copyright 1997, Student Publications Inc. All rights reserved.
    This document may be distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of Student Publications Inc., Kansas State University.