I remember when my sister first began her college search. Our mother had attended Auburn along with our uncle and grandfather, so it was natural that Auburn was one of the first on the list to tour. I’ll never be able to forget the first time I saw those towering oaks in person. They were massive and gorgeous and, to me, represented one of the best traditions in college history. Then I saw the fences and the withering branches, and even though it was the first time I had set foot on campus, it was so incredibly sad to know that some lunatic had poisoned those beloved trees. But you can’t stop a tradition like rolling Toomer’s Corner, because you can’t stop something as incredible as the Auburn Family.
When I was a senior, I attended my first Auburn football game. And we won! I finally got to roll Toomer’s Corner! I was so excited that I just wanted to up and run to Toomer’s. Somehow my sister kept me in check. Knowing that we couldn’t roll the newly planted baby oaks, she recorded me rolling a few trees lining the road so my parents could see it (I still have that video). As we walked up to look at the baby oaks, I read the fencing that I’ll always remember: This is tradition. This is worth the wait. This is Auburn. It filled me with pride for a school I didn’t even attend. Then, I saw the next sign. Rolling Returns Fall 2016 #ProtectTheOaks.
Needless to say I freaked out a little. I would get to roll the oaks when I was a freshman here at Auburn! A little less than a year later, we won the Arkansas State game, and the other freshman and I, no to mention the rest of the Auburn community, headed to Toomer’s to roll the baby oaks for the first time. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face the entire time I was there. I got to roll for the first time as a student, and my fellow Tennesseean had her official divorce from Volunteer football by rolling Toomer’s for the first time. Aubie made an appearance, which of course made everything a hundred times better, if it’s even possible to make rolling Toomer’s better. It was amazing, and no one could wait for the next win so we could grab toilet paper and make it snow in Auburn.
And the next win was a game for the books. Everyone rushed to Toomer’s the second that touchdown got overturned. You could barely see the trees because there was so much toilet paper hanging from the branches. Eventually the crowd dispersed, people went to celebration parties, a friend’s for a post-game analysis, or turning in for the night. I was sitting at a friend’s apartment when my Group Me lit up like a Christmas tree. I immediately made my friend get his laptop so we could watch Toomer’s live feed. Everyone in the apartment crowded around the laptop’s screen and we watched in horror and fury as one of our beloved baby oaks went up in a torrent of flames. We replayed it a dozen times before we decided to go to Toomer’s to check it out for ourselves. It was so disheartening to see the baby oak charred from the flames, but the oaks had suffered far worse before, so I had hope. See it here:
That’s what sets Auburn apart. In all of Auburn’s amazing traditions: the Creed, the fight song, Bodda Getta, watching Nova or Spirit circle the stadium, and rolling Toomer’s, to name a few, are only as special as the people that implement them. When I decided to come to Auburn, it wasn’t because of the academics, or the beautiful campus, or even the football team. It was because of how much the Auburn Family loved Auburn and everything about it. The loyalty, pride and joy of the students and faculty is what made me fall in love with Auburn, and it’s why I have no doubt in my mind that the students, fans and faculty will rally around our baby oak to ensure that it makes a full recovery.
I stand with the university when they say, “You can attack our tradition, but you can’t weaken our spirit. The Auburn Family is stronger than ever.” Try what you will, but the Auburn Oaks will always be a part of who we are as Auburn Tigers, and you can never, ever take that away from us.
