I grew up in a house of dedicated Cal Bears fans. From before the time I knew what college was, I was convinced I was going to UC Berkeley, just like the rest of my family and extended family. Even my embarrassing first email address included a Cal Bears reference. We would go to Homecoming games, Alumni games, and, of course, The Big Game. I have many fantastic memories from my childhood that took place in and around Memorial Stadium. My family even went to the alumni camp for many years during the summer, The Lair of the Golden Bear. Yes. I was born and raised a die hard Cal fan.
This all changed when I made the decision to go to the University of Washington. I traded in my navy blue for purple and my bears in for a husky and I have never looked back. Having grown up being too engrossed in football and appreciating tradition, the first football game against Cal was a tough one. I would accidentally cheer for a completed pass by Goff and get angry stares from those around me in the Dawg Pack. It took until about the third quarter for me to squash my reflex of cheering for Cal. My parents, my sister, my aunt and my uncle all flew up for the game and all but one showed up decked out in blue and gold. The bears ended up winning and I never heard the end of it. My family excels at smack talk and is overly competitive. The perfect mix for a budding rivalry.
This year I flew down to Berkeley for the game. My mom bought a Cal Bears traveling bar and threw a kickass tailgate at my Dad’s fraternity before the game. Family friends, close family, extended family, and friends from Washington all congregated in one place. It was so fun trading stories and seeing people I had not seen in quite a few months. UW, ranked fifth in the nation, was expected to win by 17 points. However, as my dad continually reminded me “Cal is undefeated this season against ranked teams, AT HOME”. I think he repeated that forty or fifty times before the game started.
Once the game started, all I could do was cheer as loud as possible and be the obnoxious Husky fan in a sea of blue and gold. The nervous energy on the field did not last long. After a quarter and a half UW ran away with it. The final score was 66-27. The Huskies are now ranked 4th in the nation. Suck on that Cal.
Beyond the game, and the win, this rivalry brought my family together for a weekend. Although Cal is not the official rival of UW, it is in my household on game day. At their core, this is the purpose of rivalries. They are an excuse to bond over competitiveness and spend time together. The Apple Cup, UW vs Washington State, falls on the day after Thanksgiving every year and every year entire families, old-college friends, neighbors and strangers gather together united against a common enemy. Rivalries, whether they be official or unofficial, are exciting and at the end of the day it does not really matter who wins (it does because we beat Cal) because you got to spend time and smack talk with those who really matter.
