ROLL FRICKING DUKES BABY. Alright… yes… Frisco is a 20-hour drive. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s right before the second semester starts. Yes, it is just a football game.

But it is a football game that will change my college experience. This is my chance to be the epitome of school spirit. When people say “oh you’re so young you have so much freedom” THESE are the kind of things they’re talking about. The chance to just do something crazy and unabashedly and inconsequentially and just go for it, because there’s always going to be some excuse later on in life that’s going to stop me from saying yes to these types of things. That’s inevitable.

So really, this trip to Frisco is more than just a football game. It’s a stop in Knoxville Tennessee and Greeneville Texas and Monroe Louisiana. It’s new places I’ve never seen and memories that will outlast this game, this year, this college experience. It’s a road trip. It’s 1,196 miles of new and exciting and unexplored.

Alright, I mentioned that it’s more than a game — but the game IS the impetus for why I’m going. To root for our incredible football team that hasn’t lost a single game all season—are you kidding me? OF COURSE I want to see this team close out an insane year and bring home yet another championship. This game, this story, this experience — it’s not only going to add on to the storytelling opportunities I’ll get, it’ll provide another reason to brag about why JMU is the best.

JMU has instilled within me a sense of school spirit that I never thought I could possess. I was never a huge sports fan until coming to school, but something about the dedicated fans and the fun environment that JMU football encompasses has won me over. I love this team and this school so much, and I want to give back by showing my support and taking this risk and this opportunity to be there for my school, and show others how much this university means to me.

So I’m saying yes to the crazy, yes to the risk, yes to the thousands of miles and hours of time on the road. Because this is our time to say yes, to live big, to be young and dumb and go for the gold before life gets in the way. I hope that my decision to go to Frisco not only inspires others to make the same leap, but to inspire myself to keep saying yes to things that seem impossible, and allow this love that I have for my school a reflection on my love for life and all the crazy opportunities it will continue to put in my path.

Bring it on, Texas. Bring it on, Dukes. I’m so ready to hit the road and remember this trip for the rest of my life.