It was the day after Thanksgiving, and it was a very cold day. TCU and the Fort Worth community were ready to hunt. Hunt Bears, that is.
Did I go home for Thanksgiving? Heck no.
When the 2015 TCU football season calendar came out, I quickly realized that TCU played Baylor the day after Thanksgiving. Since I'm from California, I immediately told my mom I was not coming home for Thanksgiving. This was my first holiday away from home, and it was hard on me as well as my family. The actual game made this decision so worth it, though.
In the beginning of the week, I checked my weather app, and it was projected to be a week full of rain and temperatures around 39 degrees. Knowing this, I scrambled to find all of my waterproof clothing and decide what was best to wear. Two shirts, one sweatshirt, and a rain jacket later, I was ready for the game.
At three o'clock, a group of friends and I went to Amon G. Carter to line up at the gate, as they opened at 4:30 p.m. Barely raining, the night seemed like it wouldn't be too bad. After waiting for about an hour and a half, we filed into the stadium and found a spot in the third row of the student section. We each took turns going to get hot chocolate, since we were freezing. The rain stayed pretty consistent for the two hours we waited for the game to start. Every so often, some Baylor players would come onto the field to warm up, and the entire student section would begin to boo.
Once 6:20 rolled around, lightning struck twice and there were a couple roars of thunder. They immediately ordered everyone to evacuate the stadium and called a lightning delay. The best part: none of the students left. As a student body, we all risked our lives to watch our frogs take on Baylor. The game then began around 7:15, and the rain began to pour.
The game was interesting in the first half, each team scoring two touchdowns, but the second half was a little uneventful. After thinking about leaving after the first half because I was freezing to death, I decided it was best to stay, because I had already stood in the rain for so long. Half hating myself, I watched, in the front row, as the frogs then went to double overtime and beat Baylor on a fourth and one. We then proceeded to rush the field and celebrate as a community. The feeling of the horned frog family and a TCU win over Baylor made the time apart from home and freezing and rainy weather so worth it.
Those who went home for the holiday only witnessed the win on TV, but being there, freezing to death and not being able to move, will truly be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life, and one of my favorite memories in my time at TCU.
