There was no football game this weekend. It was weird and quiet on campus. I didn’t like it. As I walked past the beautiful, grand stadium, I couldn’t help but wish that we had a game. Then I realized, that game days are my favorite days of the year.

It’s Saturday morning. Your room is still, quiet, and dark. You’re a typical student at the University of Oklahoma. As the light starts to shine in your window, you finally wake up, realizing you hit the snooze button one too many times and are waking up way later than you wanted.

Weekends are for sleeping in, right? Well, game days aren’t, but it seems to happen no matter how hard you try. So you’re a pro at getting ready quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re tired from going out Friday night, or from the past week in general, you will not miss the tailgates and game. So you jump out of bed and start getting ready.

What you wear is essential. Just like the so-called “Sunday Best,” you now have added “Game Day Best” to your wardrobe. Your closet is full of different reds and whites you can easily mix and match. Most of us already have our cowboy boots out ready to go, and either a face tattoo, pom-pom, or a mini-banner that reads “Boomer Sooner” to show our school spirit is laying on our desk. You get ready and look nicer than you do going to class every day. Before leaving, you put on your favorite lipstick, grab your sunglasses, and take some photos of you and your friends.

We head out to the tailgates with big smiles. It may be hot outside but that won’t stop the fun. The campus is no longer dry, so there are people holding red Solo cups everywhere you look. You go to your friends' tailgates, eat delicious food (Mexican, BBQ, etc.) and wait until it’s an hour before game time. The tailgates are intense. There are people with trailers, people with three flat-screen televisions within a tent so everyone can watch the pregame show. There are people with actual couches, and one time I even saw an actual Sooner Wagon. Tailgates are not something to mess with.

It’s finally an hour before the game, so you and your friends head to the great stadium. You head straight for the student entrance and maneuver around hundreds of college students just like yourself, trying to find a good seat. You find the best you can, and mingle with those around you. You watch the Pride perform, sing the alma mater, sing “Oklahoma,” sing the national anthem (changing the last word to “Sooners,” of course), then watch the pump-up video and starting lineup video, both giving you chills. When the Sooner Wagon finally circles the field and the players line up, you put your one finger up high and yell. “OOOOOOOOOO.....U!,” to the kick off. It’s game time, and you’re in your happiest state.

This is all just the pregame ritual of a typical game day in Oklahoma. It’s a day full of friends, family, and long traditions. I remember my first Sooner game as a freshman--it might’ve been the happiest day of my freshman year. I absolutely love it. The excitement and dedication you feel towards your school is amazing. We uphold the same traditions and values the school has had for so many years. Football games are when everyone comes together to celebrate what we all have in common; our love for our school. If every day could be game day, my life would be set. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Win or lose, I am “Sooner born and Sooner bred.” During games, you can find me yelling with my sorority sisters on the bleachers. We chant for our team, boo the refs when necessary, and have a ton of fun. Game days make me love my school, and I refuse to ever miss a game. That being said, I hope West Virginia is ready to take us on! Boomer Sooner.