How I Became a Hokie

Not to long ago, in the galaxy known as Roanoke, there lived a girl right in the heart of Hokie-land. She wasn't very fond of that school known as Virginia Tech.

Yeah, I admit it. I haven't always been a Hokie fan. In fact, I really didn't like the Hokies that much. It wasn't the school itself that I had a problem with. I didn't even mind the athletes. (Well, there were two I really couldn't stand. They will remain nameless though.)

It was the fans that annoyed me so.

I was surrounded by people that would throw those darn Hokies in your face with every single win, but if they were losing they didn't want anything to do with them.

You see, I consider myself a True Fan of sports. When I pick a team, I stick with them win or lose. I'm a long time fan of another ACC school in basketball (I won't name it either because I don't want to see Fun Pusher's eye twitch at the tailgate tomorrow.) and there have been some very painful seasons with that team, but I stuck by them.

I realize that every team has THOSE fans that are only around during the winning seasons, but when you live right in Hokie-land, man, they're every where.

Then one day a couple of seasons ago, Fun Pusher said to me, "What if I took you to a game? What if I showed you MY Virginia Tech?"

So, I went, keeping an open mind. And I fell in love with that school.

What I found was that there were True Hokie Fans. They show the best of sportmanship, they stick with them win or lose, rain or hurricane. (I'm not kidding on the hurricane, folks. Get Fun Pusher to tell you.) They will tell their own unruly fans to please be respectful to the other team's fans. For the most part, they ignore other teams' unruly fans. They get at the tailgate bright and early and display their Hokie colors proudly.

While they love the teams, cheer proudly for them, it isn't the sports that cause them to love their school. They love Virginia Tech simply because it exists.

That day at that tailgate, I stood for long periods of time and just watched. I just took it all in. I loved every single second. That day, her Virginia Tech became MY Virginia Tech, and I became a Hokie. (Honorary, anyway. I did go to that other school.)

So, I head to Blacksburg bright and early tomorrow morning, to watch my Hokies take on Marshall. Who's coming?