My favorite childhood memory was not playing with dolls, dancing, or dressing up in excessive amounts of tulle and beads — although I did do and enjoy all of these things. Instead, my favorite memory was waking up at six AM, hopping into my grandparents’ car with my mom, and driving two hours to UCLA for every Saturday home football game.
In these car rides, I discovered The Sound of Music. My mom and I sat in the back seats and watched it on VHS on a portable television that we put in between the seats. In these car rides, I learned the phrases my grandparents say when they’re excited, frustrated and experiencing a borderline unhealthy amount of road rage. In these car rides, I learned the exact route to UCLA and the scenery along the way, from the freeway exits to the rose bushes on the side streets behind the Rose Bowl, where Beethoven the movie was filmed.
When we arrived to the stadium, we “tailgated” on the golf course, consuming excessive amounts of peanuts, homemade turkey sandwiches and lemonade, the alcohol for an eight-year-old. We stayed for hours until the team rode in on buses to greet the fans. I yelled, “I love you Drew Olson!” more times than I can remember in my UCLA cheerleading outfit as I stuck my hand through the crowd desperate for a player’s high five. And once the gates opened, my mom and I power walked inside to beat the crowds, first hitting the bathrooms, the soft pretzel stand, and then finally our season ticket seats on the 50-yard line, next to the old man named Pat. Pat always offered me his self-packed snacks from home. Pat had a Motorola Razor flip phone and always wore a flat cap. He did not know how to use that flip phone. Good ol’ Pat.
Looking back, this yearly tradition that we had for a majority of my developmental years holds so much significance. My grandparents took my mom and me to football games, while we left the boys at home. From a young age, I was encouraged to do what I liked to do and what I thought was fun, and that was watching football. I learned so much more than the game of football from these trips, though. I learned the importance of being with family, exploring interests, meeting new people, and traveling to new cities. I learned it was okay to like the things that other young girls weren’t interested in. And I know now that this tradition shaped who I am today. I am incredibly close to my mom and my grandparents, I feel a deep connection and comfort in Los Angeles, and I still love the game of football, probably now more than ever. In fact, my UC Davis Athletics internship allows me to continue this love by allowing me to work every UC Davis football game and meet some truly amazing and inspiring sports professionals. Had it not been for these trips to the Rose Bowl, I would not be who I am. I encourage all women, young and old, to do what they enjoy, whether that be dancing, reading, watching sports, or all of the above! I was encouraged to be myself, to defy norms and to be an individual, which I have realized is beyond valuable, especially in a still male-dominated sports world. Thanks Mom! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!