A New Generation of Anguish Approaches

I spoke with my brother today. He is retired from the Army after 25 years of service. About half of that time was spent in Germany. Lucky man, smart man too. He now works for the US Army as a civil servant in Germany. He has two daughters (Asliegh and Rachael) and one son (Conner).

It seems that Conner is quite the young athlete, taking after his father and uncles as a fairly co-ordinated competitor. He does not yet know the limitations of coming from a stock of midget warriors who rarely reach the towering height of 5'6".At the age of 12, it does not matter yet, and he will not be daunted. He plays line backer and is the 2nd string QB on his local team. My brother sent a photo of him behind center. . .It looked like he was about half the size of the center, which created its own set of comedic impressions, but still quite an accomplishment. Conner has been starting the whole year at LB, but has recently had a start at QB. While he is no threat to become an all star (at QB), he has still been able to move the team with some consistency.

All of this is good stuff, and we here are quite proud of him. The anguish comes in where Conner has decided that he, like his father and uncles before him, shall carry on the family tradition of self induced concussions, i.e. being a Gamecock fan. Like the road less traveled, this choice is the one that is likely to build the most character, develop the most humility, and produce the shortest of chewed off fingernails. He will learn the art of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as if it were second hand. He will come to know and cherish the words "wait til next year" as if it were a religious tantra. For it is easy to be a fan of the Crimson Tide, or the Bulldogs, or the Tarheels, or any of another dozen or so tradition rich storied programs; whereas, the fan of the Gamecocks is continually baptized in the hot fire of humiliating defeats, moral victory (any defeat that is not humiliating) and eternal hope. Good luck young Gamecock fan, and may the farce be with you.