first uh football game

Last Saturday, we went to the first UH football game of the season against University of Colorado Buffalos, final score 34-17.  It was a great game, but I was mainly there to watch the band (so what's new?).  This was Ryan's first UH football half-time show, though not his first performance with the band.  He also played at one of the wahine volleyball games during the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational the week before.

Former KS band moms Jane and Laurie came with us and we even tailgated before the game.

Since they played it so many times, here is what's been stuck in my head the whole entire week, the UH Fight Song (played to a melody called "Co-Ed," which I never knew until Ryan said they were playing "Co-Ed" and I tried to figure out what song that was; now I know it's one and the same as what I've always known as the "UH Fight Song".  That song and "Hawaii 5-0" are playing constantly in  my head, I've even caught myself humming it in the car.  In researching it with my friend Google, I found out that there was even a press release a few years ago saying that they were changing the lyrics from "each valiant SON" to "each valiant ONE" because of the popularity of women's sports (especially volleyball).

Here’s to our dear Hawaii
Here’s to our green and white
Here’s to our Alma Matter
Here’s to our team with fight
RAH RAH RAH!
Here’s to old warriors calling
Here’s to old battles won
Here’s to Hawaii’s victory
Here’s to each valiant one

I volunteered to buy the tickets so I opted for the north end zone, since that is where the band was sitting.  At first we thought it was great because it was in the blue section, under cover, and pretty breezy and cool (the game started at 4:15 pm this time so it was sunny and hot).  But we soon decided that it wasn't the greatest because we couldn't see the north scoreboard (not at all since it was above us) and we had to duck down to see the board in the south end zone.  We felt a little out of touch.  I even called my dad at one point to find out why what looked like a touchdown turned out not to be.

But the half-time show was great.  Ryan was right up front when they marched out (first on the right).  I moved down to sit with my cousins on the 50 yard line so I could watch and video and tape pics.  So exciting to be right up front (which we were used to with high school football).  They also filmed a segment from Lifetime's "Coming Home" series about a soldier who came home from Korea for his son's 13th birthday as a surprise.  The son was in the stands and the dad posed as a band member, dressed in the band uniform.  Gotta remember to keep an eye out for the show to see how much of the band the featured.

And I went down after halftime when the band was still going back to their seats to snap a picture of Ryan.  And later I got the "please don't ever do that again and embarrass me in front of everyone" speech.

Whatever.  I'm adjusting to his being in college and on his own, almost as much as he is.

Maybe we'll go to a couple more games since the half-time show changes every game.  But I have to sit far away so I'm not tempted to go down and embarrass him anymore.