really important choices

It's been a while since I've been to a high school football game. In the south, the weekly ritual of fans, bands, teams, cheerleaders, mascots and local politicians gathering around a manicured, painted and roughed-up field to root for their local favorite is akin to a Sunday morning church experience. That's where I was last night.

The hottest ticket in town this weekend was to watch the University of Kentucky basketball team take the floor and, well, practice. It wasn't a game - just practice. But it's an annual tradition that native and transplanted Kentuckians all over the country plan for all year long. It's called Big Blue Madness, and they come from everywhere to watch the future champions begin their journey to the Final Four. According to the local paper, over twenty-three thousand tickets were snatched up in less than four days. (I have to tell you, the Lexington newspaper is not known as a reliable source for unbiased info on much of anything. However, their coverage of Wildcat basketball and the obituaries are usually fairly accurate.)

But why would I want to be there when I could be in Irvine, Kentucky watching the Estill County Engineers play their hearts out at a high school football game? The team was getting thumped. But I was there to see the cheerleaders. Well, one of them anyway.

I had just had a conversation earlier in the week with my daughter Casie. I told her that I was disappointed that I hadn't been able to see her cheer this season. She said she'd let me know when the next game was so I could watch her in action. I learned yesterday it was last night. The same night as the Madness. And four of those hot, in-demand tickets had my name on them. In fact, they were proudly in my pocket when I got the call that notified me of Casie's upcoming performance. This was a conundrum for sure. Until I thought about it.

Huge, must-see annual event featuring future star athletes,lights, lasers, smoke and hot nachos in a massive, state-of-the-art arena!
- VS -
Chilly, weekly event that showcases the athletic talents of a future teacher or engineer (Estill countians will like that) while sitting on cold, metal bleachers sipping pop/water.

Obviously, I went to the football game. For one thing, Casie was there. And so was Christian. That was reason enough. But I also had the chance to visit with friends I hadn't seen in weeks, show pride for the most important girl in my life, support a local school club with my concession stand splurges and wipe hot chocolate off my son's face. Now what could be more valuable than that?