Alright folks, settled in with my coffee this morning thinking ’bout how fired up I am for tonight’s Huskies game. Decided to put together a quick support guide based on how I do things, step by step. Maybe some of it works for you too. Just me rambling about today’s prep!
Getting My Head in the Game
First things first: woke up early, grabbed the phone, and hit the team’s official social media pages. Scrolled through all the posts like a madman, seeing what Coach Hurley dropped overnight about the line-up. Saw the hype vid – chills, honestly. Made a mental note to quote his latest “Storrs tough” post later when I’m hyping people up.
Checked the weather, man. Important! Turned out kinda windy and cold tonight. Immediate thought? Yeah, that cheap Huskies hoodie ain’t cutting it. Dug deep into the closet, found that thick, blue crewneck from the ’14 championship run. Maybe bringin’ good luck? Probably smells like mothballs, but whatever, it’s happening.
The Sign Situation (Always Chaotic)
Every. Single. Home game. I tell myself I’ll make signs early. Never happens. Dragged out the old poster board and markers around lunchtime. Brain kinda empty, you know? Ended up scribbling “DEFENSE FEEDS THE DOGS” on one side in big shaky letters. Ran out of blue marker halfway, switched to black. Looks janky. My kid would cringe. Good enough!
Then hit the local print shop – the small one by the deli. Guy knows me now. “UConn again, Mike?” he laughs. Tried getting a fancy graphic printed real quick. File size was wrong or something, took forever to sort out. Banged my head on the counter joking about needing to yell louder just to cover tech failures. Finally got it. Paid extra for the rush job. Worth it.
Fueling Up Husky-Style
Stopped at Ted’s Tavern downtown around 3 PM. Place was already packed with blue shirts. Felt that energy! Bumped into a bunch of folks from the alumni group. Got sucked into talking rotations and Jordan Hawkins’s nephew possibly being a future star – deep dive stuff. Ordered the spicy wings and a soda. Tried to get the UConn burger special, but they sold out? Brutal. Wings were solid though.
While waiting, practiced the “U-C-O-N-N! UCONN! UCONN! UCONN!” chant quietly. Got a weird look from the bartender. Dude, it’s game day. Deal with it.
Gear Check & Pep Talk
Got home, laid everything out like I’m prepping for battle:
- Thick ’14 Crewneck (Mothball Power!)
- Printed Sign (“DEFENSE WINS HERE!” on the back side, messy)
- Beat-up UConn baseball cap (paint stains from last year’s DIY project, don’t ask)
- NOISEMAKER? Found the old plastic horn thing wedged behind toolbox in garage. Blew into it – wheezy but sorta works!
Stared at the pile. Realized the crewneck looked better with jeans instead of sweatpants. Changed. Again.
Hitting the Lot & Pumping Crowd
Drove over to the Storrs campus around 5:30 PM. Traffic already getting stupid. Parked way out in Lot South – the cheap spot. Walked towards Gampel Pavillion seeing all the tailgates. Smelled burgers, heard music. Stopped dead when I saw a bunch of young guys trying to start a chant that was going nowhere.
Walked right over. “Alright knuckleheads, listen up. Call and response, got it? I yell ‘HUSKIES!’, you SCREAM ‘FIGHT!’ Louder than the other guys nearby! Try it!” Drilled ’em twice. Third time was shaky but better. High-fived a sweaty, clearly-amped-up freshman. Felt like Coach Pop for a second.
Took a big breath. Heard the band warming up inside.
Locked In & Ready
Got through security, snagged my cheap program. Headed straight up to my usual nosebleed seats behind the basket. Place was filling fast, buzzing. Taped my sign crookedly to the railing. Put the wheezy noisemaker next to it. Saw the team starting to bounce out for warmups.
Threw on the crewneck over my shirt. Still smells weird.
Thought one final thing: Lungs ready? Check.
Voice ready? Check.
Heart fully Husky blue? Hell yes.
Time to make some noise. GO HUSKIES!
