[81alum]

We Share This Common Pleasure

Entering the concrete cavern of Maples, experiencing energy — past and present — embedded in concrete and girders.

It’s like hiking a familiar forest trail, like greeting an old friend, like putting on a familiar glove,

It’s more than a competition, a game, a score, a win. It’s life in the microcosm of a familiar venue.

It’s waving across the way to the couple that usually sits in the adjacent aisle;

It’s seeing a sizable contingent of young people in the student section and hoping they will initiate a new era of fandom;

It’s the team introduction with Haley blowing kisses, realizing a greater calling, then running to the far sidelines to exchange high fives with a potential recruit;

It’s fifteen young women, both athlete and scholar, charting their way through life on a hardwood floor, running like the wind, bouncing balls and shooting baskets;

It’s a fan spontaneously making the rounds before halftime imploring other fans to chant “Come to Stanford, Juju!” at halftime;

It’s Juju’s father standing and waving to the crowd to raise their voices, and they respond, much to the delight of the proud dad;

It’s Indya Nivar’s on her first day before a Maples crowd using her best move to create a lane and announce her presence and the beginning of her legacy;

It’s the Cam and Haley show, ushering in a whole new era of the super athlete, while playing the game with their best somersault moves;

It’s walk-on Lauren “Lolo” Green coming off the court beaming so proudly as if she is walking on air, then making eye contact with her parents in the stands who beam back with equal pride and joy!

The game is all this and more. Line-ups come and go, games are won and lost, seasons fly by like the yellow leaves of fall. We, too come and go, yet, today, we chose to meet once more, eager for another year, interests piqued, imbued with renewed optimism.

Welcome back to a common pleasure fellow fans, celebrate these young women’s lives and ours while we add another ring to the tree of Maples.

Beautiful.  I identify with many of those sentiments.

[81alum]

We Share This Common Pleasure

Entering the concrete cavern of Maples, experiencing energy — past and present — embedded in concrete and girders.

It’s like hiking a familiar forest trail, like greeting an old friend, like putting on a familiar glove,

It’s more than a competition, a game, a score, a win. It’s life in the microcosm of a familiar venue.

It’s waving across the way to the couple that usually sits in the adjacent aisle;

It’s seeing a sizable contingent of young people in the student section and hoping they will initiate a new era of fandom;

It’s the team introduction with Haley blowing kisses, realizing a greater calling, then running to the far sidelines to exchange high fives with a potential recruit;

It’s fifteen young women, both athlete and scholar, charting their way through life on a hardwood floor, running like the wind, bouncing balls and shooting baskets;

It’s a fan spontaneously making the rounds before halftime imploring other fans to chant “Come to Stanford, Juju!” at halftime;

It’s Juju’s father standing and waving to the crowd to raise their voices, and they respond, much to the delight of the proud dad;

It’s Indya Nivar’s on her first day before a Maples crowd using her best move to create a lane and announce her presence and the beginning of her legacy;

It’s the Cam and Haley show, ushering in a whole new era of the super athlete, while playing the game with their best somersault moves;

It’s walk-on Lauren “Lolo” Green coming off the court beaming so proudly as if she is walking on air, then making eye contact with her parents in the stands who beam back with equal pride and joy!

The game is all this and more. Line-ups come and go, games are won and lost, seasons fly by like the yellow leaves of fall. We, too come and go, yet, today, we chose to meet once more, eager for another year, interests piqued, imbued with renewed optimism.

Welcome back to a common pleasure fellow fans, celebrate these young women’s lives and ours while we add another ring to the tree of Maples.

Beautiful.  I identify with many of those sentiments.