After a week of celebrating school spirit at the pep rally and homecoming dance, the Crusaders emerged victorious on the field. Even though this is my first year here, I felt right at home during my first homecoming week.
The Friday of Family Football Night, I knew there was a possibility of rain in the evening. However, I was unaware of the resolution of the Gibbons community. My mom was hoping it would be rescheduled if it rained, but since I now attend Gibbons, I knew something she did not; Gibbons was not going to let anything stop them from putting on a show.
That night, the campus was a jungle. The cars were parked out onto the road behind the school which is where my family and I parked. That was just a glimpse of what it would be like as we approached the football field.
We followed the crowd until we reached all of the tents at the back of the school. There were families and staff roaming around in the pelting rain. I was surprised at the turnout considering the neverending rain. Smiles were plastered on the faces of many as they wandered around the lot enjoying the activities at each tent. The aromas from the food truck followed me around as I made my way around the educator parking lot.
I circled around the parking lot exploring all of the tents and activities the event had to offer. As I made my way around, I was blinded by the powerful rain that forced me to sport my rain jacket. I was surprised to see young children running without rain jackets. Many simply had on Hawaiian shirts and shorts. The wind came in gusts that sent shivers down my spine. We had to seek shelter inside the building where merchandise was stationed.
After suiting up with ponchos, we made our way into the stadium. We were welcomed by the roar of fans and the sound of rain as it bounced off of the bleachers.
We wore Hawaiian leis that quickly became drenched, and our Hawaiian shirts became heavy with rain as well. We navigated through the sea of the salty coast until we found an open spot on the bleachers. We used our ponchos as covers for our seats since the bleachers were soaked by the rain.
The countdown was on until the game began.
As the clock ran down, there was a prayer and then the national anthem played. I was overwhelmed with excitement as the spirits of the home side continued to rise as the players flooded the field. The clock ran down and the Gibbons kicker prepared to kick off to Hillside. With a fumble from Hillside, the Crusaders were elated. It was a great start to our Homecoming game.
The rain never let up, but the Crusaders pulled through with the win. Overall, I had a great experience at my first Family Football Night/ Homecoming Game at Gibbons regardless of the unrelenting rain.
