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January 03, 2006
I Meet the (Horned) Frog of My Dreams
On our way back from Hawaii, we stopped to spend a few days with Noel's family in Ardmore and Houston. Since they're good, mid-western folks, football was in order.
On something of a whim, we went to the Ev1.net Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium on Saturday. Before the game, we debated the delicate trick of picking a team to call our own. Should we cheer for Texas Christian because they had beaten the Weichbrodt's beloved Sooners, and a win from TCU would make OU look better? Or should we cheer for Iowa State to spite TCU?
In the end, I decided that my lynchpin would be an aesthetic one. If TCU has a sweet horned frog running up and down the sideline, I said, I'll cheer for them.
We arrived at the game and took our seats: field level behind the end zone, the no fan's land. Our neighbors were predominantly clad in purple, but a renegade Iowa fan or two yelled loudly enough to occasionally make you believe you were sitting amid the red and gold of the Cyclones. I looked at the sidelines.
Both sides sported cheerleaders and bands, but Iowa State also had a guy in a cardinal suit lumbering about. I peered down the opposing sideline, through the pond of purple. No frog. Oh well, Iowa State has a better band anyway, I decided.
But things changed at the beginning of the third. Suddenly, a purple jersey-clad, gray foam endowed frog with bulging eyes and stumpy horns was galloping along the field. And then, moments later, he was in the stands among the Texas Christian faithful. His assorted horns protruding from elbows and uniform and his gray-gloved hand produced a perpetual mini horned frog. He looked like a Japanese cartoon character. I wiggled my "kawaii" finger at him.
And then, suddenly, he was in our section, shaking hands with Zach and Noel. The camera was out and ready, but I was overcome by celebrity-awe. Thankfully, my gracious husband asked Superfrog to pose for a picture with me. He threw up the mini-frog and obliged.
Can you be a fan of the mascot without being a fan of the school?
Carefully Dramatized Life Accounts , People-Watching , Woeful Tales of Cultural Integration | By elissa | 10:02 PM
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Comments
Even though I was there for the events discussed, I must comment on the amazingness of these back to back posts. The injustice of the world evidences itself in that this is the only fawning fan-boy froth that has bubbled up so far. Bow before my wife's writing prowess, o people of earth!
--N, who liked it so much he married it.
Posted by: Noel at January 4, 2006 10:13 PM
Yes, but you're probably suffering from a little bit of first-anniversary euphoria :)
Posted by: elissa at January 6, 2006 10:40 AM
