By Jeremy Twitchell
It”s not about how far you can push the laws of physics by seeing how many people you can cram into one car.
It”s not about focusing on the strange music the driver brought home from his mission to get your mind off the fact that your legs are going numb from a lack of circulation.
It”s not even about the inevitable car troubles or the act of baring your soul to people who were strangers just hours before in an effort to make the miles go by quicker.
The college sports road trip is about being there for the team when they need it and having a monotony-busting journey along the way.
Although all of the previously mentioned side effects were part of our group”s road trip to Las Vegas this weekend, I probably won”t remember any of them by the time this is published.
I will remember, however, standing in UNLV”s dusty parking lot after the game and basking in the thrill of victory and the lingering scent of tailgate hamburgers.
I will remember bonding with UNLV fans after the game as we crowded around a five-inch television and watched the Marlins knock off the Yankees, after which our friendly banter inevitably turned against our mutual enemy, the University of Utah.
I will remember witnessing my first college football overtime, which resulted in one of the most thrilling BYU games I”ve ever seen.
Road trips are one of the foundations of college social life. And attending a university that frowns on some of the other common college diversions makes the need for good road trips all the more important.
BYU”s win was the highlight of our trip, no doubt, but even had the Cougars not pulled it off, the trip still would have been a great experience.
There”s something about seeing familiar scenes in new backgrounds that makes any road game enjoyable.
It”s also fascinating to meet other fans and engage in good-natured trash talking, which inevitably leads to the realization that the guys on the other side of the stadium aren”t really evil, but are disturbingly similar to ourselves. Maybe not as sober in many cases, but similar nonetheless.
Road trips offer a unique opportunity to broaden one”s horizons and take in some pretty good games while in the process. And best of all, they can be done pretty cheaply if well planned, especially for BYU students.
There are members of the church everywhere, and if you have a broad enough circle of friends, you can find somebody anywhere. Most members of the church are willing to give a brief home to freeloading college students in search of some good, clean fun.
We were particularly blessed in our trip to stay in the home of a friend whose parents were thrilled at the idea of having 12 college students spend the weekend at their house. Don”t ask me why, but they even fed us.
So don”t be afraid to burst the bubble. LaVell Edwards stadium is nice, but there are a wealth of great road trip experiences available to anyone willing to sacrifice a few bucks and a little comfort.
