What I’m Going to Miss with No Fall Sports

Fall weekends have been a very busy time for me, but usually a very enjoyable time. My weekends have all been centered around sports, and I’m not really sure what I’m going to do to fill the time with no fall sports at UB.

If there’s a home football game, the weekend includes about 6 hours at UB Stadium, including the pre-game concert and tail-gating, and actual game. These are usually a lot of fun — and even if UB loses, I still enjoy the atmosphere.

The vibe at the pre-game concert and tailgating is almost always exciting (even if the sometimes the performer isn’t all that memorable), and you get to meet a lot of people you don’t normally see. I interact with people from here at Bull Run, I usually say hello to Felisha Legette-Jack, and other members of the athletic department who attend the concert.

The game itself is also fun, as the crowd goes wild for UB and goes silent when the other team makes a good play. Even though we lost a seven overtime game to Western Michigan, that might have been the most memorable and tension packed game I have attended. I’m usually pretty drained no matter who wins, and by the time I get home, I don’t move off the couch much.

On the weekends where UB is on the road, there’s still plenty to keep me busy. I try to listen to the pre-game radio show, and then of course there’s the actual game, so in terms of time involved, home and road games are pretty much the same. But for road games, I usually don’t get to interact with other people, too bad.

But there’s more! Fall weekends usually involve two UB volleyball matches. I almost never miss a home game, and now that ESPN+/ESPN3 has been covering almost all of the road matches, that’s even more time spent watching UB sports on a typical fall weekend.

And just like the football team playing very well the last several years, the volleyball team has just put together the three best years in program history.

Unlike most of you, I then go ahead and write overly long articles about the volleyball matches for Bull Run.

Fun times, but somewhat exhausting.

But some things I won’t miss. In no particular order:

• Mid-week evening football games. Very light attendance. No one to talk to. I usually leave by the time my feet are so cold that they are numb. Plus, I do have to go to work the next day.
• The food at UB stadium is not my favorite. While it’s great that Lloyd’s Taco truck is there during the pre-game festivities, and I usually order my pre-game meal from them, the rest of the food choices inside the stadium don’t get me excited.
• The long lines at UB stadium to use the rest rooms at halftime.

So what am I going to do on fall weekends? I have a few ideas:

• Spend more time outdoors exploring all the wonderful parks and nature here in Western NY.
• Read more books.
• Get more exercise.
• Learn some new skills (for example, Photoshop)

What will you miss about fall sports? How will you spend your time with no fall sports?