Engaging

27 August, 2007

We are the Hokies and we need your help.

As Hokies, we all know what Saturday is--the first home football game of the season. And now, the entire nation knows what a Hokie is. How times have changed in one year. ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to Blacksburg to help us start off the new football season. GameDay is not coming to Blacksburg because this Virginia Tech v. East Carolina battle is going to be the best game of the day in Division I football, hardly. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreet will be returning to Blacksburg not to for the reasons Blacksburg made GameDay famous for (13,000 crazy fans in maroon and orange) but to both pay respect to the events that occurred in April and also to show that Virginia Tech is moving forward. It is College Gameday’s opportunity to mourn with the Hokie community.

It is the Hokie community’s chance to say thank you.

Over the years, students have created posters that range from creative to crass. GameDay is known for all sorts of revelry, people dress up in costumes and the atmosphere is that of a traveling circus. But this time it is different in Blacksburg. We all know why they are here and let’s change how we handle this Saturday. No posters referencing Ball’s and Vick’s, instead why not use this vast media outlet to say thank you to the hundreds of colleges across the nation that pledged unyielding support following April 16?

As a community, we never knew what devastation on the levels of Columbine or the Amish schoolhouse shooting felt like. And unfortunately, now we do. But something else that we were surprised by was the awe-inspiring support that we received. Tears were shed for those who were loss but also for the emotions that overcame us as thousands of boxes, packages, flowers and checks started pouring into Blacksburg.

The nation will be tuning into Blacksburg to see how we are doing. Let’s show them our Hokie pride, let’s show them we are moving forward but we will never forget those 32. This is an opportunity to recognize why GameDay is in Blacksburg without losing the meaning of the day--It is our first home game and it is a new school year for Virginia Tech.

So make signs that say “Thank you, Virginia”, “Thank you, North Carolina”, “Thank you, Michigan”, “Thank you, JMU”, “Thank You, LSU”, “Thank you, Florida” and so on.

Let’s continue to show the world what it means to be a Hokie.

Posted by F.C.G :: 11:40 AM :: 0 Comments:

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