Saturday was everything Cornell should be.
With the Red claiming dominance over Princeton and the sun claiming supremacy over the recent winter weather conditions, there were very few things that could have made me happier (one of them being my good ol’ fashion pre-gaming session). As I sat down in the crowd, shades and all, I remarked to my friends how great this day was for me, for the lacrosse team and for the student body.
You see, as I sat down there in the crowd, my ears were relieved from the typical “Cornelian chatter.” There were no mentions of paper deadlines, upcoming pre-lims and past-due problem sets. Better yet, there were chants of “Let’s Go Red” and a harmony of hand clapping every time senior co-captain Matt McMonagle made one of his career-high 19 saves. As I sat there, surrounded by approximately 10,000 other fans, I was so happy about being a Cornelian.
Usually, I have to listen to my friends from other schools pride themselves in the fun they are having, while they point to the amount of work I have to do. But on Saturday, I not only got to pride myself in receiving an Ivy League education, but I got to boast about my (yes, it is mine too) No. 1 ranked lacrosse team and the seemingly lack of concern for anything academic for those couple of hours on Saturday afternoon by a large portion of our student body (Usually, I am by myself on that one).
The parking lot was spread with empty cans of Keystone Lights, people devouring hamburgers and with students, who showed me that there is more to Cornell than just papers and deadlines.
Being Cornelians, we all pride ourselves on our work ethic and ability to perform under stressful situations. Within in the snap of fingers, we are able to put on a suit and tie and flaw prospective employers. On Saturday, however, the tie was loosened up a little bit … and that is just the way I like it.
We need more days like that.