Sports

Hokies healing helped by game

The opening weekend of college football is always a big deal for campuses across the country. For teams like USC or Michigan, they come in with high hopes for the season and are antsy to start their trek for a perfect season (on second thought, maybe not the Wolverines). For other teams, like the Minnesotas of the world, the upcoming season is a chance to start fresh. New coaches, high levels of optimism and most importantly, a 0-0 record.

And then there is Virginia Tech.

For the entire Hokie Nation, Saturday's game was much anticipated. It wasn't because they came into the game with a No. 9 ranking in the national polls, or were anxiously waiting to build on last season's 10-3 record. In fact, the significance of this game had nothing at all to do with football.

Since April 16th of this year, Virginia Tech students, fans and supporters have been in mourning. On that tragic day, 32 students were killed in the worst shooting spree in U.S. history as a gunman went on a shooting rampage in several campus buildings. National headlines for the next several days reported the gruesome events that transpired in Blacksburg, and everyone around the country felt the pain of those in the Virginia Tech community.

That day in April, we were all Hokies. And Saturday, college football fans far and wide were Hokies once again, myself included.

Watching the pregame events unfold on TV, I actually got the chills. It's very rare that a sporting event can do this to me, but it happened Saturday. On the field before the teams came out, both the Virginia Tech marching band and the Corps of Cadets band took the field and played together, standing side by side. Painted on the turf were two ribbons with the VT logo commemorating that day and honoring the victims. Hokie cheerleaders released 32 orange balloons into the air, one for each victim.

The team had its own way of paying tribute to those lost, and it came in the form of a lunch pail. The pail, which normally is used as a sort of motivational technique by the Virginia Tech defense, carried more importance than ever Saturday. Typically found inside the pail are defensive strategies, words of encouragement and the defensive goals for each game. During Saturday's game, the names of all 32 victims were placed on a card and carried inside it, along with the motto that the community has come to embrace: "We will remember. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech."

One of the most moving moments of the pregame ceremony took place on the videoboard screen in Lane Stadium and was broadcasted into the homes of fans across the country. A video tribute was played, showing emotional images from the day of the tragedy as well as messages of hope, faith and optimism. Finally, the players ran out onto the field to the sounds of roaring cheers from 66,000 maroon-and-orange-clad fans. Both Virginia Tech and their opponent, East Carolina, took the field at the same time as a sign of sportsmanship. Finally, a fly-over by two F-15 jets at the end of the national anthem concluded the pregame ceremony.

After the time of remembrance was over, it was apparent that students, fans and players were finally ready for some football.

The game itself was nothing special, and it appeared early on as if the Hokies were going to be tested by the lesser East Carolina team. With their offense struggling, Virginia Tech trailed for most of the first half. They would take the lead on an interception return for a touchdown right before halftime, finally giving the fans something to cheer about.

Although Virginia Tech ended up winning the game 17-7, it was vividly clear that day there are times when sporting events become something more.

For those in attendance, the game was a chance to come together as a community. The Hokies hadn't had a major sporting event since the shooting, so Saturday's game was one of the first opportunities for a large number of fans to console each other and help one another move on.

Just as baseball did in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, college football provided an outlet of healing and an opportunity to forget the troubles of the world, even if only for a few hours. Six years ago, Major League Baseball felt it was right to move on after a few days of canceled games. Similarly, Virginia Tech needed this game to get past what had happened and to try and move on.

As kids, we are told, "It's just a game." I know I've heard that more times than I can count. I'll get upset when my team loses, and being from Minnesota, this happens far too often. Sometimes we fail to realize that there are things more important than sports — like the healing this game provided for Virginia Tech.

It wasn't just a game on Saturday. It was much more.