It is late April, so I’m sure you’re feeling the stress of final papers and exams. Trust me, I understand your anxiety. Tensions are high right now. Yesterday I yelled at a cricket in my bedroom. I don’t mean I screamed when I saw the cricket; I mean I shouted mean things at it. Stress can make you do wacky things, like tell an insect it is ugly and lazy. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: beach week.
Now, I know many people dislike beach week. It isn’t attractive to everybody, much like Keanu Reeves. I guess that’s because it’s loud, hectic, overindulgent and pricy. In that sense, beach week is not similar to Keanu Reeves. However, I appreciate this collegiate tradition because it is a good way to spend time with friends. Yeah, this may just be me, but I actually enjoy the company of my closest pals. And excuse me if this is an unpopular opinion, but I find the beach relaxing. Sue me! I think hanging out with friends at the beach could be an appropriate vacation.
Those who have been to beach week probably have fond memories. Maybe you played beach volleyball or flew a kite on the beach. If you’re anything like me, you drank out of a comically large margarita glass all week. That is not to say I drank margaritas all week. Sometimes I just drank water out of the margarita glass! It’s not about what you’re drinking; it’s about how silly your glass is. Sometimes it’s about how silly your straw is. If you walk into a party with a huge margarita glass and a crazy straw, you don’t have to dance or talk to anyone. People will know how fun you are. Silly accoutrements aside, you also may remember another notable part of the beach week experience: bike week.
Once a year, bikers from the east coast of the United States get together in Myrtle Beach and show off their cool motorcycles. It’s just a coincidence that beach week and bike week coincide. I recently spoke to a girl who did not notice bike week at all during her time in Myrtle Beach, which I think is absurd. There are motorcycles everywhere. You can hear them coming from a mile away. People were wearing tee shirts that said, “BIKE WEEK 2K15.” But still, people act like bike week doesn’t exist. And that’s a shame.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tremendous opportunity here. We should embrace bike week as a bizarre, accidental part of beach week. Respect the bikers who have traveled thousands of miles, presumably on a bike, to spend a few happy days in Myrtle Beach. If you see a guy showing off the flames on the side of his motorcycle, congratulate him on his cool paint job. If you see a couple bikers in a waffle house, introduce yourself. Let’s make tee shirts that say, “BEACH WEEK BIKE WEEK 2K16.” Together, we can make this a beach-bike week to remember. Also, I want to ride in a sidecar and I think this is my best chance.
Nancy-Wren Bradshaw is a Senior Associate Editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at n.bradshaw@cavalierdaily.com.
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