You would think that in a week characterized by hateful exams, stressful hours in Clemons and eating meals out of a vending machine that the only thing I'd hear in conversation this week would be whining and complaining. And yet, for the past week, one subject keeps coming up over and over, and it's been coming up in about three ways:
A)"SPRIIIIIING BREAK!"
B)"S.B. OH-SIX!"
And C) "COL-LEGE! NO PARENTS!"
Now, some might point out that most conversations my friends and I have end in guttural, primal screaming, and might point that out as being a little odd. But I like to think that I've got good friends that like to focus on the real things in life, like S.B. '06, instead of trivial things like classes, job interviews and world politics. But all this talk about Spring Break has made my mind drift toward the connection between Spring Break and sports. And before I could even finish asking myself, "Are sports and Spring Break even connected?" my mind was racing with several reasons why without sports, there simply wouldn't be Spring Break.
First, every Spring Break I've ever taken part in has in some way been centered around a basketball tournament. Whether it's the ACC Tournament like this year or the opening weekend of March Madness, I always end up devoting a great deal of my time to watching and soaking in basketball tournaments.
Tournament time has always been a haven for my personal favorite sports moments for several reasons. Even going back to when I played basketball competitively, I have loved the anticipation and finality of basketball tournaments. I love the endless possibilities that await when the tournament begins. Can the underdog (a.k.a. Virginia) really win the ACC Tournament? Will a 16-seed finally beat a No.1 seed? Can somebody pull a Tonya Harding on J.J. Redick? The basketball possibilities are endless, the betting possibilities are endless and the day I don't love a good basketball tournament is the day I don't follow sports anymore.
This year, especially, provides an excellent opportunity to catch a great basketball tournament. The ACC Tournament, held in the quaint yet entertaining town of Greensboro, N.C., has all the makings of a great tournament. The new format, with four first-round byes, might make some ACC purists yearn for the days of the Les Robinson Invitational Match-up, but I believe the expanded ACC will only make for a more exciting tournament, with more possibilities of upsets and underdogs taking the ACC crown.
But Spring Break isn't just synonymous with great days of basketball. No, Spring Break loves all sports. I have spent three great Spring Breaks in the Rocky Mountains, one skiing in Snowbird, Utah, and two skiing in a little town called Asssspen (you know, where the beer flows like wine and where the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano). The Rockies have by far the most beautiful, awe-inspiring scenery, and enough challenging slopes to keep an intermediate skier entertained for days. I've come to fondly associate Spring Break with the clear blue skies, the crisp air and the powdery snow of the mountains of the Wild West.
And if you're a lover of warmer climes, Spring Break has not forgotten you, either. Boating trips in the Florida Keys, trips to destination hot spots like Cancun or Cabo or just road trips to the beaches of Florida can all find good places for sports. I've never been able to spend a day on the beach without breaking out a football, Wiffle bat and ball, and yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, a soccer ball. It's impossible not to enjoy a sunny day on the beach without sports involved.
So if the only thing you've got on your mind during this week of midterm hell is Spring Break, don't forget to give a nice little tip of the hat to the institute of sports.
Because without sports, there would be no Spring Break. Have a good one.
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