IV..I, for one, didn't grow up here. But, your point is a good one..If you've seen my previous "sports" posts, you'll notice I'm a bit of a sports fan. Football came into it a little later for me than the others (I was about 12?)..Went to my first big "Thanksgiving Rivalry" game..and was hooked. The whole experience. It was cold, and to stay warm my friend turned me on to "coffee" (another thing I've been hooked on since that day).
The hot dogs..the emotions..the crowd, and (oh, yeah) the Game!! Like I said, I was hooked.

It was different (IMO) then..Our country was different. Some good, some bad.
Evolution..unavoidable, and necessary. I'm thankful for it (and the memories).

P-SPAN
TAKEBACKWAREHAM
April 6, 2010

Last edited by P-SPAN (2009-11-24 10:39:26)

When I moved from Tennessee, the first thing I noticed was that Friday Night was not the same here. I came from a part of the country where football is a religion. On Thursday night, it was middle school games. On Friday night, you were at the HS game. Saturday was UT football either in person or on TV....

In the town where both my older children attended school, there is a very deep rivalry with the next town over. In fact, it's one of the oldest HS rivalries in the country (I believe it makes the top 10). A normal home game for the HS was 1500 to 1800 people. During the final game of the season, which was the rivalry game, it was 2500+. IV is right, it's about community spirit and renewing friendships that are not day to day. As parents, we worked the concession stand (band booster for my daughter) and I broke down film and sat in the booth for middle school and high school games. I have to say it was some of the greatest moments in my life.

After many years of attending and participating, I spent the final rivalry game sitting in the stands. It was possibly one my proudest moments to watch my son lead the team out on the field for warm-up and then watch hiim and two other young men (all three I coached when they were in youth football) walk to the center of the field as captains.

Even this year, we follow the teams progress. They are in the semi-finals of State playoffs.

When is this game???? It might be fun to go and watch!

The only year I was home for Thanksgiving when I was in the Marine Corps, I went to the Wareham/Bourne game at Thanksgiving time at our Wareham High School stadium.
I remember I was in uniform, because we were required to travel in uniform in those days.
As I started to reach the gate to go into the game, the National Anthem started playing. I held my ground, snapped to, and saluted in the direction I knew that flag was in.
A young boy, probably 6 or 7, started to walk past me.
His father snatched him and made him stand straight and still. He admonished him by saying, "You don't ever walk in front of a Marine when he is saluting the colors."
After the song finished, I walked over to the boy and shook his hand. I also shook his father's hand and thanked him for the respect.
I wonder how many people even know the courtesy that the man showed that day in today's society.
I also often wondered if that day had an effect on the young man. I'll bet he never forgot it.
I know I never will.

We used to have a huge bonfire before the Wareham/Bourne Thanksgiving Day game at the high school.
Bourne would sneak over to set our bonfire on fire early to destroy our rally, and we did the same thing.
I remember one year, I believe it may have been 1962, Jimmy Crowley, Buzzy Lindsey and a couple of others of us snuck down to Bourne.
Jimmy Crowley was very good at archery. We soaked some gas rags and wrapped them around arrows, waited until only a few kids were left guarding the bonfire ( we had guards at ours also).
We were scared, because if you got caught, those guards would chase you and beat the hell out of you if they found you.
We set the arrows with rags on fire, Jimmy fired three shots (only one hit), and we ran like hell.
I don't believe we ever set their bonfire on fire, but, we sure did have a hell of a time and a story forever.
Go VIKINGS!!

Last edited by danoconnell (2009-11-24 15:38:49)

I was having a conversation with my son about a week ago. I told how much I missed coaching football, basketball, and wrestling. My son, being one of my former pupils, said he would enjoy coaching WITH me. I know that when my daughter's playing days were over, she was my assistant coach  for my basketball teams. So, look out Wareham, maybe we can snag a Pop Warner team next year and impart our years of experience on these fine young men!

I think we should all get involved!

Maturevoter wrote:

There also used to be an oversized crow that made its' way back and forth between Wareham Fire Dept. and Bourne Fire Dept. Whichever town lost the game found the crow sitting in front of it's fire station the next morning. The crow would reside in the fire station for the year, in plain sight until the next game.
At one time the Wareham Boosters Club used to sponsor a pancake breakfast before the game if the game was at home. The Boosters Club was a wonderful group of people who supported all of the Wareham sports teams and who raised large amounts of money over the years for the sports program of Wareham.
If any of them are still alive, they must be beside themselves with incredulous wonderment that anyone could condemn a group of people who's only  interest is to support this town by raising funds and using those funds to provide things the town itself isn't able to fund.
Now everyone is reluctant to step up to the plate, get involved, or donate for fear of being accused of misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, having an improper non profit organization or having a devious intent.
Both the Boosters Club and the Monday Club are missed. They were a strong part of our community. Those were the days, Dan. I too, remember the night that Lenny Lopes' car caught on fire and he died. It was a sad day for Warehem.

I don't ever remember the crow you speak of.  Maybe I was just a little kid.  Seriously, what years did they have this oversized crow?  Yes, the pancake breakfasts, the Monday Club dances for 50 cents on Sat. nights.  I remember getting a small portable tape recorder and Lenny Lopes took it into the locker room where the guys were getting ready for practice.  He rushed it back to me before my bus came and told me to listen to it at home.  Don't tell me something like that ~ I listened to it on the bus, turned way down low.  I shut it off and listened a little more at home.  It was some of the dirtiest talk and talk about different girls, how they were going to tear apart the next weeks team, etc.  No one knew it was on so it was not easy to pick every conversation out.  The next day Lenny asked me where my tape recorder was and I told him it was home and was going to stay there. (I had permission to use it for a lecture class that day).   Lenny's death was a tragedy.  His name still comes up in conversations to this day.  He'll never be forgotten by those of us who knew him.

Last edited by bornofwareham (2009-11-25 01:31:08)

My hallway them would be "rediscovering spirit"!!  Where did all of those traditions go??  Why is there no booster club (WAA aside)?  Why is there no parade? 

I'm sure the kids at school are psyched about the game and their families will get into the spirit but it just isn't the same.  There was a day when almost every kid in school went to the EVERY football game...in fact, there were buses for those that wanted to go to the away games. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Go Vikings!!