No Re2grets

The intramural football season at UCF was coming to a quick end. All season long, The Franchise, had fought hard; not only in the games but against both the refs and administrators. We were a hated team. Nobody liked us. We had something to prove. We wanted to win.

The playoffs had begun and we easily had advanced through the first couple rounds. Our semifinal showdown was set for Pi Kappa Alpha, aka Pike. All the practices, hard work and game plans would be put to the test. We had our work cut out for us. However, we did feel confident. The motivation of playing a frat team was fuel enough. They were what we wanted. A frat team has a swagger like they are the best thing that has ever happened to this planet. Not only did we want to prove something to the UCF staff, we wanted to show those frat boys what we could do.

All these events were taking place during the month of November but to get a clearer understanding, we need to venture back to the summer of that year. My mom likes to make vacation plans early like most people do. She asked if I would like to visit my cousin in NYC and without hesitation, I said yes. Who would pass on a trip to the Big Apple in November? As great as Florida is, it’s nice to see the fall colors, feel the cold wind rip through your clothes and be in a big city full of mass chaos and excitement. Little did I know when I signed up that this vacation would start the same day as our football game.

Herein likes the conflict. What should I do? My team needed me. It wasn’t like I was the back-up punter and had a little role on the team. I was the QB - The one that touched the ball every play - The one that the offense ran through. I made the decisions - Who got the ball and how it would get there. They needed me there. They needed their leader.

I loved sports and I loved both playing and winning with The Franchise. It brought so much happiness and joy. I’d like to say that I really weighed my options and thought about it but I’d be lying if I said that. I was going to NYC and I was hoping my team would pull of a victory in my absence.

My flight left on a Thursday afternoon in Tampa and the big game was later that day in Orlando. I remember flying into La Guardia, dropping off our stuff and heading down to eat at the ESPN Zone. My buddy called me later while I was in the middle of Times Square to share the news with me. We had lost and it was ugly. I felt bad. My team needed me. As much as I can sit here and sulk in the lost and the people that I let down that day, I have no regrets about it. As I’ve told them once and Ill say it again – I would do it again if I had too.

Certain things in life you have to do – no matter what the cost. It’s a now or never thing. You get one shot. One chance to experience it. Who knows when God will shut the door and leave you questioning - I wonder what would have happened if…

**we had many more semifinal appearances and many more shots at frat teams of which we never lost another game**