This post is really nothing to do with the Blanton Family, just some thoughts that I want to share.
I was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, home of the Duke Blue Devils... and I'm proud of it! My father played football for Duke in the 70's, which ignited a love for the Devils that would remain in my family for years to come. Even though my family has more degrees from UNC Chapel HIll and the UNC school system (including my Duke Blue Father), we're still diehard Duke fans.
I'm not just a fan because my family is... I have very fond childhood memories of Duke and especially Duke athletics. We attended every single home football game as a family. Mom, Dad, Granddad, Gidoo, Sitoo (Granddad and Grandmom in Arabic), and myself all piled into the car, drove to Wallace Wade Stadium and walked proudly in carrying our seat pads, visors and programs, ready to cheer on the Devils. More often than not, Duke would lose... but that didn't deter our faith. We were still there rattling our keys and wringing our hands! Wallace Wade was the last place I saw my Gidoo, and that's a wonderful memory, it's a very happy place for me.
In high school, I remember walking around Wallace Wade Stadium with my friends, almost everyone from Riverside went to Duke games! We drank lemonade, ate nachos and enjoyed our little bit of freedom while our parents sat in the stands watching the game. Those memories are among my fondest and happiest.
And we weren't just football fans... of course we cheered for the Devils on the court, too! I've only been lucky enough to watch a few games in Cameron, the energy of the crowd will never leave me! Amazing! On the nights of big games, if Duke won... we could go outside our house and hear the cheering of the students and see the glow of the bonfire... it was as if the entire city of Durham bled Duke Blue!
Cameron is also very special to me because I graduated from High school in that stadium. Duke basketball is the reason I got my first pair of hightop sneakers (thanks to my absolute obsession with the "Dream Team" and their infinitely cool kicks). They were yellow and too big, but I didn't care! I was Christened at Duke Chapel and that chapel has always been important to me. I had a good guy friend in high school who would sometimes come pick me up at night and we'd head over to the chapel and just sit there talking. Whenever I see Duke Chapel I feel an overwhelming sense of home. It's like my personal beacon that will always guide me back to my roots. I had many dates at Duke Gardens, and watched a good friend get married there. A Duke doctor treated and cured my Father's cancer. Needless to say, Duke is very important to me for more than a few reason, and I will always be a Devil! I even went to Duke to watch UNCG play them in soccer... I sat with UNCG and secretly pulled for DUKE!
Last year on April 6, UNC Chapel Hill won the National Championship. While I am not a Carolina fan (not even slightly), I was cheering them on! I was happy that an ACC team made it to the final game, and even more so that a NC school had! I was happy they won and proud to be a North Carolinian. I don't know if my support for UNC came from my parent's numerous degrees from the University... or if it came from being taught to always pull for ACC... either way I was proud of the Heels! I'm even proud when people from out of state automatically associate me as a Tar Heels fan. So I guess that's why I'm so disappointed with the enormous amount of negative comments I've received about Duke's win last night. People were actually cheering against them... and sad that Coach K won. Seriously? Now, I'm not saying that Duke fans are angels...after all, we are the Devils! And I know that a lot of Devils can be down right immature, but I can honestly say I've never witnessed a more depressing reaction to an ACC win. Rivalry is one thing, but why the displeasure in a win that brings a National Championship to our state TWO years in a row? What happened to sportsmanship? I can take joking and I'm certainly not taking this personally, I'm just sad. I will always be a Duke fan, but will continue to support UNC ( as long as the Devils aren't playing them) as well. But I guess it's to be expected from the Carowhiner Tar Holes, huh? Sorry, had to do it...
Anyway, congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils and Coach K on their 4th championship win! It was a great game, both teams were deserving, but I guess we are.... "Simply the Best"!
