I cannot imagine how things could have gone any better than they did on Saturday. I am not sure that even the most optimistic of us foresaw the dominance that led to an epic, and oh so important win. The injuries, especially to one of our very own in Rhino, darkened things a bit and we certainly wish them a full and speedy recovery, but this was exactly the performance we needed to get the skeptical back under the tent and have the rest of us dreaming of just a little more prestigious game in December or January.
The launch of Enrique’s SyraCRUZ Tailgate went off without a hitch. From the outstanding banners compliments of Lo-Cal Designworks, to the welcome video from Chris and Enrique to perhaps the most incredible gourmet buffet the Fine Mess has ever put forth, every detail proved to be world class.
And our special guests proved beyond a doubt that Swag Daddy has nothing on your selection committee when it comes to recognizing and attracting great talent. Olivia Owens from the women’s basketball team was an absolute delight. I walked her into the tailgate and introduced her to a couple of our luminaries, turned around to answer a question from one of the many local media representatives, and when I turned back to her she had jumped in with both feet introducing herself and getting us all pumped for the upcoming hoops season with her infectious smile and vibrant personality. Now let’s all be sure to get to at least one more game than last year to support Olivia and the team.
Enrique’s mom, step-dad, grandmother and “little” brother couldn’t get a flight in until 5 pm, but they came straight to the lot and joined in. They took turns on the microphone expressing deep gratitude for what we are doing and showing a strengthened passion for Syracuse that now has stepdad William signing his correspondence with 4 life! With a rousing version of Happy Birthday for grandma Carmen and a surprise 50-50 win for 12-year old Liam - his face when Olivia read the last digit of the winning number was priceless- we have taken a big step towards becoming Chicago’s College Team. They will be back with us for Purdue and a couple of other games thanks to your financial support so be sure to come out and say hello!
With merchandise sales and donations to the fund that continue to trickle in we have now covered about 50% of our financial budget….
… for NEXT year.
Still time to hop onboard and be a part of this or up your level of commitment. Merchandise sales remain open with 50% of the profits going to our NIL fund and 50% going to Enrique ( and Chris for his pictures.) See a separate thread for details - mail order is available. And you can still send a first or top off donation to the cause. See Post #1 in this thread for more information.
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