Note: Names have been altered to protect involved parties.
The big day was coming. Our school was hosting an awesome player that was sure to help our team become the unstoppable machine that would dominate our entire conference for years to come! We had a hall of fame coach in place and we had several SuperStars on our team already. This would just be the icing on the cake – a transfer player from a major university was coming to visit our campus because he was unhappy playing behind another SuperStar freshman at a Big 10 school. He did not feel like he got a fair chance to play as a freshman so he was looking to get out and play for a school that appreciated his massive talents. We already added Junior College studs for an already impressive Junior Class for 2003, but a dominating player like this would surely make us unstoppable the conference for years to come! And he was visiting our campus to see if he wanted to play for us! As the #1 fan, I was going to do whatever it took to get him to play for our team!
It was a cold Saturday the second week in December when he arrived for his official visit. I could not wait to meet him. I knew all the places the players hung out because I was such a big fan. So I knew it would just be a matter of time before I bumped into him. I was going to do my best to make sure that our city made a big impression on him!
While hanging out at the library, I got my first glimpse of him. He was being escorted by a cast of people from the university who were showing him the campus. At 6 feet 2 inches, 205 pounds, he was already built like a SuperStar running back. And he was very handsome. I knew my time to convince him would come.
I followed from afar as the tour of the campus continued. As they started towards the student union, he glanced back at me. I don’t know if it was just a normal glance or if he noticed I was following him. I didn’t want to look like a stalker so I hung back even further.
When they finally made it to the student union, they stopped and talked for about a minute outside the game room. Not wanting to be too conspicuous, I kept walking and paced right by the small group. I overheard the campus party tell the recruit to meet them back at that spot at exactly 5 pm. It was only 2 pm right now! Yes!
I followed JJ into the game room and watched as he approached a football video game. The arcade was nearly empty because it was the weekend after finals. I stood about 5 feet behind him as he kicked butt on the game. He was really getting into it and I already knew I loved his passion. After the game ended, he looked back at me and said “Why are you following me?”
I stammered because I didn’t expect it. Here I was standing right next to a future SuperStar! And I couldn’t get a word out of my mouth. After a few seconds I got my composure and told JJ that I was a big fan of his and I hoped he would play for our team. He smiled and said he didn’t make up his mind yet but that this place was cool. Then I asked him for his autograph! I smiled and he smiled as he signed the football I always carry around with me. Then he asked if I wanted to play against him in the video game. Cool! I ran to the change machine and got $10 in quarters so we could play for awhile.