October 25, 2005
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Go Gopher!
The teams at the University of Minnesota are called the Gophers. Yes, I know that is not a fierce fighting animal, but that is what they are called. Anyway, their mascot is a huge gopher wearing a U of M jersey and sometimes basketball shorts or jogging pants. The University wanted him to have a fine, masculine name, so they call him Goldy. To top it all off, Goldy is really a chipmunk, not a gopher. If there was ever anything that was less benign than a gopher, it’s a chipmunk. Anyway, here is Goldy.
My husband and son have always been great fans of the Gophers. They support the athletic teams, and we all enjoy the marching band, which is one of the largest in the country. Each year, they present an indoor concert. They march in and out playing their cadence as they go. If you’re not familiar with the U of M cadence, it’s really great. It even has lyrics. Really inspiring ones like Ski-U-Mah! You all know and love Ski-U-Mah!, right? The band usually stands in the aisles of Northrup Auditorium and plays the Battle Hymn of the Republic on the way out at the end of the concert. If you have never been in the middle of a really large band when they play that song, you have missed a very impressive experience. It makes you tear up and catch your breath. It also makes your heart stop if you are next to the bass drum! Goldy is a prominent part of these concerts as well as performing at half time at games.
When our kids were growing up, we took them to the Indoor Marching Band Concert most years. It was a beloved family tradition. We have taken our grand daughter Madison, and, this year, we are also taking Ryan and Jake. Andy, our son and Jake’s dad, is looking forward to taking Jake to the concert. Jake, at 2, can already sing the Rouser, so he should be a lot of fun to watch.
When Andy was little, I made him a Gopher suit for Halloween one year because he was such a fan of Goldy. Andy loved that suit. In fact, he wore that suit out. He played in it and he slept in it. It was all we could do to get him to wear anything else. Naturally, when we decided to take Jake to the concert this year, Andy wanted him to have a Gopher suit, so this past weekend, I made him one. Here’s Jake in the suit, front and back views. That’s Andy standing there on the left (you will all recognize him next time you see him, right?), Jake’s mom, Jess, with her arm up in the air, and me on the corner of the couch. I think Jake looks very cute. I didn’t make the jersey. Andy and Jess supplied that.
Next weekend, Jake will wear the suit for a Halloween party and to go trick or treating. Andy and Jess are also taking him to a Gopher game and he will wear it then. Andy is going to try to take him down on the field so he can meet Goldy. Jake should like that.
It was fun to make the costume. Even more fun was watching Andy watch his little boy in the costume. I know that it brought back nice memories of Andy’s childhood for both of us.
Comments (15)
Well done to you for making the suit , it looks great . What a great family tradition you have with the Gophers
Wow! What talent! I’m jealous! He looks absolutely adorable in his costume!
Gophers are very cool. When I was little, I used to look for them on the hill by our house. But I didn’t come by to discuss animals; that was last week
No, really, I wanted to tell you how good it is to have you at Socrates Cafe. I have really appreciated your input so far, and look forward to hearing more from you. This is our third week as a forum, and it’s getting smoother each week. The participants really seem to be listening to each other and learning from each other! Your comment to my post the other day really made me feel good, too. Thank you.
That is so adorable!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gopher in real life. Weird.
How adorable! That costume is too cute!
And don’t feel too bad about having tame mascot. When I was in high school the mascot was an acorn. Chipmunks eat acorns. So your mascot is more feirce than mine in high school was. Our slogan was “Go Nuts!” It was pretty sad.
How wonderful to be able to continue that tradition. He looks adorable in the suit. Looks nice and warm, too.
I don’t know that I have seen the U of M band. Around here, of course, we see the U of WI band, which is impressive, too. I haven’t seen them in person, but PBS broadcasts their concerts.
nice photos. have a nice week.
Excellent tradition ! Jake never will forget this suit and the Gophers . He is really cute wearing this suit .
When you say it is inexpressible when we are among a band I understand completely you . When I were young I was part of a band ( flute ) and now I sing in a choir .( and I direct another , smaller ) . This is heartlifting . Music is the language of the soul .
Great blog , Nancy .
Love
Michel
The gopher costume is so cute!! Have a great Wednesday, ttyl.
totally adorable!!! what a great family tradition!!!
When I think of gophers, I think of the movie “Caddy Shack.” Now there was a fierce fighting animal!
Cute kid! Thanks for the recommendation. I’m looking at U Minn as one of my options for studying law.
RYC to my post on “what is excellent death:” I have to make the point, by what the question is posing, death. Certainly, many of us will die in a manner that doesn’t suit our life or isn’t in line with how we wanted to die but I believe that we still need to ask ourselves what is the best possible way to pass on. If we find that we want to die in such a manner, then maybe we think, “how should I live to best accomodate that?” and then work on changing our life to match that. In the end, how we die really doesn’t matter as long as we lived as we wanted.
The Gopher is adorable. I love little gophers!
Your costime outfit is adorable , the baby even more so!
Go Gophers!!!
Peace and Love:)
What an adorable costume! I wish I could sew like that! Oh! And Jake is adorable as well!