Remember the Shootout? It's the annual Thanksgiving basketball tournament that Paul's family loves. They have attended it every single year since 1902 or something like that. Paul and his siblings love to talk about their childhood memories of the Shootout whenever they get together. One legendary part of the Shootout is the Couch Potato Contest. At the beginning of every session of games there is an opportunity to parade around the court, dressed up as crazy UAA fans, trying to be the best, the loudest, the craziest fans. The winning group gets to sit on a court-side futon to watch the games, eating delicious snacks. Then at the championship game, all the winning teams of the Couch Potato Contest pick a representative to shoot in a game of knock-out. The winner of that game wins airline tickets.
Well, you know Paul and free stuff. So last year he got the genius idea to enter the Couch Potato Contest with some of the young men he used to be an advisor for. They used to play a lot of basketball together and I guess some of them are a pretty good shot. So, as the Shootout approached, they made their plans and gathered some green and gold stuff to wear. They got all dressed up at our house before heading over to the arena. Here's Paul feeling pretty confident.
Here they are, whooping it up. Too bad they didn't get a better picture of Brady's skin-tight duct-tape pants. They had it in the bag! The went to an early session so there wouldn't be a lot of people there (ie-no competition.)
So the next day we drowned our Thanksgiving woes in smoked salmon and flank steak with the Fishers. We had dinner with them and then moved on to more pie with Matt and Julie and the Olsens. All in all, a very full and lovely Turkey Day (minus the turkey).
Well, you know Paul and free stuff. So last year he got the genius idea to enter the Couch Potato Contest with some of the young men he used to be an advisor for. They used to play a lot of basketball together and I guess some of them are a pretty good shot. So, as the Shootout approached, they made their plans and gathered some green and gold stuff to wear. They got all dressed up at our house before heading over to the arena. Here's Paul feeling pretty confident.
Here they are, whooping it up. Too bad they didn't get a better picture of Brady's skin-tight duct-tape pants. They had it in the bag! The went to an early session so there wouldn't be a lot of people there (ie-no competition.)
I didn't go this year. I stayed merrily at home, baking blueberry pie, watching It's A Wonderful Life and waiting for the triumphant return of the guys.
When Paul came in the door not very long later, I knew something had gone horribly wrong. He was dejected.
"Who are the only people who could have beat us?" He asked.
My tentative reply, "Little kids or girls?"
"BOTH! LITTLE GIRLS!"
Apparently they had lost to a group of less than enthusiastic, hardly dressed up little girls. Oh the horror. Here they are, clearly avid basketball fans. He was so broken-hearted.
So the next day we drowned our Thanksgiving woes in smoked salmon and flank steak with the Fishers. We had dinner with them and then moved on to more pie with Matt and Julie and the Olsens. All in all, a very full and lovely Turkey Day (minus the turkey).
3 comments:
Too bad, Paul! To make up for it, I think he should have worn his get-up to Thanksgiving dinner. That would have been...startling.
That last picture with the light is beautiful.
Paul totally deserved to win.
Those little girls are so undeserving. Just look at them! Ugh.
Can you believe I am reading this two months later? WHY, GRIFF? I need to delete everyone but you from my blog reader, so it won't be so daunting, because your blog is fun to read, and it would have been even more fun to read the posts when they happened!
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