{"id":810,"date":"2011-06-12T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T19:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=810"},"modified":"2025-06-10T11:32:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:32:52","slug":"chapter-25-off-to-west-virginia-university","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=810","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 25: Off to West Virginia University"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Brand-New College Student<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>I\u2019ll Wait<br \/>\n<\/strong>Van Halen<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375811342726\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'100', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Van-Halen-Ill-Wait.mp3\">Van Halen &#8211; I&#8217;ll Wait<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the evening of August 17, I got the Caddy gassed up and loaded,<\/strong> and we were on the road after Dad returned from work. All four of us set out for an overnight drive to the mountains of West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Mom and I did most of the driving. With a portable storage unit strapped to its roof, every inch of the Coupe DeVille was crammed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1155\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1155\" style=\"width: 1134px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1155\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/towers-dorm.jpg\" alt=\"Evansdale Campus; Towers residence hall on right\" width=\"1134\" height=\"755\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/towers-dorm.jpg 500w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/towers-dorm-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1155\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evansdale Campus; Towers residence hall on right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The eight-hour trip landed us in Morgantown by early morning, and we unloaded my things into the Creative Arts Center lobby along with the gear from other freshman Drumline members.<\/p>\n<p>Popular music that heralded my arrival at WVU and complemented the first part of my college career were three summer\/fall-of-\u201984 favorites: <em>Cruel Summer<\/em> by Bananarama, <em>Go Insane<\/em> by Lindsey Buckingham, and <em>I\u2019ll Wait<\/em> by Van Halen.<\/p>\n<p>I was to crash with an upperclassman, Liz H at her Pierpont House apartment for band camp week, and she would also help me move my things into <a href=\"https:\/\/fb.watch\/4Ry1hish9K\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Towers<\/a> before classes began.<\/p>\n<h3>Drumline Placement Auditions<\/h3>\n<p>Drumline members reported to the percussion studio at the CAC. We congregated downstairs in the hallway, plagued by monster jitters. I was determined to blow it away and be assigned snare.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1133\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1133\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1133\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/prt-cards-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"Insert card; ride the WVU PRT\" width=\"400\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/prt-cards-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/prt-cards-1024x656.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/prt-cards.jpg 1179w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1133\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Insert card; ride the WVU PRT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All the practicing I\u2019d done &#8230; lessons with Mark &#8230; dreams about wearing that drum in one of the best Lines in the collegiate world &#8230; now came to this. My gut was in knots.<\/p>\n<p>I was complimented by the judges, but my heart dropped lower than the deepest well in Texas when they told me they used a different grip\u2014matched, while I had learned on traditional.<\/p>\n<p>This was not specified in the audition information, and there was obviously no Web site to tip me off. I nailed the audition, but it was just too late to relearn my skills using this grip.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, I was a cymbal player again. My disappointment was tempered only by the knowledge that at least I was <strong><em>IN.<\/em><\/strong> I intended to practice my hands bloody to make snare the following year.<\/p>\n<p>My family stayed at the CAC for our first practice, and then we unloaded my stuff into a storage room inside.\u00a0I then had to say goodbye, as they would drive back that night.\u00a0 Dad needed to rest before returning to work. We all anticipated my first homecoming at Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>This was no doubt a difficult time for my parents. After 17 years of loving and supporting me, I would now be flying solo\u2014managing my own bank account, schedule and a host of other things they could no longer oversee.\u00a0There were tears and hugs before they headed back to the Garden State.<\/p>\n<p>I remain grateful to them for their sacrifices to this day.<\/p>\n<h3>Honing a Helluva Show<\/h3>\n<table class=\"floatleft\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"414\"><strong>Go Insane<br \/>\n<\/strong>Lindsey Buckingham<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Go-Insane-Remastered-192-kbps.mp3\">Lindsey Buckingham &#8211; Go Insane<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1153\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1153\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/old-mtr-field.jpg\" alt=\"Old Mountaineer Field at its final game, vs. Pitt\" width=\"400\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/old-mtr-field.jpg 415w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/old-mtr-field-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1153\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old Mountaineer Field at its final game, vs. Pitt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That was a grueling week for all band members, learning music and drill.<\/p>\n<p>That season, we practiced at Old Mountaineer Field on the downtown campus (demolished in 1987).<\/p>\n<p>I had no conception of how grand &#8220;Old&#8221; Mountaineer Field had been\u2014in its day, it had seen countless NCAA match-ups and was probably now filled with the silent roar of the ghosts who&#8217;d enjoyed many a game over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it remained just a practice facility for us, the latest generation, who would never experience its former glory.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15282\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15282\" style=\"width: 931px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15282\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OldStadium-Moores.jpg\" alt=\"Final Game\" width=\"931\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OldStadium-Moores.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OldStadium-Moores-335x224.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OldStadium-Moores-600x402.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OldStadium-Moores-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15282\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The final game at &#8220;Old Mountaineer Field.&#8221; Illustration \u00a9 Jeff Moores<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17691\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17691\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17691\" style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #666666; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-style: italic;\" title=\"Drumline party on a demo trip\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party.jpg\" alt=\"Drumline party on a demo trip\" width=\"900\" height=\"689\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party.jpg 2031w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party-335x256.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party-600x459.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party-768x588.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wvdrumline-party-1536x1175.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17691\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drumline party on a demo trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I got to know a lot of the others in the Line, suddenly a family linked by unique means. Practices were intense; the weather was hot and unforgiving and we worked hard.<\/p>\n<p>As I grew my \u201csea legs\u201d with the Drumline, I was oblivious to one John F in the tuba section who remembered me from Orientation, and who watched my every move at practices.<\/p>\n<p>I spent some time with a nice upperclassman snare player, Mike L, a pretty decent kisser who gave amazing back rubs.\u00a0We\u2019d hang out at the Kappa Sigma house at the top of High Street with his friend Mike P, who played tenor drums in the Line and drove a Honda CRX.<\/p>\n<p>A bunch of us would all pile into the back of that little thing on the way to and from practices, no doubt to the annoyance of the Morgantown police.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13995\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13995\" style=\"width: 1019px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13995\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/frat-row.jpg\" alt=\"Fraternities downtown at WVU\" width=\"1019\" height=\"713\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/frat-row.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/frat-row-335x235.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/frat-row-600x420.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/frat-row-768x538.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13995\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of Frat Row from University Avenue on the downtown campus. PRTs in the foreground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The week of Band Camp was a whirlwind of newness, and I was glad when it was time to move into Towers and get settled. Since Liz wasn\u2019t around on moving day, I was grateful that a snare player, Polly L and another cymbal player, Lori D, Beth, and Nicky all helped me out.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Red Skies<br \/>\n<\/strong>The Fixx (radio cut)<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375811395950\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/The-Fixx-Red-Skies1.mp3\">The Fixx &#8211; Red Skies<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>Mike L brought me downtown to get a pair of the standard band shoes, Bucks, which I had to polish white. He and I hung out a lot, going out and hanging with Drumline friends.<\/p>\n<p>What came next that week was what we wryly referred to as a \u201cfour-day-wonder\u201d, a performance following minimal rehearsal time. We loaded eight buses and traveled down to Logan for performances at a local high school on Wednesday. We stayed with host families overnight, then headed to Charleston, the state capital.<\/p>\n<p>We performed at the Sternwheel Regatta parade, and posed for a photo on the steps in front of the Capitol building. It was blistering hot. Blast furnaces have nothing on polyester band uniforms. We then gave another demo at a local high school band competition.<\/p>\n<p>That night, on the road back to campus, I became a solid member of the Drumline&#8217;s &#8220;Buzz 3&#8221;. My &#8220;first-time story&#8221; was an obviously made-up tale about two dogs and a hamster in the back room of a pet shop. It apparently passed muster.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14282\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Charleston-494x600.jpg\" alt=\"At the Capitol in Charleston\" width=\"1093\" height=\"1327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Charleston-494x600.jpg 494w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Charleston-247x300.jpg 247w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Charleston-768x933.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Charleston.jpg 919w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Classes began the week before Labor Day, and by then I&#8217;d gotten acquainted with my floor mates on the eighth floor of Tower One. I&#8217;d been all over campus running errands on my own. Then came the first home football game at the impressive Mountaineer Field that Saturday, vs. Ohio.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/theprideofwestvirginia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6482\" title=\"Pride of West Virginia\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/pride-of-wv-logo-300x269.gif\" alt=\"Pride of West Virginia\" width=\"400\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/pride-of-wv-logo-300x269.gif 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/pride-of-wv-logo.gif 376w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>&#8220;<em>And now, from the College of Creative Arts, on the campus of West Virginia University<\/em>&#8230;&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>What an experience.<\/p>\n<p>We were at the foggy stadium at 6 AM for warm-ups (the Drumline always arrived 1 hour before everyone else).<\/p>\n<p>By kickoff at 1, we were in uniform and had marched down the big hill on cadence by us drummers.\u00a0Having practiced our Pre-game and Halftime drills to exhaustion, the Drumline opened in the end zone with the funky, crowd-electrifying <em>Boogie Cadence<\/em> to lead the rest of the 300+ piece band onto the turf.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>1984 WVU Drumline Boogie Cadence<br \/>\n<\/strong>(&#8220;Ain&#8217;t No Thang\/Yer Mama&#8221;)<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/1984-Percussion-220.mp3\">1984 Percussion 220<\/a><\/p>\n<p>My heart soared as I hit every note and every step in front of the sellout home opener crowd, roaring with cheers and applause.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11218 \" title=\"Mountaineer Nation\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/WVUstands2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1137\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/WVUstands2.png 750w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/WVUstands2-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/WVUstands2-600x396.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When we turned to face the press box and played the Star Spangled Banner, I gazed into the sea of thousands of faces in the stands, up toward the top of the towering press box.\u00a0I felt completely engulfed by the music filling the stadium. It was absolutely amazing.<\/p>\n<p>I had finally made it to the 50-yard line at WVU as a member of the Drumline, in the nationally acclaimed Mountaineer Marching Band.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container youtube4-3\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_uLCFuv9hyk?rel=0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-17684\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/retton-wheaties.jpg\" alt=\"Mary Lou Retton on a Wheaties cereal box\" width=\"355\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/retton-wheaties.jpg 355w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/retton-wheaties-204x300.jpg 204w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\" \/>During the game, we played in the stands, gearing up for time-outs, scoring, a sack or other notable gridiron moments.\u00a0Of course, we drummers played and rapped more than anyone else, providing rhythm to the cheerleaders\u2019 routines and kicking up some riffs to rally the fans and players.<\/p>\n<p>At each touchdown or field goal, the buckskin-clad, bearded \u201cMountaineer\u201d mascot would ceremoniously fire his rifle to a deafening uproar of cheers, and we would get cued for <em>Fight Mountaineers<\/em> and <em>Hail West Virginia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It was a heady combination of game excitement and crowd response. And so continued each home and away Division 1-A football game for me. We also won, 38-0.<\/p>\n<p>That was also the season when <a title=\"Mary Lou Retton 1984 Olympics AA Vaults \" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Sya66z4mCiA?rel=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fairmont, WV&#8217;s hometown girl and Olympic Gymnastic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton<\/a> was honored at one of the games.<\/p>\n<p>We stood in concert formation as she was driven around the perimeter of the stadium in a convertible, waving to the crowd. The energy in that stadium was astonishing.<\/p>\n<p>I knew I was hooked. High school was nothing like this.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=820\">Chapter 26: The Meat Market &#8230; and Fate<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brand-New College Student I\u2019ll Wait Van Halen Van Halen &#8211; I&#8217;ll Waitmap :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false} On the evening of August 17, I got the Caddy gassed up and loaded, and we were on the road after Dad returned from work. All four of us &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=810\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 25: Off to West Virginia University&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13964,"parent":4,"menu_order":26,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-810","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=810"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17905,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/810\/revisions\/17905"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}