Living Louligan: Road Trip

Why you should sign up for the next Bus Ride.

My friend Mark Gardner tells you why he enjoys road trips with the Louligans and why you should get on the bus the next time we travel into enemy territory. There really is nothing like the experience of riding with 50 of your closest friends to invade a hostile stadium and cheer for your team. (Plus there’s beer.) 

“Back Of The Bus Rules!”

I’m at the back of the bus. You know what that means. It’s a rite of passage. You’ve waited all your life to get to that point. Harassed by your peers while in the younger grades. Pushed up to the front of the bus as if you were some second rate citizen. Now you own it. It’s time to rule the most coveted seats from middle school hell. Except I’m not a middle schooler, I’m a middle aged man.. However for this 1 day I’m back in my prepubescent years, acting like a kid.. Why? Because for the first time in my life, I’m going on a road trip to support My Team! My Boys! In the sport I love! With the best supporters group I know! It was the morning of Louisville away……and we brought it!

Nothing is better than a road trip. Especially with a bunch of 20,30,or 40 somethings(or an over 50 Dave Corbit), all of which are my new best friends and all with the same goal in mind, to Bring it to Louisville! This group may have started in 2010 but we have so many new faces and so many new experiences in our future. This is the first time we all get to experience a road trip as a group. At first I was going to sit with a couple familiar faces but I stood up and saw an opening in the back.. “Sorry PK , the back of the bus is more attractive than you”. I mean, how can you pass up sitting next to a guy named “Ramon”, or the Burly, warm and fuzzy Zack. It was the first time I had met Ramon and Zack. Both were awesome neighbors and good drinking buddies. Melsh was also right in front of us, as was Chris. I was immediately offered a beer. That I didn’t deny.

Now let me tell you the bus provides the perfect setting for chanting and some of our best were created in this environment. Of course we got warmed up with “Back of the bus rules!” but one of our regulars was started in that back row. Zack was constantly working on a beat with his drum sticks. If you were there as I was, you would recognize the rhythm to our famous S..T…L chant. It was born right there at the back row. And who can forget the birth of OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Louisville we hate you! Yeah, thats right. Created on the back of the bus or at least it was engraved in our heads repeatedly. Our Glee Club leader Jason stepped up and led the group in practicing all our chants for the last hour leading up to our arrival. We at the back couldn’t stop repeating our Chupacabra song. I think we just wanted to see Jason do his dance again and again. If you haven’t seen the dance, you can see it match days in front of section 8.

We arrived in Louisville and were dropped off at the front of the stadium. Immediately the mob formed and the singing began. It was a lovely dose of therapy as my nerves of anticipation for the match were calmed through our chants. It was beautiful and the locals had no idea what just hit them. The result didn’t go our way but we never let down. It was non-stop. I was Proud of our group and what we brought. The Coopers had nothing on us. We showed them how it was done. The second trip they were more organized and stole half our chants. I’d say we left an impression on them.

On the way back the bus was more subdued. Chanting was over. The reality of heading back home and the loss had hit us. Fun over. Some drank more and socialized. Others fell asleep or passed out onto the neighbor next to them. As for I, its dreaming of the next bus trip and what we can do to make it better, what chants we could come up with next, or who would do something fun, stupid, or creative enough to bring themselves to legendary status. Or simply trying to think of something else besides listening to Andi’s Dr. Ruth style, night time relationship advice. Or listening to the forbidden “Lost Podcast” episode. Well, enough said. “Back of The Bus Rules!”

.

My name is Mark Gardner Jr.

I’m a husband….

An electrician….

A father of 4….

Your Tailgate Czar….

And I’m a St. Louiligan..