Now that I’ve had a little time to digest what happened at the Sea of Orange Parade on Saturday, I’m starting to see things a little more clearly. No, I don’t understand why any of this happened. I’ll never understand why these things happen. But I am now able to see just how lucky we are, as Oklahoma State, despite how unlucky we appear to be these last 15 years.
I don’t know what it is about Oklahoma State and the Stillwater community that makes us so strong. So resilient. I’ve never really understood why we are the way we are here. And sometimes I think I take it for granted.
While I worked at the Information Desk in the Union, I regularly spoke with families visiting campus. The parents were always so blown away by how friendly everyone was to them during their visit. My response was always, “That’s just the way we are around here.”
I may not ever be able to put my finger on it. Do we just attract that kind of person here? Is there something in the water? Are we doing something to everyone once they’re here that molds them into the Cowboy Family? I have no idea what it is, but I know I couldn’t live without it.
When I heard the news of what happened at the parade on Saturday, I was far from it. I was in the parade that morning with the OSU Spirit Squads, but we were near the front, right behind President Hargis and Ann. I had already stopped by my office to respond to some emails and made it to the stadium to review the script for the game when we heard what happened.
From there, my day was probably very similar to everyone else’s. I tried wrapping my head around what was going on. I found a quiet place in the stadium, let out some tears, and prayed. Then I headed to the Alumni Center to prepare for the pregame pep rally I help put on. I sat in a hallway with members of the Spirit Squad, including Taylor Collins, the Pistol Pete who helped take victims to Stillwater Medical Center. He never mentioned a thing about it.
As a matter of fact, no one said anything. The hallway that is usually filled with energy and laughter was completely silent. No one spoke. Most buried their heads in their phones, trying to get the latest information. Some fought back tears. We were told the pep rally was canceled but The Walk was still happening. When we loaded up to head outside, the students had one of those moments that made me proud to get to work with them. “Let’s get out there and put some smiles on those faces,” Preston Whitlaw, the other Pistol Pete, said in hopes of rallying the troops. And they sure rallied.
Having the game on Saturday was a tough decision for our administrators. Looking back, I agree with the decision completely. In the moment, we were all unsure how we were going to get through it. Our job is a little unique on game days. No matter what the situation, whether we’re losing by 80 points or there is a horrific wreck at the Homecoming Parade, it is our job to rally our fans into having a good time.
I was incredibly proud of our students for pulling together the way they did during the game. As someone who also had to “fake it” during the game, I know it wasn’t an easy task. But it did get easier once we got everyone into Boone Pickens Stadium. As it has been mentioned by several others, it felt good being in there with the OSU Family. Personally, my most comforting moment was during pregame when I got to lead the Orange Power chant. The fans got going and I closed my eyes on the 50 yard line for just a few seconds and listened. It felt like I was getting a hug from 59,000 people.
The OSU Family is special. I hate to admit, but it’s something I take for granted far too often. But in situations like this, I’m incredibly happy to have them on my side. I just hate that we keep having these moments to prove how strong we are.
But that thought reminded me of a lesson I tried to teach a few weeks ago, when I was privileged with the opportunity to speak to FCA. In my talk, I spoke to the students about 1 Corinthians 10 where God says you will not be tempted with more than you can handle. I told them that when you are going through difficult times in life, it helps to look at it as a compliment from God, because he will not put you through something you cannot deal with.
And maybe that’s a way to look at all of this. We talk about these last 15 years and the tragedies the OSU Family has had to pull together for over and over. Although it’s heart breaking, maybe we can also take it as a compliment from God. At least He knows that the Cowboys are strong enough to pull together in difficult times like this and be an example.
And although we’ll never fully heal from this horrible event, I know we’re going to continue on and stand strong as a family. I know this because I’ve already seen it happening. I saw it in our Spirit Squad’s rally during the game. I saw it Sunday night when more than 1,000 students showed up for the candlelight vigil at the Student Union. And I see it in every picture of hospital visits, fulfilled GoFundMe pages, and tokens of remembrance at the pole on Hall of Fame and Main.
I love this family. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
- Matt
This was a guest post written by my good friend, Matt Fletcher, the Fan Development Coordinator at Oklahoma State University Athletics. Big thanks to him for contributing to Cliff Notes on such a difficult topic in light of the recent tragedy surrounding the Oklahoma State University family.