Friday Night Lights

I grew up here in Texas. So, I have always been familiar with the "religion" that is Texas high school football. The NBC series Friday Night Lights, has, in the last couple of weeks, given the rest of the country a peek into what it's about. In the last couple of years, I have been reintroduced first-hand to the end-of-the-week ritual that so many students, their parents, friends and neighbors go through. My brother in-law is a head football coach of a high school in town, so I've been putting on my school colors, packing up my stadium seat and joining in the fun.

There is much to take in. Of course, the game itself. Gangly kids trying to hold the line against their larger counterparts. Break-out runs that go from end zone. And, the game itself is surrounded by a circus atmosphere. Hand-painted signs with their rather aggressive spirit messages. Stomp the Patriots. Shoot down the Eagles. The cheeleaders and their (sometimes futile) attempts to get the crowd into the game. And, of course, the big half-time show. I am amazed at both the size of most marching bands these days...and at the complexity of their marching routines. With costumes for the flag corps, huge props and asymmetrical formations, it's big-time serious. So serious that a band can spend the ENTIRE season playing the same program over and over in its quest for perfection.

And of course there are the drill teams. With sequined hats and ridiculously huge crinoline-lined mini-skirts, they are an amazingly Texas creation. From the moment the officers "strut" onto the field to their final "jump splits" (which make me cringe in empathetic pain), it's great fun to watch.

So, get thee to a stadium. It's a great adventure. Find a local team and go watch. (If it's in a small town, all the better--those are the kind of games where EVERYONE in town goes. And where the stakes are even higher and the attitude even more intense.) You'll get a special bonus if you can get to a Homecoming game. You'll see the crowning of the Homecoming Queen, and, in this gender-equal world, the Homecoming King. And you can check out the back-breaking, big-as-a-plate mums that the girls wear. They can run into the hundreds of dollars and the more bells, bows and accesories, the better.

And have a hot dog or nachos while you're at it. It's a great unusual night out on the town that you won't soon forget.