It’s Time to Hop Back on the Motorcycle
One tradition in my family is that without fail, we show up fashionably late to any religious service. We’re usually the ones that have to cut in front of the procession of three priests, a deacon and an army of alter servers wielding a crucifix, Roman Missal and their most deadly weapon – incense, seemingly used to punish latecomers.
If you remember last week, I wrote of the sheer torture that was, “getting kids ready for Church.” Well, the torture came back in full swing yesterday as I, along with my four siblings, were hustled into my Dad’s “ride,” a silver Honda Odyssey, which has earned the name the “Silver Bullet.”
Being late to Easter Mass is worse, however, because the least committed Catholics who only attend on Christmas and Easter clog up the parking lot as if it’s Black Friday. So, my Dad asked me to situate our siblings, dropping us off in front of the steps of St. Joseph’s.
At that point, something hit me about this past Easter, as it was the first that was totally spent with split parents. My parents divorced during my junior year of high school, but have slowly waxed off major holidays and started to celebrate them without the other one.
I was fortunate enough to have parents that didn’t go “cold turkey,” with the playing the family game.
This was a difficult transition to get used to, but there comes a time where stepping up is more than necessary.
It won’t be the last transition, either. It’s just one of the thousands of transitions that I, among others, have had to adapt to. Change is all over the campus.
I think I’ve heard more about our head football coach in the last week than I have in the last three years he’s been here. It’s understandable though, as the situation on the hands of Razorback Athletics could drastically change our upcoming football season.
I’ve been thinking about my angle since the day it was publicly released that Petrino had Jessica Dorrell on his motorcycle when he crashed last week. Yet, after some careful contemplation, I’m holding back and biting the bullet and warning that any continued speculation can only hurt the program.
Yes, it’s possible that the “inappropriate relationship” Petrino mentioned in his recently released statement was exactly what the media thinks it was, but the media isn’t our Athletic Director and we’re lucky to have one of the best at Arkansas in Jeff Long. His careful investigation will yield the final verdict. Speculation won’t cease from national media, but as students, we need to rally together behind our coach and team, not make things worse with “ideas” of what may have happened.
Whatever news the media releases, it is important to note that as UA students, we must rally on and take control of the transitions that could come our way in the upcoming days, months and years.
This is the last semester for thousands of Razorback students. Not only will our newest alumni have to get used to being finished with school, but they will also have to morph into the next stage of their life. Many will be heading off to graduate school, yet many more will be heading into the workforce to represent their alma mater.
The zinger on transitions is something most of us know very well; they are not always easy.
There were times during my parents’ divorce where I felt like it was going to be too much. There will be times for our graduating seniors where it will appear impossible.
Our Razorback football team could lose its best coach since the Broyles-Holtz era.
All three of these transitions demand one character trait out of all involved: perseverance. For our graduating seniors, there will be job struggles, student loans and all kinds of hardships to surpass and hurdles to jump. Persevere.
For our football team and Razorback Nation, there could be a tough season ahead, but as Razorbacks, we must persevere. We have strong talent this season.
One thing we all have to remember is who helped get us to this point, coach Bobby Petrino. Since 2008, Petrino has lead Razorback football to one of its strongest points in history.
One mistake cannot sweep all of this under the rug. As students, we shouldn’t let it.
The pain that Petrino is experiencing is both physical and emotional. While we’re critical of his actions, he’s still part of Razorback Nation (a pretty integral part). We can’t forget it.
Jeff Long will make his decision soon. Regardless of what he decides, we must rally behind our Razorbacks; we must always persevere.
Joe Kieklak is a Traveler columnist.
His column appears every Monday.
