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| "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one" Spock, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan |
The loss last week to Massachusetts was brutal, no need to review the particulars. There are other websites and podcasts for that stuff. As most of us are sports enthusiasts who have played at a competitive level (and now mostly watch and criticize), you know the highs of victory and the crushing blow of this kind of ill-timed defeat. For many, especially those with strong team identity ties (like some in our group), the loss can feel like a personal failure. Allow yourself to feel these emotions—frustration, sadness, or anger—without judgment, but don’t let it turn you into a self-hating Rutgers fan and project that onto others. It’s natural to have strong emotions after a defeat, especially when you’ve poured your heart and soul into the tailgate, the team and the games. Being a Rutgers fan comes with built in adversity, and I personally go into Friday's game with cautious optimism for a big bounce back by our offense.
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| Shots for Eric 52! |
Now, on to the tailgate, and an excellent tailgate it was. Kudos to Andy for manning the grill to bang out 24 dogs to start, followed by burgers, Andrea's barbequed chicken and BREP pork ribs. The accompanying salads, Pete's home made Mac and cheese, desserts and drinks made sure we had plenty of food. Thanks to all who followed thier assignments as it was a well shared tailgate. BYOB seems to be working out well.
Also great to see a lot of familiar faces from the past (and some new ones) join BREPNation. John, Krissi, and friend Trixie representing LBI, Shakira representing Columbia, Glenn and Doug Cox representing Sayreville (with Dana), Snarski representing young field hockey alumni, Valedictorian Tom R representing SMSH, Jim West representing Bayonne's Little League Team, and Hocus Pocus (from Focus) representing '70s prog rock. we also saw the largest turnout ever of the Witkowski clan at a game with RU alum sister Carol (and sons Brian and Conner) and sister Mary (with son Andrew).
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| Late arriving Labues meeting Shakira (center) |
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| Witkowskis Everywhere! |
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| Snarski's back! Does Andrea know? |
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| Thanks Everyone! Go RU! |
I also want to give a big shout out to all in our group who
donated to support the Colorado Springs Down Syndrome walk this coming weekend.
My family is very touched by the outpouring of your generosity to support my 5
year old great nephew Lucien! He has a huge heart and gives the best and biggest hugs to everyone he meets, and next time he's in NJ hopes to meet some of you!
