It’s a rare sight to see in a state where the rivalry runs deeper than the sweet tea through our veins. The GatorNole: a student who cheers for the Gators, but attends FSU, or vice versa.
Confession time: I was born and raised a Gator. I had no other plans for the future, but knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I was going to the University of Florida. To study what? Didn’t matter. I knew it was where I was meant to be.
Until it wasn’t.
Two applications. Two acceptance letters. One decision.
Source: Vallen Driggers
In what can only be described as an act of God, I made the decision to attend Florida State University. I shocked family members and friends alike. The teasing and jokes rained down whenever the topic of my education came up. Sure, it’s all meant in good fun, but it gets bothersome after the millionth time someone laughs and says, “Well, gosh, what are you gonna do come football season?”
What am I gonna do?
I’m going to hoot and holler with the best of them. I’ll sport my garnet and gold, and chop in the blazing heat of Doak Campbell stadium. I’m going to shout “F-L-O-R-I-D-A-S-T-A-T-E” just as loud as I can until I learn the rest of the song, and then I’ll take a brief moment to pull out my phone, and check the UF score.
But then I’m going to go back to my apartment, and study. Because the real reason I chose FSU had nothing to do with football. I chose this school because learning is one of my favorite things in the world, and I needed a program that would make it worth my while. For me, that just happened to mean majoring in English-Editing at Florida State.
By no means am I saying that my situation is not awkward at times. The rivalry between UF and FSU is a huge deal (in case you somehow managed to miss that). I knew, coming in, that one of the points of maximum awkwardness would be the Florida-Florida State game. Honestly, though, the more I thought about it, I win either way. If UF somehow managed to pull off an upset, I could be proud of the team that I’ve rooted for all my life, and maybe even wear the orange and blue, that I still hold onto, with pride. If FSU won, I could join my fellow students in celebrating and feel the hype cover the campus. Either way, I’m happy.
So, if you see me on campus, don’t hate me for making a decision that had nothing to do with football, and don’t expect me to choose between my mascots.
Just as Florida cannot be simply sunshine or rain, neither can I be merely Gator or Seminole. I am a GatorNole.
Source: Vallen Driggers