Ask (R)uffda!

Dearest (R)uffda!

Darling, I miss you more than I can say. Who knew Champaign-Urbana would be the destination for Love?

Oops. Wrong letter. Wait a second.

Dear (R)uffda!

I – and several other fellow fans – are depressed. Well, one of us appears to have fallen in love in Champaign-Urbana, of all places, but the rest of us are depressed. This season is not going the way I expected. We could really use some cheering up. Can you help?

Gloomy Gus

Dear Gloomy Gus,

Sorry to hear you’re spending some time in the Dumps. It’s an OK place to visit, I suppose, but you would be better off keeping your stay there brief. Maybe do Unhappy Hour at Applebees and head out? Now, I could tell you that this is a very young team and there are going to be some growing pains. I could also tell you that the team could use a break or two. I actually did just tell you those things, but I’m going to turn this over to someone much more qualified than I am in Motivational Oratory. I offer you Bluto Blutarsky.

"What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!"

I think that says it all.

(R)uffda!

Dear (R)uffda!

I don’t know who this Bluto-guy is but that didn’t really help. First of all, I’m pretty sure it was the Russians who bombed Pearl Harbor. Second of all, what does Pearl Harbor have to do with volleyball?

Gloomier Gus

Dear Gloomier Gus,

OK. How about this one? It’s about a tortoise and a hare. They have this race, see?

Dear (R)uffda!

And the tortoise ends up winning, I know. I know.

Dear GG,

Winning? How is a tortoise going to win a race against a hare? Do you have any idea how slow tortoises are?

No, what I was going to say before you interrupted me (and how do you do that via the mail anyhow?) is that Life is a race. Some of us are tortoises and some of us are hares. Some of us are 6-foot-5 and some of us are tortoises. The point is that … wait. I’ve lost my train of thought.

Dear (R)uffda!

Never mind.

Gloomiest Gus

Dear Gloomiest Gus,

No, no! I remember. The point isn’t just that Life is a race. It’s a race with hurdles. We’ve clipped a few hurdles here, out of the starting block. But we don’t quit. We persevere. We continue to do our utmost best – and, when the race is over, we see how we did.

(R)uffda!

Dear (R)uffda!

So do you think the team will do that?

Dear GG,

I wasn’t talking about the team. I was talking about us, their fans. I have NO doubt that’s what the team will do. We just need to do the same. These are tough times, but this is when a team needs its fans. Because you know what? It WASN’T over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

(R)uffda!