Will B.

‘Chirp chirp chirp’ in the fall is one of my favorite things to hear. No, I am not talking about the birds flying south. It’s the sound of rubber souls going this way and that on a hardwood gymnasium floor.

Fans are all packed into those somewhat uncomfortable plastic chairs next to neighbors and friends, cheering on our beloved Cubs and Lady Cubs.

There is excitement in the air. An underlying cheer. Not only for the excitement of the fastpaced sport of basketball but Thanksgiving, hunting, family, making new memories and reliving old ones over turkey, stuffing, pecan pie and all manner of delicious treats.

Basketball season is bittersweet as well. The end of football has come, along with watching our Cubs battle on the field of dreams for those immortal slices of recollections that the players will look back on fondly in the years to come.

My special sneakers come out of the box - yes, I have a sneaker problem. They are my special Nikes with flames and are just for basketball season. Basketball is all about the hype, it’s about getting hyped, listening to rap, bumping down the road on the way to the gym to watch my Cubs and Lady Cubs.

New special sneakers and new hoodies and finally getting to the gym where the music gets loud during warm-up and there is shouting and sometimes laughing as the players get pumped up before the game.

There is nothing like the action at a basketball game: players rush a break-neck speed towards the basket, sometimes taking to the air at the free-throw line, soaring through the air like an eagle, releasing the ball at the apex and watching it float towards the basket or crashing through defenders hoping for a foul on the way up for the lay up.

The student cheering section gets rowdier as the season moves to its inevitable conclusion; playoff bound or early season, which will it be?

One thing is certain: there will be many nights of fast-paced action sitting elbow to elbow with neighbors and friends cheering on the Cubs and Lady Cubs and making memories that last a lifetime!

I look forward to being elbow to elbow, drinking hot cocoa or munching on hot buttered popcorn. Who can resist the delicious aroma the minute you walk into the gym, and cheering on those Cubs to victory?

Chirp...Chirp…. Chirp This is Will B. spectating and saying, ‘See you at the game!’