Talk Story
Seasons of adversity
make success all the sweeterMY DAD, who grew up during the Depression, was a great believer in delayed gratification.
Like other kids, we had to wait an hour after lunch before we could go back in the water, but unlike them we had to use his system when we ate our picnic sandwiches. In our family, there was no biting the soft middle and leaving the crust -- we ate the crust first.
I used to enjoy watching him paint the house, making long, flowing strokes with a wide brush and spreading creamy white paint across the clapboards. When the day finally came and I was old enough to wield my own brush, first I had to practice by painting a trellis in the back yard.
No long, flowing strokes for me. I had to begin by painting around the edges, sides and underneath -- and that thing was all edges, sides and underneaths!
There was always some hitch: no dessert until you finished your spinach, no playing outside until the dishes were washed, no "Wonderful World of Disney" until your room was clean. No instant gratification. It built character, but what a pain.
Painting window frames at my house this weekend, carefully starting with the edges, I realized Dad's approach to life was good preparation for becoming a University of Hawaii Warrior football fan.
DURING THE lean years, my wife and I would tough it out to the bitter end, sometimes in the rain, while the less-than-half-full stadium bled fans who, like witnesses at a hanging, just couldn't watch anymore.
They can say they were trying to beat the traffic, but let's face it, during the last Bob Wagner years and the entire Fred von Appen regime, the parking lot usually wasn't exactly packed.
Last weekend's sizeable Aloha Stadium crowd of about 38,000 mostly stuck it out until almost the end of the game. Never mind that the Warriors' victory was essentially in hand by halftime and the final lopsided score was 61 to 36. While our second team executed the coup de grace, real traffic jammed the roads out of a full-to-capacity parking lot.
Another 12,000 homes and 30 businesses have subscribed to pay-per-view, bringing Saturday's live audience to 60,000 or more. Not bad for a scrimmage against a lowly but feisty Division 1-AA opponent like Eastern Illinois.
IN RETROSPECT, we foul-weather fans enjoyed perks we'll miss now that the Warriors have become fun to watch. In some ways, our seasons of delayed gratification were the good old days.
The snack bar and restroom lines were shorter, security was looser and we almost never worried we'd miss a big play during a trip to the beer stand.
Getting to the stadium before 4 p.m. usually meant it was a snap to find adjoining parking stalls for group tailgating. This weekend, we left downtown for the game at 3 p.m., just made it inside as the gates were being closed and had to lug our cooler across the lot to join friends.
AFTER YEARS of adversity, the season-ticket die-hards in our section have become one big Rainbow ohana. At each home opener we greet familiar faces, admire the fast-growing keiki and prognosticate about our chances against Fresno and BYU.
The old couple that used to sit in front of us is missing this year. Perhaps the reason is today's higher ticket prices. More likely, it's the climb to Row 39. Real Rainbow fans stay fans for a lifetime.
Our seemingly endless seasons spent watching dreary option football, fumbles, safeties and sacks have enhanced the joys of the run-and-shoot, celebration penalties and winning seasons.
Gratification delayed is sweet indeed.
John Flanagan is the Star-Bulletin's contributing editor.
He can be reached at: jflanagan@starbulletin.com.