Trares
Anthony had his first real taste of college.
Don’t worry, there were no “Animal House” style shenanigans. But there were cozy campus haunts, rowdy sporting events and a lot of time at the off-campus bookstore.
The Trareses took at trip back to my alma mater, Miami University, last weekend. Everything came about on a whim — we had a free Saturday, and an offer of free tickets to see the Redhawks basketball game enticed us to make the trip. It had been a few years since I had made a return visit to Oxford, Ohio, and we all agreed it would be a fun chance to get away for a day.
I had spent four of my formative years at Miami, a school that I’d wanted to attend since I was a sophomore in high school. A friend and his family had invited me to visit his sister, who was a student there at the time. It sounded like fun, even if I didn’t know much about the school.
From the moment we drove onto campus, I was hooked. All of the red brick buildings with cream-colored trim looked like they were pulled from every classic college movie I’d ever seen. Students hung out in the grassy, tree-covered quads, throwing frisbees or footballs. There was an energy in the small uptown area, where you could buy funky clothing, relatively risqué T-shirts and records from bands I’d never heard of.
Sure enough, my senior year of high school, Miami was my first choice school. To say my experience exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. I grew as a student, gaining the foundational and experiential knowledge that I have employed throughout my professional career, and as a person, opening my eyes to perspectives and people I’d never encountered before.
The friends I made in college — guys from the dorm, brothers in my fraternity — remain my best friends today. And maybe we had the kind of fun that sounds more like tall tales that can only come in your late teens and early 20s.
I wanted Anthony to share in a little slice of that (not the outsized fun; that can wait until he’s much older.) So after a morning soccer game, we loaded into the car and headed to Ohio.
Pulling into campus, a part of my brain clicked back on that had not been accessed for years. I immediately knew which roads to take, how to get around traffic, where the best places to park were where I wouldn’t get a ticket. Certainly, things had changed, but it was familiar enough that I didn’t miss a beat.
Our first stop was the basketball game, where Miami was taking on its archrival, Ohio University. The game was designated as a basketball reunion day, with a family-friendly carnival in the concourse. We watched Anthony play some games, pick up some free swag and choose a souvenir — a stuffed version of Miami’s mascot, Swoop, who became his buddy through the rest of the weekend.
The game was exciting and fast-paced, as Miami raced out to a lead. During timeouts, a pack of past Redhawk players made their way out to the center court to be honored. They were led by Wally Szczerbiak, who, my freshman year, lead the team to the NCAA Tournament and its only Sweet 16 in the expanded tournament. I explained this all to Anthony; he at least pretended to be interested.
After the game was a stop at Mac & Joe’s, the quintessential campus bar and grill that was packed with students and parents. I shared stories of our exploits while savoring the greasy, soul-satisfying sandwiches that were just the way I remembered.
Stops at some campus shops followed, resulting in us leaving with big bags of sweatshirts, T-shirts and other items to bring back to Indiana. Worn-out, full of food but happy, we made our way to our nearby hotel, enjoying some swimming before passing out for the day.
The next morning it was time to leave, though not before a final trip to campus. I stopped to get a photo of my old fraternity house, and drove around to see some of the academic buildings and dorms before hitting the road.
Campus buzzed with activity, as students criss-crossed every direction. Part of my envied them; they likely don’t recognize how magical a place they’re in, and won’t until looking back years after graduation.
But as we drove out of town and I looked in the backseat at Anthony, I was reminded how much more magical my life is now. I had my time in college, and it’s simply a fun place to visit at this point.
At least until I can convince Anthony to go to Miami and fulfill my next destiny — college dad.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com.
