Collegiate Times

He said

Spring has sprung. Put away the North Face jackets and bring out the shorts. No more snowball fights, but intense games of cornhole have taken their place. The outside, downstairs section of TOTS will no longer be reserved for those who would rather want to bear the bitter cold over the crowded dance floor, but for all.

I’ll take warm sun over the ice on my car any day. Here are a few reasons why spring is one of the best times of year.

The first is pretty obvious: the warm weather. Try to find me someone who would rather walk to class bundled up in layers through the snow than in shorts and a T-shirt. Something about the sun just makes people happy. Walks across the Drillfield are actually enjoyable.  Who knows, I might even be more likely to go on a run in this weather. Maybe it is my origin in California, but warm weather can’t be beat.

With this warm weather comes America’s favorite pastime: baseball. While pigskin will always be first in my book, there is something so simple and American about baseball. Going to the ballpark with my dad as a child is one of my best memories, and while I don’t even play the game, I can’t help but enjoy a day at the park.

So many great events around campus are marked by the emergence of spring, including Ring Dance, Relay for Life and Big Event. They are packed into a few months before school gets out and it’s impossible to not be excited about them. Hokie Spirit and Ut Prosim are in full force and it brings out the best in everyone.

Two words wrap up the best part of the spring: spring game. It’s a glimmer of light every spring in a sea of darkness, a drop of water in an ocean of misery, a single day of football in the seemingly never-ending offseason. While baseball is amazing, as stated above, it is hard to trump a day in Lane Stadium. Tents get brought down from the attic, grills are thrown in beds of trucks, and maroon and orange are once again part of mandatory attire. This sacred day each spring is a teaser. We get so excited to get the first look of our team only to not see them until summer is over.

Now that I have reached a mature age, summer comes with the responsibility of having a job. I no longer spend countless hours at the pool with friends, but instead as a lifeguard. Internships that run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are a bitter taste of the real world. But spring has a certain mentality to it that allows me to enjoy all the warm weather of the summer without the added responsibility of supporting myself financially or pretending I’m ready to enter the workforce.

My spring will be spent playing games of croquet in my front yard, attempting to get my GPA up and enjoying a Shultz breakfast or two while I can before the long-standing establishment is torn down.

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 23 issue of the Collegiate Times.