Through thick and thin

Following a team in a particular sport is one of the most amazing things that I have experienced through my own experiences and the experiences of others. When I turned 6, I started to sneak out my room in the middle of the night to watch the Collingwood Football games because here in Rockhampton Queensland they never aired the show live because they believed that Cross-country Wrestling, aka Rubgy League, was watched by more people throughout Australia, therefore making it a TV priority. My father sat me down at the age of 8 and jokingly said "Now Ashka, you can support any team in the AFL you want, but if its a team other than Collingwood, you aren't living in my house." Ever since then I would watch particular sections of the games and was only interested in it at the very end to find out the end result. There was just something about the TV that made the game boring and dull. A number of years ago now, my dad took me to my very first live Collingwood game. It was the Collingwood vs. Brisbane Lions game at the Gabba and we were seated right behind the cheer squad. It was one of the best days of my life. There was this tremendous energy flowing through me as I took in the sight and sound of the crowd going ballistic and supporting their team. I had never felt more alive as I screamed and cheered for the Collingwood boys. 

The next live Collingwood game that I attended after that what the Collingwood and St Kilda Grandfinal draw. I remember the emotions running through me; anger, happiness, fear and right at the end of the game when it was declared a draw, numbness. At that moment dad turned to me and whispered "I have never heard the MCG this silent." I was so disappointed that there was no result. If we lost I would have been angry and if we won, I would have been overjoyed to see my first Collingwood grand final win. Anything was better than the numbness of the draw, even losing. And to make it even worse, I was so upset that I couldn't stay in Melbourne for the Grand Final Replay. When the replay was on, I sat and watched it with my family. When we won, it was the first time that I had ever seen my dad cry as he said to me "I have waited 20 years for this moment. I was on the verge of quitting support for Collingwood but I stuck with them because I could never let go, because I saw the potential of new players as they came through.. And we finally did it." It was then that I learned my greatest lesson yet.

There are some people that don't follow any team through everything because for them, it is just easier to switch the support from the team you were following to which ever team wins that season. But the people who deserve the respect from the teams which they support are the people who stood by them through the heartache and the joy, never giving up on them because they know that there is a chance that this could be the year that they win for the season, whether it be Cross-country Wrestling, Soccer or AFL. Those people are the inspiration for the next generation who support the same team. I want to have the same loyalty and love that my dad has and show an unfailing support for the Collingwood Football Club. He has inspired me to never give up on something just because they fail, but to stick to it even stronger than before in the hope that it will be better.

Through Thick and Think, I will always support the Collingwood Football Club.