"BOOMER SOONER"

As one enthused American boy shouts “BOOMER”, the surrounding students bellow back “SOONER”, this tradition repeated three times in succession is a University of Oklahoma American football ritual I have become more than familiar with. This chant is compulsory at, but not limited to, every OU football game.

For the first few weeks of the semester as I found myself diving head first into school spirit, going to football games, purchasing ‘Oklahoma’ t-shirts and proudly wearing them around campus, I took for granted OU’s overwhelming sense of school pride. I always assumed that every state was the same however I’ve been taught by several Americans that is not the case. Take the University of Texas for example, they are in the same big 12 (American college football league) as us however one of the only games they get overly defensive about is the one against us. Kansas State University I have been told is another example of an ‘it’s just football’ attitude where their home games are filled with more crimson and cream OU fans than their own fans.

After several hours of participating in my first American 'tailgate' (another story for another time) in the sweltering humidity, standing in a crowded football stadium watching a game I didn't understand for four hours was not exactly my idea of fun. By the time the second game rolled around my moral was less than high but I decided to give it another shot... And I think it’s safe to say that after one painful September afternoon of standing in the 35 degree heat learning American Football rules from the president of my sorority, I am now a true sooner fan with the colours to prove it. GO SOONERS!

Crazy College Trivia – the OU college football stadium holds 82,112 screaming fans dressed in crimson and cream every game. The first ever game was on 20^th October 1923, 89 years later on 27^th October 2012 they saw their largest crowd of 86, 031 people. 

After all... There's only one OKLAHOMA!