Magic Once Again...

Remember back to when you were a child and Christmas was drawing near. That special time when anticipation hangs in the air. The thought of seeing the tree with presents underneath and knowing that good things await you once you start unwrapping.

Or when you are headed off to Disneyland: "The Happiest Place on Earth" – an enchanted kingdom of fantasy and imagination where smiles and laughter abound. Where memories are made, dreams are fulfilled and you wish you could return every year.

Those are the good times in our lives. The ones we want to repeat. When sometimes the magic is so close you can almost touch it. When you know someone in the heavens wants goods things to happen. And for Rich and I the magic begins again today. Last night Rich's eyes shone as he said, "Tonight is like Christmas Eve. Tomorrow the presents will be unwrapped and the adventure begins." Today has a bit of Disneyland and Christmas wrapped up in one. Today is the beginning of "The Dance". Where a few Cinderella's find their prince, but most get sent home at the strike of 12 PM. As my friend Dickie V. would shout with glee- "It's Selection Sunday BABY!"

You might not feel the same. You might roll your eyes in disbelief that one could feel so strongly about a silly game called basketball. But I say, you are wrong. You haven't lived it. You haven't seen loved ones in actions; heart pounding, mind spinning, praying that there might just be one more game. One more chance to play. It's magical. It just simply is.

You see my road to the "Big Dance" started before I was born. My Grandpa Nance was on the 1944 University of Utah men's basketball game when they won the NCAA tournament. It was played at Madison Square Garden and they beat Dartmouth College. He received a tournament watch that is still stored in the den of my Grandma Nance's house. My grandmother wore it with pride when she taught school when they were first married. He also has a pin engraved with his name and year and title.

My mom went into labor while attending at BYU basketball game. I sat with the BYU men's basketball team when I was in high school and witnessed first hand their name being unveiled on the TV screen, inviting to come and dance in the Madness once again.

Then the magic really took flight. I met Rich and suddenly I was the Cinderella. Swept off my feet in a whirlwind of balls (of course the round, bouncy type). We were engaged during Rich's senior year and I had an up-close view of the season. Stanford had a great year in a tough conference. Four PAC -10 teams made the Sweet 16 that year and Arizona won the championship even though they finished fifth in the PAC -10. There were many highlights. During the year Stanford handed UCLA their WORST LOST in history (109 - 61). The were in the top 20 the entire year. When March arrived, they were ready to play. On selection Sunday, their name was up on the screen as #6 seed, set to play #11 Oklahoma just days later on Friday. Rich's family and I packed our bags, while my engagement ring gleamed, and flew off to Tucson, Arizona to watch our beloved Cardinal. The first round result in a comfortable win (80-66) which led Stanford straight into Tim Duncan's Wake Forest team in round 2. The team toppled the future NBA All Star and sent his #3 team packing (72-66). Our team had made it to the SWEET 16!!

Rich went back to Palo Alto, while the rest of the bunch headed to Utah, knowing that we would soon meet again in San Jose where their next opponent would be the #2 University of Utah. Yes, my grandfather's old team and Alma mater.

The stakes were high. Rich's cousin was dating (and would marry) a U of U player. It was family against family. It was more than intense. The battle was fierce, whistled blew, players fouled and soon we were in OVERTIME. How my heart survived, I'll never quite know. The finish wasn't as I had hoped. We were there and then the dream slipped away. Painful, sad and yet there was still much to cheer for. Much to be proud of. So much more than most could have hoped for. It was magic still.

Fast forward one year (1998) when Stanford was playing in the Elite 8 in a Sunday afternoon game. Down by 7 with a minute to go, they scored 2 three pointers, stole the ball, got it to "Mad Dog" Mark Madsen and with a power dunk went ahead by 1. Drama, drama, drama! That victory pushed them forward to the FINAL FOUR. Days later Rich and I were once again tossing Cardinal tops into our suitcases and hopped on a plane to the lovely city of San Antonio to watch the Final Four- Stanford, North Carolina, Utah and Kentucky- in action.

Their was a buzz in the air as soon as you stepped into the city. College team logos flashed on every bit of clothing. It was like Disneyland for grown adults who loved basketball. It was that cool. Really.

Sure, we ended up losing to Kentucky, but we had made it. We were big time. And it felt great. We strolled the River Walk loving every moment, taking it all in. Magic. Pure and simple.

It was fitting looking back ten years now that we were there to watch Tubby Smith and his Kentucky Wildcats win the final now that we live in the middle of Cat Country. And I understand the UK fans passion, because I have felt it in my life. I love their dedication; the hope for one more game, one more victory.

Our dream story didn't end there. We followed the Cardinal in late 2001 up to Indianapolis to to cheer them on at the John Wooden Classic. In 2002 we headed west to St. Louis to see Stanford play in the NCAA First Round. Tournament time is simply awesome. There's no other way to describe it.

Then the planets aligned last year. I mean the stars, planets and the entire heavens shone down up on the Jacksons of Lexington. Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington was one of host cities for the 1st round of games. When Greg Gumble started to speak miracles started happening. Stanford flashed on the screen with Lexington next to its name. Soon BYU followed. Then Louisville popped up. What the heck? Every school we had attended was coming our way. What are the odds? I'd guess a million to one, maybe.

The best part- it was Rich's vacation week. It was too perfect. After a few phone calls we had tickets secured and our Stanford gear out and ready to wear.

We went to the warm ups, saw the players close up. The boys were thrilled. We chatted with administrators from both Stanford and BYU. Rich went to the hotel and caught up with coaches. It was better than we could have imagined.

We pulled the boys out of school and headed to the game along with thousands of Louisville fans. The girls wore their Stanford cheerleader outfits. We had signs for CBS. We were ready. Big Josh and his brother Tyler were on the row behind us. We were surrounded by Stanford friends and a few residents from Louisville. It felt like we were home. Even though Stanford couldn't pull out a victory against the U of L Cardinals, even though the end of the season stung, once again, it didn't matter. There was still magic. This year. Every year.

Get ready. Get set. It's coming. Today. The magic lives on....