My Football First

    First time experiences can sometimes be a big deal such as going to your first Broadway show, your first time traveling out of the country or taking in a real life sports experience for the first moment in your life. Sure, I have been to some basketball and baseball games in the past. But I haven't been to a football game in my whole life. Until most recently, that is.

   On December 13th, I was invited along with some of my friends from the Self-Advocacy group meetings at QSAC in Astoria to see the Jets take on the Titans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I was so excited to go because I haven't been to a football game before. For the record, I been always been a Giants fan, but I didn't mind going to a Jets game. I even brought Jets apparel for the game so that I can root in the team’s green colors without changing my team's allegiance.

   The day of the game, I met my QSAC friends outside the office on a warm, not-too cold early Sunday morning. We were each assigned to a chaperone and left the office in two vans to go across the Hudson River into Jersey. When we arrived at the stadium, a representative from the team invited my group into the stadium's facilities because QSAC was one of a few groups from the area to participate in a pre-game activity on the field, holding the green team flag. I was among one of the handlers holding and raising the big flag on the handle. When I came on the MetLife Stadium field, I felt proud. I even saw my face on the stadium's big screen. It was a good moment for me to be on a real football field.

    After that, we found our seats high up in the stadium and watched the game. Compared to watching it on television, seeing the real thing was an undeniable thrill. The Jets were really on fire that day, literally knocking down the Titans. For food, I brought a cheesesteak sandwich and water to have during the game. At halftime, I even brought a Jets cap because of the warm weather that day. It was a shame that we had to leave early before the game ended in the fourth quarter, because we had to beat the traffic. The Jets won that day, beating the Titans 30-8.

    My first football game was a fascinating experience that I will remember. I'm definitely looking forward to go to another football game in the future when an opportunity comes up. For now, the only type of spectator sport I haven't been to is hockey. When the chance to go to a hockey game comes, I'm going to plan not to pass this one up.