Fan Blog: UNITE.14 - An Event to Remember
The following is a special guest post by Melissa Howard, republished from http://melissahowardphotography.wordpress.com
Shame on me for taking so long to write this post! There have been so many things pulling me in different directions these last few weeks. I can’t tell you how good it feels to sit, write this post, and share these photos in complete silence!
For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am a HUGE University of Miami Hurricanes fan! Also, in case you didn’t know, It’s All About The []_[] 🙂
My daughter and my sister surprised me for my birthday. I’m one lucky girl! Of course we arrived early… too early in fact. We had to stay outside the stadium for about an hour before the gates opened and they let fans in. Eh, might as well get the camera ready!
My gorgeous sister and my beautiful daughter
My sister and I… not so gorgeous!
I have been to quite a few football games but have never had the opportunity to be close to the field… let alone, walk on it. It was a beautiful day!
Can you imagine how excited I was to be on the field? I am not exaggerating in the least when I tell you my heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty!
It was magical! The Unite.14 event was a spring training game. Half of the field was designated for the game and the other half of the field had bounce-houses, food, games, and a fan shop. We were some of the first ones there… so that meant my daughter got to jump by herself in the bounce-house.
Within minutes, the cheerleaders were out and were so happy to take pictures with their fans. My little one thought it was so awesome she got to hold 2 pom-poms!
Being the crazed fan I am, there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity for autographs! The stadium provided each of us with a poster that can be used for signatures. We stood in line… which felt like forever… in the hot Florida sun. I actually met an Instagram friend while we were waiting! Go figure! In line, we got to meet these 2 characters!!
Once inside the breezeway, my heart started beating out of control! I was definitely having a fan-girl moment! The players were so polite to my daughter. It was amazing to see her and the players exchange smiles and agree to pose for photos!
As you can imagine, she was quite excited to have a poster full of signatures!
Immediately outside the breezeway where we got signatures was the fan shop. Her big blue eyes looked up at me… then at the sock monkey… and then back at me. How could I say no?
We walked around and really got the chance to soak up the atmosphere. All around us was positive, family-friendly energy. The University of Miami did an excellent job creating this event for people of all ages to enjoy!
The game was about to start…. and we were ready!
The mascot, Sebastian, is always a fan favorite. He knows just what he needs to do in order to get the fans going. If he wasn’t dancing, he was playing tag with the kids. If he wasn’t playing tag, he was posing for pictures and giving autographs. The University of Miami has one of the best mascots I have ever seen (no bias, of course!)
NO WAY my daughter was missing the chance to get Sebastian’s autograph!
The sun started to set over the stadium and our day had come to an end. The University of Miami Unite.14 Spring Training Event was one to remember!
I think it’s safe to say we had an amazing day!
Unfortunately, we missed the unveiling of the new uniforms. A simple Google search will show you what they look like. Get ready… they are HOT!!
As always, thanks for reading! Please check back soon for my next post about 5 simple steps to help you become a better photographer… even if you only shoot snapshots with your phone’s camera!!
~Melissa Howard Photography
Original post: http://melissahowardphotography.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/university-of-miami-unite-14-spring-training-event/
