Reflections on Alumni Weekend 2008

This past weekend, I attended my first Old School Alumni Weekend. I didn't go to all of the events, just the basketball game and the cookout. Still, those two events were enough for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect: after all, there were schools other than Hillside being targeted in the alumni population. Still, I did want to see what some of the hype was about, and why this event has been a Durham staple for the past 7 or so years. What I did realize was that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Once Lucy and I made our way past the flossers (you know...the line of expensive cars parked near the building--which I hope weren't rented just for the weekend) and entered the building for the basketball game, I was almost knocked out by all of the testosterone. Literally. I'm only 5'2", and there were plenty of much taller guys with builds like those of football players gone to seed, giving each other enthusiastic high fives and soul shakes...most of which took place in the general area around my head. I had to bob and weave in order to make it to the bleachers without a concussion.

I saw some people I hadn't seen in a looong time, and it was good to do so. Shout outs to Reggie Davis, Coach Marshall, Anthony Burnette, Carl Farmer, LaManda Chestnut, Melodie Richardson, Abosede Copeland, Antonia Evans, Mike Brooks, and Earl Starks. I also saw an ex (he went to Northern...bless his heart), and we'll just leave it at that. :D

The basketball game was...interesting: a bunch of guys (re)living their hoop dreams. I saw more botched alley-oops and pick-and-rolls than a little bit. I appreciate people trying to add spice to what may be seen as a rather mundane affair (I mean, why just go in for a guaranteed lay-up when you can try to dunk...and miss), but sometimes you just need to do what you need to do and skip all the extra stuff (yes, Larry Johnson, I'm talking to you). I was disappointed that T-Tot (that's Rodney Rogers for the uninformed) didn't play. On a side note, I have to give props to #10 on Jordan's team. Dude was nice with his.

(another side note: even though the concessions were overall way too overpriced, that red velvet cake was the truth--and worth every penny.)

The day after the game and the rather, um, entertaining Old School Dance Contest, I went to the alumni cookout. It was Africa hot...I saw the Devil sitting on a block of ice with a funeral home fan (you know...the ones with MLK on one side and a wooden handle), trying to cool off. It was the cookout that recapped most of my personal observations about the weekend.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Alumni Weekend, for me, was a time capsule of our high school years, and not necessarily in a good way. Yes, it was a time for reconnection, but I didn't see much of that, perhaps because I don't live in Durham on a full-time basis and only visit once or twice a year. What I saw were adults in arrested development: the "cool" kids still hung with other "cool" kids; the athletes rolled with the athletes; the band rolled with the band. There were those whose claim to fame was having a child or two (or even three) by one of the "cool" kids. There were others who were still seeking an MRS degree (like the women who attended the cookout in 100-degree heat, wearing yeast infection-tight jeans, tight shirts, and HEELS), desperate to be noticed in the wrong way. There were those who were determined to put Durham on the map, for whatever reason, and try to show that we are not just a poor relation of Raleigh or Chapel Hill.

Alumni Weekend helped me see how much I have grown. I'm not the same person who once walked the halls of the 1900 Concord St. I've had to come to terms with a lot of things about myself, and while it's been a rather daunting task, it was necessary. The best thing about Alumni Weekend was realizing that I no longer had anything to prove, even to myself.

Thanks for stopping by.

T.