Wave the Flag is a tradition like no other at Washington
State University. Ol’ Crimson, the WSU flag, has flown at 134 consecutive ESPN
GameDay shows. For 134 Saturdays straight, the nation has seen the Cougar logo
flying in the background, held up triumphantly by Cougar faithful.
The 133rd
consecutive appearance of Ol’ Crimson on the show was extra special for three
WSU students.
WSU seniors
Kevin Massimino, Jared Powell and junior Justin Shiver drove from Pullman to
Auburn, Ala., to see WSU take on Auburn on August 31. ESPN GameDay was live
from Clemson University in South Carolina that day, and Massimino, Powell, and
Shiver had the honor of driving Ol’ Crimson to Atlanta, where they met up with a
WSU alumni Tyler Witthun, who drove the flag the rest of the way and flew it
proudly on GameDay for the 133rd straight week.
These three
students were honored to be a part of the tradition that started in 2003.
They
launched a Facebook page for the event on August 1, and gained more than 2,800
likes. Through statistics displayed to the admins on the page, they were able
to find out that with just 2,800 likes, there were more than 4,500 people
talking about it and more than 100,000 people were reached.
“It reached
a lot of people,” Massimino said.
Massimino,
Powell, and Shiver documented their 5,979 mile road trip through social media
and posted video updates and pictures daily for their followers to see.
Their trip
kicked off on Tuesday, August 27 with a send off event outside of Bohler gym. Through their social media outreach, they were able
to connect with several Cougar alum throughout their trip and stay with some of
them along the way.
The trip
was also fundraised through their social media outreach. They fundraised to pay
for gas and food. They were able to get a $500 Chevron gift card as well as a $500
McDonalds gift card through Coug IMG, which works specifically with college
athletics. They also raised $3,200 through alumni, $2,500 of which they were
able to donate to the Ol’ Crimson Booster Club because of how much money
they raised through other sources.
“This will
allow the tradition to continue for at least two years,” Massimino said.
The Ol’
Crimson Booster Club funds the flag being shipped to each GameDay.
On the
Facebook page for the event, Massimino, Powell, and Shiver wrote, “the three
of us love Washington State University. The Cougar experience is much more than
what simply happens in the classroom, and we want to tap into the massive
amount of energy and Cougar Pride around the country.”
Powell and
Massimino described the Cougar pride they felt throughout their trip as
“amazing” and “unbelievable.”
Massimino
said he thinks part of it might have been a “by product of the flag—it attracts
positivety,” but he also noted that he thinks they would have received the same
warm reception without the flag.
They also
described the Auburn community as “ridiculously welcoming and genuine.”
Massimino
and Powell said they appreciated the Auburn fans and community a lot and hope
that WSU fans will always show the same hospitality and friendship to visiting
fans.
Through
this trip, they were able to gain and following and enjoy a once in a lifetime
experience.
“Thank you
to all the Coug fans who supported us,” Powell said. “It was a good time
regardless of the outcome.”
Massimino
and Powell left with a promise. They hope to be able to fly the flag themselves
at a College GameDay sometime, but with their platform established, it’s a
guarantee they will be back.
“Be looking
for us to return in some way in the next year.”
 |
| A collection of some of the photos taken by Kevin Massimino, Jared Powell, and Justin Shiver on the Wave the Flag roadtrip. Photos used with permission. |
No comments:
Post a Comment