September 23, 2013
Profiles
Winning and Losing

There are sounds everywhere, yet none of them are really heard. For someone who is focused on specifically one thing, the sound does not matter. The bleachers are full of people, yet empty at the same time. The people on the bleachers are loud, yet quite. Everything is seen in slow motion, but it also seems as if it is going way too fast. Everyone is waiting on the final move that will determine the winners and the losers. This, this is what football feels like; it is what it feels like to be a Colquitt County Packer.
The smells of curly fries and nachos are wafting through the air, persuading fans to go to the concession stand to buy, almost everyone seems to have food in their hands. The different school colors are everywhere; it seems a bit overwhelming at first. There are hats, t-shirts, signs, painted faces and even painted bodies, it is very obvious the fans are proud to be supporting their teams. Everything is just perfect; it is just what a football game should look like.
High school football is a sort of tradition in every small town; everyone absolutely has to be at the games. For someone who has not experienced something quite like it, everything seems confusing and chaotic, but for the ones who experience this every Friday night, it is one of the best experiences to have. It feels as though everyone is in tune with the people around them. They all become one; they feel all the other fan's emotions as much as they feel their own. It forms a sort of family, something that everyone wants to be a part of.
As the game begins to come to an end, the emotions in the stadium are skyrocketing with excitement, dread, hopefulness, and determination. The time on the board only has a couple of seconds left; Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One. The alarm goes off and there are explosions of sound everywhere, it is as if the television had been muted and suddenly the volume was turned on at full blast. Feelings are being thrown out, some to the depths of the ground, others to the sky. These feelings are vastly different. Go to one side, the atmosphere will make someone want to sigh in defeat and walk away without looking back. Go to the other side, and the atmosphere is swirling around with pure happiness and excitement. There definitely seems to be a thick line between winning and losing.
Once the fans of the winning team realize that they have won, they seem to go wild. They are very proud of their players and to show it they are all cheering them on in any way they can come up with. The fans are jumping, singing, yelling, chanting, and the others have decided that running around to nowhere in particular is the best way to celebrate. The celebrations seem as though they will go on forever. The feelings are so high it can make someone believe they can actually fly, and the looks of joy on the fan’s faces seem as though they will be permanent. It is definitely a feeling that will always be remembered by the people of the small town. Everything is so different on the other side of the field. The fans are disappointed that they did not win, they were so sure that the outcome would be different, they pictured an outcome where they would be the victors. After the score is announced, some of the fans leave immediately not wanting to dwell in the disappointing atmosphere. Some fans cheer their team on acknowledging their effort, but they just cannot seem to give them a genuine cheer. Others send outraged comments onto the field, not being able to accept the loss. They all look as though the world has ended for them, they leave the stadium sad and defeated. Although losing is not something that most want to remember, it is a feeling that should not be forgotten.
The feelings on the field are even more intense than those present on the bleachers. Just walking onto the field, the emotions floating around begin to take over. The players, the coaches, and the referees