I just finished reading most of this thread, so I thought I might add my story. I'm about a hundred posts in, so it's about damn time anyways.
I'm a teenager born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area with a lot of family in the Dayton area. My father spent nine years at OSU for undergrad and veterinary school. He is not a huge sports fan, but it was my trips to visit family in Ohio that first exposed me to the Buckeyes.
My earliest Ohio State memory is of watching the Rose Bowl against Jake the Snake in '97 when I was of just a few moons. After that, it was the '99 Sugar Bowl against Dat Nguyen and Texas A&M. My fandom really went up a notch during the 2001 Michigan game. There was a horrible storm here on the West Coast, and the power was out. My father, as if in a Superman comic book, was able to set up a little antennae TV in my room where we watched Jonathan Wells run wild that day, a truly amazing experience that provided the inspiration for my avatar today. Another unique experience came during the 2004 season in which I bet my teacher, a Michigan grad, that we would upset TSUN. When Ginn took back the punt return up the Michigan sideline, the bet was won and he was forced to wear the agreed-upon Buckeye garb for a week at school. He and I are now very close friends, and of late the rivalry has provided me with the bragging rights (thank God I wasn't old enough for the Cooper years.)
My first game in the Horseshoe consisted of ball-freezing weather and a victory over Minnesota. I've since been back for games against Washington, Northwestern, and Michigan on 11-18-06. I watched or listened to every single minute of last season, all of which culminated in one of the greatest experiences of my (albeit short, at this point) life. I will never forget the electric atmosphere throughout campus that day, and I eagerly look forward to going back to the Wisconsin game with my father later this season.
I have avidly followed recruiting since about 2004. I've felt the highs of Ted Ginn and Mike Brewster and the lows of Jason Gwaltney and Fred Davis (isn't it amazing how the lows didn't turn out so bad in the end?). After watching Maurice Clarrett on opening day against Texas Tech, I started to understand what can be gleamed from following the recruiting process. Moreover, my knowledge of Ohio geography has improved immensely from scouring over reports from players throughout the state.
I wandered over here from Scout about a year ago, began posting about month ago, and started wondering what the hell took me so long to get here about a week ago. I too am a migrant from Bucknuts, but after spending the Summer and the beginning of Fall on this side of the ledge, I don't plan on going back any time soon.
I go to high school here in San Jose and while I don't know where I'll go to college yet, it will assuredly bring me closer to my Bucks, to which I am definitely looking forward.
If you have read this far, thank you for your time and :gobucks3::gobucks4:.
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