The South is known for its rabid sports fans – and why not? Traditionally excellent college
football teams have led the way to crazy Saturdays in stadiums and local watering holes.
If you are considering buying a home in Hilton Head, Bluffton or Beaufort, get used to the
mania – in fact embrace it if you can. That is why I did.
When my oldest son started college at the University of South Carolina, I was admittedly a
proud mom. Then he made the Marching Band, and I was very excited as I was going to
witness all this southern football madness first-hand.
Then I found out I had to say “Go Cocks!”
I asked my son, “surely that is just something that the college kids say right?” laughing
nervously. “No mom, everybody says it. Everybody screams it” he said with a slight air of
superiority and a bit of impatience that was sort of annoying.
The South Carolina Gamecocks are revered in the Low Country. It does not matter where you
come from, do not cheer against them, at least in public. Unless you have a kid attending
Clemson. That is a whole other story and can get a bit ugly. The rivalry is as hot as any in the
country, hotter than the bonfire on the University of South Carolina campus the night before the
game. They burn the Clemson Tiger in effigy for goodness sake. That’s serious.
Back to the name problem.
So Like a dutiful mom I prepared for my first game, which would be during Parent’s Weekend. I
figured I should do a little research and planned to watch the first game of the season on
television. Before the game I texted my son “Good Luck Honey – Go Cocks!!” I got an
immediate response from both of my sons, completely in awe that I said “Cocks”. Well I
actually had not said it out loud yet but I did text it…baby steps. I immediately became cool
mom. So cool that I knew I had to take that next baby step at Parents Weekend. And you
know, it wasn’t so bad. Just throw caution to the wind and support your kid, is what I say,
along with “Go Cocks!” It is ok when everyone else around you is saying the same thing.
