Columbus Day weekend is approaching, and students are enthusiastic to travel. With the spirit of the explorer in hand, Boston College undergraduates take up their steering wheels and hit the road. But, Columbus is more than an adventurer with an outstanding first name. What words come to mind when describing Columbus and his travels? Extraordinary? Unprecedented? Momentous? Perhaps all such words are adequate descriptors. Well, it turns out, to take part in an extraordinary, unprecedented, and momentous occasion, students need not journey far.
On Friday, Oct. 10, the BC hockey team will raise its 2008 national championship banner. After defeating none other than Notre Dame in the finals last year, the BC Eagles came home victorious after their travels to Denver. It is a moment students will always cherish. Now it is time to celebrate their victory at the first home game of the year against Wisconsin, by raising a banner to the rafters of Conte. There, the banner will remain in all its glory for future teams and fans to regard with great admiration and respect. More importantly, it will serve as an act of permanence that conjures up nostalgic sentiments for those alumni of the future who will be able to say, "Hey, I was there when it was raised."
The banner is more than simply a piece of cloth with numbers adhered to it, just like the Americas were more than simply new land to Columbus. It is a symbol that will rest in the hearts of BC fans forever, old and new. Becoming Division I national champions is not an easy feat to accomplish. BC hockey has returned victors only two other times in history and merely once in the past three Frozen Four tournaments in which they participated. Being in the presence of its symbolic equivalent, the personification of a championship is truly an extraordinary, unprecedented, and momentous event. Few students will ever have the opportunity to witness such a ceremony. In the spirit of Columbus, I urge everyone in the BC community to take the time to attend, not only to honor a great team, but also to become part of the rich history here at BC.
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