A Maryland Terrapins Road Trip To Big Ten Country – Pre-Trip
Dec 20, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce reacts on the sidelines in the game between the Missouri Tigers and the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Scottrade Center. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeat the Missouri Tigers 62-59. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
I have mentioned it in the past, but I am a big fan of the University of Illinois. I grew up just miles from the campus and have attended numerous athletic contests in Champaign, Illinois while rooting on the orange and blue. CHIEF!!!!
But I moved to Maryland many years ago and adopted the Maryland Terrapins as my local team. It is nice to have a backup to root for, especially one close to where you live. Before the Internet blossomed, it could be quite difficult to track the everyday minutiae of a team at a distance. So I am a Terps fan also.
That dual fandom seldom caused many issues. There was an occasional basketball game between the two universities, such as the Coaches Versus Cancer Classic matchup in 2010 at Madison Square Garden or a couple of ACC/Big Ten Challenge games. I attended that game in New York City, and frankly I rooted for my Illini in their win over the Terps.
When the Terrapins joined the Big Ten Conference I was excited. I love the competition, glory and history of what I see as America’s best athletic conference. But which team do I root for?
Illinois has to still be the winner for me. I have too much history and love for that school to continually root against them. I can still root for Maryland to beat up on the Wolverines, Badgers, Hawkeye, Wildcats, etc…. And if the Illini can’t win the title in a certain sport, well I know another school that I hope the best for.
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It got even more difficult when my oldest daughter went away to college. No, she did not pick Illinois, but picked the local choice of the University of Maryland. The chances of me watching Maryland versus Illinois games in person multiplied.
When looking at basketball schedules I noticed the Maryland basketball team will play in Champaign versus the Illini. And my daughter would just happen to be home on Winter break. So guess what? Yep…a road trip was quickly planned. I can spend some time with my daughter, visit old friends, see both of my teams, write for The Baltimore Wire and update reviews of a couple of arenas for Stadium Journey, another site I write for.
I will try to update everyone on our trip every night as long as the free Wi-Fi holds out.
The plan includes:
- A night stopover in Columbus, OH, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Or do I say THE Ohio State University?
- Hopefully a stop in Speedway, Indiana at one of the best root beer stands in America.
- Plenty of time catching up in my home “towns”, the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois, before the Illini versus Terps basketball game.
- A trip to see the Lincoln sites in and around Springfield, Illinois.
- A day in Chicago.
- A quick stopover in West Lafayette, Indiana to catch the Terrapins game against the Purdue Boilermakers, then literally back on the road towards home.
So GO ILLINI…..and GO TERPS! Wow, this should be different.