Welcome to GABA Q&A, the feature that asks us to share our experiences as Gamecock fans. We'll give our answers, and we encourage all commenters to share theirs in the comment section. The question won't focus so much on the state of athletics or analysis, but instead allow us to reminisce and tell personal stories about the highs and lows of our fandom.
Today (obviously) is Thanksgiving Day, so we're breaking out a very special edition of the Q&A and asking our staff to talk a little about what they're thankful for. Let us know what you're thankful for in the comments!
Cockaboose - Thanksgiving means a lot of things to my family. We are truly thankful for the many blessings in our lives. Thankful for family, friends, and other things. Of course saying that during Thanksgiving is a little hackneyed. But, if I had to come up with something more original to be thankful for, then it would have to be Netflix. I know. It's absurd to say something like that during these times and especially this time of the year. But, I am truly for thankful for Netflix and other TV/Movie streaming sites because after grilling a turkey, and running 1,632 errands to the grocery store, I will find a spot in our house and binge watch all the TV shows that everyone keeps talking about. I'll be loaded up on turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato pie (another thing that I'm extremely grateful for), so the only thing that I will really be capable of doing is watching mindless TV for hours drifting in and out of a semi self induced tryptophan coma.
Dan - In the midst of a likely 3-9 season, you might be hard pressed to find gratitude among Gamecock fans. Alas, I think the fact that 7-6 is a complete disappointment and 3-9 is completely unacceptable is something to be thankful for. Just a couple years ago, 7-6 was considered a solid year. Dips of 2014 and 2015 aside, I'm thankful the bar's been raised and we've been shown you can win at USC...and win big. Thankful help is on the way in the form of Tom Herman, Kirby Smart, Larry Fedora or Matt Campbell. Whoever ends up with the job will be someone who's hungry and who actually wants to be here. I'll be happy with whoever we end up with - Rejection Committee article candidates aside.
Kaci - I'm thankful that I was a South Carolina student from the 2009-10 academic year through the 2012-13 academic year. That was almost certainly the best 4 year stretch in Gamecock athletic history and I had front row seats for it. The baseball team won two national titles and played for a third. The football team beat #4 Ole Miss, #1 Alabama, and #5 Georgia. They won the SEC East for the first time, won 11 games for the first time, and had a perfect record against Clemson. Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney wore garnet and black. Steve Spurrier was cocky and fun and he was winning. The men's basketball team...also existed. (They did upset #1 Kentucky!) The women's basketball team was quietly improving and laying the foundation for where they are now.
So I'm grateful that I was at USC for all of those things because they were tons of fun and they're all part of why I fell completely in love with Gamecock sports and started spending way too much of my time talking about them on the internet, which led to me being here at GABA. That's definitely something to be thankful for.
Sydney - A lot of great things on the list! I'd have to go with the family angle for mine. While my family's mostly scattered throughout the Southeast (except for a sister up North), it's good to hop in the car and spend the holiday with your brother and some aunts, uncles and cousins you don't get to see that often. Along with that, I'm thankful for our readers - those that stop by daily and those that may not be as active but still find time to check us out occasionally. We at least like to think we're making this corner of the Internet better, and people like you (yes, you) make it worth doing what we're doing right now, so thanks for stopping by!