This year marked the 135th time that Yale and Harvard have faced off on the football field. This event is widely known as “The Game.”
I went to “The Game” last year. Let me tell you, it was a time. We won, so that’s good, but also I got lost many times in the crimson-and-navy-clad crowds. Like a small pebble in the ocean, I was tossed from wave to wave.
This year, I didn’t really mind if I missed the actual game, which was good because students were waiting in line for five hours for tickets. However, I knew I would go up to Cambridge no matter what, because my improv troupe likes to do a collaborative show with a Harvard troupe called the Immediate Gratification Players. Last year, we hosted them in our rooms and this year they did the same for us. Actually, they did more for us–they arranged a chill social calendar for the night in addition to the show.
It’s always fun to perform for audiences at other schools, and the Harvard audience was no exception. We had a few friends from Yale show up as well, but the majority of the crowd was on home turf. The show was collaborative, not competitive, but the rivalry always adds an element of excitement. You never realize how loyal you are to your school until someone makes a playful jibe at it.
Before we left New Haven, I was sort of regretting saying I would go up to Boston because I was tired and wanted to start Thanksgiving Break as soon as possible. But I have to say, the snowy beauty of the drive up, the delicious Happy Meal I had on the way, the success of the show, and the fun of the night and morning afterwards proved me wrong. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a Bulldog victory. Luckily, there’s always next year.
