It's not over until the fat lady sings . . . and I'm not ready yet!

I'm holding on tight - as though desperately trying to squeeze the last remnants of toothpaste from the tube. Like the last one to leave a show, the lights have come on, the other spectators have left the stadium, the maintenance staff is in cleaning up and life has resumed to normal for everyone else - but I am held fast in my seat with my eyes closed attempting to keep every last moment of the 'show' alive in my mind.

I am the fat lady and I refuse to sing that first note because that would mean this dream ride is over and I'm just not ready for it to end just yet.

Oh, what a ride it's been for the boys of fall and their fans! They did the impossible in many ways - they came from 'nowhere' to be the second best team in the state of Michigan defeating opponents with better records that were usually favored to win. This small band of Indians played well beyond their numbers or size - they were giants on the field. And off - as they taught others about good sportsmanship.

Even more, they created fans of people that have never been football fans (fat lady included) and they gave this little town, that's often at odds over various issues, unity. For a few all-too-short weeks the towns of Saugatuck and Douglas were one - Dougtuck or Saugadoug. Those that weren't fans of the schools were behind the team's ongoing victories. The dune supporters and their opponents were united in the stands cheering for the Saugatuck Indians. The opponents of sports in general were seen sitting in the stands rooting for the school's team. It seemed all opposing factions, whatever they are, were sitting side-by-side yelling "Go Saugatuck"!

For a few moments in time, this was a sort of nirvana. And the boys of fall, these young men (some not even old enough yet to drive!) brought us together. There were a thousand or more Saugatuck fans at Ford Field - far out-numbering those across the stadium from the larger city of Mt. Pleasant. (Of course this was the case in all of the playoff games - no matter the distance the Saugatuck fans outnumbered the home team fans). Several fans remarked that the last one out of town had better turn off the lights! Even Lauren Stanton - the town's big supporter on the airwaves at WZZM - drove the three hours to Ford Field after her shift on-air - just to see these young men play the game on the field of their dreams. out-of-town relatives and alumni from Saugatuck helped to nearly fill to capacity four full sections of Ford Field. Even the television announcer remarked about the 'whole town of Saugatuck' coming to the game.

And I know that I was not the only fan that got weepy when our players ran out of the tunnel and onto the field! It was such a joyful moment never to be forgotten. They were winners just for being there - though the results of the game might have made them feel otherwise, the Saugatuck Indians were first-class winners.

This will be a tale told for the rest of their lives - and likely everyone in town will be sharing this story for a long, long time. Marilyn Nor posted about the town of Hebron, Illinois making history by winning the state championship - and how it's still a topic of discussion in that state; this journey of the Indian's could be of that caliber. Only time will tell.

All I know is, I don't want it to be over just yet. Give me a few more days to bask in the glow and then I'll fire up the vocal chords!