Kinda long story...
I was born and raised a hawk fan. I came from in the Dark Side, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where ISU fans are about as common as girls in engineering classes :wink0st:. Growing up, I was brainwashed by friends and family and the media. You see, back then, (and maybe still today) ISU got virtually no respect or even acknoldgement in eastern Iowa. Unfortunately, because of this, I was just as bad as the rest of the Hawk fans, with the "holier than thou" attitude toward ISU.
Wanted to study Mechanical Engineering, so my choice to come to Ames was purely academic, it had absolutely nothing to do with ISU athletics. I chose ISU over Notre Dame and Northwestern, because I just didn't have the money to go to those other schools, and the engineering education IMO is just as good in Ames as it was at those schools. (I could have also gone to Iowa for engineering, but that might have been education suicide)
All of my friends went to UNI and Iowa (they are all hawk fans like me at the time), I was the only one to come to Ames out of all my friends in my high school class. Truthfully, I was a bit jealous of them, because I knew next to nothing about ISU athletics, I was heading into the great unknown. I remember during freshman orientation singing the ISU fight song for the first time and not knowing any of the words (I knew Iowa's fight song by heart, How embarrassing :no6xn: )
I tried to be a fan of both teams when I began school at ISU. But as I spent more time in Ames amongst the best fans in the world in Ames, I started to get a better "outside" perspective of hawk fans. I was (am still somewhat am) ridiculed for coming to ISU by my hawkeye "friends", it was this arrogance and condescending attitude towards me and my school that planted the seeds of hate of the Hawkeyes in my head. As my alligance to ISU grew stronger and my hate of Iowa grew larger, it came to a head on that fateful day Sept 14th 2002 as I went to Kinnick for the first time not dressed in putrid Black and Gold but the victorious Cardinal and Gold of ISU. I will never forget walking down Melrose proudly proclaiming my allegiance to ISU after that great game, something I couldn't fathom only a few year prior.
My love for the Cyclones has only gotten stronger since then and with fans and new college friends to share my feelings with, it is a great time to be a Cyclone.
Coming to ISU was the best decision i ever made. I enjoyed my time at ISU, made new friends, got the education for a high paying career. I found my future wife at ISU.
I also found a team and fan base that I can be proud and excited to be part of.
Best of all, I think I have forgotten Iowas fight song while ISU's is embeeded in my mind forever. (Every yard for I-S-U :biggrin9gp: !!!)