Who are you? (5 Q's)

[scott715]

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Lived in Seattle for 3 years now Pendleton, OR (Eastern, OR) for 22 years. I am 53 years old.

What does your moniker mean?
Scott plus the address on our house.

Earliest Cougar memory?
I must have seen all of the Holiday bowl games. Attended the 1980 Miracle bowl and would not let my stake president leave early.

Why are you a fan?
Attended the Y from 1980 to 1986 with a mission to Montreal in between. The Ainge, McMahon, NC year. Grew up a UCLA fan but they are long forgotten. I am a faithful LDS member and thus a Cougar. My dream is to move back some day and get season tickets. As a student I had tickets to fball and bball.

How do you rate your level of fandom?
To the right says Retired.

[mtnradio]

Where are you from?

Born and raised in Ammon, Idaho (yes, I'm one of the people of Ammon ) ... Ammon is a "suburb" of Idaho Falls. Currently live in Clarkston, Washington (on the Idaho and Oregon border)

What does your moniker mean?

I used to be a radio talk show host, as a freelancer, I started the Mountain Radio Network.

Earliest Cougar memory?

My Dad was a sportscaster for Ricks College. We played BYU Jv teams. From as early as I can remember I cheered for BYU ... just cheered more for Ricks. BUT, I do remember as a 4 year old winning a pair of slacks from Mr. Macs from a guess the score competition with Paul James. Dad was watching Paul on KSL and was shocked to hear his 4 year old's name announced as the winner. I have clear memories of cheering for Giff Nielson ... what a great QB!

Why are you a fan?
Raised right. Mom went to BYU, my sister and older brother went to BYU. My other brother was recruited by Lavell but due to back injury could not play there ... 4 of his six sons either have or are playing there now. My daughter attends there now. I have bled blue since birth.

How do you rate your level of fandom?
Love the Cougs!

You may not want your name on here so I'll say hello son of Mel. Your dad was a great man. Your mom was the best sub I ever had when I taught at Hillview with your sister who I still consider a best friend. I have taught 2 of your brothers kids as a sub in Iona. They are the best of kids. I call your other brother's show about every week and lament that he isn't on all week.

You have me pegged from top to bottom ... and it sounds like you have had the good fortune to be associated with the best members of my family! Thank you for connecting with me! Mom truly is one of the great people of the earth and "son of Mel" is (as you understand) one of the greatest honors I could ever have received (some of my friends used to say that my real last name is "Melson"!) And if you taught some of Lance's boys, then you know who has played at the Y ... what a great group of young men they have proven to be!

Thank you for your comments! I'm honored that you know my family and have such great things to say about them. I truly was born of goodly parents ... and brothers and sisters.

[wiscobr]

Where are you from?
Raised in Orem, Utah.

What does your moniker mean?
It was the username assigned to me when I started at UVSC and since it is easy to remember I've kept using it.

Why am I a fan.
Growing up in Orem, BYU was the only item around. Parents went there and grandparents had season tickets.

Earliest memories
Since my grandparents had tickets I got to go to roughly a game every year. The earliest game I remember the best is the 1989 Utah game where we put 70+ on them.

Level of fandom

Very much blue Google homer. I was one of those kids that dressed up as a BYU football player for Halloween and also in personal prayers would pray for BYU victories and good plays.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[nuk13]

You may not want your name on here so I'll say hello son of Mel. Your dad was a great man. Your mom was the best sub I ever had when I taught at Hillview with your sister who I still consider a best friend. I have taught 2 of your brothers kids as a sub in Iona. They are the best of kids. I call your other brother's show about every week and lament that he isn't on all week.[/quote]

You have me pegged from top to bottom ... and it sounds like you have had the good fortune to be associated with the best members of my family! Thank you for connecting with me! Mom truly is one of the great people of the earth and "son of Mel" is (as you understand) one of the greatest honors I could ever have received (some of my friends used to say that my real last name is "Melson"!) And if you taught some of Lance's boys, then you know who has played at the Y ... what a great group of young men they have proven to be!

Thank you for your comments! I'm honored that you know my family and have such great things to say about them. I truly was born of goodly parents ... and brothers and sisters.[/quote]

You are welcome. I am honored to know and associate with your family. Your mother is a saint. Lance's boys are a great group as is his daughter who is the other one I taught. I hope his boys can improve BYU football.

[BOID]

I was raised in Utah County, have recently been at Lake Tahoe, and Helena Montana, and now in Guam.

My moniker relates to a past interest in zoology, which was my undergrad major. Boids are members of the family Boidae, sub-order Ophidia, order Squamata in the class, Reptilia. I no longer work with these fascinating animals. In real life, I am an M.D.

My earliest Cougar memory is of watching BYU in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl. I remember believing that they should have won, and my frustration with the loss. I started at BYU in the fall of 1975. My dad came to visit me on campus, and we went crazy at that same NM game when Gifford Neilsen came in late and made snappy reads and check-downs as he hit his receivers again and again. I was hooked for life.

I am a fan because of the fun and excitement that BYU FB had brought. It was incredible back then to watch big name programs struggle to cope with the new brand of passing game as Lavell introduced the West Coast Offense to college FB. I came back from my mission to Kobe, Japan in time to see Marc Wilson beat Texas A/M on the road in 1979. Then came the Miracle Bowl of 1980, and so on, and so on. Most recently, my best experience in LES was watching Max Hall, Austin Collie, and Dennis Pitta demolish UCLA. The West Coast Offense is not novel any more, and our Cougars struggle more now. Nevertheless, the Eighties Cougars were for real and the 1984 NC was no fluke. I also love the BYU program for its honor and integrity, and because of how it represents the Church.

My level of fandom is such that my wife becomes annoyed with me during football season. I also am one of those that have difficulty dealing with Cougar losses. My wife says she always hopes for a BYU win, because she doesn't like putting up with me after a loss. My father has passed away since 2009. He was a passionate fan, and I cherish those memories of him cheering and yelling at the TV for Our Cougars. I still call my brothers to celebrate wins when we are far distant, and once every two years or so I make it back to Provo to catch a game. I have also spent time driving about to pick up radio signals for live games when there was no TV. So, yeah, I am a pretty crazy, messed up fan, but I try to keep it in perspective. It does help to have this web site to converse with other fans. So, thanks to you, Hawkwing, and every one else for contributing.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[vancouvercougar]

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Lived in Seattle for 3 years now Pendleton, OR (Eastern, OR) for 22 years. I am 53 years old.

What does your moniker mean?
Scott plus the address on our house.

Earliest Cougar memory?
I must have seen all of the Holiday bowl games. Attended the 1980 Miracle bowl and would not let my stake president leave early.

Why are you a fan?
Attended the Y from 1980 to 1986 with a mission to Montreal in between. The Ainge, McMahon, NC year. Grew up a UCLA fan but they are long forgotten. I am a faithful LDS member and thus a Cougar. My dream is to move back some day and get season tickets. As a student I had tickets to fball and bball.

How do you rate your level of fandom?
To the right says Retired.

Hi Scott,

I love that you are in Eastern Oregon. I was born and raised in John Day, and we traveled to Pendelton to see the eye doctor. My parents have moved to LaGrand, so we drive through Pendleton on the way.

[scott715]

You are welcome to stop if you need anything ever. We just had the Roundup rodeo. The town trippled in size that week.

[imuakahuku]

Where am I from?
Originally the world Dad was a Marine and a TSGT in the AF. Born in Germany while he was stationed there. Moved to Hawaii when i was 9.

My Moniker
Imua sort of translates to "onward", "forward", or "Upward". And Kahuku the school I attended from 7th-12th grade.
I got Imua from Uncle Doug who coached the Pirates in Little League Baseball. Every game they gave the cheer imua and it seemed to really pull them together to succeed. So this is a shout out to the my school. We've had the slogan "Pride of the North Shore" for decades. But it didn't start with football or sports at all. Back from 1979 into the 80's our marching band was ranked as a Top 10 Marching Band nationally. I remember as a kid going to watch my older brothers march (three of my brothers were in band and me and one other played football - and we all wrestled except the oldest). Kahuku is one of the poorest schools in the nation. We have always and will probably always have a dirt track. We had more portable classrooms than ones with concrete floors. But since moving I realized that didn't matter to us students. We cared more about the people in the rooms than the rooms themselves. When the state raised the minimum GPA to 2.0 to play sports we were the only public high school in Hawaii to not have one player lose eligibility. We were already at or above that as a school policy. Kahuku recently raised it again. We also had a top debate team and a very high graduation rate. So most of my pride is not based on the athletics but on the culture of the school. I will say I think we have/had a huge advantage because it was probably 60% or more LDS. I'll also admit that it is a "tough" school and until my older brother beat up nearly all the boys (in 6th grade) when we first moved there things were not good for us. But we all stood our ground and now one of the most cherished things I remember is a picture of me and my best friend out our 6th grade graduation from Laie Ele. Above me one of the family members wrote "Ugly Samoan" and put an arrow pointing to me.

Earliest Cougar Memory
Watching the hail mary against SMU on TV and then running outside and playing with some of the neighbor kids and "reliving" it over and over again.

Why I am a fan and my level of fandom
I love what BYU stands for but more than that I think they are right to make it a center piece of the athletic program. What they stand for is far more important than any victory or even the 1984 NC. Before Hawaii, I was living in Miami. My parents were separated and looking to get divorced. My dad was pretty tough on my mom and got drunk occasionally where he would come home and before long the cops would be arriving. I remember sitting outside and the cops arriving and calling him by his first name. Anyway, they were separated (we were with mom) and they decided to give it one more shot. He said uncle sam would pay for one last move and he asked mom where she wanted to go. She said Hawaii. We packed up and moved there. I see this as God's answer to the prayers of a little boy. We lived there for a couple of years and things didn't get much better. Then one day I was home sick and a couple of guys were at the door. My mom let them in and since that day to the day he died my dad never spoke another harsh word to my mother. Five of us were baptized a few months later. My oldest brother got baptized a month after us and he then baptized my dad a year later. I will never be able to fully explain the impact this had in my life. When I hear people say "I don't know where I would be if it weren't for the church" I think to myself, I do, I know where I would be. I know exactly where I was headed and luckily (not really luck) everything I looked at as important or part of life when I was just 10 was avoided. I remember telling my friends I couldn't wait until I could smoke, drink, fool around and all that (at 10 years old). But He sent two young men to my home and I will never be able to thank him enough. This is partly why I love what this team stands for. I know what those little kids are learning but our teams are teaching a different message. And it is the greatest and most important message and hopefully it is able to reach a lot more 10 year old kids and inspire them and give them hope and happiness. Sorry to go so long but this is why I love BYU sports so much and I still can't explain how much the impact has been on me but this is a start. So to all those that have gone on a mission or plan to go or are thinking of going, do it. I don't know if you will ever regret not going but I can promise you that you will never regret going. I think we were those missionaries only baptisms. But nearly all my brothers served. Just on my mission to Guatemala I was blessed to be involved in the conversion of over 100 souls (that was my goal for my mission, I hit it just after my first year so I stopped counting). I take no credit for it by the way. It was all the Spirit, I know that and I know that my companions and I were just the means.

What a great story. I could relate on a lot of different fronts. Thanks for sharing. Which mission and when did you serve in Guatemala? I served in Guatemala City 1980-82 under President Carlos Amado for 18 of those months.

I served in Guate City until we split and I ended up in Guate City South. I served 87-89. I wasn't raised to serve so I got a late start I believe it was the right time for me. I got to serve with some of the greatest men I could have imagined (I'm pretty sure no matter when you go you will still serve with awesome Elders. The work there has been awesome. Shortly after arriving us and the Xela mission were hitting about 500 a month. About six month after our mission split all three were back at about 500 a month. I served in Petapa my third are (and third month down there) and we had about 35 members and met in a little store. Before I left the county 20 months later there was a chapel and I was told they were about to split the ward. I especially liked how our pres described our area. He added to all our mission paperwork "donde camino Jesus" (where Jesus walked). It was pretty humbling when he did that.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Wolverine]

Where am I from?
Originally the world Dad was a Marine and a TSGT in the AF. Born in Germany while he was stationed there. Moved to Hawaii when i was 9.

My Moniker
Imua sort of translates to "onward", "forward", or "Upward". And Kahuku the school I attended from 7th-12th grade.
I got Imua from Uncle Doug who coached the Pirates in Little League Baseball. Every game they gave the cheer imua and it seemed to really pull them together to succeed. So this is a shout out to the my school. We've had the slogan "Pride of the North Shore" for decades. But it didn't start with football or sports at all. Back from 1979 into the 80's our marching band was ranked as a Top 10 Marching Band nationally. I remember as a kid going to watch my older brothers march (three of my brothers were in band and me and one other played football - and we all wrestled except the oldest). Kahuku is one of the poorest schools in the nation. We have always and will probably always have a dirt track. We had more portable classrooms than ones with concrete floors. But since moving I realized that didn't matter to us students. We cared more about the people in the rooms than the rooms themselves. When the state raised the minimum GPA to 2.0 to play sports we were the only public high school in Hawaii to not have one player lose eligibility. We were already at or above that as a school policy. Kahuku recently raised it again. We also had a top debate team and a very high graduation rate. So most of my pride is not based on the athletics but on the culture of the school. I will say I think we have/had a huge advantage because it was probably 60% or more LDS. I'll also admit that it is a "tough" school and until my older brother beat up nearly all the boys (in 6th grade) when we first moved there things were not good for us. But we all stood our ground and now one of the most cherished things I remember is a picture of me and my best friend out our 6th grade graduation from Laie Ele. Above me one of the family members wrote "Ugly Samoan" and put an arrow pointing to me.

Earliest Cougar Memory
Watching the hail mary against SMU on TV and then running outside and playing with some of the neighbor kids and "reliving" it over and over again.

Why I am a fan and my level of fandom
I love what BYU stands for but more than that I think they are right to make it a center piece of the athletic program. What they stand for is far more important than any victory or even the 1984 NC. Before Hawaii, I was living in Miami. My parents were separated and looking to get divorced. My dad was pretty tough on my mom and got drunk occasionally where he would come home and before long the cops would be arriving. I remember sitting outside and the cops arriving and calling him by his first name. Anyway, they were separated (we were with mom) and they decided to give it one more shot. He said uncle sam would pay for one last move and he asked mom where she wanted to go. She said Hawaii. We packed up and moved there. I see this as God's answer to the prayers of a little boy. We lived there for a couple of years and things didn't get much better. Then one day I was home sick and a couple of guys were at the door. My mom let them in and since that day to the day he died my dad never spoke another harsh word to my mother. Five of us were baptized a few months later. My oldest brother got baptized a month after us and he then baptized my dad a year later. I will never be able to fully explain the impact this had in my life. When I hear people say "I don't know where I would be if it weren't for the church" I think to myself, I do, I know where I would be. I know exactly where I was headed and luckily (not really luck) everything I looked at as important or part of life when I was just 10 was avoided. I remember telling my friends I couldn't wait until I could smoke, drink, fool around and all that (at 10 years old). But He sent two young men to my home and I will never be able to thank him enough. This is partly why I love what this team stands for. I know what those little kids are learning but our teams are teaching a different message. And it is the greatest and most important message and hopefully it is able to reach a lot more 10 year old kids and inspire them and give them hope and happiness. Sorry to go so long but this is why I love BYU sports so much and I still can't explain how much the impact has been on me but this is a start. So to all those that have gone on a mission or plan to go or are thinking of going, do it. I don't know if you will ever regret not going but I can promise you that you will never regret going. I think we were those missionaries only baptisms. But nearly all my brothers served. Just on my mission to Guatemala I was blessed to be involved in the conversion of over 100 souls (that was my goal for my mission, I hit it just after my first year so I stopped counting). I take no credit for it by the way. It was all the Spirit, I know that and I know that my companions and I were just the means.

What a great story. I could relate on a lot of different fronts. Thanks for sharing. Which mission and when did you serve in Guatemala? I served in Guatemala City 1980-82 under President Carlos Amado for 18 of those months.

I served in Guate City until we split and I ended up in Guate City South. I served 87-89. I wasn't raised to serve so I got a late start I believe it was the right time for me. I got to serve with some of the greatest men I could have imagined (I'm pretty sure no matter when you go you will still serve with awesome Elders. The work there has been awesome. Shortly after arriving us and the Xela mission were hitting about 500 a month. About six month after our mission split all three were back at about 500 a month. I served in Petapa my third are (and third month down there) and we had about 35 members and met in a little store. Before I left the county 20 months later there was a chapel and I was told they were about to split the ward. I especially liked how our pres described our area. He added to all our mission paperwork "donde camino Jesus" (where Jesus walked). It was pretty humbling when he did that.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

The growth of the Church in Guatemala has amazed me. We were averaging 110 baptisms per month when I arrived in March 1980 and around 250 per month by the time I went home in January 1982, and this was with about 40 less missionaries. President Amado was amazing and really turned our mission around. My first zone was Retahuleu, which is now its own mission, and my last area, Malacatàn was just a tiny Branch and is now its own Stake. Great memories.

[hawkwing]

South American mission goers don't know what it's like to go to a mission field that gets very few baptisms. Such a different (and great) perspective to have.