Editor’s Note: This content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It’s not the destination; it’s the journey.”

But for me, March Madness was definitely about the destination.

It might be because the journey to Dayton, Ohio, involved a missed flight, followed by a multiple-hour flight delay that led to us entering the University of Dayton Arena just seconds before tipoff. We then left the next morning to fly to Charlotte, North Carolina, only to have issues at check-in, which gave us worries that we might not be able to fly.

This was followed by another multiple-hour delay during our layover in New York before we finally landed in Charlotte, only to discover the next day that we didn’t have the credentials to get into Spectrum Center. 

While I often try to make a positive observation of every negative situation, there is absolutely only one positive to that journey: the man who talked your favorite CTV anchor Leah Cackowski and your former-favorite KCSU host Kaleb Allen and I off of a ledge as we waited at the airport in Texas. His name was Kevin, and I remember our conversation with him like it was yesterday.

We talked about his time serving in the U.S. military and what we were doing covering Colorado State men’s basketball. I also remember him telling us we would make it to our game and that he would be watching and rooting for CSU because of us.

That man made everything feel like it would be alright, and despite my brain screaming at me that the sky was falling, the sincerity of Kevin saying we would make it before tipoff was so reassuring that I started to believe it, but everything outside of that moment was a total and complete disaster.

Yet all of that misfortune could not make the feeling of walking into the University of Dayton Arena and Spectrum Center any less magical. 

If you asked me two years ago where I thought I might be in the future, my answer never would have involved being in press row at a March Madness tournament.

For a very long time now, I have watched college basketball with an intensity that can only be described with a love for the game.

I have always looked up to guys like Jon Rothstein, Seth Davis and Jay Bilas, and seeing people on their level in Dayton and Charlotte covering the same event I was is still absolutely mind-blowing.

Walking into the University of Dayton Arena felt like an almost out-of-body experience. I sat there and watched the game, but it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

I still remember feeling like I was waiting to wake up, but that wake-up never came, and I instead continued to sit there in my awe. I once again got that feeling in Charlotte. After watching March Madness year in and year out, that was the first tournament I had ever been to in person.

Living out that portion of my dreams and seeing all of my hard work finally come to fruition was nothing short of extraordinary, and I am forever beyond thankful to The Collegian and Rocky Mountain Student Media for helping make that experience happen.

Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.

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