As two scruffy nomads who all our lives have heard “Hotty Toddy” … “Roll Tide” … and belted out “Rocky Top” more times than you care to count … this football season has us blending in with the townies and WYO students here at the University of Wyoming and yellin’ with the best of ’em … “Go Pokes!”  and “Let’r Buck !  Albeit in two varied Southern accents that can’t be denied among our Western counterparts !

Since our arrival to Laramie in early July, we’ve admired the WYO football stadium and liked the fact that it looks so quaint and reasonable in comparison to the SEC monstrosities we’ve grown so accustomed to.  No small stadium, but small in relation to what we’re used to seeing, it does feel like a hometown community kind of stadium.

So thanks to a co-worker of Lisa’s who provided us with free tickets,  today we got to experience a new side of Laramie and off we went to War Memorial Stadium to cheer on the WYO Cowboys !  Lisa’s sister, Nancy, arrived yesterday from Sevierville, TN for a weekend visit and her first time in Wyoming and Colorado. After a gorgeous morning excursion to the Snowy Range and Medicine Bow Mountains for some chilly hiking and a wonderful late lunch in Laramie at Jeffrey’s, one of our fav eating spots in downtown Laramie, we drove the entire 1.5 miles over to the stadium from downtown and navigated our way through the pandemonium and free for all to find our seats in Section 26 on the Eastern side of the stadium.  We made it just in time for kick off !

It was a fine Saturday here in Southern Wyoming and although we couldn’t understand the lyrics being sung with the marching band in celebration of the Cowboys touchdowns today, we got home and with a little research discovered just what these Poke fans were singing  to that catchy tune the band was playing  …  (check it out on youtube if you want to hear the music that goes along …. )

He always sings raggy music to his cattle as he swings
Back and forward in his saddle on a horse (pretty good horse!)
He’s a syncopated gaiter
And you out to hear the meter to the roar of his repeater
How they run (yes run!)
When they hear him come, because the western folks all know,
He’s a high fallutin’, rootin’ tootin’
Son of a gun from old Wyoming
Ragtime Cowboy, (talk about your cowboy), Ragtime Cowboy Joe.

So there you have it Rebels (Black Bears!), Volunteers, Crimson Tide, Gators, Tigers, and Bulldogs …  out here it’s the Pokes who Let’r Buck and control the round up on the grid iron!   You gotta love the West.  This culture will grow on you real quickly and before you know it … you’re wearing your cowboy hat to the football game!  There’s more to this mascot than some wild animal … this is where real life and culture of a place meld with the sport of football.  I can only imagine how good this University’s Rodeo team is !

Two high fallutin’ rooting’ tootin’  Scruffies from the 50 yard line

Karole Sessums