For the past three years, I have started each new year with an adventure. Journeys that were meant to demonstrate all that is right and true in the world. Voyages into the unknown that were intended to start the year off on a high note. It’s been rough…

2010: Oregon vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon lost.

2011: Oregon vs. Auburn in the BCS National Championship. Oregon lost.

Now 2012 was upon us, and coach Chip Kelly had led the Ducks to an unprescedented third conference championship in a row (in his third season as head coach). I’d gone this far, but could I really suffer at the hands of another crushing loss… in person?? The time, the effort, the cost… all factors that weighed heavily on my mind. But in the end, I decided I couldn’t give up on my boys now, so we booked a flight to Pasadena and took a mulligan on the Rose Bowl!

I gotta say, it felt great to be back, and there was definately a different vibe in the air. We’d done this before. We’d gone beyond this to “The Natty”. Now, we’re back in familiar teritory and ready to give it another go.

I was also reminded about the drawbacks of playing at the Rose Bowl. Most notably: the stadium. It’s a cool, historic place, but it is a bitch to get in and (especially) out of there. And then there’s the seats… benches with numbers on them that seem to get closer every year. When everyone is standing, it was often necessary to stand sideways in order to fit. When people sat, there wasn’t enough room for everyone and somebody had to remain standing. Ridiculous.

But little mattered aside from the final score. I’d been through the ringer twice before, and honestly this was probably going to be the last bowl trip for me, at least for a while. It is such an exhausting trip, and the pain of losing makes the whole journey seem wasted. I can only take so much pain before I have to consider how nice it would be to sit at home and watch the game without some jerk crowding my seat.

But finally, after years of torment, the Ducks pulled it off. And it was glorious.

So, after 3 years, I can FINALLY declare that I’ve seen the Ducks win a bowl game in person. FINALLY. And on top of that, I can FINALLY start a year off right! 2012 is shaping up nicely, and has already made 2011 and 2010 look stupid in comparison.

Bring on the new year! Go Ducks!