I don't really think I had much of a choice to be anything but a Cyclone fan. All three of my brothers went to Iowa State, so I jumped on the bandwagon at a very young age inside Hilton Coliseum.
So when I ventured out to Hog Wild Days in Hiawatha, to ask people what they go hog wild for, I thought back to the first ISU game I attended.
Somewhere, there is a photo of me taken after that first game. I've got this foam basketball thing on my head, so if you find it, burn it. I look mad, but not because I look stupid - the Cyclones had lost.
Despite the score that day, I was hooked. I was the kid who taped every Iowa State game, even though I was watching it. If there was a buzzer-beater or game-winning touchdown pass, I was going to have a record of it.
I remember where I was (and what I was wearing) when Iowa State's Justis Thigpen swished a running 3-pointer to beat Colorado on the road. Even today, I could tell you all about it like it was yesterday.
Of course, there have been plenty of times when it's been tough to be an Iowa State fan. There was the 0-10-1 football season, the Hampton fiasco in Boise and Eustachy-gate. Oh, and don't forget 15 straight losses to your biggest rival.
But there have also been highs: A running back who twice ran for 2,000 yards, a legitimate national title contender in basketball with the 99-00 team and Cael Sanderson's gold-medal run.
I realize making a red-and-gold declaration like this isn't the smartest thing on this side of the state. I'm definitely in enemy territory, but even that shouldn't be cause to swallow your school pride.