Sara Clark
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2015
- Messages
- 5,165
- Likes
- 17,058
The Grude News, the final broadcast. For those just tuning in.
Well folks, it's over. While it's not quite the outcome we expected, we have closure. And what a ride it has been... Looking back to the times shared by many and the family we created here, these were certainly the best of times and the worst of times. Just when we thought it was the worst of times, new hope would arise for us to continue forward and make it the best of times. And it's beneficial to give one last "shout out" to those I have come to admire over the past couple of months. I thought about dropping it in the final Gruden thread, but think it's far more fitting here.
I promise not to make this entirely sound like an Oscar Award speech, but many thanks are needed in this final post.
First off, Freak for giving us a home for all the crazy people involved in this latest coaching search. I know he's still looking for the keys to that new yacht to park with the Vol Navy, but without him keeping this place up, it's likely we never would have connected like we have. Now, I know he loved the clicks he received from the massive amount of Gruden threads we created and contributed to, but he loves his Vols and let us run a little wild. So, special thanks to him are due first.
Additional thanks to SFD for her maniacal obsession with piecing things together and providing a forest instead of trees. Along those lines, HearForGrumors and other legal folks were also critical in helping translate the "lawyer-ese" into plain English the rest of us could comprehend and digest. Without fine (and sharp) folks like you and others, a lot of us would be bumbling around in the dark grasping at straws of "what does it all mean?!" You provided invaluable insight and analysis of the entire process and you cannot be thanked enough.
Extreme special thanks to Sara who helped get the ball rolling on our outrage campaign. Without true fans like yourself, we likely would have been stuck with a hire we did not want and the same old crap going on another five to ten years. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for rallying the troops here at VN for that cause.
And where to start with the rest of the list? So many old friends from the 2012 Grudenmania to the "newbies" that came on board for the latest saga that came together over the past couple of months. Duds, Mink, Boro, Faceless, MaTaLa, EG, Hawk, the elusive Bubba, Hillbilly, Exile (both of them) and I could go on. Truth is, I wouldn't even know where to start with the family that formed in these threads. From Preacher Webb's "list" to Doyle's Grudometer to Comb's well timed "Gruden to the Hill!" to Coasty's daily emotional roller coaster, we formed a family here that will last a lifetime. We were strangers on a random internet board when this first started so many years ago. But we now share something we can look back on and smile thinking about those crazy times and posts we all laughed at.
We laughed at the great gif wars and chuckled at the Night Shift before coming together to send a resounding GTFO to trolls and waited anxiously for the drive by Beaver sightings. Truly, we had the best of times in a dark time of UT football. We won't forget places like the Olive Garden or the fence at the airport or fights over hash browns at the Waffle House. I know I poked fun at more than one or two of you (here's looking at Volly and Behr) but I wouldn't have traded any of you for any amount of money...okay, maybe I would trade the trolls for whatever loose change was in someone's couch. But the rest of you? Solid gold. There's just too many things to mention all of them specifically, but everyone contributed to these threads to make them great.
As for me, I have enjoyed my time in these threads and would never look on it as wasted. Sometimes in life, little things come your way that spark one's creative instincts. I can only hope some of my "updates" have helped ease tensions, provided a chuckle or two and lightened the mood when we needed it. I thank everyone here for indulging me in my posts.
From the entire Volnation News Team, I'm Grand Vol and the final thoughts?
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. Arthur Ashe
And what a journey it has been for us.
Signing off.
Tears...........this is awesome. Memories indeed!!!
