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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

The air was electric as members of Purple and Gold Side stood on opposite ends of the stage of Palmer Hall at the University of Montevallo in anticipation—hanging on to every word of Student Government Association President Colton Rodano as he read a script that hid the key to this year’s College Night winner.

Before I can even comprehend what happened, Gold Side erupts in chaotic victory with newspapers falling overhead and screams of ecstatic satisfaction knowing that their hard work paid off this year with a “GV.”

Despite attending the University of Montevallo for five years, I never once attended College Night. As a commuting student, I spent as little time as possible on campus working and engaging in my classes before returning back home. It wasn’t until I joined the student newspaper, The Alabamian, three years in that I truly started to pay attention to events on campus.

After getting my start as a student journalist and making friends I’ll never forget, I stepped off of the campus for the final time—at least until I had to go right back only a few months later for my new job at the Shelby County Reporter.

This year marked the second College Night I’ve attended as an alumnus of the university and as a reporter, and I can finally say, “I get it.”

UM’s long-running, annual homecoming tradition may seem odd to those on the outside but that’s part of the charm that makes it so unique. Students put hours and hours of work, blood, sweat and tears into giving it their all on all fronts whether it be sports, sign preparation, cheer or the tradition’s climatic theater productions. Everyone plays a small role in helping to reach that Purple or Gold victory.

Each year’s loss spurs the students to even greater heights and each victory remains a permanent memory and a highlight of the students’ college experience. No matter the outcome of the evening, both teams gave it their all and deserve a standing ovation from everyone.

Now, having attended twice and having seen both a Purple Victory and a Gold Victory, I have to ask one question, “Is it too late to pick a side and is there still room for me?”

Well, fortunately, it looks like there’s a break in the circle because “There is always room for one more Gold.”