Red and Gold has officially ended.

As a freshman, I always hoped Red and Gold would be the main highlight of my year. Being a student with many Rosary alumnae family members, I’ve heard and seen many of the wonders that come with the Red and Gold season.

But, I don’t think I could have ever imagined what my Red and Gold experience would actually be like. I don’t know what I expected, but whatever it was, Red and Gold season definitely exceeded my expectations.

When watching the performance in its entirety prior to being at Rosary, I hadn’t realized how much time and work had really gone into it. I only knew Red and Gold as a production that each team came up with and performed, but I never knew the spirit behind it.

That was of course until kickoff when I had been completely blown away by Rosary’s school spirit. It was more than I could have EVER expected.

The posters and banners all around the school representing a team, the skit before sharing this year’s theme, the excitement and eagerness to know which color and category I would be on, and the bathrooms decorated with cardboard cutouts of every teenage girl’s favorite singer or actor—all of this helped me understand that this is what everyone has been talking about.

Something I expected to feel as Red and Gold got closer was nervous. Being on stage with everyone watching? Yeah, no thanks.

But surprisingly, that wasn’t the case at all. Actually, as the show approached, I was excited to be on stage and perform with my team.

The whole process of Red and Gold preparations was so much fun and knowing that things weren’t quite finished yet kept me so excited for the last few days of the season.