Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 6 | June 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 11 Fast Forward Document Solutions Proud to Support Virginia Tech Athletics MFPs I Document Management I Managed Print Services I Production Print Roanoke • New River Valley • Lynchburg • Charlottesville Richmond • Hampton Roads • Shenandoah Valley VAbusinesssystems.com • 540-362-3300 It’s how you win. And it’s how we deliver. Teamwork . VBS VT 1-3 page ad_Layout 1 7/21/16 11:52 AM Page 1 Carson Wentz tore his ACL, I offered a hollow “hang in there.” When Nick Foles helped the Eagles limp through the divisional round of the playoffs, I was happy. For her, sure, but more so for me because, once the Vikings handled the Saints, the wounded birds figured not to supply much resistance on the way—finally—back to the Super Bowl. Prior to the “Minnesota Miracle,” I had rightly given up hope. She consoled me. And then lightning struck. Stefon Diggs sprinted to the end zone, and I lost my mind. And we made a wager. The Vikings and Eagles would meet in the NFC Championship Game. Whoever’s team won would have their fight song played as we entered our wedding reception. Seemed like good fun. And the Vikings were going to win anyway. We were the team of destiny, after all. Curse, what curse?! Midway through the week before the game, I had an epiphany. It might be better for me if the Vikings lost. The stress of the wedding was coming, and I realized I was much more worried about how she would handle the Eagles losing than I was about the Vikings getting beat. That, I knew how to handle. It may not be the most poetic way to discover that you’ve identified something more important than you in your life, but that’s the way it went down. As did the Vikings, in typically stunningMinnesota fashion. The kind of fashion that leaves you maniacally laughing in disbelief by the third quarter and then tossing and turning at night wondering how you let themmake you believe again. She tried to be a gracious winner—and failed. It’s not in her DNA. That’s why I love her. But now the Eagles needed to finish the job. Otherwise, my anguish was for nothing. Watching her watch the Super Bowl was more stressful than any game I have ever called or witnessed. It took her a solid 10 seconds after Tom Brady’s Hail Mary landed incomplete before she comprehended that the Eagles had done it. And then a funny thing happened. She let me share it with her. “This is the greatest year ever” she screamed. “The Eagles win the Super Bowl, and I get to get married!” Pure joy. And suddenly it was my win, too. That’s what marriage is, right? Sharing triumph, weathering sorrow—together. I hold onto the thought that maybe next year we will share a Vikings’ triumph. Hey, I’m a sucker, what can I say? And that Kirk Cousins … But for now, I had a bet to pay off. If this was going to happen, though, it was going to happen in a big way. I started my career interning for the “Voice of the Vikings” Paul Allen. I knew he would help, and he did with typical gallows humor. I had him voiceover the introductions for the bridal party. When he got to announcing us, however, I had him turn it over to the iconic “Voice of the Eagles” Merrill Reese. My friend, Wes McElroy, worked for him in the past and called in a favor. So it was that, as we waited to make our grand entrance, Merrill, in his trademark style, announced, “touching down in public for the first time … Mr. and Mrs. Jon Laaser!” When “Fly Eagles Fly” began, she burst through that door like an unblocked linebacker. And there we were. The lights shimmered off her gown, as she danced and jumped—and smiled. I’ll never forget that smile. The Vikings had failed again, and it was perfect. I was right where I was supposed to be. The honeymoon wasn’t too shabby either. And she was right, it has been the best year ever. So, time to start our lives—of joint fandom—together. Feel free to come mediate some time. Go Hokies! And Vikings, and fine … Eagles! A wager leads to an unforgettable reception for the Laaser-Blessington wedding.