I remember a few weeks/months ago there was a thread on here about Opryland theme park. Many of you all shared fond memories and sadness about it closing down. As a 30 year old “out of towner” I never got to experience that place. However I have gotten to experience Memorial Gymnasium numerous times. Memorial has always/will always be a special place to me. Family trips were planned around going to games. Entire weekends were spent in Nashville with the games at the center of it all. Memorial is one of those places that as soon as you walk inside you just feel different. The sights, sounds, and smells are just indescribable. No matter if the team won or lost, it was always a good time. A time that never got old. One that you looked forward to making the drive west on I-40 to experience. Memorial to me is a member of the family. A tradition that I look forward to year in and year out. But sadly this season I feel as though I’m losing that member of the family, if I haven’t already lost it. Going there back in December, while the aura of the historic building was still there, the atmosphere seemed a shell of what it once was. Memorial made me a Vanderbilt fan, I will never cease being a Vandy fan, but it breaks my heart seeing a piece of me in the state it’s currently in. Memorial Gymnasium, it’s more than a gym, or a sporting event, it’s a way of life!!
