Hollywood tends to romanticize the high school reunion.
The event has been portrayed in the movies “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Zack and Miri…” and “Grosse Point Blank,” along with TV shows “The League” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
Most of the time, old habits continue into adulthood, with the jocks and the cool kids reverting back to their cliques and the nerds, or less popular kids, still trying to fit in.
Another common stereotype is that the cool kids are now losers and the nerds are rich, successful professionals, the opposite of the high school social structure.
I will get to witness first-hand what actually happens at a high school reunion Saturday night, as the Burlington High School Class of 2000 returns to the city for its first high school reunion.
A 10-year reunion never materialized, but thanks to efforts from a lot of classmates, everything is taken care of for the 15-year, and we will be partying hard at Veteran’s Terrace over the fact we’re all still alive and kicking.
The invitation I received in the mail a few months back said there will be appetizers, beverages and live music, all for a fee of course.
There is a Class of 2000 Facebook page, which says at least 55 people are attending. That just means we’ve paid early, but I’m hoping the majority of the roughly 315 2000 grads show up at the door Saturday night.
As of press time, the plan is to go to the reunion with my long-time friends Jerad Mehring, Ben Huckstorf and, potentially, Kristy Sharp (come on, Kristy, we need you there).
I figured my wife wouldn’t have the best time considering she doesn’t really know any of my classmates, so she’s staying home with my now-16-month-old daughter, Coraline Rose.
Let’s face it, this is a time to catch up with old friends and start never-ending conversations based around hilarious memories of our awkward, at-times embarrassing adolescence.
Spouses really need not apply, as reunions are also platforms to see how everyone looks after all these years, especially the ones who “got away.” We’ve all had crushes when we were younger, and we’re just dying to find out what they’re doing with their lives.
These can either put you into a depression and leave you wondering why you called them the “b” word in 1998, or it can spark that inner fire to see if it can actually still work out.
I am married, so I won’t be taking it that far, but for all my single classmates, it will be interesting to see who’s fraternizing at the end of the night.
When live music, adult beverages and old friends mix, things can get out of hand quickly, for good or for bad, and I guess I have to be prepared for anything.
Most people I talk to immediately revert back to the same teenage insecurities that plagued us all back in high school.
Is the person who used to bully me going to be there? Are the jerks still going to be jerks, or did they grow up?
Did my enemy become more successful than me?
Will I still have feelings for my old crush?
Will something I said 15 years ago finally come back to bite me?
We all want to believe we were these perfect angels in high school and we had it all figured out.
But in actuality, high school is now only less than one-eighth of my lifetime, and it was pretty insignificant.
My class was pretty normal. We had all of the social groups, and most everyone got along by senior year.
Junior year was challenging socially for a lot of us, especially for me.
Like many teens, I spent more time trying to fit in with the cool kids than actually just being myself and going with the flow. That came with immaturity, cockiness and probably ignorance.
By senior year, nobody really cared about any of that status stuff anyway.
Growing up in those days, we had bullying, fistfights, underage drinking parties on occasion and all that young stuff.
Luckily, we didn’t have cell phones or social media. It was still a time where you had no choice but to look at and interact with others face-to-face. We were the last class of the old high school, which is now Karcher Middle School.
I don’t really know how kids survive in high school these days when Twitter and Facebook can mess up your entire existence and reputation.
By college, I found myself immersed in my writing and gained much more confidence. Fitting in was no longer a concern, as everyone was just trying to graduate and have a good time.
I met most of my good friends in college, as most people probably do, but I’ll never forget growing up in Burlington and some of the classic times with my classmates.
It’s not good to dwell on the past, but without our pasts, we wouldn’t be who we are. Like it or not, Burlington High School shaped our lives and turned us into the fathers, mothers and professional successes we are today – fathers and mothers who are now bald and overweight. Hopefully, that’s not just me.
Every time I’ve seen a former classmate in town these past 15 years, an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia grips me, and I can’t stop catching up with him or her.
The small talk only last a few minutes, but you immediately fall back into teenage mode and think about asking them, “Are you going to the football game Friday night?”
Some would say I’ve never left high school, as I now cover high school sports in town. I’ve turned my love for sports and writing into a professional career, and the sky’s the limit – at least in my head.
For all the kids who I considered my friends, I’ve probably reached out to you or kept up with (stalked) you on Facebook, so let’s try to avoid the “What are you doing these days?” question. OK, I get that it’s an icebreaker, but if you know I write for the paper, I probably know you’re an engineer making much more money than me.
My go-to conversation starters will be “Remember that time?,” “Where you living now?” and “When was the last time you were in Burlington?”
Back in the late 90s, we all talked at length about how one day we’d leave small-town Burlington for the bright lights and promise of a big city that actually has a mall.
Well, many of us are still here, and the out-of-towners probably can’t even make it to Saturday’s reunion.
So when you’re nestled up in front of your fireplace Saturday night enjoying some college football, take solace in the fact that the guy who can write for days will be at a loss for words, sipping his drink and psycho-analyzing the best way to ask the kid who used to flick pencils at me in homeroom, “What’s new?”
My happy place will be dancing to Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” or Fastball’s “The Way,” Zima in tow, with my senior year Homecoming date.
Wish me luck, I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it.
WEEK 7 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS
Last week: 5-0
Season: 30-8
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s getting too easy to make these picks.
A perfect week has me winning at a .789 clip, certainly one of my best seasons.
Week six taught us that Waterford and Catholic Central are still kings, Wilmot is on fire and you can never count out Burlington, even with mere seconds left on the clock.
Union Grove further solidified its status as a title contender with a rout on the road.
Unfortunately, Westosha Central remained winless, Elkhorn dropped lower in the standings and Delavan-Darien continued its late-season tailspin.
This weekend features two colossal homecoming games, along with some sure-fire winners.
Have a great football weekend. The Wisconsin Badgers open Big Ten play against rival Iowa, and the Packers should handle their recent nemesis, San Francisco.
What are your picks for this weekend?
Leave a comment on myracinecounty.com, on our Standard Press Sports Facebook page or tweet Sports Editor Mike Ramczyk @mikeramczyk17.
(All games Friday, 7 p.m.)
Wilmot (5-1, 3-1) at Burlington (4-2, 2-2)
After Lake Geneva Badger-Waterford, this is becoming the must-see rivalry in the area.
Last year, the matchup was epic, featuring a four-overtime Burlington win in Wilmot and a 21-20 Burlington victory at home in the first round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs.
It’s the ultimate contrast of styles, as the Demons like to play fast-paced, pass-first offense, scoring early and often and outscoring their opponent.
Wilmot, however, likes to grind it out with physical play, stuffing a triple-option rushing attack down your throat with the rare pass.
In this one, Wilmot’s defense is the difference.
Badger, a team that ran for 300 yards against Burlington, was held to 98 total yards last Friday at Wilmot in the Panthers’ 14-0 victory.
Wilmot’s defense, from the line to the second level to the secondary, can fly around the field and put a helmet on you. Fast, physical playmakers make it difficult to run the ball, and the cover corners and safeties can run with Burlington’s talented weapons on the outside.
This one can go either way, with two supremely talented quarterbacks, Wilmot’s AJ Frisby and Burlington’s Cal Tully.
But revenge has to be on the mind of the Wilmot players and coaches, as the Demons not only ruined their chance at an outright SLC title in 2014 but also ended Wilmot’s season.
The Panthers come into this one with three straight wins after having Waterford nearly beaten, up by double digits, on the road in Week 3.
The Burlington homecoming fans will be nice and rowdy, but Wilmot’s offense seems suitable for playing in hostile environments, as the Panthers mostly hand the ball off and are guided by Frisby, who reads the defense on the fly.
It will be an unhappy homecoming for Burlington in another classic.
PREDICTION: Wilmot 29, Burlington 28
Waterford (6-0, 4-0) at Union Grove (5-1, 3-1)
It’s the Broncos’ homecoming game, so the crowd will be rowdy, especially considering these two teams have somewhat of a rivalry.
Union Grove’s Matt Nelson had another good game throwing the ball last Friday, and TJ Cadd had a big game rushing.
Waterford’s stingy defense hasn’t been tested since Week 4 against Burlington, with two cupcakes against Elkhorn and Westosha Central the past two weeks.
While Waterford, behind defensive guru Adam Bakken, has always figured out a way to shut down opponents, it’s the offense that’s making the Wolverines so dangerous this season.
Sam Allen passed for 200 more yards last week, and the offense exploded for several big plays.
Johnny McCormick is a semifinalist for the state’s top wide receiver award, Dyln Ross is another huge threat on the outside, and the return of Jared Krattiger has only made the rushing attack deeper.
At any given time, Waterford can hand the ball off to a gaggle of running backs, about 10, for big yardage.
Expect Waterford’s elite pass rush to eventually give Nelson fits and force him into turnovers, although the Grove should be able to get some offense going behind the play calling of head coach Craig McClelland.
The Grove is a good team that needs only one win to qualify for its first postseason this decade.
It will happen in October, but nobody in the Southern Lakes Conference is beating Waterford this season.
PREDICTION: Waterford 30, Union Grove 17
Other area predictions:
Lake Geneva Badger 44, Elkhorn 10
Delavan-Darien 63, Westosha Central 21
Catholic Central 55, Thomas More 7
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