Rip City Romp

Submitted by guest writer, Drew Lawson

"Wake up Aidan!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Today we're going to the Rose Garden!" Yes, Aidan and I were taking a filming trip with Dad and Tim Denison to the arena of the Portland Trail Blazers. Dad was going to interview Larry Miller, president of the Blazers, about the Z-Man Scholarship with the Portland Police Bureau.

What did we expect? For Dad to shoot a video, outside the arena, of Larry Miller. But as we arrived with video equipment and hot chocolate from Tully's, Officer Chuck and Officer Chris from the Portland Police introduced us to another guy named Chris who led us to the corporate offices.

There a lady who appeared to be the secretary kindly looked Aidan in the eye. "Would you like a bobblehead?" Aidan shyly nodded, thrilled that somebody who worked for the Blazers had offered him something. She went back to a storage area and returned with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge bobbleheads. Apparently she had noticed me, so we both got a keepsake that now sits on our desk.

After we thanked her, Chris took us on an elevator and outside to another door. He explained that this is where the players enter the arena. "How cool," I thought. But even Officer Chris and Chuck (who worked at Blazer home games) were not expecting what happened next. Chris led us through a door, showed us the press conference room, then took us into a larger room.

"This is the locker room." The locker room! What a thrill! I noticed large lockers containing practice jerseys, shoes and drawings from young fans. Aidan quickly hurried to find Brandon Roy's locker and peered inside. Officer Chris told me to go stand by my favorite player, pointing out that it must be LaMarcus Aldridge, because of the bobblehead. However, I walked over to Rudy Fernandez's locker, explaining that he was my favorite player. Aidan just stood in awe, Mr. Denison snapped pictures at a furious rate, and even Dad seemed thrilled as he admired Greg Oden's montrous shoes.

Chris then led us through the dark tunnel and out onto the court. It seemed surprisingly small as Aidan and I ran around reliving our favorite Blazers moments. Then Larry Miller came in. I realized that this was the man that I had seen on T.V. Aidan and I sat quietly courtside, staring in wonder.

Dad and Mr. Denison shot the video, then Dad introduced us to Larry Miller. I shyly shook his hand, with Aidan doing the same. Larry Miller seemed like a very normal person -- short, quiet, dressed casually, a guy you might run into at WalMart. He was pressed for time, so he soon left. He walked down the visitor's tunnel, disappearing into darkness.

It was time to go. We picked up the video equipment then walked out, bobbleheads and all. After thanking everyone, we climbed into the car and drove away. I was still in shock over our experience that day. Soon we arrived home. Aidan and I walked in with shining eyes, ready to tell about our adventures. We knew that we would never, EVER forget our Rip City Romp.