It’s arrived, the 2022 USAFL season for the Nashville Kangaroos kicks off this weekend! Your Roos will be squaring off against the Columbus Cats and who better to describe our rivalry with them then our own Captain, David “Frosty” Harris:
"There’s no rivalry like the Nashville-Columbus one in the USAFL. Although the cities are more than 7 hours apart with Columbus’ home ground in the center of the state of Ohio, our respective squads have squared off against each other at least twice per year on average, and some years more than that when we run across them in tournament play. We know each other. We respect each other. Off the field we love each other’s company, and both teams become one unit of brothers once we hit the after party, and the after after party. But on the field, once the footy is bounced and the Q1 clock begins to move, it isn’t Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood anymore. Not by a longshot.
One game against Columbus proves the point. The year was 2013. Your Mighty Nashville Kangaroos found ourselves with a strong side that year, making an easy foray into the Division 1 Land of the Giants. It was August 24, and your Kangaroos were 10 wins and 0 losses for the year to that point, and we were ranked in the standings as NUMBER ONE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Columbus rolled into town with a national ranking of NUMBER TWO. That day had the number 1 and 2 teams in the country facing off right here in Nashville, Tennessee. In attendance that day were journalists and camera operators from the media, with food trucks, families, music, sunshine making the air electric around the packed oval at Elmington Park. As the Kangaroos stood lined up to face the Cats at the coin toss, steely stares were given by men on each team. Veins were throbbing. Sweat glistening in the Sun. Chests heaving. Ready to go.
Then, across the field a Kangaroo could be seen sprinting fully uniformed from his car and onto the field. This guy was running LATE? For THIS GAME? Jaw muscles clinched up and down the line as the last Kangaroo lined up and joined the prebounce ritual. While Kangaroos always have each others backs without question, it was a pretty nasty offence to be late for the NASHVILLE COLUMBUS #1 vs #2 tilt. Confession: your author Frosty was that offending late Kangaroo. I gave apologies then and would do so again today if asked for it. But let me explain:
My son Maximus Augustin Harris was born on August 24, 2013 at 12:15pm at Vanderbilt Hospital. Yes. The day of Nashville v. Columbus. He was born 100 percent healthy and happy, as was his mother. So healthy and happy they were, that when I said I REALLY needed to play in the Roos v Cats game… my family said GO DO IT. And I did. New baby hanging out in the nursery and all that went with it… but I could not miss Columbus. Would not miss it. Won’t ever miss it.
If you love hot, aggressive competition, and you love hard hits, long kicks, and crushing guys who deserve it on the football field, this is the match for you. We’ve had brawls, we’ve had lopsided victories on both sides, uber-intense play, and most of all, we’ve competed like demons against each other. I love those guys. But I love kicking their asses up and down the footy field even more. You should too."
GO ROOS
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