Okay so yesterday I totally blanked that Webb City football tickets went on sale for the big rivalry game. My kid is obsessed, and I promised him we’d go this year. Woke up, checked my phone, saw like five texts from other parents basically screaming “TICKETS ARE LIVE!!!” and went into full panic mode. Knew they’d sell out crazy fast.
The Website Nightmare Begins
First thing I did, obviously, was grab my laptop. Jumped onto the official site. Or tried to. The thing was crawling. Like, slower than cold honey. Refreshed maybe ten times just trying to get the dang ticket page to load. Finally got it… only to see the dreaded spinning wheel of doom when I clicked “Purchase.” My stomach dropped.
Plan B: The Physical Hunt
Screw it. Website’s busted? Fine. Figured maybe the high school athletic office sold them directly, even though it’s usually online these days. Threw on the nearest clean-ish t-shirt, yelled to my wife “Going to the school!”, and bolted out the door.
Got there way faster than I should have, maybe broke a few speed limits. Parked haphazardly. Ran up to the main office door… locked. Peered inside. Lights off. No one was there. Looked at my watch. Was it a holiday? Teacher workday? I had zero clue. Felt like an idiot. Started calling people who might know what the actual deal was.
The Phone Call Lifeline
While pacing the parking lot, scrolling through my contacts frantically, I remembered Mrs. Jenkins. Her son works concessions. Worth a shot? Dialed her number, praying.
She answered! Bless her. “John?” she says. I quickly blurted out my ticket desperation. She kinda chuckled (annoying!) but then gave me the golden nugget: “Oh honey, they moved it this year! It’s all through the booster club booth outside the stadium gate today only, starting at 9 AM sharp. Cash only!”
My brain processed this:
- Stadium gate? Okay.
- Booster club? Got it.
- CASH ONLY? Oh crap.
- Starts at 9 AM? It was 8:52 AM!
The Final Sprint & Score!
Drove like a madman to the stadium. Saw a small crowd already gathered near Gate 3. Panic level max. Scrambled to find an ATM nearby – luckily spotted one at the gas station across the street. Yanked out way more cash than the tickets cost, just in case. Ran back.
Got in line – maybe 15 people ahead of me. My turn came up super fast. Slammed some bills down. “Three tickets, please!” The lady running the booth just smiled, grabbed an envelope, stuffed the tickets inside, handed it over. Took maybe 10 seconds.
Waved the envelope triumphantly as I walked back to my car. Felt like I’d just won the dang Super Bowl myself. The whole crazy scramble – from the dead website, to the empty school, to the frantic call, to the cash dash – took maybe 45 minutes, start to finish. Exhausting? Yep. Worth it to see my kid’s face? Absolutely.
Moral of this ridiculous morning? Sometimes the “old school” way, boots on the ground and talking to actual humans, saves your bacon when technology bricks it. Always have cash handy on ticket day, and know the local gossip chain!