Things are a bit tense today at Château Thompson. My alma mater (The University of Virginia) knocked wife Amy’s school (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville) out of the national collegiate soccer tournament this week.

Sports rivalries can bust up a good home, but we don’t run into that many differences when it comes to our favorite teams. Amy, a native of the St. Louis metro area, is a die-hard Cardinals’ baseball fan. So am I.

During our 23 years working out of the Washington, DC, area, we shared common support of what is now called just “The Washington Football Team” after dropping the “Redskins” label.

In NASCAR, we like the same drivers (mostly) and share dislike of some others. Amy was proud of the SIUE lacrosse team, which wins national championships. Sometimes, they lose to Virginia’s, which is strong in lacrosse, but I never paid much attention to it.

We jointly cheered Virginia’s NCAA basketball championship. I enjoyed that championship because it is one that Virginia Tech has never won. Neither one of us cares much about Tech’s sports.

We both support and cheer the Floyd County High School athletic teams and their wins. It;s been a pleasure to photograph the championships of the Lady Buffaloes basketball and softball state championship runs, along with the track and golf wins.

But I will tread softly for the next few days after Virginia’s triumph over SIUE in the first round soccer match. Best to leave my Cavalier t-shirt in the drawer. The temper of my Irish-Lebanese wife is not something to tempt.

I will gloat quietly and try hard not to let it get my gloat. 🙂