I Dropped Anchor in 2004
Impact-Site-Verification: fbdf51c3-9744-49fd-abe9-c7cf40f13c18 In the land of Wylie, Texas, there be a mystical battle cry known as AHMO. When I first dropped anchor in Wylie back in 2004, I spied them banners flappin’ in the salty breeze all ’round town, but I couldn’t make heads nor tails of what it meant, aye! But fate had a twist in store for me. That very year, me son, young Jason, heaved himself onto the varsity football crew, and there, I finally learned the secret behind AHMO.
AHMO Be the Heart and Soul of Every Young Pirate, Maurauder and Buccaneer in Town!
In Wylie, Texas it be the compass that points our way, the North Star that guides us through the stormy seas. If ye be a landlubber from afar, ye won’t have a clue what this treasure statement means. Ask, and the silence be as deep as Davy Jones’ locker. But if ye be one of us, a true Wylie pirate, ye just know! AHMO be the call to arms, the promise to give it yer all, and to boldly kick some tailfeathers! It be a phrase as sturdy as a ship’s hull, as unyielding as the tide, and as timeless as the deep blue sea. So, when the cannon smoke clears, remember, it be time to cry out, “AHMO!”
The True Legend of Ye AHMO
Now, let me spin ye another tale. Back in the wild days of the mid-’70s, a bold buccaneer by the name of Tom Dreesen made his home in a treacherous place south of Chicago, a den of scallywags called Harvey, Illinois. In them parts, they had a saying, “AHMO,” which be meanin’, “AH MO KICK YOUR BUTT,” and they tossed it ’round like a bottle of rum in merry conversation.
Tom, bein’ the clever pirate that he was, let loose with this phrase in a jest on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast back in the 70’s. Aye, but our very own Wylie Pirate coach, Jerry Schaeffer, had the salt in his veins, for the Pirates were facin’ a fearsome foe, a crew that had been leavin’ a trail of destruction, aye, 50 points ahead in every battle, Breckenridge. His heart be heavy with doubt.
But legend has it that just afore a pivotal showdown against Breckenridge in the year 1977, Coach Schaffer returned from a late practice to find Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast playin’ on the telly. Aye, ’twas then that the coach seized the AHMO phrase from the jaws of that roast and hoisted it high. And, ye see, it stuck like barnacles on a ship’s hull!
Throughout Coach Shaffer’s reign, the Pirates sailed to a record of 123 victories, 41 draws, and only 2 losses, includin’ 10 district titles won fair and square. The grand treasure of the 1977 State championship be theirs, and they be runners-up in the year of ’78. So, me hearties, remember the legacy of AHMO – dig deep, work hard, and commit to the code. Give it all ye got, and stand tall with confidence in yer endeavors. When the dust settles, let out a mighty cry, “AHMO!”
Arrr, me hearties! Wylie be sportin’ them banners on their jerseys, and they’ve been flyin’ on the flags of local businesses since the days of the ’70s, matey! This here be a part of the very fabric of Wylie’s culture now, aye!
