OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As the buses pull up outside the stadium for the College World Series, most fans line up to see the players, but one Omaha fan has made it a tradition to meet the person in the front seat of the bus.
- Since 2015 west Omaha neighbor Jackie Lawrence has made it a point to get a photo with every team bus driver.
- She'll ask for a photo, ask them some questions, and share what she learned on Facebook, with their permission.
- The tradition is no small feat, but it has fostered connections year after year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I make a joke of it. I'm like if they don't know me, I'm this creepy old lady that walks around and tries to get pictures with all of the bus drivers," said Jackie Lawrence.
West Omaha neighbor Jackie Lawrence used to come to the CWS with her son, like many, to get autographs or photos with the teams.
"Once he grew up and no longer was interested in doing that, I had still caught the bug and I was kind of starstruck with the whole College World Series thing," Lawrence said.
In 2015, she started getting photos with the bus drivers for all the teams.
"Usually I walk up to a bus. They will be sitting there, and many times they have no idea who I am. I will just ask if I can get a picture with them," Lawrence said.
From there, she’ll ask a few questions.
"What’s their name? How long have they been driving for Arrow? How many times have they made it to the College World Series and usually, like, a fun fact from the past year," Lawrence said.
She shares it in a photo album on Facebook.
"I walked up to the bus, they were practicing at Bellevue East, and I walked up, and he goes, 'Well, there you are. I was wondering if I was going to see you this year'," Lawrence said.
But tracking down each driver is no small feat.
"You never know where they are going to be practicing and where you are going to find them because a lot of the times, like this, they aren't sitting with the bus," Lawrence said.
Despite the challenge, she looks forward to it every year. And who knows? Maybe one day she’ll be the one behind the wheel.
Molly: "You mentioned that being a bus driver when you retired might be on your list. Were you serious about that?"
Jackie: "Kind of, sort of. I mean, I had my list prepared, you know. Costco, IKEA. But I might be moving CWS bus driver or at least Arrow bus driver up to the top of my list," Lawrence said.
