Me and The Beav
Written: Oct 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great football tradition, field in beautiful shape, loyal fans
Cons: fans are too complacent
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| grumpifrog's Full Review: Beaver Stadium |
Want to find me on a Saturday in autumn? Take a look at Penn State's football schedule, because if the Nits are playing at home, I'll be in Beaver Stadium.
I will admit that I've never seen a college football game anywhere else but Beaver Stadium, so I cannot compare this experience with any other. But I've attended games as both a student and as an alumna (and I'm proud to say that no one else has ever sat in my seat in the upper deck -- it's been mine since the deck opened, and knock on wood, I haven't missed a home game). In fact, I was just there yesterday . . .
It was a perfect day for football. The autumn colors were in full bloom under a clear blue sky. My son and I went into the stadium an hour before kick-off, like usual. We made our mountain climb to the upper deck (luckily we sit near the bottom of the deck, rather than in row 96, which is quite a hike). The kickers and punters and quarterbacks for both teams were on the field. The sun glistened off the still-empty metal bleachers. Our seats have always provided a perfect view of Mount Nittany and Seven Mountains, but the new stadium expansion has blocked Seven Mountains. Mount Nittany is still in clear view for us, but not for long. (This has been a big complaint for the old-timers who sit in the west stands. But if you want to see a mountain, stay in the parking lot.) The stadium is in the midst of a building boom: luxury boxes, a new upper deck over the south end zone, new scoreboards. Yes, Beaver Stadium has joined the 21st century, and fans can now watch replays on the big screen. Currently, there is only one "tv" scoreboard, over the deck on the north end zone, but a second one is planned in the south end zone, when the building is completed. (Thanks to this new stadium toy, the replay of Rashard Casey's fantastic run got as loud a cheer as the real time action.)
Kick-off is getting closer, and the stadium is filling. The student section is always the last area of the stadium to fill, but once they come in, they'll stand the entire game. No more throwing marshmallows in the student section, and there is assigned seats -- I think the student section is much more subdued than it used to be.
The first roars will come when the band marches on the field. The fanfare will begin, the crowd jumps to its feet, and the drum major high kicks his way down the field, and then -- he flips. That's our big pre-game tradition: the drum major (in his tall white hat) doing a front flip, then going into a half-split while saluting the crowd. Supposedly, if the drum major lands on his feet, the Nittany Lions will win (this doesn't always hold true, however). After saluting the North End crowd, the drum major turns around and repeats his flip in the South End zone to the delight of the student body. The band plays the national anthem, the alma mater, the opposing team's fight song (if that school did not bring its band), then the floating lion formation to the PSU fight songs. As the band lines up on the field to wait for the football team's arrival, the cheerleaders begin the "I say Penn, you say State" cheer. Why do I mention this? Because this cheer is where Joe Paterno got his nickname! "I say 'Joe Pa,' you say 'terno.'" And this is followed by our version of Rock 'n Roll Part 2 and then the famous WE ARE cheer. The chills run up the spine as the white helmets appear in the south tunnel. Then up goes Joe's fist and out comes the team. What a rush that is -- finally, the anticipation is over and the game begins.
If you want to visit a stadium with non-stop crowd noise, don't come to Beaver Stadium. I'm sorry to say that the older alumni too often sit on their hands and never yell. I'm not sure why they come inside to the game, when for many of them, it seems like the tailgate party is the important thing -- which is apparent by the number of RVs that begin rolling into town on Thursday and the gourmet spreads outside the RV in the hours before kick-off. The rowdiest non-student section is the upper deck, especially when the cowbell dude (a former Nittany Lion) stirs up the crowd. Stomping our feet on the metal stands and screaming loudly has unsettled many opposing offenses.
However, Penn State fans are loyal (witness our worst start to a season ever, yet each game sees an attendance of over 95,000) and are some of the nicest fans around. Okay, we're a little cocky about PSU's good-guy reputation, but generally, fans are friendly to opposing team fans. Our alumni association has a booth outside the visitors' section that welcomes the opposing school's fans and provides directions and answers to any questions fans may have. Plenty of times, we've been at tailgates and invited the rivals to join us for a beer or a hot dog, and there is plenty of good-natured ribbing in the stands. I'm not sure this would happen at many other stadiums, but last year, after Minnesota stunned us with a last second field goal to win our homecoming game, and after the stadium went dead quiet, fans applauded the Gopher football team as they went into their locker room for a well-fought game.
I think Beaver Stadium is a great place to watch a football game although I do wish the fans would get a little noisier.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
grumpifrog
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Member: Sue P
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 13 members
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