If you are like so many of your fellow Cornellians, you were too lazy to get hockey tickets last Friday. What a pity. Somehow, on Thursday night you just weren’t up to sleeping in your own filth for over 30 hours to be able to scream your head off every winter Friday and Saturday at Lynah Rink. You read the rules posted online by the Athletic department and feared being carried away by an angry policeman while sleeping in your cardboard lean-to at 3 a.m.
If this sounds like the thought process you struggled with that fateful morning, take solace. Although you may now regret your lack of ticket zeal, there is life outside the unfriendly confines of the student section at our beloved icehouse.
For you, dear friend, I provide these alternatives to the athletic entertainment provided by the spectre of season tickets:
1. Get townie seats. Nothing can be finer than screaming that so and so from Princeton is a woman because he’s got long hair, while those you are sitting next to are trying to enjoy a Family Night Out.
Last year as a lowly freshmen, I could only muster tickets in section G in light of the confusion of the ticket system. I was hesitant to be so far from the true Faithful but found my reluctance was misplaced. By season’s end we whack-jobs in section G were a cheering force to be reckoned with. We had our own section protocol and took pride in our intricate “Youuuuu suuuuck” cheer.
We would also have the occasional alum from the opposing squad enter our tight sphere of fanaticism. It was at this point that we would engage in an intense game of “Run Out the Alum”. The rules varied with each opponent, but creativity was demanded on a nightly basis.
NOTE: Surprise!, the athletic world on East Hill extends far beyond the men’s hockey team.
2. I would suggest that anyone with a free Saturday take the time to walk up to a soccer game. The men’s team has recently earned a national ranking and is led by one of Cornell’s most exciting athletes in senior Ted Papadopoulos.
The women’s team, after a rough 2000 season, has jumped out to a 2-1-2 start, thanks in large part to the stonewalling efforts of Ivy League Rookie of the Week Katie Thomas.
3. While the football team is out to a slow (ok, very slow) start, they will surely find restoration on the carpet of Schoellkopf this weekend against Lehigh. Quarterback Ricky Rahne has risen to national prowess for a reason: he is a pleasure to watch and worth the price of admission (IT’S FREE, for goodness sake) for any pure-hearted Cornellian.
4. The women’s cross-country squad has also boosted itself to national prominence, earning an Ivy-best ranking at 20 in the most recent national poll. They run farther than you can imagine. It’s worth a look.
5. The women of the field-hockey team almost shocked the world of college sports on Sunday, losing three leads to eventually fall 5-3 to no. 6 Michigan State. They are 5-2 in a sport that can be (admittedly) confusing yet equally exciting for anyone.
6. Drink e-moo, it soothes the soul.
7. Watch the remaining games on the Mets schedule and try and convince yourself that they still have a “statistical shot” at the postseason. You will soon be lost in the confusion and forget your error in not getting tickets.
8. Act like you care that the San Diego Chargers are undefeated. Come on, they were at least smart enough to unload the mole that is Ryan Leaf. Some teams (the JETS) will stay with a quarterback no matter how horrible he performs under any sort of pressure.
9. Cry about it… we all have feelings.
10. Wait till next year. Hopefully through the efforts of this very newspaper, a new year will provide a new and much (!!) improved version of a ticket system that will not require the present insanity of such student sacrifice. We love our icers, but at the price of civil war?
All in all, you are not alone friend. There are many opportunities for fanatical behavior in this buzzing world we call home. So rise up, put on your most blatant CU attire, and find the light beyond the puck.
Archived article by Scott Jones