The Etiquette of the Court Rush

Honestly, I’ve had enough of this cold weather. It’s March now and I still need hot chocolates on demand, you must be kidding me. I understand that when you come to Cornell, you should be prepared for this but I’ve reached my limit. Enough threats of snow, I’m honestly tired of getting smacked in the face by the wind … I can’t go through this anymore. Its been so bad recently that my friend who visited me this past weekend almost considered passing on the Ludacris concert because of the cold … just the other night my friend (Boa manhã consideravelmente) was walking thru Ho Plaza on her way to class and couldn’t do anything but belt out a loud scream in retaliation to this cold place called Ithaca. I won’t even start to vent my frustration about teachers piling on work as spring break approaches.
But while Ithaca continues to make coats mandatory, things will begin to heat up shortly. Spring break, a.k.a. the reappearance of the Sun, is right around the corner. But its not just the weather that is due to go up couple notches, Cornell Athletics is finally approaching the best time of the year. While we will never be referred to as a big-sports school, if you go to Cornell and have some sense of school pride or just love sports you have to be excited about what is going to take place over the next couple weeks. The men’s basketball team just might be on its way to another NCAA Tournament appearance, the Hockey team has earned a No. 2 seed in the ECAC Tournament and is ranked No. 12 in the nation, men’s lacrosse season is under way and are ranked No. 4 and will be taking on No. 1 Virginia on Sunday and the wrestling team is No. 2 in the nation with the NCAAs right around the corner. For a school that produces some of the smartest people in the world, the athletics aren’t that bad.
The March Madness shall ensue Friday night at Newman Arena. Now for those of you who don’t know, if the men’s basketball team beats Penn Friday night and Princeton loses to Columbia, we get an automatic bid into the NCAA draw. And if more suspense is needed, if Princeton beats Columbia Friday we have to clinch a tournament berth against the Tigers on Saturday (a team that beat us by 20 this year in New Jersey) on senior night. It should be an epic night, if all goes according to plan. Now before you guys start practicing how you are going to rush the court, please read these three rules before you head to Newman Arena this Friday. I’ve seen a crowd mob go in the wrong direction before and I don’t want anything crazy happen.
No. 1 – Holding Players Up in the Air
Last year, in all the madness that ensued after our demolishing of Harvard, some brave fans decided that they loved senior center Jeff Foote so much that they picked him up. Now, I must warn you, Foote’s a little bit heavier this year, so you should be pretty strong. Also, if Foote lets you do that this year and you just so happen to drop him or something along those line, you WILL have to answer to me.
No. 2 – No Pushing
I remember last year somebody pushed me in the back as they were rushing to center court and in the middle of all my excitement, I got kind of mad. “Did he really just push me!? … Alright, forget it go celebrate.” So please, we are all getting to the same place so please refrain. Additionally, if you decide to just stay in the stands, you will have a great view of the scene.
No. 3 – No Asking for Gifts
The guys on the basketball team are real nice guys, trust me. Real personable, genuine nice people. But don’t abuse that as a fan. I remember last year, some fan asked for a piece of the net that was cut down by a player. Now, in the middle of all the happiness of a first title in 20 years, this player had to come down to earth for a while and just tell the fan politely no. That’s just not cool, you know better. When you watch the Final Four, you ever see a fan get a piece of the net as the team is cutting it down? I thought so.
Enjoy the weekend, things are finally heating up in Ithaca.