It looks like spring has finally sprung here in Hanover. With warmer temperatures come two things: shorts and huge Dartmouth athletics home weekends.
This past Saturday was one of those epic days where you can roll out of bed and go to games until you’re ready to get back into it. (Okay, we understand the first game was at noon, but lets be real, that’s when you roll out of bed, right?) These are the days Austin and I live for, right behind the day of the Granite League softball championship game and the final round of Masters.
Hoping for sunshine and warm weather, Mother Nature threw us our first curve ball Saturday which was cloudy, windy and cold. It wasn’t marginally cold -— instead, we got that kind of cold that makes us sure that our weather apps are lying (it has to be below freezing, right?). We started the day at Lou’s to get us in the spirit, along with a healthy dose of morning coffee. Ready to take on whatever came our way, we ventured out toward the athletic fields.
Our first stop of the day was the opening game of baseball’s double-header against defending Ivy League champion Columbia University. Big Green ace Beau Sulser ’16 kept the hitters at bay, but Columbia came back in the last inning to force extra play. After three extra innings, though, Jeff Keller ’14 belted a double, driving home Matt Parisi ’15 for the winning run. I figure Jeff must be getting tired of hitting doubles so routinely, so he decided to mix things up and make this one a walkoff. Pretty great way to start the day. While the stands were cold, the team provided the warmth necessary to keep us all out there.
From there, spirited fans ventured to see the end of a physical lacrosse game against ranked Yale University, and while the guys played hard, they couldn’t quite stay with the Bulldogs. It was great to see the support that the team was getting from the hundreds of fans that trekked to Scully-Fahey Field, though.
Right around the corner, the softball team was taking the University of Pennsylvania to task, and in case you hadn’t heard, our team is good — like sweeps-teams-every-weekend good. Just ask Penn and Columbia. Seems like some students on campus have already started taking notice, regularly bringing a solid contingent of hecklers over to the park.
Our day ended with the 6 p.m. men’s rugby game. While rugby isn’t a varsity sport, the team recently captured a national championship and has already landed a home game in the first round of the national Varsity Cup 15s tournament next weekend against Clemson University.
On Saturday the team played Harvard University for the Ivy Championship, making it look easy. These guys were good, and Madison Hughes ’15, who currently splits time between Dartmouth’s club and U.S. National 7s team, made Harvard look silly. He made jaws drop with his speed and he does this stalling, directional switch that I couldn’t understand but would make anyone an amazing athlete.
We learned last weekend that there is a solid contingent of fans out there, attending for the love of the game and to see their friends compete. These fans often get no recognition, spend hours doing nothing but heckling refs and are easily the most spirited ones there.
One guy in this category is Brendan Loftus ’14. The guy is a legend, maybe not on the IM fields, but certainly in the stands. He’s never missed a Dartmouth home football game in his time at the school and follows nearly every sport, too. He also is often the loudest one at every game. While he may not paint his body or wear a costume, he truly bleeds green.
Austin and I know that not everyone can show this level of commitment to our teams. But as spring continues to bloom, if another one of these epic days replete with games comes along, treat yourself. Make a day of it, going from one game to the next. I guarantee you will walk away slightly sunburnt but glowing with appreciation for our athletes and fans.
