An Appreciation for Hampden-Sydney Sports
by: John Hobart ‘10There are many things that being at Hampden-Sydney College over the past four years have made me. Like most Hampden-Sydney alumni (and soon to be alumni) I have become a better man, a better speaker, a better writer, and many other things. I am very proud of these newfound traits and expected to make some sort of transformation towards the better over the course of my college career. There is one thing that I didn’t expect to leave Hampden-Sydney as, and that is a diehard Tigers fan.
I have been a huge sports fan my whole life. When the Falcons don’t do well, I get angry. When the Braves don’t do well, I get livid. But I could never understand why when Wake Forest lost a football game on their way to a 6-4 season, my brother (who went to Wake Forest) screamed so loud you would have thought he had broken his arm. After four years of doing everything I could to never miss a Tiger home football game, I understand.
We all have friends at big schools. Football is a very big deal at places like Virginia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, etc. But how many of our friends at schools like these can say they have never missed a home game? Not many. How many of our friends at schools like these can say they roomed with the starting linebacker freshman year? Probably none. The point is that while the Tigers may not mean much to people who did not go to Hampden-Sydney, they mean a lot to us.
There are so many good things about sports at Hampden-Sydney, but here are a few of the best. (My friends and I have come to refer to Hampden-Sydney sports as Tigerball, so that’s what I will refer to it as for the remainder of the article.)
The Tailgate
Whether up in the Founders’ Lot or down behind the Circle, a Hampden-Sydney tailgate is truly a one of a kind event. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure this is close to how most people’s mornings go on game day… After a long Friday night, one of my roommates or housemates has woken up around 9 am and blasted the stereo. After everyone wakes up, some sort of breakfast is usually consumed and then it’s shower time. Once I pick out what classy outfit I am going to wear to woo the ladies that day, it’s off to the tailgate. By this time it’s around 10:30 and my friends begin to trickle down to the tailgate area into the sea of beautiful girls in sundresses. I usually start the morning with a vodka and orange juice because I like orange juice with my breakfast. Next I begin to look around for my friends’ parents who have made the trip from Richmond or Lynchburg and brought Chik-fil-a party platters with them. A source of loud music is usually found and you begin to get looks that say “are they really drinking already?” Yes we are; today is Tigerball. Once the visiting team has made their way to the field and heard screams of “Go Tigers!” (and I get even more of the aforementioned looks) it is time to make my way to the game. The tailgate is one of the best parts of Tigerball.
Great Seats
When one goes to a sporting event, one of the first questions that is asked is “How were your seats?” This question has never been asked about Tigerball. Any Tiger fan can sit on the fifty yard line, on the floor of the basketball game, or right behind home plate. When Duke plays UNC the Cameron Crazies have to camp out in freezing temperatures to even get in to the game. When Hampden-Sydney plays Randolph-Macon I can show up at game time and be a Kirby Krazy on the front row. Even if you don’t prefer to be on the front row, there is never a bad seat for Tigerball. The best part about these great seats: they are free!
Alumni Loyalty
The Alumni of this college care a whole lot about Tigerball. The Randolph-Macon game this year (at Randolph-Macon) was packed with H-SC alumni who took away the Yellow Jackets home field advantage. At any home basketball game it is not hard to find a fifty year old man who has thrown his blazer on the court and is yelling at the ref. But my favorite story of all comes from the playoff game against Johns Hopkins. I was at the tailgate in the middle of my normal routine (which, by the way, had to be started an hour early because of the 12 pm kickoff) when I introduced myself to a fellow fan who was probably about 75 years old. He had gone to Hampden-Sydney and he was telling me very entertaining stories about his time here. The stories must have triggered some great memories because next thing I know he asked me to pour him a vodka drink (which he had previously declined). Now here is the best part of the story. I half jokingly asked him if he was going to High Point that night for the Tigers first basketball game of the season. He pointed to a group of his friends and informed me that they were all making the trip right after the football game. They love Tigerball.
The Athletes
When you think about it, the Tigers are no different from the Hokies, Bulldogs, or Crimson Tide. Sure, the athletes from these schools are bigger, stronger and faster, but do they sweat more than the Tigers? No. Do they bleed more? No. Do they care more? No. And neither should their fans. Tiger athletes deserve as much loyalty from their fans as the big schools, and they are on their way to getting that. The football and soccer teams both made great runs this year, and the excitement and support was certainly felt from the student body.
As I move toward the end of my career at Hampden-Sydney I will not be ashamed to call Hampden-Sydney my favorite college team, and I hope you aren’t either. Go Tigers.
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