Mention American football to me a few months ago and I probably would have looked at you pretty blankly. Um, you mean that game where they have no rules? Fast forward one semester at Penn State and you'll find me spending 10 hours on a bus through middle America to watch a game. Although to be honest if you asked me to name a rule in football ( because apparently there are actually some) I wouldn't be able to explain to you a single one. Well, maybe one, that if you run the ball across the line at the back of the pitch it's called a touchdown!
I also must apologise - I have been meaning to write this post for the last two weekends and have never gotten round to it. But don't worry I will be giving you a blow by blow account of my trip to Indiana. Indiana !? Yes, Indiana because that's where I went to see Penn State take on the University of Wisconsin in the final of the Big10 football championship final.
Ever since Penn State defeated Ohio State they have won more and played better, so much so that they reached the final of the Big10 Championship - the biggest college football league on the East Coast. Penn State as only Penn State would then paid for 500 students to go to Indianapolis to support the team away from home.
So two Saturday's ago my friends Louisa, Cam, Toto and I woke at 6 am to catch a bus from State College to Indianapolis. Given that we had all been at formals the night before a ten-hour bus ride was probably not what we needed. Nursing headaches and wriggling around to find some sleep on the tiny, uncomfortable bus seats we chugged through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
Penn State might be good at coordinating, but they are terrible at choosing toilet stops. For instance, our only stop for food on the entire journey just happened to be at the roadside McDonalds opposite the Ohio State University campus in Colombus. I don't think I've been asked: "Would you like fries with that" in a more demeaning manner than by an employee wearing an OSU t-shirt and instead of a McDonald's uniform.
Driving through Indiana was interesting to say the least. No, not the landscape, the scenery in Indiana can go only be described in one word - flat. No make that two - corn fields. We drove through the state for almost two hours before we actually saw a house, and that was on the outskirts of Indianapolis. Along the deserted roads, we got overtaken by a bearded white man driving a truck with the confederate flag waving out the window and across the road. Redneck America is still alive and well in Indiana it seems.
The plan once we arrived in Indianapolis had been to tailgate, but we got there much later than expected and only really had time to change, go toilet and grab some food before queuing up to head into the game. Most of the time students say they need alcohol to get through a football game - they're long, boring, cold but not in Indianapolis on finals night. There was so much tension, so much spirit you didn't need alcohol to feel excited. As for the cold, the stadium in Indianapolis was covered and heated !
The first half of the game was dismal for Penn State. We trailed my close to twenty points and as the cheers of the red Wisconsin supporters got louder the grumbles from the Penn State students grew.
But apparently it's a convention that the PSU team will always play better in the second half, and we did. Much, much better landing touch down after touch down, eventually winning the match 38-31. WE ARE BIG10 CHAMPIONS!
I thought I had seen all the emotions one little brown ball could give after the Ohio State game but as the coach, James Franklin raised the trophy the tears flowed. Students sobbed, grandparents wept and grown adults cried into their plush Nitanny Lions. Penn State chants danced their way around the stadium, growing stronger with every Wisconsin fan who left.
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| Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis |
The high of a championship win faded slightly as we boarded the ten-hour bus home. I've had my fair share of quintessential American experiences but this one trumped them all. Oh and my gorgeous friend Louisa and I made ESPN, my housemates called me during the game screaming my name down the phone to say the whole bar had turned to them and said: " Your New Zealand roommate is on TV !"
Six months ago I would have dreamed life could be so wonderful!
