Lori's Larks
Pulling For The
by Lori K. Tate photography by John G. Tate
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team It was a great day to be a Wildcat
O
ther than having never seen The Sound of Music (the good one with Julie Andrews), I have another dark secret — I have never been to a Davidson College men’s basketball game. That is until New Year’s Day of this year. A friend gave my family tickets for the College of Charleston game, and off we went. A little background here: I went to UNC Chapel Hill, so basketball is in my blood. I grew up with posters of Carolina’s basketball team above my bed and a little statue of Jeff Lebo [a McDonald’s All American who played for Carolina from 1986 through 1989] beside my bed. I was a junior in college when the Tar Heels won the 1993 NCAA College Men’s Basketball Championship, and I cried the day Coach Dean Smith retired. Needless to say, I am a Tar Heel through and through. However, Davidson Collage has a special place in my heart because I met my husband on its campus, and because I have so many friends who either went to school there or work there now, or both. Plus, I really like Stephen Curry. That said; if I’m going to cheat on my Tar Heels with another team, it’s going to be with the Wildcats. I had no idea what to expect as we walked through the parking lot to Belk Arena. People were dressed in all variations of red and black and ran the gamut from senior citizens to families just like us. There weren’t many college students in attendance, as they were still on winter break.
lake norman currents | February 2014 | www.lncurrents.com
As we approached the front door, my almost 4-year-old daughter yelled, “Go Tar Heels!” Although I was more than proud of her for sharing her school spirit, I quickly told her that we needed to cheer for the Wildcats on this particular day. She caught on quickly. Walking into the nearly 6,000-seat arena was akin to walking into a big party. A band called Kradlefish was playing rock ‘n’ roll music loudly, and everyone was socializing. Because the students were still on break, there were no cheerleaders or a mascot, but that really didn’t matter because this crowd was having a good time. Our seats were only a few rows back from the court, which gave us a bird’s eye view of Jacque Culpepper (an artist associate of voice in Davidson College’s Music Department and a dear friend) singing the national anthem beautifully. When the game started, we could see everything. We could even hear the players grunt. One of the best parts about going to a basketball game at Davidson is the intimacy. While I love the Dean Dome, it’s overwhelming with its 21,000-plus seats. Unless you’re a bigwig alumni or in the pep band, chances are your seats aren’t going to be great. Most of the time my friends and I watched games in the bars on Franklin Street so we’d have a better view. This was especially important when we won big games because we’d be the first people to storm the street to celebrate.
Editor Lori K. Tate and her daughter, Margot, at their first Davidson College men's basketball game.
At Davidson, I felt like I had the best of both worlds. The atmosphere was casual enough that I could enjoy the game while fielding questions and snack requests from my children, and the basketball was exciting. Fans were into the game, and there really wasn’t a bad seat in the house. I can only imagine how exciting it would have been to go to a game when Curry played. Although the Wildcats didn’t win that day (the final score was 76-64), I felt like we won because we had such a good time. Getting out of the parking lot was easy, and the fans, though disappointed with the loss, displayed great sportsmanship as they exited the building, which is not always the case in basketball — or any other sport for that matter. We will definitely go back, but my heart will always be Carolina blue. Go Heels! THE SCOOP For tickets to a Davidson College men’s or women’s basketball game, visit www. davidsonwildcats.com.