Lax fandemonium at the Hop - Seriously Mock-Serious

This Saturday's lacrosse game was some kind of spectacle. Thousands of Hopkins students and fans witnessed the total dismantling of Princeton, and Homewood Field was brimming over with school spirit and emotional energy.

But the game on the field wasn't the only source of entertainment. Sure, watching the game was enjoyable, but there was a whole host of more interactive and engaging activities happening in the stands. Some people seemed to really enjoy jumping up and down on the bleachers to see if they would break, while for others the real test was just being able to stand. Some young fans tried desperately to invoke "the wave," but luckily everyone ignored them. Listening to some of the crazed fans sing soccer cheers and repeatedly perform the "Tomahawk Chop" was an added treat. Which reminds me, Florida State v. Brazil would be a terrific match. And great games like "Catch the hat that keeps getting thrown down to the front row" and "Try not to get hit by the flying loose change" were fun for the whole family.

The lacrosse game wasn't just entertainment for students and the community, however; it was also an educational experience. I learned, among other things, that a minority population of students vehemently believes that "the ref beats his wife." The words of these students may have had little impact on the officiating, but they definitely hit home with the rest of the crowd, because another group started using the very same cheer later in the game.

I also learned that "T-I-G-E-R-S" does not, in fact, spell "tigers." Needless to say, I was crushed, finally realizing that my previous 20 years of schooling had failed me.

And I learned what happens when Hopkins students are mistaken for Princeton fans. A group of male students, trying to fuel the home crowd, paraded around with the phrase "Princeton Sucks" painted on their bodies. Unfortunately for these goodhearted Blue Jays fans, they were bombarded with soda bottles thrown down from the stands by other Hopkins students. The hurlers, too infuriated to keep reading after "Princeton," erroneously believed that Princeton students had come to our side of the stadium in an act of provocation. The assailants were, of course, provoked, and luckily for the culprits, there was no (active) security around to deal with them.

It seemed as if everyone in the stadium was the target of some sort of ridiculous outburst, be it physical or verbal in nature. At one point, while roaming the aisles in hopes of motivating the mass of Hopkins supporters, the school mascot had its head pulled off by a riotous fan. People cheered during the half-time game when a little kid fell. And in a slight instance of irony, even the Hopkins cheerleaders received their share of grief from the crowd. So much of the cheering wasn't associated with the game that I started wondering if this kind of atmosphere might be possible without any game at all.

But we did come out to cheer for our team, and we got to see one hell of a game. Although a lot of the antics going on in the stands were immature and annoying, every once in a while some drunken fool acting like a complete buffoon put a smile on my face. Whoever says Hopkins life is boring obviously doesn't have friends who are willing to humiliate themselves in front of their peers. As the song goes, that's what friends are for. And despite a few idiots in the crowd, it was a relief to see the student body so united. For the most part, our fans were into the game, supportive and intelligent.

It's pretty clear that this year we have a team to really get excited about. So let's get behind our guys this season and see where they can take us, and I don't think it will hurt to have a little comic relief coming along for the ride.

And, yes, Princeton still sucks.