Hokie Football 101: Traditions of Lane

Ok class, we had a week off last week but time to hit the books again. Today, we're not covering a team or an offensive style, or any of that kind of stuff. Today, we are going to talk about some Hokie traditions and other things that might be of help to you this Saturday inside Lane.

I'll start off with saying that paper airplanes, have never been, and never will be part of our proud football heritage. You do not throw them and you look like an idiot for trying. Want to do it after the game is over? Sure, go for it, personally I don't care at that point, but during the game you're main job is to be the best home field advantage you can be, and that does not involve any type of airplane.

Ok, now that we have that taken care of we should probably start, so let's start at pregame, what do you say?

You should walk into every game having prepared properly beforehand with lots of tailgate food and/or drinks. I know for noon games you have to get up early, but trust me, it's worth it. If you don't know of a good tailgate, start one with your friends. The Prices Fork Lot is free to park in with a Communter tag and is full of other tailgates going on. Start your own tradition, or ask to join someone else. As long as you bring supplies, most people will be happy to let you join in.

So you walk into the stadium, and the first thing you likely see is the Corps of Cadets out on the field. I don't think I need to go into any background here, but if you really are that new to VT, we were founded as a military school way back in 1872 and that history still plays a large role in our day to day life on campus. The Corps marching before the game just reminds us of where we came from and is a chance to recognize those awesome students who are currently in the Corps and salute those who great alumni who were members of the Corps. "For those who've passed and for those yet to come"

So, normally the Corps and the Marching Virginians will switch out roles once a year at home games. The MVs will do the pregame and the Corps will do halftime. This is usually done during the Thursday night game, but thanks to our Athletic Director, that game isn't happening this year, so I'm not sure if we'll ever see them switch. Although they may do this during the Maryland game, or if we somehow walk into a night game against Duke.

So you're now hopefully at your seat and getting ready to scream your lungs out. I'll pause while you mix one of those many airplane bottles stuffed in your boots into your coke that you just bought..................ok you good now? Awesome! Just remember, there's no shame in finishing that before kickoff.

Ok, so it's time for the National Anthem so you need to stand up now, and get comfortable because you're not sitting down again until at least halftime. Just so we're clear, if you're a guy and you have anything on your head that isn't your own hair, take it off and be respectful. Ladies, you don't have to take your hats off, but it doesn't hurt to do so. "....that our flag was still there," OK PAUSE FOR ONE SECOND!!!! I know it sounds like a lot of people do this, but that whole "OOOOHHHHHH!" thing that comes next is not a VT tradition. That is a Baltimore Oriole's tradition and it's great and I don't really care if you do it, but just so you're informed. Ok, you may continue. "and the home of the braaaa*BOOM*. WHAT THE HELL WHAS THAT!?!"

Oh, I see you've met Skipper. Pretty awesome right. Did you just feel that bourbon in your stomach move a little bit due to the shockwave? So the story behind that glorious piece of machinery goes back to our days when our biggest rival was not LOLUVA, but VMI. Yes, we did in fact used to be huge rivals. It all comes back to our military history. Put two military schools close together, naturally a rivalry appears.

At one game the Keydets shot off their fancy new cannon (it was more like a mortar). Following this, they began chanting "Where's your cannon?" to all the VT Corps across the field. Now you see, that Hokie resolve has never changed and we would not take this laying down. Homer Hickam (yes the leader of the Rocket Boys, and yes you should watch October Sky if you haven't yet) decided to build a cannon for the next VMI game, and he wasn't content with just simply throwing something together. You should read the entire history of Skipper here. The next year, when we played VMI, they shot of their cannon and began their silly "Where's your cannon?" chant again. Well, we then rolled out good ole Skipper (named after JFK who was assisinated while the cannon was being constructed). They loaded a TRIPLE charge into it and then fired. The legend goes that half the VMI Corps had their hats blown off and those in the press box had to put their hands up on the glass to keep it from vibrating out of its frame. Needless to say, they stopped chanting.

Here's a cool video of the VT v. VMI football game:

The Enter Sandman entrace is one of the most known and revered in college football. It's easy to see why. But, it's not an old tradition by any means. Following that magical 1999 season, the athletic department decided to put up a brand spanking new scoreboard/video board called "Hokie Vision". Yeah, I know if only they knew what we'd have now. They wanted to show some type of entrace video to highlight the new board so they made one and it was up to VT higher-ups to pick the song to go with it. They were between three songs, the two others were "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sirius". I think they made the right choice. The jumping started a few home games into the 2000 season because at a particularly cold home game, the fans needed a way to warm up. For those of you who have yet to attend a game in Lane, this is the highlight of the day (next to a Hokie win of course).

Oh hey, now they're playing our fight song. Did you know this actually has words to it? Yeah neither did I until a few weeks ago while riding back from the Alabama game when lady Skipper mentioned it to me. Check it out:

Ok, it's almost kickoff time. You should probably go get another drink....oh cool, you just threw back that airplane bottle. I like your style kid. You'll do fine here.

Alright, class since I don't want to go over my time, we'll stop there for today. You're homework for the week is to read the Mike London Book of Clock Management and write me a page long essay on how to not use your timeouts at the end of the game. Don't forget your lunch pails on the way out!

Enjoy your weekend! GO HOKIES!