msm006's blog

Elwood Olsen Stadium is a great example of what Morningside College represents. It is the field for football, soccer, and track teams. The stands have been used as a workout for the basketball and wrestling teams. It is an also a place for the fine arts here at Morningside to be showcased since the MOB (Morningside Outdoor Band) plays at the games. Elwood brings together all of these different aspects as well as being a general meeting place for many current and former students.
It’s a Saturday morning and the field is calm, it is early morning and there is still dew on the ground. The stands empty, the sidelines, bare. Later on their will be numerous battles taking place and screaming fans to watch the as our Morningside athletes compete in soccer and then later on in football. As of right now however, there is just calm quiet as you can hear birds overhead. If autumn had a prototypical day this would be it. The weather just tells you it’s football season. The parking lot is filling up as parents and alumni come to cheer on their beloved Morningside Mustangs.
The game begins and I have made my move up to The Hill. The Hill is the hot spot for tailgating for Morningside Students. Junior Blayne Richards backs his truck, filled with a futon mattress and chairs to watch the game, and yells “Beautiful day for some tailgating!” The Hill is a steep hill that has a view of the field without having to actually go in the stadium. It has at times been referred to Cheapskate Hill because people not wanting to pay their way into the game can still enjoy it without having to pay to get in. The Hill is about as long as the field and the cars parked up there usually take advantage of all of that room available as cars line nearly the whole length.
There is drinking, laughing and conversation everywhere on the hill. I observe most of the people on the hill have no interest in the game and instead are focused mostly on the social aspect of The Hill. Until late in the game when a touchdown is scored on the corner of the field closest to The Hill and everyone present erupts in cheers as the scoring Morningside player runs towards The Hill and is subsequently flagged as he is nearly to the track while pointing up at his fellow classmates on The Hill.
The fans aren’t too upset with the penalty as the game is well in hand against the rival school of Northwestern. This penalty has only motivated the fans to start a chant about their feelings towards the Red Raider team from Orange City that went something along the lines of “Forget the Dutch.”
The game is now over; the hill is slowly clearing out. Senior Mike O’Neal who enjoyed the experience on the hill encourages everyone to pick up after the game so that everyone is allowed to continue the tradition of tailgating and watching the game from The Hill.