Reading through these insightful blog posts, you may have noticed that many students love to attend Penn State football games. Beaver Stadium is one of the best places to be on a Saturday afternoon/night, regardless of where you end up sitting in the student section. However, one of my favorite places to sit in the stadium is in the “S” zone. Located at the south endzone, the “S” zone (student zone) is the powerhouse of the student section. With the Lion Ambassadors’ help, roughly 800 students create a giant “S” out of blue and white t-shirts to show our student support of the football team. Most notably, if you sit in this section, you receive a free t-shirt to wear and cherish forever!!!
So how can you make sure that you’re in the “S” zone during the next football game? Well, there is a trick to getting those awesome seats. Since seats are assigned at the gates on gameday, it is critical to make sure that you are in the right line at the right time once you arrive at Gate A. If the football game you’re attending is a White-Out game again Ohio State or Michigan, you’ll need to be at the gates well before they open. Gates always open two hours before kickoff, so you may want to arrive at Beaver Stadium a half hour before they open to ensure that you get the seats you want. However, if we aren’t playing against a Big 10 team, then you can arrive well after the gates open and still get your “S” zone seats.
On the left is a picture from my first year at PSU in the “S” zone with my friends, including Kelly (Team F mentor) and Makaela (Team E mentor).
Standing in the correct line is the most important step to landing those awesome seats. When you arrive at Gate A, you’ll see approximately 10 lines, each with metal barricades leading to little white trailers. One or two of the trailers will have a giant, blue “S” sticker on the side of it, and that will be the line you need to stand in. Once you receive your ticket, it should say section SE or SF on it. As long as the view from your seat looks directly between the goal posts on the south endzone, then you’re in the “S” zone. Sometimes, if you arrive too late yet are in the correct line, you might not get into the “S” zone (though it is rare for this to happen as long as you plan ahead). Usually, the shirts are handed out right before the game starts. Also, you’ll get a special pom-pom that is either solid white or blue depending on the shirt you recieve.
The “S” zone isn’t always blue and white. During the homecoming game, the “S” zone turns black and pink to represent Penn State’s original school colors. As the story goes, black and pink Penn State flags were flown all over campus, but after years in the sun, they faded to blue and white. Thus, the University decided to make blue and white our school colors. Also, one football game per year is dedicated to THON families and fundraising efforts, and the “S” zone is extended to include a golden ribbon. Those golden “S” zone shirts are extremely rare to obtain and extra special to get.
On the right is a picture from my sophomore year at the Homecoming football game. Team F and Team E mentors are present again!
I challenge all WEPOteers reading this blog post to sit in the “S” zone at least once during your years at Penn State. Not only is the view great, but the extra layer of clothing will keep you warm during a cold and rainy game.
Jamie Weikel
Team K Mentor
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