Attending Sporting Events and Supporting Clubs

I come from a high school who doesn’t exactly excel in school spirit so you could say the Penn State was a bit of a culture shock in that area. Penn State Football is obviously a huge deal here, but we’ve got a lot more to cheer for than just football.

I know I might be biased toward women’s soccer because I played all growing up (and with a couple of the girls on the team) but our team is actually very exciting to watch! During my freshman year, we played against Bucknell University in the first round of the NCAA tournament and my friend who goes there surprised me by coming to watch the game. She was less than excited when we won 6-0 :).

Moving on, I was kicking myself all sophomore year because I slept through getting season hockey tickets. They actually sold out in 2 minutes so who knows if I would’ve gotten them anyways. The first time I visited Penn State during my senior year of high school, I went to a hockey game and I was instantly hooked. Being in Pegula and hearing the cheers and chants from the student section, I never wanted to be apart of something more. Still speaking of hockey, I’m a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan, so thrilled doesn’t even describe how I was feeling when they announced that they were playing a preseason game here last season. There are a lot of random events like that happening on campus so you have to keep your eyes open (follow Onward State on Twitter because they’re usually the first to announce.)

While sports are a huge aspect of the Penn State culture, we also have an abundance of clubs (Cynthia gives you some info on how to join them in her post.) WEPO is great because you get to meet girls who have a lot of the same academic goals and aspirations as you and you might even have some other things in common too. But, it also brings a lot of different types of people together. I met my best friend through WEPO and she is an amazing dancer (my younger sister tells me I’m an embarrassment every time I dance.) This past spring, I attended her final dance showcase for the season and it’s one of my favorite memories. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in your own things that you forget how happy it makes people when you support them. I’ve also been to a tuba concert and a trumpet showcase so far. It’s important to show those closest to you that you care about what they’re passionate about. So even if it’s something that you don’t understand or appreciate, go anyways just because it means something to someone else.

Circling back to football, tailgating is a big piece of game day and as a first year the thought of not having anywhere to go can be pretty scary. But, joining clubs comes into play again. A lot of clubs or organizations have their own tailgates that anyone can go to so there are always options.

So when football season ends or sports are transitioning so you don’t have games to attend, remember that there are still plenty of fun things to do during the school year!

By: Lindsey Cicchino (Mentor Team J)