Nick Hartley

The turning of a calendar to a New Year brings new starts and new resolutions. Jackrabbits should also have a list of things to do for the New Year. Here is a list of the basics for Jackrabbit fans:

1. Thou shall Roadtrip. Roadtrips are an unwritten rule of being a fan. Take a weekend and roadtrip to an away game. Life on the road sometime sucks for the team, but having some fans cheering them on usually makes the game better. If you’ve got some money to burn, then there is no better way to have fun than to do this.

Suggested Spring Roadtrips:

Basketball doubleheaders at UM-Kansas City on Feb. 16 or at NDSU on Jan. 25 and 26. Softball games in Utah on March 14-19. Baseball does a three state tour at Air Force on March 14-16, at Missouri on March 18-19 and at Minnesota on March 21-23. Track athletes visit the historic Drake Relays April 25-26.

Suggested Fall Roadtrips:

Football trips to Iowa State on Aug. 28 for the first game of the year, to UNI on Sept. 20 or to NDSU on Nov. 22. Visit Mexico over Thanksgiving as the men and women are playing tournaments in Cancun.

2. Come to as many events as possible. Students are paying an activity fee, so why not use that fee and come to games? The more events you come to, the more you feel like you’re using that money wisely. Besides, some schools charge their students for tickets. If in doubt about what is going on, go to GoJacks.com for information about athletic events.

3. Learn more about the teams in our conference. It’s actually quite easy to do these days with the Internet. Type in either Gateway Football Conference or Summit League, and results for the conference homepages pop right up. Learn about the schools in each conference and get pumped up that we have a conference and have a shot at an NCAA tournament berth. Self-education is not always a bad thing; in fact, an educated fan is a dangerous fan. Knowing more about the schools we play proves you care about SDSU.

4. Give money back to the campus. If you have the resources to do so, donate to the college. You can donate wherever you would like to make the campus a better place for everyone.

5. Make some noise. Players say a noisy crowd makes them perform at a higher level. Encourage your fellow classmates with some noise when you are at games. Frost Arena thrives on noisy crowds, so do your part and help make Frost loud.

6. Wear blue and yellow. As much as many people think these days, sporting events are not a meat market to dress up fancy for. Showing up in the school colors or some ridiculous outfit gets you noticed by people. Step out of the days of high school and wake up in the world of college. What you did in high school means nothing here. So support the school you go to by wearing the school colors of yellow and blue. Plus coaches love to compliment students for many different reasons i.e. being supportive, standing out in the crowd or being loud.

7. Have fun. Pretty much speaks for itself. Have fun at the game while being safe. Yell, cheer, taunt someone, make fun of the referees or whatever. Have fun at the games. It beats being all alone and depressed with a bottle of your favorite liquid.

There are seven things a Jackrabbit fan can do to have an enjoyable 2008. Here’s to a successful 2008; be safe, SDSU.