Hopkins proudly boasts Division I Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams that draw attention nationwide. While I am by no means an athlete, I have really enjoyed the experience of watching from the stands. Hopkins students can watch for free at Homewood Field, and there are always fun activities surrounding the event to boost school spirit. The Flock hosts some of these giveaways like T-shirt tosses to stir up excitement in the student section.
My favorite time to go to a lacrosse game is when there’s a tailgate at the Rec Center circle. The promise of barbeque and cornhole on a sunny weekend is more than enough reason to go watch a game. Over time, I’ve become more invested in the sport itself (shoutout to my roommate who has explained the rules of lacrosse countless times to me) and found myself jumping out of my seat when our team scores. After each goal, the crowd counts the number of points and yells “We want more!”
I’ll always remember the Hopkins vs. Michigan game where I had the chance to participate in some of the excitement in a different way.
To promote the American Marketing Association, my advertising class got permission to throw T-shirts branded with our campaign logo into the stands. I spent the first quarter staring at the scoreboard waiting for the clock to hit 0—our cue to start tossing shirts. I quickly learned how hard it is to reach the top of the stands (I think my toss only ended up in the second row). People were jumping and cheering for the chance to grab a shirt; I can only imagine that’s a fraction of what the players on the field feel when the crowd goes wild in their support.
I can really feel the excitement surrounding me when I’m sitting in the student section of the crowd with the pep band playing (they attend every game and play music, almost like a marching band from the stands). The school spirit is palpable when I’m cheering on my classmates on the field, and it reminds me of the support you can find among peers. Despite different skills or interests, we’re all Blue Jays and can connect through these shared experiences.
