After talking about my first home game cheering on the field, I started to brainstorm what I was going to write about next, and while many other home games have passed between now and then, they have all rendered very similar thus far. One experience that was actually one of the most interesting and exciting events I have partaken in thus far has actually been my trip to the University of Maryland for the first away game of the season. For away games, only a few males and females are assigned, usually around six to eight, and I was lucky enough to be assigned to this game, as it occurred on a Friday and 8pm.

Since the Game was on a Friday and the University of Maryland is only about four-hour drive, we left at 10am, and we were permitted to be excused from our classes for the day. As the 8 of us boarded the bus, we were given bags by our coach, full of snacks for the ride down. While it was early in the morning, being the typical college students that we are, we all expected to get on that bus and take a four-hour nap. My coach, on the other hand, had other plans for our journey. For the whole bus ride, we continued to play many team bonding games, one right after another, and honestly, it was a blast.

Once we got to Maryland, we went straight to the hotel to get ready for the game, and the events leading up to the game. After what felt like 30 seconds, we were required to be downstairs in the lobby, ready to get on the bus. After taking the bus directly to the University, we were dropped off at what was coincidentally, a big University of Maryland tailgating location. I was very unprepared for what was about to happen.

Getting off the bus, with all of our Penn State Uniforms and flags and bags, many University of Maryland fans started shouting at us! It was a sight I will never forget. Some of the fans were very nice, making jokes about how the game was going to go, or commenting on the irony of us getting dropped off at this location. Unfortunately, many other fans did not show us this same courtesy. As we walked to the Alumni Event, many people would yell things at us as we walked by and it was honestly a very strange experience for me.

Once we found ourselves in the building of the Alumni event, the entire mood changed. We went from walking around people who hated us, to seeing so many people that seemed so excited to see us. I personally love going to different events, such as Alumni events, because they will always give you amazing food. Being away from home and living in a dorm does not give you much opportunity to have well-cooked meals, however every time we go to an Alumni event, we are fed the most amazing food until we cannot eat anymore. In exchange for the loads of food we are given, the cheerleaders and the blue band, as usual, put on a performance for all of the alumni.

After the event was over, we said our goodbyes and took many, many, pictures. When we were about to leave, our coach made us get into a special formation, a formation I had no idea would be necessary. With the girls in the center and the boys making a circle around us, we headed off to the stadium entrance on the other side. This this was my first away game, so I had little knowledge about what the walk entailed. As we walked through campus, we were cursed at and yelled at, and I was shocked. While many people just walked right past us without notice, it was hard to ignore those who did notice us and said things to us. Although I was shocked by how people could be rude to us without even knowing us, many other members of the team told us stories of people throwing food at them. I was both shocked and lucky to have that not happen to me.

After we finally go to the field, things started moving quickly. As we worked through and eventually finished warm-ups, the stadium started filling up. The Penn State section seemed as if it overtook the rest of the stadium. By halftime, the entire Maryland student section which, at the beginning of the game was completely packed, was now reduced to what seemed like 100 people.

As Penn State’s lead increased, the game only became more fun for me. We got to do tricks we never got to do before, and we were in direct contact with the crowd as we were much closer than at home. I really enjoyed cheering at this game and I had felt a completely new connection with the crowd. After the game was over, we boarded the bus with no problems, as many of the Maryland fans had already went home.

Even though this was a quick trip to Maryland, it is probably the most amazing experience I have had so far as a Penn State Cheerleader. It’s so amazing how the Penn State community is so large, no matter where you go you feel the presence.