Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/604314
A n organization doesn't have to be around for a long time before making a signi.cant impact. Case in point: the Roar Zone. On Oct. 16, the student section at Peg- ula Ice Arena showed yet again that it is aptly named, as fans enthusiastically kicked off the home opener for the men's ice hockey team with a student White Out against Notre Dame. The effort was the result of a months-long planning process that started this past summer in coordination with Intercollegiate Ath- letics. The payo/ showed during the opening weekend, with the students amplifying the inherently boisterous atmosphere of Pegula. Penn Staters who comprised the 1,000-seat student section whipped white shakers, slapped their hands against the Plexiglas and cheered along with the Penn State hockey band. A0erward, Notre Dame coach Je/ Jackson called Penn State's student section "awe- some," adding that it's something you have to block out as a competitor – which the Roar Zone made nearly impossible. "It's insanely awesome to see what only 1/46th of the student body can do for such a major sport," said Luke Smith, who over- sees the Roar Zone's website. "When only 1,000 students can be as loud as us and nearly take over the game, it really gets the crowd going. Seeing the reactions of the players looking at the Roar Zone and jumping into that glass is beyond compare. No words can truly explain how satisfying it is to see such a young club and a young organization come together." Added Roar Zone vice president Sam Watson, "When it was announced that the opening series would be against Notre Dame, we all knew that we wanted to make it a special weekend. I was here over the summer, so I was able to meet with Athletics during the .rst week of August to get the ball rolling. From that point on, we had a plan for what we wanted to ac- complish, and it simply was putting in the hours to accomplish our goals." Watson said the team's incoming fresh- man class also factored into the White Out, with head coach Guy Gadowsky say- ing that the newcomers emphasize the style of play that Penn State wants to em- Cameron Hart VARSITY VIEWS SONIC BOOM Roar Zone fuels PSU's home-ice advantage | PUMP UP THE VOLUME Pegula Arena was designed to be loud, and groups like the Roar Zone and the PSU hockey band have taken advan- tage of the building's acoustics to create a rau- cous atmos- phere. Patrick Mansell