“I want them to be eternally happy, just not happy today.” “How much more should we all strive to win the ultimate race?”įather Jordan occasionally boos the visiting team, which sometimes draws looks from others in his section. “Look at everything athletes do to train to win a crown that fades,” Father Jordan said. It teaches about struggle, joys, sorrows - and perspective. Hopefully it makes us more relatable and accessible.” Father Jordan with a Friar Fanatics T-shirt he kept from his undergraduate days, complete with holes and a stretched out collar from years of wear.īasketball has something to teach fans about faith, Father Jordan said. Basketball is something so many people at PC care about and we share that with them. “We friars are primarily here for the students, as well as alumni, faculty, and staff. “As a priest, going to games and cheering on the Friars is a ministry of presence,” he said. Then, as now, attending Friars games was “a non-negotiable part of my calendar,” said Father Jordan. He recalls bringing texts to study while waiting for the gates to open. He returns to the priory for prayer and dinner, and then it’s off to the AMP.Īs a student two decades ago, Father Jordan was one of the first to line up outside the Dunkin Donuts Center. He’ll spend a few minutes at the beginning or end of his classes talking with students about the game and their predictions. Game day begins like most days, with morning prayer and Mass at St. ’04, assistant professor of English, is an ordained Dominican priest. Not to be confused with Friar Dom, who is the college’s beloved Dominican-inspired mascot, Rev. It brings me so much joy when I hear everybody singing along with what we’re playing at the AMP,” said Kerr. “It’s been a great way to meet new people and bond over music, which has always been an outlet for me. Their most recognizable number is “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the Friars’ fight song. Pep Band, a 26-member ensemble including trombones, trumpets, saxophones, mellophones, guitars, bass, and keyboard, performs from the student section at each men’s basketball game when classes are in session. As a first-year student, he’s the very beat of the PC Pep Band, frequently pictured drumming on the display screen at the AMP and on television broadcasts. He’s been a basketball fan nearly as long as he’s been a drummer, so playing drums at games seemed a natural fit. His parents tell stories of how he’d bang on pots and pans as a child and rhythmically kick the back of the seats in the family car so much he’d leave a permanent indent. Kam Kerr ’26, a student from Randolph, Massachusetts, who has not yet chosen a major, has been drumming his entire life. “Pajama Night” was the student section theme for this Novemgame against Rider University. Kamryn “Kam” Kerr ’26 Pep Band drummer Kam Kerr ’26, seated, with the Providence College Pep Band at the AMP. “We’re lucky and good enough to make it to the Sweet Sixteen,” referencing the 2022 postseason run into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. “You know what? We are lucky,” Cobb said. When the clock ran out and the Friars officially secured the BIG EAST title, students celebrated on the court with players and coaches as head coach Ed Cooley cut down the net. Coach Ed Cooley hoists the BIG EAST regular season trophy surrounded by players, staff, and fans after Providence defeated Creighton 72-51 on senior night, February 26, 2022. The group selected “Luck of the Friars” as the night’s theme, poking fun at sports writers and broadcasters who repeatedly wrote off the team as “lucky.” The student section dressed for St. It also was one of Friar Fanatics’ finest hours. This year’s themes have included neon colors, jersey night, and the always-popular “Pink Out” game supporting the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.Ĭobb’s favorite memory is the victory over Creighton University on senior night in February 2022, when the Friars captured the BIG EAST regular season title for the first time in history. Most dress for the theme selected and advertised by Friar Fanatics. Soon, the gates open to students who fill the sections behind both baskets. Upon arrival, the Friar Fanatics get to work distributing spirit materials and preparing the massive, section-spanning banner the student section unfurls during player introductions. Gametime comes early for Jenna Cobb ’24, a management and marketing major from Revere, Massachusetts, who catches the first bus from campus to the AMP with cheerleaders, the Dance Team, and 15 other representatives of Friar Fanatics - the student club that coordinates game day themes and distributes spirit materials to the student section. Jenna Cobb ’24 Friar Fanatic Jenna Cobb ’24 is head of public relations and social media for Friar Fanatics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |