Saturday afternoon we went with our group to see a football match. Maryland Terrapins played Towson. The Terps, as they are called, are the team of the University of Maryland (UMD) here in College Park. Mascot of UMD is a turtle, the diamondback terrapin, living the Chesapeake Bay region nearby.
This was my first football match, so I put on my red UMD hoodie. The Byrd Stadium on campus has a capacity for 54,000 and was perhaps 60-70% filled. Coming from Europe, I expected a college/university league game and stadium to be much smaller. But it's big here. Despite the weather (50F/12C and rainy) the atmosphere was really good and both teams fans and brass orchestras gave their best to support their own team. During half-time they stepped onto the field and played some marches and formed the border of the USA. Only Florida came out short, in my opinion.. :)
During the first quarter I had no idea why the spectators would cheer or be in agony. So I 'interviewed' one of our hosts regarding the rules, as football (American..) was a complete mystery for me. It took a while to get the hang of it, but eventually I understood more and followed the spectacle with interest.
To test and ensure my new-found knowledge, I really should see another game during this autumn. However, I try to see also at least one hockey, baseball and basketball match.
Regarding the turtle mascot, I asked why the giant blown-up turtle looks so mad. The answer was, that it has to look scary, it's just a turtle.
Fear the turtle!
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| Byrd Stadium, view from entrance |
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| UMD orchestras |
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| Byrd Stadium, view from our seats |
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| Half-time, band members lining up as map of USA |
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| Fear the turtle! |
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| Some action! |
I somehow missed all the touchdowns. There was so much else to see at the stadium than the sport itself. This was real Americana!
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