Attended my first Dartmouth College home football game tonight! Memorial Stadium is about a mile from my condo so I walked into Hanover at around 1630 and familiarized myself with the hometown pre-game traditions. There was lots of green - this reminded me of my time at D-Y High. I bought a new green hat (with a "D") on it at the Dartmouth Co-Op (they remembered Mollie but I think they actually only gave me a discount because I looked old...) and got to see the DCMB marching through town. They were an odd group and, when I saw them later on the football field, I could tell that the Ivy League "scatter band" concept was quite popular. After exploring several tailgating parties, I entered the stadium. The atmosphere inside was very different than the ND-VT game I attended a few weeks ago - this was much more intimate and up-close. During the first quarter, there were probably more players on the field than in the stands. But students, alumni and parents eventually filled in the seats and got noisy as the game progressed. For much of the game, I talked to a father and son who had seen Dartmouth win almost all their games for over a year. Unfortunately, the Columbia Lions handily beat the “Big Green” on this night (maybe I'm the bad luck?). I left with six minutes remaining in the game (it was quite cold!) and walked back to my condo in the dark (2100). Regardless of the game's outcome, I enjoyed the experience. Hopefully, I’ll soon get another chance to watch the home team!
