Wednesday, March 2, 2011, my first time ever to see the KFC Yum! Center.We approached the arena from the Indiana side of the river at dusk so we could see the Louisville skyline and all of the city lights before seeing the arena. There were many people that had parked on the Indiana side and walked over the bridge to get to the center. We were 'dropped off' at the end of the bridge and walked a few short steps to the approach to the entrance. People were everywhere and the predominant sound came from a 'Street Preacher' that was standing on a box (really) railing at the crowds and warning us of our fate if we did not mend our ways. Redemption was elusive to those of us that did not heed his words! His loud speaker system was in top working order.
The feeling of excitement was all around us as we walked in the doors of the arena. Good spirits and joviality and a sense of being in a special place, I must admit, was overwhelming. I was on the escalator before I had my wits about me and consequently stumbled a bit. Karen helped me get a grip and an offer came from a man behind me saying he would catch me if I fell. He also warned me when we neared the end of the escalator. However, I did feel a little more secure by that time but I was reassured by his concern.
Karen alerted me once again when we entered the passage up to our seats. She said the steps were a little tricky, I always found the steps to the seats I sat in when I attended games at Freedom Hall, to be a bit tricky. I did manage to get into the seat and to overcome my feeling of vertigo. Once the game got under way, I was fine. I wanted to take in as much as I could, the lights and the crowd and the music and activity and the ambience. The light bars that are all around the arena that change colors with different messages flashing off and on, different designs and reminders to 'stand up and cheer', the student section behind the basket at the end of the floor, in itself, is entertaining. They have cardboard replicas of certain people's heads affixed to sticks or poles that they wave back and forth. Individual players, coach Patino,Denny Crum, Charlie Strong and others can seem to be floating over their heads. The energy of the student section spills over into the crowd; UofL fans are super loyal.
Since it was senior night, the fans were asked to wear red. I do not have one single red artical of clothing in my posession, so I had to borrow one of Karen's red sweaters. I did,in fact, blend in with the crowd. It was quite a treat to look out over the mass of people and see all of the red outfits.I guess we could refer to it as a 'redout'. Coach Patino had a bright red sport coat and black pants on. Looking mighty cool. On whiteout night or day as the case may be, Coach Patino wears a white suit. I'm glad he didn't have on red pants, he would have looked like a clown!
The Lady Birds, the cheer leaders and the Pep band were all terrific. The Lady Birds have their routines down pat and never miss a step, the fans respond to the cheer leaders and rock the house with the cheers. The fans acknowledge all "3's" with a special cheer, and cheer each and every basket; with an entirely different tone, they make their disapproval heard when they consider a call by a ref, unfair.
The music was lively, fun and at times made you want to join in. I heard lots of people singing "Sweet Caroline" and some dancing to the beat of an appropriat song. The fans were given a choice of which song they wanted to hear, out of three that were named. I can't remember the names of the songs but the one I would have chosen (Lady GaGa) didn't get much of an applause. Shows you how 'with it' I am! Don't ask me which one won!
There should be a special section designated for obnoxious fans. Wouldn't that be wonderful? You could watch the game in perfect harmony and they could watch the game and bond. The one small glitch in an otherwise perfect experience was a fan that repeatedly said," Get ya hands up! Get ya hands up, ya can't guard with ya hands hanging down! Get ya hands up!" Even when the Cards were 20 points ahead he still insisted they'get ya hands up! He had a few more equally absurd things to say but the "Get ya hands up" was said over and over and over. Fortunately, he did not sit directly behind us, the woman that was in front of him and his cohorts was splashed with beer frequently during the game. To say she was miffed would be a gross understatement.
The game, by the way, was spectacular, it was a blow out and 'no one got hurt'.The Cards cinched a double bye and kept their undefeated status for Big East wins in the new arena. They have certainly adjusted to their new home. How sweet it is to be in one of the best venues in the country.It will be a pleasure to watch games there for many years to come. There were only two seniors to be honored and they both got the opportunity to thank the coaches and fans and their team mates for the great four years they've had.
We did not get the chance to tour around the rest of the arena. I hope I get to go back again sometime when we can get there in time to see the Spirit Room overlooking the river, and some of the eateries, bars and what ever else we missed. My first visit was an over the top experience and I thank Karen for taking me. What a thrill!
I do wish that the facility had a name that is more suited to the purpose for which it was built. "KFC Yum!Center" is rather plebeian. Why does the Yum have to have an exclamation mark after it? Why couldn't it have been named after Denny? Oh, how about "Yum! Crum"? No? Well, I got used to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium so I guess I will adjust.
I probably left out lots of things that facinated me about the evening but if I remember anything I left out, I'll write about it later.
The experience was well worth the effort, I enjoyed it trememdously and hope I get to go again! Yum! Ciao.
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