FORT COLLINS, CO. — This one meant more.
After a year’s worth of covering games in empty stadiums and arenas, a haunting reminder of our current global health crisis, I had the rare opportunity to attend Thursday’s edition of the Border War and sit in the stands with a group of dedicated Ram supporters.
Myself, a pair of alumni, the leader of the official student fan group, and a prospective student that traveled across the country just for an opportunity to watch his beloved Rams, all sat in Arena-Auditorium amongst the crowd of about 1,800 socially distanced basketball fans and took in a terrific matchup between two teams with significant history and a whole lot of disdain for each other.
In the section to our right sat mostly Wyoming die-hards. Wearing the always-noticeable fashion choice of brown and yellow, dancing to ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’ and wincing at every David Roddy drive, the Cowboy faithful were largely polite in the ‘AA’. More importantly, folks were spread out and complying with mask regulations — a big component in being allowed to host spectators at these types of events. Regardless of what people’s opinions on the situation are, the responsibility ultimately falls on the individual to be respectful of the process. As far as I could see fans from both sides were willing to do their part to make things work.
On our left there was a group of dedicated CSU supporters composed largely of the families of both players and coaches. Their vocal support could be heard throughout Arena-Auditorium, particularly down the stretch, when the game got tight and Wyoming dang near stole one from the Green & Gold.
Sports are more fun with fans pic.twitter.com/8gb0LPa27w
— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) February 6, 2021
Following the 74-72 Game 1 victory over the Pokes, head coach Niko Medved expressed his gratitude for the chance to have his family attend a game again. “I’ve got my family up there yelling ‘congratulations’ which was awesome,” Medved said.
CSU’s head coach was not the only one grateful for fans to be in the stands, though. Steven Rodriguez, a senior at CSU and the current president of Ram Ruckus, explained that as the son of two alumni and a lifelong supporter of the program, it’s been disappointing not being able to attend games during his final months of school, especially considering how successful the team has been. A quick drive up to Laramie, WY., was more than worth it for him to show his support for his favorite team.
“To be able to come up here and root for the Rams during this time, I think it shows a lot of support for them,” Rodriguez said.
Micah Davis, a former key member of Ram Ruckus and recent graduate of CSU, echoed Rodriguez’s sentiments.
“This has obviously been a pretty special season for CSU basketball, and the fanbase has really missed out on a lot of good games. Missing out on those has definitely been a bummer,” Davis said. “Getting to see them in person, against our biggest rival, I don’t think there’s anything better in the world than that.”
The person that likely traveled the furthest destination of anyone in the entire crowd on Thursday night was not a CSU student or former attendee. Nicholas Tofflemeyer is currently a senior in high school — not anywhere locally — but all the way in North Carolina. He still managed to get to Sheridan, WY., where he was able to stay with family, before commuting once again to ‘Laradise’ for both games in the series.
Most Ram fans know Tofflemeyer as the person behind the Daily Adam Thistlewood account on Instagram. However, not everyone knows just how deep his CSU roots go. As a young child his first CSU memory was a bitter Border War loss in football. And although he has lived in a couple of different spots around the country, Tofflemeyer’s support for CSU and hatred for Wyoming have never wavered.
“When I saw they were allowing fans, I was like I gotta get out there. “It’s pretty cool to be here watching CSU play Wyoming. We’re here,” Toffllemeyer said with excitement.
Unlike Tofflemeyer or even those of us that drove up from FoCo, Michael Roley had one of the shortest distances to travel in order to attend the matchup. A law student at the University of Wyoming and current resident of Laramie, Roley actually received an undergraduate degree from CSU before making the decision to pursue his next steps up north.
With the rare perspective of being able to represent both sides of the rivalry, Roley explained what makes the Border War so special to him is that most of his family members attended either CSU or Wyoming. “My own family is divided,” Roley laughed. “It just means a lot to see the two schools that everybody in my family supports.”
Aside from their passion for CSU, the folks I was fortunate enough to spend time with are pretty different people. Everyone’s music taste, fashion sense, career fields, etc., it’s all unique from each other. That’s what makes fandom and sports in general so special, though. They bring us together in a way that very few things can. After the year we’ve all been through, that sense of comradery means more now than ever. Just getting to feel connected with one another and forget about all of the things negatively impacting our lives is such a blessing, and something I won’t ever take for granted again. Truly, that momentary escape is something I will forever cherish.
I would be remiss in not bringing up that hosting fans, even in a limited and socially distanced capacity, is controversial in a pandemic. I certainly do not want to be insensitive to the struggles we still face every day in containing this virus, however, when done the right way, like they did in Laramie, there is community value in fans being able to cheer on their favorite teams. Sometimes people just need something to be excited about. And from everything that I witnessed, regardless of their background, personal preference or school they pledged allegiance to, the basketball fans from along the Front Range were safely having a tremendous time together in the Arena-Auditorium.
It may be a while but hopefully that magic returns to Moby Arena sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, sports are simply better with fans, and this team is just too talented to be hooping in front of empty seats every night. If this ends up being one of the few road games that fans get to attend in 2021, though, I’m thankful it was at least a matchup with something at stake.
What’s Next?
After sweeping Wyoming last week, the Rams have to quickly turn their attention to a pair of home games against New Mexico. It’s been a brutal year for the Lobos but the Rams can’t afford any mishaps from here on out. A sweep keeps CSU’s chances of snagging an at-large bid relatively high, but a loss completely changes the conversation.
It’s going to be a wild finish in the Mountain West. In the words of Jon Rothstein, better get your Nitroglycerin pills.
