Color Guard

[EJackRabbit]

I was at George's Pizza today with my brother and we started talking about the game last night. He had done the color guard and peanut-hawking for the ROTC and had some complaints about the UNI's players entering the stadium.

His complaints happened during the retiring of colors following the national anthem. As they proceeded back into the end zone, some of the UNI players ran in front and around the color guard. This made him, he was the arms bearer on the state flag side, a little nervous. It put him in an awkward situation of choosing to halt the color guard and tell the UNI players to move out of the way or ignore them and hoped they respect their right of way.

I am not at all blaming the UNI players, considering they probably had no idea that your are suppose to stay out of the way of the color guard, but maybe SDSU could wait to start the National Anthem until the opposing team is on the field. Or direct their players out of the way. These guys give up their free time to put on a great show and putting them in awkward situations should be avoid if at all possible.

Also sorry if I screwed up the terminology used in the color guard. I just had it briefly explained to me.

[JackJD]

Re: Color Guard

Sounds like a misunderstanding about proper flag etiquete. (As compared to intentional misconduct practiced by some team who shout their name for the final word in last line of the Star Spangled Banner.)

[JimmyJack]

Re: Color Guard

maybe SDSU could wait to start the National Anthem until the opposing team is on the field.

Everything in the pre-game is scripted out to the second. And that schedule is shared with the opposing team. So it shouldn't be any surprise to them when the National Anthem will be played.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Color Guard

I'd agree. I noticed there were 4 UNI players and a ref walking in behind the South endzone just before the National Anthem started. They did stop and remove their helmets for the N.A. but I did notice that the rest of the UNI team wasn't even on the field at that point.

I wonder though, if it was as simple as UNI using as much time pregame as they could in the lockerroom and that made them late in arriving on the field, or if they just walked over to slow, or what. The N.A. is always done 7 minutes prior to kickoff.

[EJackRabbit]

Re: Color Guard

I agree that it was probably a complete misunderstanding. I was just bring up the point that the color guard is told to protect the flag from possible aggression. I know that the players would never try to pull anything like that, but you are asking them to ignore their training to remove people from their path and just hope for the best.

Seems a little silly when you could just ask them to move along the sideline until they are fully out of the way.

[bub94]

Re: Color Guard

My friends and I thought it was rather rude too. The team could have gone to one side or the other and not split on both sides. As to the four UNI players on the field for the national anthem, I believe they were team captains. I'd say next time open a can of whoopa$$. :-)

[RabbitinTea]

Re: Color Guard

Sounds like a misunderstanding about proper flag etiquete. (As compared to intentional misconduct practiced by some team who shout their name for the final word in last line of the Star Spangled Banner.)

100 percent agree, that's totally classless and gets me fired up every time. The NDSU AD or President should be ashamed for allowing them to continue with that "tradition".

[Cowbell]

Re: Color Guard

20 years ago the NDSU fans were angry at UND because their fans shouted out "home of the Sioux" at the end of the national anthem. Now their fans are doing it. Hope it doesn't catch on here.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Color Guard

20 years ago the NDSU fans were angry at UND because their fans shouted out "home of the Sioux" at the end of the national anthem. Now their fans are doing it. Hope it doesn't catch on here.

Over my dead body. That is unbelievably disrespectful. Can we take 70 seconds at a sporting event and think about something bigger and more important than the game?

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Color Guard

Over my dead body. That is unbelievably disrespectful. Can we take 70 seconds at a sporting event and think about something bigger and more important than the game?

This. I will personally rip into each and every one of our fans if they ever start that, and I hope everyone else here would as well.

[SoDakJack]

Re: Color Guard

This. I will personally rip into each and every one of our fans if they ever start that, and I hope everyone else here would as well.

I got your back. I will take care of anyone in section G that tries it.

Just one more reason why I am glad that I can say I am not a NDSU student, alumni, or supporter.

[Nidaros]

Re: Color Guard

Since we went D1 I have not missed going to Grand Forks for athletic events. I been there for many other things, and apparently its something about hockey and that rotten logo that gives some peopls soo much arrogance. I just hope UND never finds a conference base on how the younger fans react during the national anthem. The NCC never took UND to task for this behavior and they should have. We can not have cowbells, but they have the right to be disrepectful to native people and our National Anthem.

[Jack4Life]

Re: Color Guard

We can not have cowbells, but they have the right to be disrepectful to native people and our National Anthem.

Oooooooh! Well said.

[SoDakJack]

Re: Color Guard

Granted that UNI probably should have either waited for the colors to be retired or chosen a side, but shouldn't there be someone either running the gate to the stadium or the gate to the field that would have stopped them?

And I say "stop them" like it would be easy to stop a group of large, over-amped, DI athletes.

[Nidaros]

Re: Color Guard

Granted that UNI probably should have either waited for the colors to be retired or chosen a side, but shouldn't there be someone either running the gate to the stadium or the gate to the field that would have stopped them?

And I say "stop them" like it would be easy to stop a group of large, over-amped, DI athletes.

A fair question. I hope our AD takes a an occasional glance at this board. AD Sells seems to want to make the best better, and this is one place where they could improve.