The Wolfpack football team made its way to Florida over winter break to play for the Champs Bowl championship game against the West Virginia Mountaineers. However, the players were not the only ones enjoying the sunshine state. N.C. State students traveled down for the game to cheer on the victorious Pack, and made their way to the state’s amusement parks to continue the festivities.
Daniel Lauck, a junior in computer scienceand applied mathematics, is in the marching band and performed for the Champs Bowl.
”We performed during half time and then in the stands after the game with all of the fans. After the game we rode over to the football team’s hotel to perform for them as they made their way in after the win,” Lauck said.
Deion Oaks, a sophomore in environmental engineering and also in the marching band, said, “I’ve never been to a bowl game before and it was pretty awesome.”
Oaks said that the amount of State fans there far surpassed those of the opposing team.
“By the last two minutes of the game all you saw in the stadium was red. All of the Mountaineers had left their team and all of us State fans just got louder,” Oaks said.
On Dec. 29, the marching band went to Universal Studios for a day of fun in the park. Oaks’ favorite attraction was Universal Studios’ newest roller coaster, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.
“I’ve never been on a roller coaster that started going up at a 90 degree angle and had a pinwheel loop. The ride itself seemed like it lasted forever, which is a good thing, because every time you thought it was over it had more drops,” Oaks said.
While the marching band was at Universal Studios, they performed in a small plaza in the park. “At the end of the day, we all got back on the buses and drove through the night to get back to N.C. State,” Lauck said.
Derek Dussek, a junior in forest management, also went to Universal Studios.
“The weather was chillier than I expected. I did have fun because it was my first time to Universal Studios and State won the Champs Bowl game,” Dussek said. “My favorite ride at Universal was Twister-Ride It Out because it contained fire and simulated being in a tornado.”
Aaron Picart, a freshman in graphic design, also went to Orlando to “check out Hogwarts at Universal Studios, and get away from the North Carolina weather.”
Picart also enjoyed time at Walt Disney World. His vacation happened to coincide with the bowl game, so he was “happy to run into tons of State supporters, which made it feel like home.”
Unfortunately, Picart said he was unable to get enough tickets to the bowl game.
“I elected to scream myself hoarse from the comfort of the indoors,” Picart said, “though I imagine they could probably hear me at the stadium.”
The Champs Bowl was an opportunity for students to experience both a Wolfpack win and the excitement of the famous amusement parks.
