ESPN Ready To Share Running + Vomiting With The Rest Of The World

ESPN planning to cover the Krispy Kreme Challenge

Gotta love the notoriety the Krispy Kreme Challenge is garnering after just a few years of existence. There's something morbidly curious about events like this -- ones that usually involve insane numbers of calories, much like the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Competition. People just like to take part in and experience it, even if vicariously.

So ESPN is planning to send a film crew to Raleigh for this weekend's event, to be held at 9:30 on the streets of downtown Raleigh connecting the Belltower and Krispy Kreme.

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The most intriguing thing, per the January 26 article:

"We're also toying with the thought of having one of our own reporters run the race," Harves said. He offered no hint as to who that reporter might be.

Awesome! This sounds like something right up the alley of one Scott "Message Boards" Van Pelt, who strikes me as the guy who never really graduated in spirit. He'd be all over this, for sure.

I'd love to see Chris Berman's fat ass try to make it...but he'd probably just plop down at the Krispy Kreme counter and hit on all the winded coeds that come through the door.

Mike Tirico might give it a go, but again, him hitting on winded coeds would be a problem.

Van Peezy seems like the most logical choice.

In any event, 5,038 fast, hungry sons-a-bitches will be flooding the streets of Raleigh, all in the name of a good cause. And ESPN will be there capturing every glorious moment!

(Any chance competitive running/eating replaces poker in the off-hours rotation?)

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Get Your Doughnut On! Krispy Kreme Challenge Feb. 7th

On the matter of traditions at State, this is a great new one.

I know what you're saying to yourself.

You're saying, "Damn. I love running. I love eating doughnuts. I love vomiting. If only I could do all three things at once, for charity!"

If only I had a nickel, right?

Well, that's why every year in winter, folks by the dozens decide to don running shoes, running wear and even a costume or two as they participate in the Krispy Kreme Challenge, a 4-mile roundtrip run from the belltower on State's campus to the Peace St. Krispy Kreme and back.

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From the Challenge's website:

The Krispy Kreme Challenge is an annual,
student-operated race in Raleigh, North Carolina
benefiting the NC Children's Hospital. Beginning
in 2004 with a mere 12 participants, the race
has grown exponentially to a whopping 3,000
runners in the 2008 race and has rapidly become
one of NC State University's newest traditions.

Beginning at the NC State Belltower, each runner
runs 2 miles to the Krispy Kreme store located
on Peace St. in Raleigh. After downing a full dozen
of the famous Krispy Kreme doughnuts, the runner
must run the two miles back. All in one hour.

The challenge attracts a wide range of runners from
beginners to serious competitors hailing from all
corners of the country. With an expected participation
of 5,000 runners, we are expecting the 2009 race
to be our greatest (and most beneficial) race yet.

As of today, the 13th, there are still 22 days remaining to register for the Challenge. If you haven't done any "training" yet--either running or eating--expect this to truly be a challenge. Vomiting is a common occurrence for many of the participants (the human body wasn't designed to exercise after ingesting 2400 calories in a five minute span?) and no doubt makes for interesting walking along the sidewalks of Peace St. for several days. Pray for rain, I suppose.

I won't be running this year, but hopefully you--the faithful readers of this blog (both of you)--will run (and eat) in my stead.

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Lail: Proposed 3rd Q song list leaves much to be desired

Matt Lail
Contributor

I absolutely love my alma mater, but sometimes it appears that N.C. State University just throws things together without really thinking them through just because someone thought it would be a good idea. The result can be a lame, half-hearted attempt at a “new” tradition that dies a quick, yet still somehow painful, death.

Case in point: The “Walk of Champions.” Don’t get me wrong: the concept of it is wonderful, and I hope it sticks around forever. But the name is a misnomer; the Wolfpack hasn’t won an ACC football championship since 1979. A large number of State fans are – by combination of their nature and the fact that they follow the Pack – a sarcastic and cynical bunch. We tend to mock ourselves as much as opposing fans can. So it’s not uncommon to see a Pack fan roll his eyes when saying, “Well, I’m off to see the [rolling eyes] ‘Walk of Champions.’”

The newest “new” tradition proposed is to have a sing-along song for the time between the third and fourth quarters. (Apparently this is very important; ample tailgating time is not.) Fans have been asked to vote from among these choices.

1."Hey Baby" -- Bruce Channel
2. "Song of the South" -- Alabama
3. "You Give Love a Bad Name" -- Bon Jovi
4. "I Won't Back Down" -- Tom Petty
5. "Start Me Up" -- The Rolling Stones

Sigh. My good friend James has already analyzed the pros and cons of the above list, and if the song has to be from among those five, then I have to agree with James that “Song of the South” should be the clear favorite. James stated that that is the most “inside the box” list ever, and he’s right. I’m surprised “Mony, Mony” (the Billy Idol version) didn’t make the cut.

But why force a “new” tradition on us? After all, the best traditions are those that just sort of happen.

In the 1960s, English band Gerry and the Pacemakers recorded a version of a song from a Rodgers and Hammerstein production. The song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” was regularly played over the speakers before Liverpool F.C. soccer matches, as the stadium DJ at that time would play the top 10 songs of the day in descending order. Incredibly, even after it was out of the Top 10, the Liverpool fans latched on to the song’s theme (“Walk on through the wind/Walk on through the rain/Though your dreams be tossed and blown/Walk on walk on, with hope in your heart/And you'll never walk alone”), they learned the words, and to this day the song is sung before the Reds take the field, either at home or away. The song is such a part of LFC culture that it’s included in the team’s crest. It wasn’t planned; it wasn’t focus-grouped; it just happened.

And it’s perhaps one of the greatest traditions in sports.

But, if we must have songs blaring from the Carter-Finley Stadium speakers, then let’s at least pick good ones. I give you my potential song choices for Pack games, in no particular order. (And there are no rap songs on this list; not because I don’t like rap but because Coach Tom O’Brien has said there will be no rap. I’m taking him at his word.)

I’ve divided the list into three categories: Rockin’ Tunes (these songs may not have lyrics that people can sing along with, but the songs have enough “oomph” to get some fists pumping); Happy Fun Songs (great sing-along songs or songs that just put a smile on your face); and finally, Southern, Possibly Un-PC Songs (no description needed). So, without further ado …

Rockin’ tunes

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” – Metallica

Granted, the opening portion of this song is probably a little too long; it would take minutes to get to the actual lyrics. But imagine a night game at Carter-Finley. The opening note of the song (an ominous, “come out to the execution” bell), followed then by the march-like thunder of guitars and drums. Oh, and for good measure, imagine close to 60,000 people (OK, probably more like a couple thousand who know the words) singing to the opposing team …

“Take a look to the sky just before you die
“It is the last time you will
“Blackened roar massive roar fills the crumbling sky
“Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry.”

Hell yeah.

“One Little Victory” – Rush

One disadvantage to this choice is that if just a few know the words to Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” then even fewer will know this song. No matter. The crushing double-bass drum intro to this song would have people on their feet. And, if by some chance we make it to the lyrics, they ain’t half bad either:

“Celebrate the moment
“As it turns into one more
“Another chance at victory
“Another chance to score …

“A certain measure of righteousness
“A certain amount of force
“A certain degree of determination
“Daring on a different course …”

“Working Man” – Rush

I threw a second Rush song in here for a reason. I may be completely off-base by saying this, but I’ll go ahead and say it: the consistent themes in Rush’s songs tend to be themes close to the heart of many Wolfpack fans: self-reliance, independence, the reality that “it’s a dog-eat-dog world.” “Working Man,” from Rush’s first album, is an homage to the common man, as the title implies. Plus, the song just rocks. Same could be said for “Tom Sawyer.”

Other choices:

“Fuel” – Metallica
“Elevation” – U2
“Rusty Cage” – Soundgarden
“Break on Through (To the Other Side)” – The Doors. (“Try to run/Try to hide …”)


Happy Fun Songs

“Keep On Loving You” – REO Speedwagon

Back in college, one of my friends (and former Technician Sports Editor) Michael Preston cleverly named his fantasy football team “MJP Speedwagon,” even claiming that his make-believe “team” took the field before “games” to “Keep On Loving You.” We all got a big laugh out of that. But thinking about it a decade later, maybe Mike was on to something. The song’s just catchy and cheesy enough to work. Plus the lyrics – “I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you/Cuz it’s the only thing I wanna do” – symbolize what it takes to be a State fan: dedication and perseverance.

Oh, and a sense of humor.

“Build Me Up Buttercup" – The Foundations

Speaking of self-deprecating humor...

“What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong

Hey, if “You’ll Never Walk Alone” can be embraced, why not perhaps the most positive song ever written?

Other choice:

“Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher” – Jackie Wilson


Southern, Possibly Un-PC Tunes

“Song of the South” – Alabama

See James’s commentary, linked above.

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” – The Band

OK, so four-fifths of The Band were Canadians, but that didn’t stop them from recording one of the most anguish-filled yet romanticized songs about the South ever written. Robbie Robertson once recalled going “down South” and hearing people say, “the South’s gonna rise again.”

“At one point when I heard it I thought it was kind of a funny statement and then I heard it another time and I was really touched by it,” he said in the liner notes of Greatest Hits. “I thought, ‘God, because I keep hearing this, there’s pain here, there is sadness here.’ In Americana land, it’s kind of a beautiful sadness.”

“The South’s Gonna Do It” – Charlie Daniels Band

If we’re considering “Song of the South,” why not go for someone from North Carolina? Charlie Daniels is from Wilmington, the same city as Roman Gabriel. Coincidence? I think not.

It could be a fun song to which to dance, and the lyrics are very, uh, Southern:

“Be proud you're a rebel
“'Cause the South's gonna do it again and again...”

Other choice:

“Ring of Fire” - Johnny Cash
“Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks

Of course, if we must insist on a Dixie-themed song, there is one logical choice (and it’s not “Dixie”). It goes a little something like this …

"Where the winds of Dixie softly blow o'er the fields of Caroline, There stands ever cherished, N.C. State, as thy honored shrine

“So lift your voices! Loudly sing from hill to oceanside!

“Our hearts ever hold you, N.C. State in the folds of our love and pride."

Simply beautiful.

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Even more "new traditions"

We mentioned this in a post last week, but now that we've gotten further along in the process it's time to address it in its own post.

The folks in charge of, well, traditions have deemed it necessary to pick a song to play in between the third and fourth quarters. They posted a campaign on www.gopack.com a while back calling for any and all suggestions...and after sifting through what I'm sure must've been a mountain of Sir Mix Alot, Limp Bizkit and John Tesh proposals, here are your nominees, in no particular order:

1. "Hey Baby" -- Bruce Channel
2. "Song of the South" -- Alabama
3. "You Give Love a Bad Name" -- Bon Jovi
4. "I Won't Back Down" -- Tom Petty
5. "Start Me Up" -- The Rolling Stones

Let me just say, first off, that this is one of the most "inside-the-box" lists ever. Nothing here to get ruffled up about; no rap-rock mixes that need to be edited for younger ears, no off-the-wall songs from groups you've never heard of. About the most controversial song on the list is the Alabama tune, oddly enough, as it glorifies a return to the "old" South remembered not only images of sweet potato pie but the days when Rebel flags flew with regularity over homes and state buildings all over the region.

I had hoped one song would jump off the page to me as something I could say, "YEAH! That's IT!" But no such luck, and I suspect the same for just about everyone else out there (except, I guess for the folks who nominated these).

In other words, I could see almost all of these songs making it into the 100.7 The River rotation, and that's not good.

If you tied me down and forced me to pick one...well, I guess I'd go with the Alabama song, and here's why. Well, more accurately, here's why it's not one of the other four.

1. "Hey Baby" Beaten to DEATH. Sheesh. Never has one band/artist gotten more mileage out of one song than Bruce Channel. They were probably playing it at football and basketball games in 1962, and they're still playing it in stadiums all across America to this very day, and no doubt in greater numbers. Carolina plays it, Duke plays it...hell, even high schools play it. Cliche doesn't begin to do justice to what level of overuse this song has "achieved."

3. "You Give Love A Bad Name" Bon FREAKING Jovi? Well, I guess with this song they were gunning for a line that you can shout. "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART ... hmm something something something hmm hmm ... YOU GIVE LOVE ... A BAD NAME!" HELLZ YEAH! No, wait! That sucks! Oh noes! We are the fail!

4. "I Won't Back Down" Here's your likely winner. Tom Petty's a safe choice, with a song that has a somewhat competitive message in the title. It's just that this song is a damn snoozer. It's got a medium pace, with not a lot of punch. Running Down A Dream is a much more driving tune, but I guess the title carries a negative conotation. Won't Back Down also features a couple of shoutable lines which likely earned its spot on this list: "HEYYYYYYYYY BABY (noticing a trend?) ... there ain't no easy way out (wait, we want that in our inspirational theme heading into the fourth?) HEYYYYYYYYYYY I ... won't ... back ... down ..." Here's your winner, but I would've liked to see us dig a bit deeper into Petty's catalogue for something that's not so overplayed (see above: 1."Hey Baby")

5. "Start Me Up" Here's your second place finisher, and it may be just as overplayed as "Hey Baby," if that's possible. It's been featured by nearly every beer company, been a part of nearly every Super Bowl pregame show...it even made an appearance as the theme music to a Windows 95 ad back in the day. It's a reasonable song, but I can't see 58,000 folks trying to shout "Start Me Up" in unison. Probably because, even if they haven't heard it in years, they're still sick and tired of it. Again, safe, but overplayed.

So by default, I chose "Song of the South" by Alabama because, if nothing else, it echoes our blue collar, Southern heritage as a land grant university in a state that still has traces of old-school Southern culture coursing through its veins. The "new" South may be here to stay, but there are enough folks that remember the "old" South that will identify with it. There's not much to shout in the song, other than perhaps the "Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth" (Though, admittedly, I don't know how well that will sound.) But if the marketing (?) folks pick "Song of the South," they're pretty much abandoning the idea that this song is meant to fire up the troops or scare the bejeesus out of the opponent. It's strictly chosen to get all the students singing together in a semi-drunken sway, with the hopes that some folks in the stands follow along.

"Song of the South" also earns points (from me, at least) for not being cliche. I can't recall the last time I heard it, and with the new country being what it is, i.e. American Idol contestants with slide guitar backing, I can't imagine it gets beat to death in rotation on country radio these days.

So there you go. My pick. But it's a selection from a list that's slim pickins' to begin with. It's by no means what I would've nominated, and it's only the least-worst song on the list, not the first-best.

But hey, that's new traditions for you.


HT to onebluebird.blogspot.com for the illustration of Petty

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Proposed New Tradition #3,964: Howard's Wolf

What do you do when your football program doesn't have much tradition to speak of? You make "new" traditions!

If you'll recall, GoPack.com has been asking Pack fans in recent months to submit suggestions for the opening song, and for the best song to play to get the whole crowd singing along, as part of a collection of "new" traditions to try at home games.

Well, in that same vein we now have this, our latest "new" tradition:

That's right. It's a wolf statue at the mouth of the players' entrance.

One can only assume that we're trying to start a "new" tradition of rubbing the wolf's head before entering onto the field, a la Howard's Rock at Clemson, Testudo at Maryland and probably several other schools that rub objects before hitting the field.

Color me "meh" on the whole idea.

Yeah, it's great that we're trying to put the wraps on all the renovations to Carter Finley with the smaller trappings and details, but this just looks unfinished to me in its current state.

Perhaps it is. Perhaps the statue will be joined in subsequent years with a matching environment that will give it a good, intimidating feel that it needs.

But right now, all it looks like is a statue that was dropped off the back of a Chevy Silverado onto a slab of concrete. Which it is.

I guess I shouldn't be too critical of this. It's a sign that we're trying to start building some tradition that we really haven't ever had. The fireworks entrance is about the only notable thing that we've continued to do over the last 10 years, but there's certainly nothing unique about that.

Actually, we used to have a tradition that sadly has passed: There was a large bass drum that the band used to wheel onto the field before a game as part of the marching band's entrance. But I guess with the addition of the jumbotron in the early part of this decade, the band's involvement into the pregame festivities has taken a back seat to the rap metal of P.O.D. and The Drowning Pool, so the bass drum's entrance -- our only real tradition at that point -- went the way of the dodo.

My fear is that it comes off like a half-assed attempt to copy the traditions that other schools already have in place. There's nothing unique about this idea that hasn't already been done before at other schools, and at other schools (notably Clemson), they've been doing it long enough to give it credibility.

Whether or not this "new" tradition sticks ultimately it comes down to two things: Our success on the field and the willingness of subsequent coaches to keep it in place.

If we win, it's cool. Winning teams get away with doing whatever the hell they want, no matter how cheesy. Remember when FSU was kicking ass and taking names? The notion of a white dude painted in red face riding onto the field with a flaming spear seemed badass...WAY cooler than it should, in all honesty. But they won games, and the dude fired you up (no pun intended) before kickoff. Maybe if the Pack can start posting 9-11 win seasons on a regular basis, rubbing a giant wolf will gain some clout.

The second key to this tradition's longevity will be when Tom' time here is done, the next coach in line needs to stick with it, regardless of how he feels about it. Because here's the bottom line about traditions: there's no such thing as "new" traditions. They have to earn the label over time. We have to ride this thing out over its initial cheesiness phase because if we don't, all we'll have as a tradition at Carter Finley is the constant stream of "new" traditions.

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