Savage Words - Congrats BV fans: You showed up

In the early 2000s, I worked as the Director of Public Relations at IndyCar. We were warned, and I learned the hard way in my first year with the series in 2003, to wear ear plugs as the cars came screaming down pit lane.

It took me a few races of my ears nearly bleeding as the cars left their pit box and the RPMs reached a feverish pitch. It was so loud, so piercing, that it reverberated in your ear drum.

For the next four years, I was equipped with ear plugs when I made my way out. 

Since then, I’ve never heard another noise quite that loud at a sporting event … until Saturday in the DakotaDome.

Brandon Valley fans: You showed up for the Class 11AAA championship game.

I remember it being loud at last year’s championship game, but not like Saturday. Perhaps it’s because I’m a year older, a year crankier. But truly, it was so loud down on the sidelines Saturday night. Deafening, at times.

A few of us got there early, and were sitting around as the doors opened to the public. Fans started streaming in, on both the Lincoln and Brandon Valley side of the field.

But as game time approached, it was obvious the Brandon Valley side of the Dakota Dome was going to dwarf Sioux Falls Lincoln’s crowd size. The black and red just kept growing, and growing, and growing.

By kickoff, it was official. Brandon Valley fans: You showed up.

Not saying Lincoln fans didn’t bring a lot of fans, but it wasn’t even close. The Dakota Dome seats about 5,400 on the east side where Lincoln was seated. For the two-time defending champs, there were more red seats visible than baby blue Lincoln gear.

On the west side of the Dome, where the Brandon Valley crew congregated, it’s about 4,200 including all of the suites. It was essentially packed, from top-to-bottom, side-to-side. 

When player introductions rolled around, Lincoln was the first to get the nod on the Public Address system. The Patriots crowd was loud, for sure.

But when Brandon Valley was introduced, again, you guys showed up. It was ear ringing on the sidelines when PA announcer Joe Van Gorr introduced the Lynx. 

Maybe those introductions seemed overwhelmingly loud because I was standing on the Brandon Valley sidelines, just beneath the huge Lynx crowd. But as the roar continued, and continued, and continued, I’m convinced Helen Keller could have heard it.

I’m sure it was even louder in the actual grandstands. I don’t know the acoustics of such a building, but I’ll be the first to confirm that it was incredibly loud on the sidelines.

When the teams broke their final huddle and made their way to the playing surface for the opening kick, the only person failing at their job was the person running the sound system at the Dome. Normally, the high energy music is overwhelming. On Saturday, a song by Led Zeppelin was blaring, and for the first time in history, Robert Plant’s piercing voice was snuffed out.

Zeppelin couldn’t keep up with the roar from you, Brandon Valley. You showed up.

And it wasn’t just the noise. The atmosphere truly was electric. Goosebumps, that’s the atmosphere you created.

To be sure, I spent much of the second half on the Lincoln sideline, just to make sure I wasn’t being a homer. I wanted to see if maybe the Lincoln side was just as loud as Brandon Valley. 

It wasn’t.

I’m taking nothing away from Lincoln’s crowd. They were indeed loud, there just weren’t as many of them. When the Patriots scored to go up 27-26 early in the fourth, I was under their grandstands. It was loud indeed, but not loud enough to drown out Robert Plant when Zeppelin hit the sound system.

And I wasn’t the only one to notice.

While Brandon Valley head coach Matt Christensen was fielding a barrage of questions from the media that converged on the field after the 34-27 Lynx victory, I was able to sneak in a question about the size of the Brandon Valley crowd, and the noise.

“Was it loud for you, down on the sidelines,” I asked him.

“Extremely, which is awesome,” he said as sweat dripped down his face. “I try to zone all that out. Sometimes at home games, you get wrapped up in things and you gotta get locked in for the next play. But on a couple plays tonight, it was like ‘Woah, that is intense.’”

It’s now Sunday as I write this. My ears are still ringing a bit.

But I don’t mind.

Congrats BV fans: You showed up.