During this past week, the biggest little game of the region happened, and students, alumni and staff couldn’t be more excited about the event. To get Red Dragons excited for the big game, the school promoted events all week long, offering different activities for each day of the week for all Cortland students. The most anticipated week of the year ended with a big win for Cortland against Ithaca College on Saturday.
The week started with a Game Show Night on Monday. Students who attended the event reported it to be a fun night with many different questions about the school and the game, as well as prizes for those who got the right answers and a great time with friends.
Next, the school promoted a DIY Merch on Wednesday, where students could get a jersey for Cortaca and custom it as they would like. Aside from the game itself, this was the one of the most expected Cortaca events by most students – the idea of having their own customized jersey for the game was something that brought much excitement for all students. Those who attended reported to be satisfied with their customized jerseys but said that the event itself was a bit confusing.
“We were happy to be there and were excited to get our jerseys, but the place was crowded and the line to get them customized was very long, we had to wait there for a long time. One of our friends gave up on waiting and simply took the jersey to the library the next day and printed her name and number there. I thought that was smart. I saw how hard people were working and trying to help everyone, and I appreciate that, but there were too many people for them to handle. Maybe next year they could organize this event differently, maybe distribute codes and people go customize their shirts at different times throughout the day.”, said Nadia, a student at Cortland majoring in Education and English as a Second Language.
Overcoming the crowded event of the previous night, on Thursday, the school organized a Carnival for all the students, with games, prizes, music and quality time with friends and family.
On Friday – the day before the big game, a Pep Rally was held at the Main St, but the fun started at the Student Life Center, where food, drinks, games and a DJ were set up for all students to play, eat, listen to some good music and have fun with friends. At 7pm, the Rally on Main St started. The school promoted many different raffles and prizes, as well as performances from singers, the Cheerleading team, Dance Works and the Kick line team. The Rally was a fun event and a great way of getting everyone ready for the day it was to come.
“I was so excited for the raffles. I was so sure that I was going to win that iPad, I wanted to win that so badly. But still, watching all the performances and listening to the music was already so fun, and I was so excited for the game. It was a great way of starting the cheering spirit for the game.”, said Nadia.
The week of events for Cortaca was a success – and so was the game as C-State won against Ithaca College, 28-17. It was a great day to be a Red Dragon!