UNH Today

The spirit of Wildcat Country is contagious. One highlight of student life gearing up and squeezing into the stands with other students to yell, whistle, and route for the athletic teams. With 21 varsity sports at UNH and winning teams, there is a lot to cheer for. This time of year you could find more than 12 scheduled events to attend in one weekend!

To prepare you for the rush, here’s how to cheer for multiple sports and make the most of your fan skills:

1. Plot Your Course

Scope out the map before you begin. The good news is that most of the athletic facilities are concentrated on the west side of the campus, just off Main Street near Durham’s Amtrak station. There are three main locations to become familiar with: The UNH Field House, Cowell Stadium, and the Whittemore Center.

In the Field House you will find Lundholm Gym, home to men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. You’ll also find Swasey Pool and your spot for swimming and diving.

Just behind the Field House is Cowell Stadium where the Wildcats football team plays and Reggie F. Atkins Track and Field for all the track events. Bremner field is just beyond the stadium and home to men’s and women’s soccer.

Across the from the Field House, less than a 5 minute walk according to Google Maps, is the Whittemore Center. Here is Towse Rink where the men’s and women’s hockey teams play and outside, Memorial Field, home to lacrosse and field hockey events.

2. Get Your Gear

You can’t go wrong if you suit up in the official University of New Hampshire colors: blue and white. (White resembles the White Mountains of New Hampshire, located an hour north of Durham, and blue the Atlantic Ocean, connected to the campus by the Great Bay estuary.)

Get UNH sweatshirts, hats, stadium seat covers and all the goods you need for any sport at the UNH Bookstore. You can also shop online through the UNH website.

Don’t forget to also store up on blue and white face paint for football games.

3. Check out the Teams

Who are the biggest rivals? Which team is undefeated? Which games or matches are ‘can’t miss’? What is the current schedule?

Before the cheering begins, get acquainted with the teams. Knowing the star players, history of wins, legacy they are trying to uphold, or underdog story they’re living makes the events that much more fun.

The best place to see what’s happening with UNH teams (and find out when they play) is on the university athletic website. You can also follow the teams on Facebook or sign up for E-newsletters and text alerts with scores and news. Download the UNH Wildcats mobile app.

4. Learn the Cheers and Protocol (Except in hockey, just go with the flow)

UNH is known as the Wildcats and our UNH official mascots are Wild E. Cat and Gnarlz. (For super, super fans, the Athletic Department holds annual mascot tryouts for selecting students to wear the "Wild E. Cat and Gnarlz" costumes at various sporting events!)

At most events you’ll get a rousing version of “On to Victory” – the UNH school fight song – followed by the “UNH Cheer” led by the Wildcat Marching Band or UNH Pep Band. Learn the lyrics and get ready for both with YouTube Video.

Prepare to get rowdy for football (here is where the face paint comes in handy) at Cowell Stadium and be ready for colder night weather at soccer matches at Bremner Field. As for hockey, just relax and follow the crowd. The student section here is nationally known as a major force in hockey games so you’ll catch on quickly.

5. Cheer

Nothing left to do but head out and have some fun. Go UNH!

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UNH Today