Ohio State's 2010 football season kicked off yesterday against Marshall -- on a Thursday night, of all things, which felt strange. It also was the first time in five years that my wife and I had been in The 'Shoe for a regular-season game and the first time in decades that I'd watched my Buckeyes from the thin air of "C Deck."Our seats were (and will be for the remaining seven home games) ten rows below the rim of the stadium, roughly 120 to 130 vertical feet above the playing field. The American flag, waving atop the tallest flagpole in Ohio, fluttered at eye level.
Gulp. I mean, airplanes fly at lower altitudes.Mrs. KintlaLake and I overcame our acrophobia enough to enjoy the annual TBDBITL Alumni reunion and the Bucks' 45-7 drubbing of the boys from Huntington, aided by a C-Deck-only breeze that made the muggy evening tolerable. (The temp at kickoff was 89°F, dropping to 86°F by the time we filed out of the stadium.)
We had a great time and, of course, it was a promising start for the Buckeyes. We'll know more a week from tomorrow, when #2 OSU hosts #13 Miami.
Observations: Security
As we approached Ohio Stadium last night, we noticed that the law-enforcement presence was more intense than we've come to expect. Now it could be, as a retired-LEO friend of mine assured me, that it's been that way since 2001 and we just haven't noticed. Still, I was struck by the veritable iron cordon establishing a 500-yard perimeter around the stadium.
Pedestrians were free to come and go from the area, but vehicles couldn't get close without weaving through "gates" created by parked tactical vehicles and maintenance equipment. At these roll-through checkpoints, SWAT and SRT officers eyed each vehicle as it passed.
I probably wasn't the only fan who came away with the impression, "Damn, this is serious."
I found the tight security neither disconcerting nor particularly comforting, though -- it is what it is. I tip my Block O cap to the pros who choose to pull such thankless duty, and I look forward to seeing them again on the afternoon of Ohio State's game with Miami.
The date: September 11, 2010.
