For the first time in over a decade, students queued outside Lynah Rink to purchase season tickets for men’s hockey.
Armed with lawn chairs, blankets, burners, coats, cards, plenty of Cornell merch and an upbeat attitude, Cornellians embraced this tradition of years past.
While ticket sales did not begin until 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, many students opted to camp out overnight to secure the coveted student section tickets. The first student in line, Dustin Gibian ’27, arrived at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18.
“What brought me out is that I love hockey, and when I saw the email about the Great Wait, I knew I had to be first,” Gibian said.
Students in the Great Wait ranged from first-years to graduate and law school students.
Students described the experience as “totally worth it” and expressed excitement about the tradition’s return with an overwhelming desire to be right up against the glass at Lynah and bring the signature Lynah Faithful rowdiness for another season.
The festivities officially began at 7 a.m., with food being provided to the hungry students in line. Around 8 a.m., the Big Red Band joined Cornell Cheerleading and the Cornell Dance Team in livening the spirits of the waiting students. The first 200 students in line received custom T-shirts commemorating the event, reading, “The Return of the Great Wait” and “I Did My Time in Line.”
While students yawned and struggled to keep their eyes open after the early wake-up, Nicki Moore, director of athletics and physical education, told The Sun that the Great Wait was carefully planned to promote student health.
“This was really the brainchild of our marketing department,” Moore said. “[Marketing] came up with the idea and structured it in a way that hopefully promotes student wellness as well as some reasonable boundaries around not having weeks of sleep deprivation.”
It wasn’t just fans in attendance. Notable appearances from Touchdown the Bear, Cornell men’s hockey head coach Casey Jones ’90, Ryan Lombardi, vice president of student and campus life, and numerous members of the men’s hockey team buoyed the spirits of the participants.
Moore was thoroughly impressed by the outpouring of support from fans and expressed hope about the future of Cornell Athletics.
“I’m super excited about this tradition being revived,” Moore said. “I love the early uptake. I think we can get more students out here, though, and we want to do that in future years.”
When the dust settled at Lynah Rink, nearly 350 total season tickets were sold. While a large turnout, especially for the first year of the revival, it left plenty of Lynah’s 1,480 student section seats unfilled.
