Pensacola Revisited December, 1996

by Kim Sproul

I wasn't too optimistic about how the December 6th game trip to Pensacola was going to turn out. After all it got off to a great start.

We requested that the tickets be sent priority mail so that they would be in by Friday at the latest. Sunday came and the tickets weren't here. I discovered on Monday that they were mailed to the wrong address and spent Wednesday and Thursday delivering tickets all over town. Fortunately we were able to get all of the tickets to the right people in time for the game.

Granted, we did cut it a little close on a few of them...

The Pensacola Civic Center is pretty nice even if you can't bring in a camera and you can't understand ANYTHING on the PA system. They were nice enough to allow us to hang our sign. (Thanks Ian Wilson for the use of your shoelaces!) The fans we met were mostly polite, especially the three we had trapped in the middle of our block. They actually lasted two periods before they moved.

OK, so we weren't impressed by the guys who threw things at our players, but how much can you expect from someone stupid enough to throw anything at Louis when he's mad?

Their mascot, Iceman, has nothing on Frenzy. It may just be my opinion, but he looks like a distant cousin of the Hamburgler. Then there's that Subway sandwich with the undercooked bun and that Hooter's owl. Do you remember the inflatable punching bag clowns? Imagine one nearly 7 feet tall with someone inside and you have the owl! I don't mind the Cash Cow so much now. I don't even want to comment on "Miss Conduct" in the penalty box. Is she some sort of consolation prize or what?

The real fun began after the game when the heavens opened up. We halfway expected to see the animals start lining up two by two. One helpful hint - Don't wear a game worn jersey in the rain. They smell really bad when they get wet.

If you haven't made it to an away game yet I definitely recommend going to Pensacola. It's not that bad of a trip, the Civic Center is easy to find and the fans are nice.