Long two days left. Story time! Please share your own

[RezClone]

CW often says, "we aren't Iowa State fans because it's easy". Which is true in the sense that he means it.

Well guess what, folks? This week has been very easy. A terrible week to be a Hok. A perfect week to be a Cyclone. I'm hoping all of our arms aren't about to fall off from patting ourselves on the back, and rightfully so this time! I've loved every minute of it, and of course I want more.

Story time:
The wife wanted to get away the weekend of the K State game, so we went to the Mall of America. Yes, I watched the game on my phone and timed my turn to sit with the stroller expertly. My wife is not a Cyclone (we all have our faults). She is lukewarm on sports in general, but that is not the point.

My wife was blown away by how many people came up to me in my ISU gear and said Go Cyclones! Go State! Some struck up a conversation, others just gave a head nod of acknowledgment. A few of them literally went out of their way and basically chased me down to acknowledge our mutual love of ISU and the Cyclones. It was too many to count on a busy day in Minnesota.

Much like CW, I'm not proud to say I grew up mostly a Hok. My allegiances were split, and sadly I basically just followed which ever team was doing well. Ive been to Kinnick and CHA plenty of times, and my friends in HS were basically all Hoks. It is what it is.

This all changed when I went to school in Ames. People roll their eyes when we tell them our best asset is our people. Every once in a while people get a glimpse into what we mean, and my wife did that day. it had an impact on her. We have an impact on people. We are some of the good ones. Don't ever forget that or apologize for it.

I just wanted to say I love you guys and ladies that post on here. My life is better for sharing these experiences with you, and this week has been about as good as it gets. I don't take this board, this school, this fanbase for granted. We are blessed.

 

[CYCLNST8]

My conversion was immediate. Having beer thrown at you as you march into Kinnick will do that. Seneca took over the 2nd half and we feasted on Hawkeye tears. Nothing quite like your first high…

 

[Jerms]

My conversion was immediate. Having beer thrown at you as you march into Kinnick will do that. Seneca took over the 2nd half and we feasted on Hawkeye tears. Nothing quite like your first high…

Yep. Grew up a hawk fan. Went to ISU. Considered cheering for both up till the point I marched into Kinnick Stadium as a freshman with the band. Will never cheer for them again and that gets confirmed every year. That was 27 years ago.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Was an Iowa fan until the fall of 1996 when my ISU acceptance letter arrived in the mail. Have been a Cyclone ever since. When I was a Hawk fan I was one of those that didn’t hate ISU and cheered for the Cyclones on the side (much like my best friend does now), but have largely found that impossible to do in reverse. I’m not saying all Hawk fans are twats, but so many of them are you don’t realize how terrible a good chunk of that fan base is until you’ve been exposed to it as an opponent.

 

[cycloner29]

Was at the 96 NCAA tournament in Dallas. We had Willoughby, Cato, Pratt, Holloway and Bankhead on team back then. After ISU's win, we hung out and was watching the second game. We noticed Floyd sitting like in the first or second row behind the basket. He was looking at stat sheets or something on a clip board. I noticed these two very good looking blonde cheerleaders from California walk past Floyd and all of the sudden Floyd's eyes just locked in on them as they went up into the stands beside him. To see him just turn his head and see him stare at them as they walked up the steps was priceless. My BIL just busted out laughing.

 

[Al_4_State]

I grew up a fan of both, My mom went to Iowa and my dad went to ISU. My mom's family are more into sports and I watched a lot of Hawkeye sports with my grandparents (my grandpa was a huge sports guy - played minor league hockey in Canada and had a cup of coffee with the the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 50's) while growing up.

I always cheered for ISU when they played each other though, because I've always loved the underdog story and ISU always felt like the underdog in the 90's. Iowa football was much more available on TV, but ISU basketball was on a lot too. The Floyd and Eustachy teams were cornerstones of my childhood.

Basically I consumed the football and basketball of both schools with an equal voracity until late in high school when I knew I was going to Iowa State and my feelings for Iowa fell off. I initially thought I would cheer for Iowa when they didn't play Iowa State (like I had as a kid) but by the week of my first Cy-Hawk game, I was a full on Hawk hater.

I grew out of my Hawk hate after moving back to northeast Iowa ten years ago. People up here just aren't as personal about the rivalry. There are definitely more Hawk fans (probably 70/30 split) but plenty of Clone fans. The Hawk fans are FAR less obnoxious than they tend to be in Central Iowa. I almost never hear them ripping on ISU or Ames. Yeah, they root for Iowa, but they don't hate ISU. When you aren't surrounded by ********, hating the Hawks makes less sense.

 

[JM4CY]

**** Iowa.

 

[kentkel]

I guess Floyd was being completely thorough in his scouting report!

Was at the 96 NCAA tournament in Dallas. We had Willoughby, Cato, Pratt, Holloway and Bankhead on team back then. After ISU's win, we hung out and was watching the second game. We noticed Floyd sitting like in the first or second row behind the basket. He was look at stat sheets or something on a clip board. I noticed these two very good looking blonde cheerleaders from California walk past Floyd and all of the sudden Floyd's eyes just locked in on them as they went up into the stands beside him. To see him just turn his head and see him stare at them as they walked up the steps was priceless. My BIL just busted out laughing.

 

[JP4CY]

My true love of ISU was when the Register interviewed fans of what they want the teams to accomplish after Pollard was hired.
Of the ISU responses a couple people said they aren't concerned as much about the wins as they were about James Pollard getting healthy and not being stuck at Blanks. That really hit home with how good of a fanbase we are. Crazy to look back at that and now James is at UNI and helping out the bball team.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Born into an Iowa State family so I've been ISU from birth.

It was tough to see Iowa mbb have an upper conference finish and big 10 tournament title. Also tough to see the Iowa wbb get a share of the regular season conference title and the tourney title especially when our wbb team was basically in 1st all year in conference just to have a minor slip up at the end.

Eventually things come around now they have for us. I wouldn't change what we have now for mbb and wbb for what Iowa had.

 

[BCClone]

**** Iowa.

I grew up an ISU fan. Ag world baby!!

 

[Cyclonepride]

When I was 16 or so, I was listening to a Cyclone basketball game on the radio, and we lost it in the last minute (I can't remember who we played). I was so mad I flung myself into a wall of my bedroom and put a basketball sized hole in the wall. I ended up covering it up with a Samantha Fox poster, and my parents didn't discover it until I moved out for college. I am slightly better at handling losses now.

 

[BCClone]

When I was 16 or so, I was listening to a Cyclone basketball game on the radio, and we lost it in the last minute (I can't remember who we played). I was so mad I flung myself into a wall of my bedroom and put a basketball sized hole in the wall. I ended up covering it up with a Samantha Fox poster, and my parents didn't discover it until I moved out for college. I am slightly better at handling losses now.

Did you touch Samantha and feel her body? Probably is backwards.

 

[werdnamanhill]

Didn't watch much sports at all until I joined the marching band. Now I'm a fanatic for pretty much every sport. Being a part of the GameDay atmosphere in Jack Trice is a surefire way to make a passionate fan for life.

 

[cyfanatic]

When I was 16 or so, I was listening to a Cyclone basketball game on the radio, and we lost it in the last minute (I can't remember who we played). I was so mad I flung myself into a wall of my bedroom and put a basketball sized hole in the wall. I ended up covering it up with a Samantha Fox poster, and my parents didn't discover it until I moved out for college. I am slightly better at handling losses now.

Samantha Fox...her songs were terrible...horrible singing voice...and yet being a teenage male in the late 80s...she still stands out in my memories of that era!

 

[JM4CY]

When I was 16 or so, I was listening to a Cyclone basketball game on the radio, and we lost it in the last minute (I can't remember who we played). I was so mad I flung myself into a wall of my bedroom and put a basketball sized hole in the wall. I ended up covering it up with a Samantha Fox poster, and my parents didn't discover it until I moved out for college. I am slightly better at handling losses now.

You missed an opportunity to compare the hole in the wall to her cup size.

 

[isucyfan]

All of my family went to ISU, so I was born into it. The problem was, I grew up in NW Iowa amidst the Hayden Fry years where we were absolutely dominated in football. I was literally the only Cyclone fan in my peer group, and it was rough. This is why I, to this day, just love seeing Iowa lose.

Some weirdos say they root for Iowa when they play anyone other than ISU, but I am unabashedly rooting against the U of I at every turn. I have mellowed a bit since I moved out of state and don't have to deal with the rivalry as much, but seeing Iowa lose is delicious Schadenfreude (good band name).

 

[cyfanatic]

I grew up in the Cedar Rapids area so all I heard about or saw was Hawkeye propaganda! I tended to root for the underdog in sports and for some reason I didn't ever want to cheer for Iowa. I do recall listening to the radio with my dad and hearing radio calls when Dexter Green was the Iowa State running back and I kind of decided to cheer for Iowa State. But my love for Iowa State cemented one weekend afternoon day flipping the tv channels at my grandparents' home and stopping at an Iowa State basketball game in which Johnny Orr was the coach and Barry Stevens was the star. I was hooked...it was fun basketball...up and down the court...pretty sure it was at Hilton and the crowd was really into the game. HOOKED! Been on this ride a long time! Love the fun (and the pain) it has brought me! Go STATE!!

 

[BCClone]

You missed an opportunity to compare the hole in the wall to her cup size.

His parents May have thought the hole in the wall was placed there a different way if they knew her poster was up

 

[NWICY]

We really weren't a college sports family growing up, I was the only one that really watched sports. Decided my Jr yr of H.S. to attend ISU, went to my 1st college FB game in Jack Trice as a freshman loved it, but the thing that sealed the deal for me to become a true Cyclone Fan was the ISU-Missouri game where Barry Stevens made it rain.