Miller Highlights strikes back – From the desk of Tucker Miller

Sections of this article were altered to correct spelling mistakes.

Fan life at Portland State is about to change drastically. Athletic director Torre Chisholm has been busy planning and organizing for a groundbreaking year of Viking sports.

Chisholm’s primary task is preparing for the onslaught of new bodies that will soon stomp up and down the South Park Blocks. He hopes to take the bodies that trudge through PSU’s hallways and cover them in Viking gear, place them in PGE Park and Stott Center seats and give them a reason to be true Viking fanatics.

Keying off from the hiring of former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville, who has created a celebrity-like buzz since arriving in Portland, Chisholm hopes to change the typical Viking fan’s experience.

The lack of fan intensity and dreadful school spirit that are akin to Viking games will soon be replaced with a reinvigorated fan base molded by Chisholm.

First on his agenda is bringing back The Horde, Portland State’s student fan group of old. It will put Viking fanatics and student leaders in charge of hooting and hollering, in a bid to cause as much ruckus as possible at Viking games.

For fans, the reinstatement of The Horde means, instead of being the only student standing and making noise at games, everyone will be doing the same. In unison, fans will belt out cheers and gripe at the officials, which is pretty cool considering the recent lack of energy.

Like being rewarded for supporting your team, The Horde’s perks are based on the number of events members attend. They will start as small as receiving free T-shirts and burritos, but members will eventually score free Viking merchandise. Chisholm wants to give students who’ve been to 20 events an end-of-the-year party, catered on a boat with Glanville.

On August 7, PSU will unveil the football’s new all-black uniforms. To give you a visual, the new threads look similar to the Raiders’ black and silver jerseys with duller gray numbering. It gives the Vikings a rough and tough mystique to accompany Glanville’s claims to be the hardest hitting team on the West Coast.

There are plans for a “blackout game” where students will be given black T-shirts. This blackout is in honor of the new uniforms and a tribute to Glanville’s preference for all black clothing.

It will be exhilarating to see PGE Park swimming in a sea of black. The pure unity of all fans wearing the same color will bring camaraderie and togetherness for everyone in the stands.

Before games this year, there are plans for student tailgate parties to be held in the Park Blocks. The party will consist of cheap food and a beer garden, which is still in the works.

But, Chisholm may have bitten off potentially more than he can chew with this one. He has forgotten many basic considerations, but seems ready for challenges that may arise.

The major problem I see is the hemorrhaging rain clouds that pound the city during fall and winter, or better known as football season, in Portland. Are students really going to stand in the rain to get a hot dog and beer? The answer is, probably, yes–that is, as long as the beer is cheap and doesn’t stop flowing.

Another difficulty may be the games themselves. After building up Glanville’s reinvention of Viking football, will they deliver? And, if there is a lack of quality product on the field, will fans want to come to the games?

Although most signs are positive and the athletic department is taking great steps, nothing is a done deal.

All in all, it will be an exciting season for the Viking faithful. Whether you’re a student, instructor, coach or athlete, it is obvious that this year will be much different, especially for the fans.