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Field of Fun
Kids have a blast playing at Fan Fest, meet Wake Forest University athletes
Journal Photo by Traci White
Sierra Hurley falls behind Brendan Scriver in a hamster-ball race during Wake Forest University’s Fan Fest.
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Published: August 17, 2008
Austin Lynch sprinted for the end zone at Wake Forest's BB&T field yesterday.
Thousands of people were milling around during Wake Forest's Fan Fest, but Austin, 10, was open at the goal line as the ball arrived in a tight spiral thrown by his 17-year-old brother, Nicholas.
Moments later Austin described the big play.
"I was concentrating on catching it and then when I caught it I was concentrating to make sure my feet were in bounds," he said.
The catch would have been good for a touchdown in the front corner of the Demon Deacon end zone.
Wake Forest's more frequent trips to the end zone in recent years and the burgeoning athletic success in other sports helped this year's Fan Fest draw twice as many people as last year.
The Demon Deacon mascot roared in on a black-and-gold motorcycle and the crowd cheered the introduction of the women's volleyball team, the women's soccer team, the women's field hockey team, which made it to the NCAA Final Four last year; the defending national champion men's soccer team and the football team.
The Musser family -- Rob and Kim and their sons Justin, 12, and Jacob, 10 -- joined a steady stream of people who climbed 138 steps up from the field to peer inside the windows of the new seven-level Deacon Tower.
The $47 million addition, with box seats, club seats, club tables and press box, will be ready for the Sept. 6 home opener against Ole Miss.
"It's worth every penny," Rob Musser said. "It's impressive."
Kim Musser works in the university bookstore and says that people have been excited about the chance to see the field and about the coming season.
"I know there's more of a buzz about it," she said. "People were really looking forward to (Fan Fest) with how well the team's done, the money they've spent, and how well it represents (the university)."
On the field, Newton Cowan watched his daughters Mary Mac, 10, and Ellie, 6, as they bounced on a giant inflatable.
Cowan, who drove from Greensboro, said he couldn't believe the crowd when he pulled into the parking lot. "I love it," he said. "It's great for Wake Forest."
Mary Mac, an aspiring field hockey player and competitive swimmer, clutched a poster of the women's field hockey team and headed off to get autographs from the players.
There was no official crowd estimate -- no tickets were required and people walked several abreast through the gate. But when Fan Fest started, it took the people at the back of the line 16 minutes to get to the gate and people were still streaming in from the parking lot.
Corey Lynch of King -- who is the father of Austin and Nicholas and is not the same Corey Lynch who blocked the field goal to preserve Appalachian State University's win over Michigan last year -- said his sons were eager to visit the field.
He said he takes a lot of kidding about his name these days, but is a longtime Wake football fanatic. He tucked a football under his arm and did the Heisman pose on the field as someone snapped a photograph.
He looked up at the towering addition and ran his fingers through the fancy turf.
"It's exquisite," he said. "The whole stadium is getting better and better. (My sons) have been itching all week to get out here."
ASU also had its Fan Fest yesterday in Boone, as the defending national champion Mountaineers prepare for the season opener Aug. 30 at defending NCAA Division I champion LSU.
Wake Forest will open at Baylor on Aug. 28. Wake is ranked 23rd in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll, which was released yesterday. The team was also ranked 23rd in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll released Aug. 1.
This is the first time in Wake history that the football team has entered the season ranked in the top 25 teams in the nation.
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
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