Halloween is the most important event of the year at Ohio University. Nothing, really, could be more important than the Saturday night block party.
Except, of course, for those students who have other, better things to do.
Things like defending a No. 1 ranking against a rival hockey team, racing against the fastest runners in the Mid-American conference, or taking the gridiron in an effort to get the Ohio football back a little closer to .500.
We do request that we get a road football game Halloween weekend
but (mostly) because people can't get hotels (in Athens) Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh said.
Boeh said it is not unusual for schools to avoid home games on high-traffic weekends. Athens, because of its small size and few hotels, is particularly hard-hit. Boeh said the athletic department also avoids home games during the Nelsonville Paul Bunyan Festival.
Even the visitors don't have a place to stay Boeh said.
Although the large scale of putting on an NCAA game puts the football team on the road, for the Ohio hockey team, the problem is too small of a crowd.
The reason we're not here for Halloween is financially based
coach Dan Morris said. There's just too much going on to try to get people to come to a hockey game
and we need the ticket sales.
Hockey games, usually played Friday and Saturday nights, would conflict with the beginning of the Court Street block party.
Because hockey is a club sport, Morris is able to have more control over the team's schedule. This weekend's series at Penn State is an annual event and one that carries a heated rivalry.
Saturday's game will begin at 3:30 p.m., and Morris said he expects the team to be back in time for the majority of the block party.
We get there late
so some of the costumes have deteriorated
or maybe I should say
some of the people inside the costumes have deteriorated
Morris said. We only get two hours of it
which is perfect. It'd be a little much for five or six hours of it.
Spencer Tatum, a redshirt sophomore football player, said coaches are warning players to be careful if they go to the celebration.
They're worried about us getting in trouble because we kind of get spotted by police
Tatum said.
Boeh said there have been no serious Halloween problems involving student athletes in the 10 years he's been at OU.
Not all the Ohio teams are purposely escaping the Halloween havoc. The cross country teams will be competing in the Mid-American Conference Championships at Toledo Saturday, and field hockey will travel to Central Michigan Friday and Ball State Saturday. Both teams expect to be back by Saturday night.
Boeh said that a Halloween home football game would be neat to have, if it were realistic logistically.
I wish we would (play at home Halloween weekend). I think it's be awesome to have a home game
