Shots could ring out at any time, falling asleep could let the enemy in - but as long as the hot dogs aren’t burned, all is fine.
Or at least that’s how some students who guard Sparty view the balance between keeping MSU’s mascot safe from University of Michigan students and having a good time.
“There are grills going with dogs, brats and burgers,” said Dustin Brown, a criminal justice senior. “People are playing Frisbee and throwing the football around.”
Brown is one of the many members of the Spartan Marching Band who participate in Sparty Watch. The primary goal of the annual event is to protect Sparty, which is displayed northwest of Spartan Stadium.
For the most part, keeping the statue free of destruction hasn’t been a problem during the week leading up to the football game against U-M. But U-M students have been successful in hitting their target in the past - a melee which sometimes gets out of hand.
John Karnes, an environmental geoscience senior, recalled a U-M attack three years ago.
“I looked up and there were all these (paint) projectiles in the air,” he said. “They missed Sparty, but we got it on the head.”
The bottom line is to protect Sparty and do whatever possible to create a win and earn respect.
“It’s more for bragging rights for the season,” said Rory McClintock, a mechanical engineering sophomore. “Because all of us, I’m sure, have friends who go to U-M. They’ll say for next year, ‘hey we got you guys last year.’”
One person who watches over Sparty while the band attends classes is MSU’s super fan John Spirit - something considered helpful by band members.
“Some of us have classes and you know, a life,” said Nicholas Proszkow, a music education freshman.
But some band members say he has tried to take over the band’s tradition, making some members of the band a little upset.
“He’s an interesting character,” said Valerie Shoppell, a pre-med sophomore.
Besides John Spirit and the band, a police presence has emerged over the years.
“I think its a good tradition,” Shoppell said. “Even though it’s becoming where the police are parked out here, DPPS is circling, this is a good tradition for ourselves.”
MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said the police have always beefed up security around the stadium during Michigan week. She said the tightened security will continue until game time this year.
Even though cleaning is not usually thought of as a privilege, members of the Spartan Marching Band think it is - at least when it comes to the week before the rivalry game. They can only clean their jackets if MSU wins.
To the band members, the main thing that stands in the way between a clean or a dirty jacket this year is how MSU will deal with injuries. Many of them joked about the possibilities of quarterbacks lined up as linebackers, or receivers playing for the depleted secondary.
While the band has been enjoying themselves this week, many members say nothing matches the excitement during the game.
“The rivalry between the schools may just be un-matched in the college atmosphere,” Brown said.
