Fan tells of life in the ‘Erupption Zone’
December 11th, 2009 | 
Author:
Wesley Henderson, with beard, is a University of Kentucky student who goes to great lengths to support the Wildcats. (Victoria Graff photo)
Editor’s note: Wesley Henderson is a University of Kentucky student and a vaughtsviews.com reader. He’s a regular in the Erupption Zone — usually he’s the guy in the front row with the long beard — and he shared his thoughts on what it is like to be there for a game.
By WESLEY HENDERSON
Off the top of your head think of the most exciting event you’ve ever been witness to. Now multiply that level of excitement you were feeling times 10, and throw in nearly 1,000 fellow college students into the mix screaming loud enough to deafen a jet.
This just tips the iceberg of the rush you experience being part of the Erupption Zone for a game like the one we watched last weekend, when the two most storied blue-blood basketball programs in the country faced off inside of Rupp Arena.
It really is more than just going to catch a game; the E-Zone to me is the epitome of being a UK fan while being a student. It means camping out in subfreezing temperatures for days on the side of the road with virtually no sleep just for the chance to get a spot on the front row. We spend absurd amounts of money to obtain E-Zone tickets from other students when we weren’t lucky enough to be drawn in the university’s “lottery” system.
For those students who become regulars in the E-zone during the season, you often spend more time a week together in line than you do with any of your day-to-day friends. In reality you’re building friendships with them that extend outside of the games. Ones that are based on nothing more than your shared love for the Cats!
What really stands out is the interaction that is shown towards the students of the Erupption Zone. Whether it comes from the likes of Dr. Todd and his wife when they come by before a game or from our favorite bluecoats that often make their way to the E-Zone for pregame handshakes; or it is the occasional visit from players like DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins to joke around with us a couple hours before game time that will always be memorable and a highlight every season.
These experiences remind us what Kentucky and UK basketball is all about. This is what makes the being part of the E-Zone so special. I couldn’t imagine being anyplace else as a student for a home game and when I graduate it will likely be the part of college I will miss the most.
Posted in Uncategorized
Wesley, great job. I got to sit in the E-Zone, right next to the band, for the Blue/White Scrimmage this year. What an amazing view of the game! I can only imagine what it is like when the students are in those seats. You are one lucky Cats fan brother. You get shown on TV almost every game and I always wondered how you got those seats. Now I know. Keep up the great support. GO BIG BLUE!!!
Sounded good Wes
The beard strikes again!
Those are the best fans in the world. Can’t wait to see Wes and crew for Louisville, Tennessee and Florida this year.
Wes may share again in the future and also has a friend who will be posting with us
GREAT STUFF!!! GO WES!! GO BIG BLUE!!!!
Great stuff. Keep up the good work, Wes!
Wes, wonderful read. I know there are a lot of fans who wish they were in your shoes now. There was no eruption zone when I went to UK but the excitement was the same before, during and after the game. I saw the games in Memorial, great venue for watching a game, you didn’t miss a thing! Just think of the memories you will have to pass on to future Wildcat fans! I still talk about Issel and Maravich. GO CATS!
I attended EKU in the early to mid 60’s and several of us would come to Memorial Colesium, and stand in line for 2-3 hours for standing room tickets. Memorial was a great place to watch a game, and was always rocking. Some of my greatest memories were of players like the smoothest player ever to put on a UK uniform, Cotton Nash. I got to watch Rupp’s Runts which was the best passing team I ever saw. I was there the night that Rupp sprung the 1-3-1 defense on Tennessee. Ray Mears called a timeout before they ever took a shot trying to figure out what kind of a defense UK was in. When you are students, you need to enjoy these moments and build up memories.
Love the spirit. And I love these guys at basketball games and other sports…except football. Why? Because at football games for the last few years these guys have taken up the front row even though they don’t have tickets there. Maybe not Wesley, dont know the guy, but some of the dudes around him for sure.
It’s pretty annoying. Football student section isn’t first come-first serve like the eRUPPtion zone. Yet guys think they can get there before everyone else and that means they can stand in front. Now…if the lower level of the student section were to go first-come, first-serve (which I would LOVE on many levels) then these folks are my friends again.
Point: I’ve got nothing against these guys, I have something against the student section layout. First come, first serve (if only for a section or two) would increase excitement, participation, and early arrival in the student section…and that has been severely lacking. It would also allow for more tickets sold. I’m sure there are reasons NOT to do this but I’m not aware of any good ones yet.
LARRY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REMOVING THE COMMENTS BY CARDFAN. THEY WERE AS CLASSY AS THE PROGRAM. GO BIG BLUE!!!
I was at UK when it was first in line and run to the best seats in Memorial. I camped out many a times to be near the front of the line.
Jared, not familiar with football problem, but sounds like one UK should fix. I will pass your info on.
And JIm, no problem. Our site is above that. Disagree, but be cordial.
Wes did a great job and I am betting his friend will, too, when she posts
Congratualtions Wes – You have a great standing room only seat. You will have great memories.
I too spent many nights in lines around Memorial Coliseum to get in to see the Wildcats. I too saw Rupp’s teams and does anybody remember Ernie Grunfeld?
ladies and gentlemen thank you for such positive responses, it really does mean alot. And Larry thank you for giving me the opportunity. I really do love the Ezone and thank UK for giving us the opportunity to be there.
Jarrod, the group of people your talking about with front rows many of them are actually season ticket holders in the first couple rows. And most of their friends are front row ticket holders and allow them to get on the rail. the University really should change it to general admission, that would be the easiest thing to solve the problem.
Thanks again Wes for clearing up some confusion for us. And you did a great job. Looking forward to having your friend write for us and also having you again maybe after the Louisville game since that should really be fun
Great article cuz. Holly was part of an article (Kissing Cousins) a couple of weeks ago. Larry Vaught does a great job covering the fans and their stories.
Wes: do you get just as pumped for football games as I do? Does it tick you off when the the national anthem is playing, the stadium is packed…and 75% of the students are in the tunnels waiting for the song to finish? I think this would solve the problem. Whether that would mean taking out some bleachers I’m not real qualified to judge. But it should at least be considered. And like I said…it may not be you and maybe not at all this year. But the last three years it has been a HUGE issue.
Larry: thanks for the info passage. I tried before but you’ve been in the business much longer and I imagine you have more pull and connections.
I try Don. That is what makes this site fun
And we’ll see about my pull. But at least I can get the complaint passed on to the right folks
Great insight from Wes… thanks Wes & Larry
Jared I think we both can agree that having a student section that is not general admission is a HORRIBLE idea. If they University would change this, remove those bleachers and make it standing room only I would near promise that there would be no more issues about students not coming in early because to me its a huge issue that and I always get mad when the entire crowd leaves before My Old Kentucky Home has been sung in both sports. It’s about state pride and something that as the commonwealths team we should be making effort to show.
I can say however I have been front row for plenty of football games, but it is because i have friends that have season tickets front row and they let me stand there while they stand in their seats, or vice versa. If they made it general admission to students and standing only i do think it would solve this issue. I’ve never seen much of a problem made out of it tho except for people that come into commonwealth 15-20 minutes into the game and want to sit down in the front row, then again i dont think those people should even be allowed near the front row of any sporting event lol.
My first wife was a student at UK back in the late 70s during the great years with Macy, Givens, Lee and crew. We were crazy about basketball. They gave out student tickets on Sunday afternoon for all the games that week. No lottery or FCFS on gameday. Just get there early enough and get good seats. We would arrive at 5 or 6 in the morning and be in the first 100 in line. Students also had more lower arena tickets back then. We watched a lot of games right down near the floor behind the team.
Now that I am a poor working stiff in Lexington getting those kinds of tickets to games are impossible. From the few games I have been lucky enough to attend recently I can attest that the crowd noise is NOTHING like it used to be. It was wicked loud back then.
BTW.. Some people HAVE to sit down due to physical problems. Should they miss the game? I’ve always been able to be just as loud sitting as I was standing.
Those were the days weren’t they GP. It was the same when I was in school and UK played in Memorial.
And I agree. No reason you can’t make noise and be seated at the same time