One of the biggest claims to fame for UNH is the tradition displayed inside and outside of the classroom. On Saturdays especially, the campus turns into the typical college town with hometown banners and school colors being worn proudly. In the cold nights of the winter, the hottest place in town is the Whittemore Center, where the Wildcats take the ice. Tradition runs deep in all facets of Wildcat country and that includes the student section. Most colleges and universities have their own student and cheering sections, but few rival the ‘Cat Pack. The football student section has proven to be one of the most hostile places to play at in the entire FCS conference. The loyal ‘Cat Pack at hockey games have turned any road trip to the Whit a tough and loud environment for all opponents to play in. But what do the student sections do that makes the games so fun for the students and so hostile for the visiting players?
The student section has several chants that are performed every game and every first year student will learn them quickly. Hopefully this article gives you a head start. Before all home games, no matter the sport, the student section starts the “I believe in UNH” chant. Most high schools and colleges use this chant as the “I believe that we will win” chant. We have a creative spin on it, and instead of the last line of the cheer being “I believe that we will win,” it is actually “I believe in UNH.” The whole student section comes together as one big family and puts their arms around each other and jumps around firing up the Wildcat sports teams from the start.
Another cheer, (or motto), of the school will be a cheer that you can find on many Instagram captions. The cheer starts when someone yells (and I mean yells), “today’s a great day to be a Wildcat,” and everyone else responds with “every day’s a great day to be a Wildcat” (insert grunt noise). It’s a great cheer used during sporting events and at most school events. The “Go Blue, Go White” chant is when the student section is spit in two and one side cheers “Go Blue!” and the other responds with “Go White.” Another classic chant used is the “UNH” chant, which utilizes the most favored instrument in Durham, the cowbell. The crowd chants “UNH, UNH, UNH” in unison with the cowbell which wakes the crowd up and the team as well, if need be. In most football or hockey games, the individual game will include specialized chants directed at opposing players or teams specifically, but the chants listed above are the basic core that you will see at every game you attend in your four years in Durham. Hopefully this cheer guide will get all you freshman fired up for UNH sporting events. Just remember, everyday is a great day to be a Wildcat.
