O.T: Silent Night

Submitted by w2j2 on

One night every December, students at tiny Taylor University pack the school's gymnasium and participate in a phenomenon that's completely out of place in modern sports: silence.

The fans in the standing-room-only crowd are as loud as a library for as long as it takes Taylor's basketball team to score 10 points. But once that happens, there's no shushing them. As soon as Taylor hits double digits, the students erupt into bedlam, and they don't stop screaming and dancing until it's time for the post-game Christmas party on campus.

Friday's racket known as "Silent Night"—the game ends with a student singalong of the Christmas carol—is very, very quietly a tradition unlike any other.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014241278873246401045781634539954999…

XM - Mt 1822

December 7th, 2012 at 5:41 AM ^

since they pledge chasity, no homo stuff, etc.   kidding aside, great tradition, good for them, and after seeing that and the USU insert that was added, would be fun to see Michigan develop our own tradition that is as tightly wrapped as one of those.

gotohail

December 7th, 2012 at 12:21 AM ^

That is nothing short of awesome. Things like this make the college experience so special and really is what sets it apart from professional sports!



StephenRKass

December 7th, 2012 at 5:46 AM ^

Every place and group has its own traditions. I remember seeing the rock at Washtenaw and Hill painted and repainted, a Michigan tradition. Ohio has swimming in the Oval before the MIchigan game. As a student, I remember students being passed up the Michigan stands, a tradition that has since been outlawed, from my understanding. (I don't think passing up students would work anymore anyway, because from the pictures I've seen posted here at mgoblog, the student section is no longer crowded during games. Apparently football games aren't as popular at Michigan as they once were.)

At any rate, I'm glad the Taylor students have something like this to celebrate the end of the term and enjoy some fun and craziness. Those are the kind of things that make for great memories. I remember all the alumni who would come to Ann Arbor on game days. You could see, as they looked around and walked around, the remembrance and reliving of a time long past. Now I am in that position myself, and I'm thankful for good memories of dorm and fraternity game day traditions. Good times, good traditions, and good memories.

French West Indian

December 7th, 2012 at 9:06 AM ^

...I'm surprised the entire student body can pull off the silent act.  You'd think there would be at least one asshole who would shout out something lewd about halfway through that would send everybody into giggles.