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The hidden support for Miami football 1,700 miles away

TUCSON, Ariz. – Bowl games are big, eccentric and extravagant. If the team is lucky, some take place somewhere you would want to vacation in late December like the Bahamas, Florida or even Tucson, Arizona where Miami University played in the inaugural Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.

Fans who watch the game on TV will see their favorite players on the field, the band playing the fight song in the stands and cheerleaders and spirit squads supporting on the sidelines.

What they won’t see are the long flights, adjusted holiday plans and parents who came with the students and the sacrifices they made to get to Tucson.

One family that molded their holiday plans around the game was the Walkers. Nancy and Cecilia Walker came from Chicago and Tampa Bay, Florida respectively to watch redshirt junior Nick Walker, Miami’s long snapper, play.

Nick’s mom Nancy hasn’t missed any of his games in his four years playing at Miami. Cecilia, Nick’s sister, said she was happy to come and support because she can’t always make the trip from Florida to Ohio.

While Nick Walker has been in Tucson with the team since Dec. 24, he hasn’t been able to do everything his family has because of his practice schedule. Nancy Walker said it was “unfortunate,” but said she has been lucky enough to find a community with other Miami parents while traveling for games.

“We all have a great time,” Nancy Walker said. “Everyone’s become really good friends over the four years.”

With the Arizona Bowl being many players’ last game, Nancy Walker said she’s sad to see many parents leave the group along with their kids graduating.

“I'm going to be emotional at the end of today because we’ve all become such good friends,” Nancy Walker said. “Not only is your son finishing something, but we've all had such great friendships that we might not see each other anymore like we did every weekend in the fall.”

While Nancy Walker is emotional about  Nick’s final game of the year, she said the turnout was “huge” for the seniors’ last game.

One senior in the crowd made up part of the turnout.

Sabrina Ackerman, a senior kinesiology major and feature twirler, spent her final time in Miami red and white doing what she’s done her whole life: twirl.

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Ackerman started competitive twirling as a kid and picked Miami because she could continue doing what she loves. Although this is her last time performing, it was anything but regular.

“I have a lot of different feelings about [this being my last game],” Ackerman said. “I love Miami, so it's super exciting, and I love that this gets to be my last game. It's so fun here, and I’ve never been to Arizona.”

Although the football team flew into Tucson on Christmas Eve, the band, twirlers and cheerleaders didn’t land in Arizona until Dec. 26. Ackerman said this meant she could still spend Christmas with her family but said it was “hectic” because she was still practicing and preparing for the trip.

She said the trip was easier because she didn’t come alone. Her family flew from Cleveland to the game to support her in her last game. Ackerman said having them at the game meant a lot to her.

“I love having their support,” she said. “It definitely feels better when I perform when I know that they’re here, and I can feel their presence, almost.”

Just a few rows from her sits Caitlyn Bowers and Blake Dailey, two band members who made the trip.

Bowers and Dailey didn’t have any family attend the game but said it was fine because they were with other band members in the same situation. Dailey said he didn’t expect many Miami fans to make the nearly 1,800 mile trip from Oxford to Tucson but thought the fans who did travel made the stadium a better environment.

“It’s pretty surprising,” Dailey said. “I thought there would be more Colorado State fans, but it’s great to see this many Miami fans here.”

Bowers and Dailey said the trip was tight at times with band members having to get to Oxford to fly together and with their instruments. They said they spent Christmas with their families but delays on the way to Tucson made the trip feel longer.

Both of them said the experience was worth the trip because they got to travel and perform with Snoop Dogg at halftime.

“It was really fun to perform with Snoop Dogg,” Dailey said. “I was out there taking pictures.”

Contributing reporting by Taylor Stumbaugh

turmankd@miamioh.edu

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