F.W.Sharrock wrote:
 
> Anthony Frolik (13DEC) asks if anyone in Anchorage likes the foghorn
> blown at Seawolf games.  They blow that @#$%&# airhorn after every
> Seawolf score, AND every time the team comes onto the ice from
> the dressing room.  I suppose not everyone dislikes it (perhaps
> those who were already deaf), but I see a lot of fans who wear
> earplugs, particularly small children who are very frightened by
> the blast over the loud speaker system.  For the faint-of-heart, and
> the non-hearing impaired, earplugs are sold at the concession stand
> for a handsome price.  It is truly an extraordinarily loud,
> physically painful, but otherwise quite unpleasant sound, that has
> generated several complaining letters to the editor of the
> Anchorage Daily News.
 
Having been to a couple of games at Sullivan Arena this year, I agree with
this assessment.
 
Personnaly, I like the idea of a painfully loud sound associated with the
home team scoring.  It's just overdone.  For over 6,000 voices (less 1,500
no shows :) I've always thought UAA crowds were fairly quiet compared to the
fans in Fairbanks (my only other NCAA reference).  The horn is the only loud
thing in the building, as even the PA music during stoppages is muted.
Perhaps this magnifies the horn's effect.
 
The other thing not mentioned above is that each horn sounding is actually
THREE separate blasts.  I think that if they limited the horn to one blast
*only* after goals (not as team skates out every period) that folks here
would be more receptive to the whole thing.
 
As it is, I suspect the operators of the horn are either 10 years old or are
truck driving school washouts trying to live out their dream...
 
Just my $0.02 (CAN$0.026)
 
Mark
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark J. Sonnier, C.P.M.                                 Voice (907)786-6505
Purchasing Agent                                          Fax (907)786-6515
University of Alaska Anchorage           e-mail: [log in to unmask]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  UAF Hockey fans say: "With Cody Bowtell on the ice, who needs defense?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.