Bonfire ignites Bruin enthusiasm

The night was cold, and as the fans waited for the events to
unfold, the pile of wood at center stage lit up in gold. Surrounded
by an ocean of blue, the fans knew what to do. “U! C! L! A!
UCLA beat ‘SC!” they shouted.

Despite the 6-5 record of the UCLA football team, the crowd
cheered on their Bruins at the Beat ‘SC Week Bonfire and
Rally. The evening’s appearances began with Geoff Strand,
known by UCLA football fans as Engineer Geoff, who led the crowd of
several hundred in some of the usual football cheers.

“Beat SC! Beat SC!” the crowd shouted as coach Karl
Dorrell made his way to the microphone.

Dorrell was full of positive remarks and optimism as he asked
the crowd, “Are you ready for some football?”

Dorrell was followed by UCLA football team captains Brandon
Chillar, Manuel White, Craig Bragg and Dave Ball.

The players seemed confident but not overly optimistic.
Defensive end Ball said, “I guarantee,” but stopped
short of saying “a win” when conveniently his phone
rang to set him up for a joke.

The Bruins are going into Saturday’s game against USC as
the 21-1/2 point underdog.

“That doesn’t bother me,” third-year biology
and history student Davis Ramathorn said. “We have a chance
to upset USC.”

Third-year astrophysics student Alex Gigliotti agreed. “We
have something to fight for,” he said. “Events like
this (bonfire and rally) really help bring people together. You
have to uphold the tradition.”

Like many, third-year psychology student Alexandra Hessenius
came out to show support for her team and show some school
spirit.

“My parents are Trojans, but UCLA is better,” she
said.

When Bragg, the team’s leading wide receiver, came on
stage, he told fans in attendance to “keep your heads
up.”

They responded by raising their heads proudly, then dropping
their heads down, then raising them back up. However, this was not
due to any uncertainty of the outcome of Saturday’s big
rivalry game, but to the beat of the music coming from the stage as
local punk rock group Unwritten Law wrapped up the evening.

Some mosh pits formed, but there were no major disturbances as
the fans left Wilson Plaza in the wake of the burning embers.