By Leah Lang

Growing up in Central PA, the Penn State Football Network was background noise for most of my childhood. I fondly remember listening to the games with my father on crisp, sunny, fall afternoons while the smell of mom’s chili and warm bread filled the house. For us (and so many Pennsylvanians), Penn State Football wasn’t just a sport, it was a religion.

These memories and the Penn State Football legacy led me to Happy Valley for college. I remember my first campus visit with my dad on a sunny warm day in the spring of my Junior year of high school. Campus immediately felt like home and I loved the idea of being a part of something big.

The summer before I moved into East Halls on Penn State’s University Park campus, linebacker LaVar Arrington graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Penn State was ranked #1 in the country. If you know you know, the energy in State College on game day is indescribably electrifying; opening the season with the Rose Bowl in sight magnifies that feeling. With season tickets in hand, my new group of friends and I made Saturday pilgrimages to worship at the altar of Beaver Stadium and become part of a long-standing tradition. We were part of the S-Zone, we did the wave, we waited to watch the players enter the stadium and possibly catch a glimpse of Joe-Pa, we screamed during 9 straight wins and then stood in a silent stadium for what seemed like minutes after Minnesota broke our hearts with a game-winning field goal with no time on the clock; we came back the next week to be the “13th man” and attempt to get the season back during a night game against Michigan.

Penn State went 10-3 that year.  In my subsequent years at Penn State the football team produced losing records, but the spirit and energy of those early days permeated our entire college experience and solidified our loyalty to the world-class academic institution. As most Penn State alums can relate, making it back to State College to recapture that game-day feeling and paying homage to the place that launched us into the real world is a rare treat.   And as most Penn State alums can relate – any visit is also wrought with logistical complexity, especially finding appropriate lodging. Attending a game these days seems to only be possible if you own an RV, know someone who lives in the area, or book years in advance for an over-priced and under-maintained hotel room. So, owning a hotel just 50 minutes from one of my favorite places on earth – a place that lays claim to my formative years – is a dream come true for me.