Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor

If you are a past or present student at Buena Vista University (BVU), then you have surely participated in the tradition of the “Beaver Den” at the women and men’s basketball games.

The Beaver Den is a student section infamous throughout all the schools in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC).

“I believe the student-athletes enjoy having the most involved student section in the Iowa Conference. To have an engaged and excited student section is a ‘home-field’ advantage, most definitely,” Athletic Director Christyn Abaray said.

From a player’s standpoint, having a large student section can be a big motivator.

“We never want to disappoint the Beaver Den, so they give us the energy and motivation to play well and win. We definitely contribute all of our success at home to out fans,” senior Alex Savage said.

Having a big crowd not only drives our own players to play better but can also throw off the game of the opponent. Coming into a large gym full of people from the community, family members of players, and also a large student section can be seen as an intimidation factor.

“Having a big and loud student section can get in the opponents heads and negatively effect their performance,” senior Erica Ollendieck said.

When all the student body gets together, there can also be some issues. The Beaver Den can sometimes get out of hand with the comments yelled at the opposing teams.

“We are sometimes a bit too exuberant with what we chant and cross the line of appropriateness—that is the issue we have on occasion. Overall, it is handled well by the institution collaborating with Campus Security and all the students in the Beaver Den,” Abaray said.

Overall, the Beaver Den takes the prize for largest and loudest student section in the IIAC. While there may have been a few negative incidents, for the most part the Beaver Den leaves a positive impression on other spectators.

“From a coach’s stand point, we always want our fans to be loud and proud. A great crowd that cheers on our team and is fair to the other team is a perfect combination. Every player on the road expects a hard time from the crowd,” men’s Head Coach Brian Van Haaften said.

The Beaver Den will have high hopes for the men’s basketball team to keep the top seed, which would lead to home conference tournament games and a crowd sure to be in full force.

Photo courtesy of Scott Locati