Grand Sports: Your Guide to UND Athletics

For 32 years, I’ve held the longest continuous job I’ve ever had: a PA announcer at various levels of athletic events. When my family and I moved back to East Grand Forks 9 years ago, I was lucky enough to continue announcing for UND where I’ve announced soccer, volleyball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, and provided the promotional reads for hockey. The one thing I never hide from anyone is that every game I work, I do it from the perspective of a fan. In fact the majority of those who you see working UND games are there in the dual capacity of employee and fan, and that is exactly from the perspective I am writing this blog.  

Due to my “access all areas” benefits at every UND game I work, I can see how many different fans experience and greatly enjoy these events. I also see incredible amounts of work the UND athletics and marketing teams put into planning and executing each and every gameday. I put together a short list of three (plus one bonus) facilities and events that provide an incredible gameday experience, regardless of your age or knowledge of the sport.  

Football at the Alerus is as much an outside event as it is an inside one. Any time we can comfortably  be outside in November is the added bonus, which means a much more vibrant tailgating experience. Unlike any other sport, the fans turn out four hours early to find their spot, and enjoy the pregame experience with all of their “neighbors.” There are very few places anywhere where football-throwing teenagers, hamburger-flipping fathers sporting authentic UND jerseys from the 1980s, silver-haired cornhole players, and green & white striped overhaul-wearing college students comfortably and willingly coexist. 

Fans can also get a hawk-eye view of the pregame warmups by heading to the overlooks in the walkways behind the endzone. Whenever I walk by these areas pregame, there are always a number of kids perching precariously along the side, cheering for their favorite UND player; and, it isn’t rare that they’ll be rewarded with a wave back from the players as well. 

The younger fans are also able to head out on the field after the game to throw around the footballs they brought and recreate some of their favorite plays from the games they just watched. The moms and dads as well rarely stand idly along the sidelines, as they too try to hit their kids in stride with a deep ball and tell them how they saw the great Jimmy Kleinsasser make a catch just like that for a touchdown against that other North Dakota team down south. 

Almost every night that I walk from the parking lot to the front door, I stop and just take in the grandiosity of the arena we call “The Ralph.” It’s also not uncommon to have a few others, some who are season ticket holders, and some who have made that night their first visit, also pausing to admire. “They really did it right when they made this place, didn’t they?” a visiting Canadian hockey fan asked me on one of those nights. “Wait until you get inside,” I tell them without hiding any of my own excitement. “You work here?” they ask, noticing my suit and dress shoes. “Yep, I’m one of the luckiest people in town.” 

The second you walk into the arena it becomes readily apparent that The Ralph is not just an arena – it’s a museum that chronicles the rich history of North Dakota hockey that also has one of the greatest hockey arenas in the world. Pictures adorn every inch of every wall on every level memorializing the storied players, the defining plays, and all those who have contributed both on and off the ice. When the doors open one hour before the start, fans stream up the stairs to the third floor to take a gallery walk of cherished hockey memories. 

What always amazes me about watching the visiting players enter “The Betty” is how many of them also  get caught up in the gameday experience. When the fans fill the stands, the 3,200 capacity feels and sounds like double that amount.  

During many of the games, the marketing interns have multiple areas for kids of all ages to enjoy themselves with various games and arts and crafts. The poster making sessions are also heavily stocked each game, as kids and their parents create signs for their favorite players on their favorite team. I’ve even seen one sign for the PA announcer! 

For the kids who are over 21, there is also the Michelob Ultra Party Zone at the end of the court. The fans get an excellent view of excellent athletics while enjoying excellent beverages. 

I added Albrecht Field as a “bonus” section, because it isn’t fully realized as of yet, and yet as is, it is an amazing gameday experience. Admission to the games is free, so there is a healthy sprinkling of dedicated softball falls with those who want to see high-level softball at UND’s newest athletic facility. With a capacity around 500, every seat is a great seat. 

I put this experience in the “to be continued” section, as the buildings surrounding the field are still under construction, and they will contribute in various ways to the excitement of gameday. From what I’ve been told, there will be an outdoor pool overlooking left field where fans can catch the game in between lap swims. These same buildings might also house various shops that fans can enjoy both before and after the game. 

The hopeful takeaway from this blog is that in the Grand Forks area, we have regular access to the highest level of college athletics in facilities that rival any in the nation. What’s even better is that fans of all ages from a wide variety of athletic experiences can create core memories on any given night.