Moments before the gate opens, adrenaline is pumping.

The strategy is hashed out; the big guys are in the back to block, while the quicker ones stay up front, getting ready to sprint when the gate opens.

The best advice for getting in the front row at Jack Trice Stadium is simple: “Run like hell,” said Nate Dobbels, junior in agriculture and life sciences education.

For the last three years, Dobbels and several of his friends have been committed to getting into the front row for all the home football games at Jack Trice. The group arrives early each game, camping out in front of Gate 2 on the east side.

“Depending on when kickoff is, we’re here four to six hours ahead of time. We’ve done seven hours before,” said Jordan Smellie, senior in music.

Smellie said the group usually shoots for about the 10-yard-line, a straight shot from the east-side stairs. Sprinting to the front row can be a challenge, though, so getting a particular spot is hard to do, especially during games later in the season when weather conditions aren’t ideal.

“While I’m concentrating on not falling, I’m also scanning to see who’s ahead of me, thinking about where they are going so I don’t aim for the same spot,” Smellie said, “just concentrating on finding an open bench.”

This year, Dobbels said, the renovations to the east side of Jack Trice have provided a challenge. Traditionally, they would always run up the grass hill at Gate 2. The new addition of stairs and facilities at the top of the east concourse leave fans unable to run up the grass. Dobbels said his group planned for this by having friends at Gate 1, on the north side, as well.

“We’re going to see which way is the fastest,” he said. “This is will be our test run.”

Occasionally, the group will camp out at the gate Friday before a morning game, sometimes waiting hours in the cold.

“I remember last year I almost got hypothermia,” said James Mueller, junior in computer engineering.

Last year, the group of fans got to the stadium several hours before the gates opened, and because of cold weather, they were the only ones waiting.

“It was so cold and we only had one blanket, and so we had people lying under and on each other. We had about 15 people under one big blanket,” Smellie said. “I think I met someone that day because I was lying on them.”

Getting to the stadium hours before the gates open has other benefits, besides knowing all the Per Mar Security staff. Dobbels said that, occasionally, staff from the ISU Alumni Center would bring them cookies, or tailgaters would bring them an assortment of food.

“We got chicken the day I almost got hypothermia,” Mueller said.

Once inside at the game, Smellie said, the group feels a responsibility, because it is in the front row. The group considers the student section as “cheerleaders,” who are allowed to say anything and react with spontaneous cheers in reaction to what is going on in the game.

“The camaraderie that everyone has out there is incredible,” Dobbels said. “You just get this extra sense with everyone out there. The energy keeps building up, and the team comes out on the field and everyone goes crazy. To be in the front for that, the adrenaline already takes over.”

They feel like they literally can “will the team through those third and long” plays, Smellie said.

Leaving the game early is not an option, no matter the score. Smellie said some of their favorite memories came from a snowy game against Texas two years ago when Iowa State was down by more than 50 points.

“It was the end of the fourth quarter, and we just got the ball from a Texas punt,” he said. “On second down, we talked about it beforehand, we started chanting ‘defense’ … The cheerleaders weren’t really paying attention … so they joined in, and we go through four repetitions of it before one of them turns around and realizes we have the ball.”

Derek Grygiel, senior in chemical engineering,  said that, at that point, they had “about 17 death glares” from the cheerleading squad.

They said it was nice to share a moment with the cheerleading squad, and they respect them very much because, in the end, unity between students is the goal.

“When we get out there, the student section comes together as one. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what state you’re from; it doesn’t even matter who your favorite team is,” Dobbels said. “If you’re in the student section, you’re a Cyclone.”