Ever see the crazy people dressed up in capes, hats and other assorted memorabilia — faces painted in cardinal and gold, of course — in the front two rows of the student section of Jack Trice? The ones who make you wonder who could possibly be that dedicated to a football team with a losing record?

That’s my group. No matter what the Cyclones’ record is, we show up week after week to cheer for the home team.

Dedicated is, perhaps, an understatement. I was fortunate enough to join a group that is into its second year of the Cyclone tradition, and they were eager to teach me their ways.

My first lesson was that Cyclone football games don’t just take up a few hours of an evening or afternoon. On the contrary, they are all-day events — no matter what time they take place. Those of you who have mastered the art of tailgating are already well aware of this.

But I’m not talking about tailgating.

You see, in order to get those prime front row seats, you can’t just show up a few minutes before the game starts. You can’t even show up half an hour before the game starts.

Okay, on the day of the Mizzou game, you probably could have shown up half an hour before the game started and gotten good seats. It was really cold. But that’s beside the point.

If you want to be in the heart of the action — where you can scream and wave your hands in the air for the camera, be it for the Jumbotron or for national television; where you can shake hands with President Geoffroy as he walks by or give Cy a high five; where you can congratulate the band after its halftime performance — then you need to stake your claim well ahead of kick-off.

You need to wait in line and be ready to run through the gate the moment it opens.

You need to be in prime physical condition so you can run up the hill as fast as your legs will take you, just as soon as the Per Mar employee takes your ticket.

And in the case of the Mizzou game, you need to be willing to brave the elements in order to support your team. My group, of about 12 people, showed up at 1 in the afternoon in anticipation of the 5:30 kick-off. Normally, this would be necessary. However, apparently Saturday’s mix of wind and 20-degree weather kept people inside, because we were the only ones at the gate for most of the afternoon.

Undeterred, we spent the afternoon huddled in a massive cluster, counting down the moments until the gates would open.

The process might sound crazy, but the seats are worth the wait.

Having watched every home game but one from the first or second row, I can say with certainty that the experience is immensely enhanced by the vantage point. Having to spend one game in the fourth row was surprisingly disappointing.

Standing in the first two rows creates a sense of camaraderie among people who know they are with other hardcore ISU fans. There is an unmatched sense of electricity in the cheers that come from the stands — an electricity that has undoubtedly been building throughout an afternoon of waiting at the gates.

As the band plays the first few notes of the fight song, I am thankful to be feet away from the field they march on.

When the kick-off is punctuated by the boom of the cannon, the hours of waiting are justified as I realize how close to the action I am.

People pay significant amounts of money for the “good” seats in the various parts of the stadium, or in sky box suites. However, I’m fairly certain that my friends and I, along with anyone else at the front of the student section, have the best seats in the house.

Someday, I’ll be an ISU alumnus, and I’ll have to pay for regular tickets to watch Cyclone football games. Maybe then I’ll consider the merits of the different yard lines, or maybe I’ll even be able to afford seats in one of those fancy boxes.

Until then, I am thoroughly looking forward to three more years of Cyclone football from the student section — the best seats in the house.

— Jessica Opoien is a freshman in English and pre-journalism and mass communication from Marinette, Wis.