What’s cooler than watching the Cyclone football team erupt from its brand new inflatable helmet? I found out – It was getting to run through the tunnel yourself.

The first ever Cyclone FanFest took place Sunday inside the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility, and I was there to cover it. I was told the fan fest was an opportunity for fans to interact with players and coaches from all 18 ISU sports teams at a variety of stations.

I’ll admit I was skeptical, that I thought it would be a boring and corny attempt to connect with the fans, especially since this had never been pulled off at Iowa State. But in the hour I spent at the fan fest, I was impressed, and I was again given confidence in the direction of ISU athletics.

The first man I saw among the herd of Cyclone fans streaming through the inflatable helmet entrance was ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard. He finished a conversation with a little boy about his favorite Cyclone player, took congratulations from an aging alumnus on a job well done, then turned to me ready to field my questions. Here was a man who has a pretty good idea how to build a fan base.

“The kids are our future fans, so we try to spend a lot of time doing a lot of things for kids,” he said. “This was a neat event we could do and have all our teams out here and have our student athletes interacting with the little kids. Look around, there’s some adults here too.”

Many of the kids in attendance were falling in love with Iowa State. As for the adults, they were secretly enjoying themselves. Even if they didn’t admit it.

Whether it was pictures with Cy, shooting hoops with Rahshon Clark, testing their arms on the softball radar gun or getting autographs from the football team, one thing was for sure: both adults and kids were thrilled. Pollard knew it too, and wanted me to quote some kids. If I had only known just how hard it would be.

I soon found out that no matter how excited the kids were for the fan fest, they weren’t nearly as excited to speak with an Iowa State Daily reporter, even if I am the assistant sports editor.

Luckily the players and coaches were just as happy as the kids to be there, and slightly more enthused to answer my questions.

“When I was little I looked up to guys like we are right now at the collegiate level,” kicker Bret Culbertson said. “We’re role models, and we’re happy to be out here having fun with the kids.”

Not only were the players and coaches saying the right things, but they appeared to be happy to be making kids’ dreams come true.

“It’s exciting for the kids and it’s exciting for the athletes,” softball coach Stacy Gemeinhardt said. “We’ve had a great time, and we’ve been here for an hour and a half but it seems like we’ve been here for 20 minutes.”

A change in philosophy in the athletic department has taken place, and the message is spreading fast.

“I think Pollard is doing a great job,” said Ken Morton, a parent from West Des Moines. “He’s doing what’s needed to be done at Iowa State for years and years and years.”

What exactly is Pollard doing? Well, as I was walking out I met John Leto, graduate of Iowa State, and his nephew Jared VanLangen waiting in line for autographs from the football team.

“I’m so excited to see Cy and maybe get autographs and stuff from Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe,” Jared said.

More than 4,000 fans, many of them adults, attended the first-ever Cyclone Fan Fest. Every adult came out a little less old, and a lot more like Jared.

Sure felt good.

Commentary by Chris Conetzkey / Daily Staff Writer