Home of the silver and the blue. P-M-H-S! The best! The tradition of singing the fight song at football games will have a new meaning tonight at 7 p.m. with the opening of Falcon Stadium.

As a student, I am excited for the stadium. It’s a great way for the PM community to bond. The stadium is going to be a great benefit to the football team and its fans; everyone knows what a pain it is to travel to our rival school for a home game. Other than football and track, other clubs are beginning to utilize the stadium already, including color guard.

As a co-leader of color guard sophomore Alexis Ellis said the stadium will help color guard prepare members for future competitions in stadiums. For example, color guard members need to turn their heads toward the stadium’s press box instead of just staring at the crowds  because that’s where judges are seated during band contests.

That extra look to the judges, Ellis said can boost the visual score for the marching band.  

“So having that kind of setting here and being able to march once a week like we have been, is really helpful to get the rookies, but vets too…know how it feels to compete.”

Marching  band members also anticipate that their performances will improve, given the acoustics of a stadium.

“It’s a different kind of sound for them than inside or out in the parking lot where there are cars, the sound doesn’t bounce as much,” Ellis said.

And another student group dedicated to sound is excited about its own stadium space: the press box.

That’s where sportscasters for Falcon Web Radio (FWR) will call home for football broadcasts. Their goal is to provide live coverage of the games, said junior Alexander Mervar, a general manager.

Gone will be hassles, such as getting admitted to games on the Southport campus and arranging transportation there, said FWR sportscaster junior Cole Stover.

“It’ll be nice to be able to use our own press box because when we go to an opposing stadium, or even Southport Stadium, the people that are there don’t really know who we are, so we have to explain ourselves.”  

Stover also predicted that the stadium will attract more fans. And that’s good news because it might lead to more listening to FWR.

“I can’t wait to go up there and work in the press box with my sports dudes,” said Mervar.

The addition of Falcon Stadium will not just be a great gathering for sports teams, but it will also create many new advantages for different, diverse clubs around the school.