“Blackout” Event Scheduled for Saturday

As part of its "Blackout" event, during Keuka College's basketball doubleheader against SUNY Cobleskill Saturday afternoon, fans are encouraged to wear black to support the Storm.

In an effort to get more students to attend Keuka College sporting events, the 26 members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) are organizing a “Blackout” event for this Saturday’s doubleheader basketball games, which will serve as crucial North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contests for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

All fans are encouraged to wear black to the doubleheader, which kicks off when Keuka’s men (0-5) host SUNY Cobleskill at 1 p.m. In the second game, Keuka’s women (2-1) face SUNY Cobleskill at 3 p.m. inside the Weed Physical Arts Center. Admission to both games is free.

Members of SAAC will be selling custom-made “Blackout” t-shirts during the days leading up to Saturday’s doubleheader. Fans are encouraged to show their school spirit by either purchasing these special Storm “Blackout” t-shirts, or by wearing a black t-shirt of their own. The “Blackout” t-shirts will be available for $10 each and will be sold in the Phillips Lounge outside of the dining hall in Dahlstrom. If any t-shirts are left, they will be sold during the Dec. 10 games.

“On Saturday, it’s a matter of seeing everyone come together as one, and it will be both intimidating for the opposing team and motivating for our players to look into the stands and see everyone wearing black to support the Storm,” said Kyle Rivera (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), a junior business management major/sports management and marketing minor who plays defense on the men’s soccer team.  

“Saturday will be a huge event. It will definitely prove how much our students support our teams. We had a good turnout (last Thursday) for the men’s game against Hartwick, but everyone will be at these games wearing black and showing the Keuka school spirit, the way it should be.”

The “Blackout” t-shirts feature the word Storm written in green lettering across the front along with a yellow lightning bold through the middle, and on the back in yellow print is the quote “Forget the Rain, We Make it Storm.”

For senior Courtney Manhard (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster), a former member of the women’s basketball team who is currently a student-trainer, the “Blackout” event is an overdue activity on the Keuka campus.

“This is the last weekend before finals, and we figured our students will need a break, so why not come out, wear your black t-shirt and support our basketball teams?” said Manhard, an education major.

“These t-shirts look really cool, so this is a way to get our students excited about the sports teams and to get more students to come out and cheer on the Storm. We would love for everyone to participate in this blackout event, and this is a big game for both of our teams.”

A student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and polices that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

At Keuka, each sport has two student-athlete representatives on the SAAC, except for tennis and golf, which due to smaller rosters have one student-athlete representative per squad.