12
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2003
High numbers typical of week
■mu v
DTH FILE PHOTO/GARRETT HALL
The more than 40,000 fans who typically attend UNC Homecoming football games show their school spirit in a
variety of ways. The increased number of people migrating to Chapel Hill means big money for local businesses.
Frsk TwMoc ih Norik C&rolihA?
n ARhAirtO.O
cm
Hoh>h\ikcle TortilUs, EhckilikJikS, Frsk SaJsfcS, kh<l h%or!
Cohv ly tU Upstairs Bikr for u/kly specials!
TVs UpsUirs!
!2o E. MAIN STREET CARRBORO 929-H669
Homecoming 2003
Game attendence, hotel stays to rise
BY CAROLINE KORNEGAY
STAFF WRITER
Ever wonder just how many
pompoms are in the stands, creat
ing that Carolina blue sea of
screaming fans?
About 5,000 to 8,000.
But pompoms are not the only
change that blankets Chapel Hill
during Homecoming weekend.
The town itself swells with alumni
and fans who fill hotels, buy T
shirts and celebrate the long
standing UNC tradition.
For the past five years, atten
dance for Homecoming games has
been more than 40,000, said Steve
Kirschner, communications direc
tor for the Department of
Athletics.
For the 1998 win against
Maryland, there were 51,200 fans,
while the 32-31 loss to Wake Forest
in 2001 packed Kenan Stadium
with 53,000 Tar Heels.
This years Homecoming fea
tures a challenge from Arizona
State University.
But teams aren’t the only win
ners at Homecoming.
The annually crowned Mr. and
Ms. UNC can boast pretty high
percentages of votes.
The last two Mr. UNCs, Barry
French and Thurston Cherry, both
won more than 50 percent ofvotes
cast during their elections. The last
Ms. UNCs, Susan Peters and
Shayla Higginbotham, garnered
40 and 52 percent of the ballots
cast, respectively.
HOMECOMING ATTENDANCE „
The annual Homecoming game typically draws one JMEr
of the largest crowds of the football season. UNC
alumni from across the country flock to cheer their
team to victory. Part of the reason for the large VA
crowd is that the game usually is played against an
ACC opponent, making it easier for the opponent's
supporters to come to Kenan Stadium. The 2003
game will be played against Arizona State University.
YEAR OPPONENT OUTCOME ATTENDANCE
2002 Maryland L 59-7 44,000
2001 Wake Forest L 32-31 53,000
2000 Maryland Wl3-10 40,000
1999 Wake Forest L 19-3 40,000
1998 Maryland W 24-13 51,200
SOURCE: UNC DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS DTH/AUDREY BUTLER
■ rnffil
H Duke |
www.wipeoutyoursportsrival.com
Hljfe www.wipeoirtyoßrspoftsrival.com
(Bljr Hatty (Bar Mrrl
Local stores also expect an
increase in purchases.
Johnny T-Shirt, a UNC store on
Franklin Street, should see an esti
mated 15 to 20 percent jump in
sales across the board for
Homecoming weekend, said store
owner Chuck Helpingstine.
The increased sales are a result
of alumni purchasing shirts, mem
orabilia and blue finger nail polish,
Helpingstine said.
With fans pouring into town,
hotels in the area should see an
increase in reservations for the
weekend of Oct. 17-19. Most of the
hotels in the Chapel Hill area are
booked solid and have been for a
some time.
The Siena Hotel sees an
approximate 15 to 20 percent
jump in revenue during
Homecoming weekend, when all
80 rooms are booked, said Kay
Hess, rooms division manager for
the hotel.
The Sheraton Hotel’s 168 rooms
have been booked solid for the past
five weeks for this year’s
Homecoming weekend, said
General Manager Lawrence
Walters.
Whatever the numbers say, stu
dents, fans and alumni alike will
be shaking their pompoms as the
Tar Heels take on the Arizona
State University Sun Devils on
Oct. 17.
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.