If you’re a diehard Syracuse University sports fan, you try not to miss a game. You’re probably a season ticketholder — maybe you’ve camped out at ‘Boeheimberg’ for a night or two. Luckily, attending home games require minimal effort: Just stroll over to the Carrier Dome and merge with the sea of orange that floods its silver bleachers.

But traveling 100-plus miles away and stepping onto another team’s turf? That’s a whole new ball game.

Cue the questions: How can you get there? Where do you sleep? How much money should you bring? Take it easy — we’ve got you covered. Read on for tips from four dedicated fans who mastered the art of tailing a team and made some memories along the way.

BEFORE YOU GO

Plan way ahead

Avoid scrambling at the last minute, said Louis Milman, a senior writing and rhetoric major and events officer on the executive board of Otto’s Army. Milman has traveled to 10 away games, and he plans months in advance for major games. For the 2010 SU vs. Rutgers’ game in November, he and his friends started organizing their trip in mid-September.

Colin Powers, a junior marketing and international relations major who has gone to three away games, agrees students should form a solid plan right away.

‘Do it sooner, rather than later, for sure,’ he said. ‘You never know what’s going to happen, and you don’t want to be stuck with no tickets.’

Browse blogs

Check out blogs run by SU fans for current news and inside information on upcoming games, Milman suggests. He follows SU alumnus Sean Keeley’s ‘Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician’ blog.

Brian Schantz, a junior economics and history major, read Keeley’s detailed post on how Georgetown University restricted selling tickets to SU fans for the Feb. 26 game. He acted quickly.

‘I texted a bunch of my friends and said I needed a commitment within three days so we could buy the tickets before they sold out,’ said Schantz, who has attended two away games. He and his friends collectively made the necessary $25 donation and each person paid $30 for the tickets, nabbing seats for the game.

Choose your ride

Every year, the Otto’s Army executive board arranges bus trips to several games. Prices for the ride and tickets range from $30 to $40. The board sends e-mails with the trip’s itinerary to the Otto’s Army listserv about one to two weeks before the game.

On one of those trips, Schantz headed to 2010’s SU vs. University of North Carolina game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He remembers wandering through Times Square.

‘We walked down the streets wearing orange, and people came up to us and said, ‘Go Orange!” he said. ‘It was really cool.’

Though the bus option may be cheap, traveling on your own can give you more freedom, Schantz said. He and four friends left for Washington, D.C., last Friday, taking turns driving and even stopping at southern fast food chain Chick-fil-A.

‘It was so worth it,’ Schantz said.

Money, money, money

For one-day trips, Milman suggests taking about $30 for transportation and a snack at the stadium’s concession stand.

For multiple-day driving trips, set aside money for gas and food at rest stops, said Kevin Brown, a senior broadcast journalism major who has been to 12 away games. He recommends taking $100 to $150 for three days.

WHEN YOU GET THERE

Sweet slumber

If you’re planning to stay at a hotel, read the reviews, Brown said. For the 2010 Legends Classic games in Atlantic City, he booked cheap rooms at the Howard Johnson — big mistake.

‘The Internet didn’t work, the TV was crap, the bathroom was not very clean — and the room key didn’t work,’ Brown said, shaking his head. ‘It was just awful.’

To minimize costs, Schantz suggests crashing at a friend’s dorm. ‘I know people at most Big East schools, so I can stay with them,’ he said.

Tour and explore

Brown said he always takes photos and eats at local restaurants in each city he visits.

‘If you’re going somewhere, you might as well soak it up as much as you can,’ he said.

When Schantz, Powers and their three friends arrived in Washington, D.C., they toured the federal triangle, including the new World War II memorial, which none of them had seen before.

Getting around town

No car? No problem. Most cities are pedestrian-friendly, and you can ride buses and Metro trains.

Keep in mind the city, especially around the stadium, will teem with swarms of opposing fans. After SU defeated Georgetown, Schantz, Powers and their three friends rode a Metro train car packed with disappointed Georgetown fans.

‘They just had the saddest looks on their faces,’ Schantz said, laughing. ‘It was pretty satisfying to see.’

A seated Georgetown student glared at them until the train came to their stop.

‘Syracuse sucks,’ she blurted out in a drunken slur, stepping out.

‘Georgetown sucks more,’ Schantz replied.

Another Georgetown student joined in.

‘Orange is just a disgusting color anyway,’ she said.

‘You guys are wearing gray. At least we stand out — you stand in a sea of boringness,’ Powers said.

The banter was the extent of the fans’ rivalry, Powers said. Even during the game, he felt no hostility from Georgetown students.

‘It was like, ‘OK, you’re fans and we’re fans,” he said. ‘And we’re all here to watch a great game, so we might as well enjoy it.’

Cheer with no fear

Though their numbers may be small, traveling SU fans are a rowdy bunch, Brown said.

‘You have to be louder because you’re the underdog, you’re the minority,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to get your voice heard.’

But Milman warns against instigating fights, recalling an uncomfortable instance when SU fans taunted Bob Huggins, West Virginia Mountaineer’s basketball coach, about his 2004 arrest for drinking under the influence.

‘There were some unsavory chants regarding him needing a drink,’ Milman said. ‘That won’t go over as well when you’re not surrounded by 30,000 fans of your team.’

Powers agrees SU fans should be respectful but not suppress their competitive spirit.

‘We’re not just going to sit down all polite and take all the criticism we get. We’re gonna stand up and cheer and get into their faces,’ Powers said, a slight smile crossing his face. ‘That’s what you have to do — you have to represent the team you’re with.’

kkim40@syr.edu

Published on March 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm