Letters: Makin’ the Scene

The Badger football team and its entourage of ardent fans had an eye for landmark sites in Los Angeles for their pregame rallies.

The panoramic view of the scenic Santa Monica Beach and its boardwalk [Scene, Spring 2011], against the idyllic Catalina Islands faintly in the background under a crispy blue, winter sky, made Bucky Badger and the red-clad hordes such a formidable presence before the game. On a day when many Angelenos were probably out of town for New Year’s, throngs of Wisconsinites flooding the area sent a jubilant message to alumni such as myself here in Tinseltown that the Badgers came to play and win it all. Indeed, a mere two points tantalizingly separated the Badgers from the trophy.

The Santa Monica scene recalls another occasion in the ’90s when Wisconsin played UCLA, the local favorites. The Badgers adorned the Avenue of the Stars with huge, bright red roses. Red ribbons wrapped around every lightpost. That year, their powerful running game barreled through UCLA’s defense repeatedly. The outcome was never in doubt.

Henry Tse ’76, MA’77, MS’79
Rosemead, California

Published in the Summer 2011 issue