Most Penn students find themselves, at one time or another, sitting on Franklin Field's hard benches.
Equally common are the times that Quakers fans line the bleachers at the Palestra.
But how often are Penn students spectators at Sheerr Pool? How many fans have painted their faces red and blue and packed into the Ringe Courts to watch the squash teams compete? And will we see the Palestra seats shake when a Penn wrestler scores a pin?
This weekend will provide ample opportunity for Penn students to support their school athletes, as 14 teams will participate in a total of 25 different competitions.
Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, the Penn athletic department will be hosting 16 home games, meets and matches and sending teams to nine away events.
"There are many times during every year when several of our teams play on the same day," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said. "The Ivy League schedules are done years in advance for many sports, so there are several chances per month that this type of hectic schedule can come about."
Hectic is the only word that can properly describe this weekend, when 25 different blocks of competition will unite to create an exciting display of Penn's athletic prowess.
As the athletes prepare to battle either on home turf or foreign ground, the Penn athletic department is gearing up for a fight of its own.
"When we have a lot of events going on at home during the weekend, there is a large amount of work that needs to be done on an operations level, but the Athletic Department has the staff in place to do a good job for each team's event," Bilsky said.
The department will oversee the use of three different facilities over the next three days.
The Palestra will host the women's basketball team as they face Harvard tomorrow night and Dartmouth the next evening. Both tipoffs will be at 7 p.m.
Though famed for the basketball legends that have traversed its floor, the Palestra is also the home of Penn's wrestling team, which will face four different opponents this weekend.
Tomorrow, the Quakers compete against Harvard University at noon and then against Franklin & Marshall University at 2 p.m. On Saturday, the wrestlers will take on Brown at noon, followed by a match against the University of North Carolina at 2 p.m.
Both the women's and men's swim teams will face West Chester at Penn's Sheerr Pool tomorrow at 6 pm.
The Ringe courts will provide a site for squash matches for three consecutive days as the men and women's squads take on Williams tomorrow at 6pm, Harvard on Saturday at noon, and finally Dartmouth, on Sunday also at noon.
With so many different matches, Penn students have a myriad of ways to express their Red and Blue pride this weekend. But, with the Super Bowl approaching, as well as the looming distractions of pledging, midterms and other school work, will Quakers fans take advantage of this weekend's opportunities?
"Students and fans of Penn Athletics should use this type of weekend to their advantage," Bilsky said. "There is a great opportunity to see several different Penn teams in action in a three-day span right here on campus, with most of the events having free admission."
The staff of the Penn Athletic Department has prepared to host the 16 home matches as well as provide the necessary travel arrangements for the nine away competitions.
At the same time, they have worked to publicize these events in the hopes of a turnout of Penn supporters at each match.
"The marketing department is promoting a 'Mid-day on the Mats' for the Penn wrestling team's meet against Harvard on Friday afternoon," Bilsky said. "The squash teams are having a reception for alumni this weekend in conjunction with their Friday-Saturday-Sunday of competition in Ringe Squash Courts."
So maybe, before students sit down to watch the Super Bowl from Jacksonville, Fla., they will think about attending a sporting event a little closer to home.
