The MIAA basketball schedule plays no favorites—not even for the storied Calvin-Hope Rivalry game.
This year, the Knights and the Dutchmen faced off just after the new year began, on Saturday, Jan. 11. Even so, the Calvin and Hope alumni associations teamed up to present 77 sites around the globe for alumni of both schools to cheer on their teams. In the last few years, the number has been just over 80 locations.
“Both alumni offices are pleased with the great response from alumni to this year’s version of The Rivalry,” said Calvin’s alumni director Michael Van Denend ’78. “Thanks to our office teams for hard work, even over the Christmas break, and to our terrific alumni hosts. So many look forward to this event each year.”
Challenging weather kept the numbers down in some locations, but others blossomed as grads and their families arrived in large numbers in Denver and Chicago—the downtown site at Sully’s House on the edge of the Old Town neighborhood was packed with shoulder-to-shoulder fans.
In Cerritos, Calif., the weather was conducive to outdoor viewing as alums relaxed on the patio of Buffalo Wild Wings.
In Philadelphia, strong rain didn’t keep a hearty group of 30 or so alumni from showing up at Cavanaugh’s, a new site hosted by alumni couple Matt ’09 and Caitlin Timmer Vander Windt ’10—who had just moved to the area recently and were glad to meet other local alumni.
“Despite the inherent rivalry, fans of both Calvin and Hope enjoy the company as much as the competition,” said Tyler Petrini ’08, who organized the event at the Green Turtle in Hanover, Md.
Organizers will be getting ready for another chapter of The Rivalry, again early in 2015 on Saturday, January 10.
