| The Lady Lions cheer on the Nittany Lion as he does 26 push ups in honor of Rene Portland's 26 years as Penn State's head coach. Fans and well-wishers were on-hand at a pep rally to cheer on the Lady Lions before their game vs. Wisconsin. |
[for more photos from Thursday's pep rally, click here]
Every year the Lady Lions stay at the same hotel when they visit the Big Ten Tournament: The Omni. And every year the team holds a big pep rally before every game. Hotel organizers must have remembered how loud Penn Staters get when cheering on their teams, because the rally was held in a basement ballroom of the hotel. Even though it was below the lobby, strands of "We are...Penn State" could still be heard throughout the lobby.
Fans, well-wishers and administrators gathered to get their Lady Lions ready for Thursday's big game. Head coach Rene Portland addressed the crowd:
"You're good people," she said to the band, "and this team is good people. Good things are going to come. Cinderella got dressed up for the ball, and we're dressed up for this ball. We need your help to cheer and cheer loud!"
Portland's speech brought loud cheers in the ballroom, and the Lady Lions pumped everyone up with a hi-five lap as they exited the room.