By Claire Wright, Advisor
The crack of the bat, the smack of the ball hitting the glove, the roar of engines; some of the greatest sounds in the world, but sounds that can’t always be heard when there are 40,000 screaming fans in the stadium.
During a pandemic with only a fraction of those 40,000 fans in attendance, you can hear every pin drop, every smack as a 100-mph fastball hits the catcher’s mitt, every crack of the bat as a ball is launched 310 feet over the Green Monster, every rev of the engine as 40 cars make laps around a 1-mile oval.
Those are just a few of the sights and sounds I experienced as I was one of less than 15,000 fans at a normally 75,000 fan capacity race tracks in Loudon, New Hampshire, at the peak of the pandemic last summer. Like many people, I needed sports to get back to normal, but these experiences were anything but normal. In some ways they were better and, in some ways, they were just not the same.
Being a person who does not like crowds, I was thrilled when it was announced that limited capacity was going to be allowed at one of my favorite places in New England. I knew going into it that it was going to be different, but until I got there, I didn’t really understand how different it was.
The race track sold only general admission tickets at two price levels, and you were not given seat assignments until right before the event. They separated people based on which price level you bought tickets for and in the groups in which you bought tickets. I was a single attendee so I had half a row to myself, with no one in front of me or behind me for a couple of rows. Assignments were done based on how many tickets were sold, with the best way to social distance all in attendance.
Masks were required in all common areas of the track except for at your seat because of the social distancing practiced. The lines at the bathrooms and concessions stands were minimal, and when I got up late in the race to stretch my legs, the concourses were almost deserted.
While I appreciated the lack of the crowd, I understood the brevity of what I was experiencing. I was able to enjoy this experience, but because we were in the middle of a pandemic, I knew I was lucky to be able to get out and experience what I loved, when many were not. NASCAR has done everything in their power from the very beginning to keep their competitors, crews, and now fans, safe.
Fast forward to April 2021. Back in August, many of us thought we would be out of the pandemic and many of us would be back to normal in April. Man, were we wrong. I had the absolute pleasure of being able to take in a Red Sox game early on in the season, with just 12% capacity at the ballpark.
As the winter wore on, we were unsure if that was even going to happen and if it was, in what form. My experience at Fenway was so similar yet so different to that in New Hampshire. For one it is a much smaller venue, with so many fewer fans in attendance, and second, the sights and sounds are so different. At the ballpark without the crowd’s noise, you can really pick up all the nuances of a major league game.
Fenway is selling tickets in pods of two, four, or six, allowing fans to attend together, but still not in big groups. You could also only buy designated seats for every game, and those that were not sold were zip tied so you couldn’t move around and sit near people you shouldn’t be near.
Masks were required throughout every inch of the ballpark including your seat, with the “compliance crew” coming around from time to time to ensure everyone was following the rules and wearing a mask. Much like New Hampshire, we had a half of a row to ourselves, with people sitting several seats over in rows above and below us with no one directly behind us.
In New Hampshire they had mandatory temperature checks upon entry into the facility, with only clear bags allowed to minimize contact. At Fenway, you had to fill out a health screen and no bags were allowed into the park.
The biggest difference between Fenway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the atmosphere, which was the one thing I missed the most at Fenway. It was particularly noticeable during the eighth inning when there are normally 40,000 people singing “Sweet Caroline” as loud as they can! Oh, we still sang it, but it just wasn’t the same.
Much like New Hampshire, I am so appreciative of the experience, and being able to enjoy Fenway with fewer fans, fewer lines, and wide-open spaces. But eight months later, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and unfortunately not much has changed.
Many states and sporting venues are opening at higher capacities, giving everyone a different experience, but the hope is that sometime in the near future we will be able to get back to “normal” and see a large number of fans safely enjoying the sports they love.
Until then, I will continue to enjoy the small crowds, wide open spaces, short lines, and the crack of the bat as the ball soars over the Monster. But I will continue to remember the lives lost and sacrifices made to get to this point, and count my blessings that I am able to have these wonderful opportunities.
