Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 9 November 2017
'The Wave' at Iowa brings sense of community, pride

By LUKE MEREDITH Smith, Maddox's mother,
AP Sports Writer said of the program. "Life is
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — too real for these kids."
Nine-year-old Maddox While the proximity of the
Smith can no longer play hospital and the stadium,
football, not after being the relationship between
treated for a golf ball-sized the team and the kids, and
brain tumor and a rare ge- the fan base known for
netic disorder that caused being "Iowa Nice" laid the
tumors to grow on his nerve roots for "The Wave," Face-
cells. book brought it all togeth-
Maddox has spent many, er. Iowa fan Krista Young
many days in the hospital. posted the idea of waving
Like dozens of other chil- to the hospital's press box
dren slogging through long on the "Hawkeye Heav-
weeks of recovery, he also en" page, which has over
has been part of college 100,000 followers, in June.
football's newest and most The idea soon caught fire,
heartwarming tradition. and after the first quarter
"The Wave" has become of Iowa's season opener on
a national sensation, with Sept. 2, tens of thousands
nearly everyone in 70,585- In this Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 file photo, Iowa fans wave to children in the University of Iowa of fans got up from their
seat Kinnick Stadium turn- Stead Family Children's Hospital at the end of the first quarter of an NCAA college football game seats and waved. The kids
ing to wave to the pediat- against North Texas in Iowa City, Iowa. and families responded,
ric patients watching from Associated Press and "The Wave" was born.
University of Iowa Stead atric facility in 1928. Kinnick The Hawkeyes and their
Family Children's Hospital Stadium was built a year opponents have joined in
— a 12-story building that later, separated from the on the fun, with Minnesota
sits right across the street — children's facility by a tiny coach P.J. Fleck calling it
at the end of the first quar- two-way street. his favorite tradition in col-
ter. The gesture was born Since few could have envi- lege football.
through a combination of sioned how much college "It's really the unique thing
limited space, social me- football and the needs of about Iowa," Hodgson said.
dia and the "Kid Captain" the hospitals would grow "People care about kids
initiative, a partnership in the decades to follow, and families everywhere,
with the Iowa football pro- sharing such a small foot- but we have noticed —
gram designed to highlight print didn't seem like a first through the 'Kid Cap-
the youngsters fighting so problem. Kinnick Stadium tain' program and now
bravely nearby. went through multiple ren- In this Nov. 4, 2017, photo, Iowa tight end Noah Fant (87) and 'The Wave' — how much
"We were looking for ways ovations and expansions teammates wave to children in the University of Iowa’s children’s it means to people even
to do something special," over the years. But the side hospital at the end of the first quarter of an NCAA college football if they don't have a family
said Cheryl Hodgson, the of the field adjacent to game against Ohio State in Iowa City, Iowa. member directly affected.
communications director the hospital had to be left Associated Press They really kind of adopt
for the hospital. "It's so in- alone because there sim- pristine views of the field — on the top floor. those kids, and it feels like
teresting to us to see how ply wasn't any room. was opened in February. On game days, patients they're their own and they
'The Wave' has captivated When it came time to build According to Scott Turner, and their families can want to go out of their way
everybody." a new children's hospital , the executive director of watch the game and, af- to support them."
The Hawkeyes honored ter the first quarter, wave Amy Clark's son, Ethan, was
Maddox before a recent back. at the hospital to be treat-
game through the "Kid "We know that providing ed for acute lymphoblas-
Captain" program. He got distraction and a sense of tic leukemia. As the Hawk-
a jersey, tickets, a stand- normalcy allows people to eyes prepared to play
ing ovation at midfield escape the type of things Minnesota last month, she
and, most importantly, a that they're dealing with," thought about "The Wave"
welcome distraction after Turner said. and what it means for the
years spent fighting for his The viewing perch has children — and their loved
life. helped strengthen the ones.
"It's just a way to give back, bond between the Hawk- "I guess for me, it brings a
to make them feel part of eyes and the hospital, one sense of excitement to the
this family that we have that coach Kirk Ferentz — kids that are here getting
every Saturday," said his who in August donated $1 treatments or here for long
father, Michael Smith. "I In this Oct. 7, 2017, photo, fans watch from the University of million to bolster research term. And it makes them
think it's great for the whole Iowa children’s hospital during the first half of an NCAA college into helping premature ba- feel excited and normal for
country to see this." football game between Iowa and Illinois in Iowa City, Iowa. bies — made official in 2009 a minute to get out of their
The story of "The Wave" ac- Associated Press with the "Kid Captain" pro- rooms and come up here
tually dates to 1919, when gram. Thousands of parents and enjoy themselves,"
the university opened its designers were forced to the hospital, designers ac- have nominated their chil- she said. "And I also think it
original children's hospital get creative because the centuated the locational dren to be part of the pro- brings a sense of commu-
at the location of the cur- facility had to remain con- quirk with what they call the gram, which has also led to nity to everybody that's out
rent one. The University of nected to the school's oth- "press box," an event and similar efforts at UCLA, Min- there watching the football
Iowa Hospitals and Clinics er nearby hospital. game-watching space for nesota and Iowa State. game just thinking of us. It's
opened close to the pedi- Thus, a new hospital — with patients and their families, "It's incredible," Jennifer a neat thing."q