The University of Iowa Army ROTC Cadets will continue a tradition of running the Cy-Hawk football series game ball from Iowa City to Ames Friday, Sept. 13 as part of the Army ROTC 28th Annual Game Ball Run.
The ball will be run to Tama, Iowa, where it will be handed off to the cadets of Iowa State University’s Army ROTC program.
The cadets of the Mighty Hawkeye Battalion will kick off the run at Kinnick Stadium the morning of the 13th, with a picture in front of the Nile Kinnick statue at approximately 6:15 a.m. The ball will then start its long journey to Ames at 6:30 a.m. by heading west down Melrose Avenue.
"This tradition has more meaning than just a continued rivalry between the two schools. It includes service to military members."
—Ryan Quesnell, UI student and Mighty Hawkeye Battalion member
The cadets run approximately 10 to 12 miles total because they stop outside each town and run through the main streets as a group. The participants then ride vans to each starting point for the town.
"It is cool that they run together in formation and sing cadences, so the kids and public seem to really like seeing that," says Ryan Quesnell, a member of the Mighty Hawkeye Battalion and UI pre-dental senior from Johnston, Iowa, who is majoring in business management.
The cadets and the ball will proceed through Williamsburg, Marengo, Blairstown, Belle Plaine, and Chelsea and will arrive in Tama at approximately 11:05 a.m. The ball will then be passed to members of the ISU Army ROTC program and make its way to Ames in a similar fashion.
According to Quesnell, this tradition has more meaning than just a continued rivalry between the two schools.
"It includes service to military members," Quesnell says. "The cadets of both programs will be collecting nonperishable and needed items for the Iowa Troop Pantry."
The Iowa Troop Pantry is a nonprofit organization that specializes in caring for military personnel during deployment. For more information, visit the Iowa Troop Pantry website.
The public can drop off items at the South Quadrangle at 310 South Grand Ave. on the UI campus this week or at Kinnick Stadium the morning of the run between 5:45 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Nonperishable items recommended for donation include toothbrushes, baby wipes, foot powder, and canned food items.
The public is encouraged to come out to cheer and take pictures. For more information on the event, the route, or how to donate items, contact the Mighty Hawkeye Battalion in advance at army-rotc@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9187 or 319-335-9190.