To the editors:

I sit here basking in the glory of Harvard's recent victory over Boston College in the first Beanpot game (Sports, Feb. 3), and I cannot think of anything but how wonderful a night it was. Not because our hockey team beat the Eagles in overtime or because we're going to the championship game of the tournament for the first time in my Harvard career, but because of the wonderful reaction of the Harvard fans in the arena. We weren't many, and the B.C. fans certainly outnumbered us, but together we made enough noise to cheer our opponents out of the FleetCenter in a hurry.

The most wonderful aspect of the night for me was the support and enthusiasm of the fans not only for the team, but for us, the band. As the third period drew to an end and the balcony of the arena was barren, nothing felt better than to look below and see a slew of Harvard fans screaming for the band to join them in a unified effort to cheer on our team. We did join them, and after security made us move (we had parked ourselves right behind the B.C. team), the fans moved with us.

The Harvard Band has had a rocky relationship with its fellow students in the past. But the support we received that night, and the enthusiasm of the fans who were willing to join us and cheer with us 'til the end, was a bigger rush than any Bandie can ask for from his or her peers. KATE S. WISWELL '99   Feb. 3, 1998

The writer is manager of the Harvard Band.