The new south end zone of Kyle Field that was introduced less than a year ago has already been tested for its structural soundness. During the Thanksgiving game held in College Station last season between Texas A&M and LSU, there was slight up-and-down movement detected.
It is no secret that the Aggie faithful tend to get a little rowdy when it comes to their football, but according to officials, this irregular up-and-down movement was due to something other than ordinary cheering. After connecting the dots, it was determined that it was actually the playing of the techno hit “Sandstorm” and the reaction of the fans that caused the south end to move along with the fist-pumping.
Regardless of the movement detected last November, A&M officials said fans are not to worry. The portion of Kyle Field that houses approximately 27,000 of the stadium’s attendance will not and has not put attendees in any form of danger.
In response to the reported movement of the stadium, Texas A&M has acted quickly and efficiently to reinforce the end zone with additional steel.
Phillip Ray, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs and chair of the Kyle Field Stadium Redevelopment Project Committee said the stadium design was confirmed to meet all design standards by the Engineer of Record in December of 2014.
“While fan safety was never an issue, Chancellor Sharp directed the project team to address the potential fan comfort issues going forward prior to the 2015 season,” Ray said. “In addition to it being safe, the Chancellor wanted to make it as certain as possible that it would not sway at all so that fans would feel comfortable.”
Texas A&M and Kyle Field are not unfamiliar to the concept of a stadium that has a tendency to move as the crowd does. Among many other updated features of the new and improved Kyle Field is the elimination of much of the horizontal movement that occurred during the “Aggie War Hymn.”
Ray said fans have nothing to worry about when coming into the new Kyle Field in the fall.
“Again, the stadium has been tested and reaffirmed by the engineers to meet or exceed all design criteria and safety standards,” Ray said.
Come Sept. 12 when the Aggies take on Ball State in the christening of the brand new Kyle Field, fans will have nothing to worry about concerning their safety. Whether all 102,512 people in attendance lock arms, sway back and forth or jump up and down to the tune of some techno-pop, Kyle Field will stand tall and prove to be as safe as ever.
