US Airman Ian Patterson died after a 170‑foot fall during a pregame military demonstration at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The incident occurred Saturday, Oct 17, before the Navy and the University of Texas at San Antonio football game.
Patterson was 1 of 4 rappelers scheduled for the demonstration. The airmen were supposed to rappel down holding an American flag during the band’s performance of the national anthem. About 3 minutes before their scheduled descent, Patterson began rappelling rapidly in an uncontrolled manner.
This week I had the opportunity to sit down with 2 college students who were at the game. These 2 have very different perspectives of the game and how the tragedy was handled. They told me what they saw.
Myles Lesane is a sophomore at Texas State who was sitting in the front row at the game. According to Lesane, the Alamodome fell silent following the fall. “That place was in disbelief,” he said. Noting that it was so silent, “You could hear a pin drop.”
Performer’s Perspective
At the time of the event, the UTSA band had marched out doing their pre-show chant. They had not actually begun their routine when Patterson fell. They took a break until Patterson was off the field, then did a shortened version of the performance. This pushed back kick-off by 10 minutes.
Enrique Lizarraga, saxophone player in the UTSA band, said most band members were unaware of what exactly had happened. Lizarraga was one of the few who actually caught a glimpse of the fall. “It was pretty apparent this guy wasn’t going to be okay.” He said.
During the actual game, band members were given space to process their emotions. “They didn’t really have us play much during the first half. We were almost entirely quiet,” Lizarraga said. “The band directors were clear on going and letting us have time to breathe.” He continued.
Many were in shock and tears during their performance. “ You could kind of hear the sadness in how we played…This was a man we had rehearsed with 2 hours earlier,” said Lizarraga.
Backlash
Since this game, UTSA has received a lot of backlash for the decision to continue with the game. Many online individuals believe the game should have been canceled or postponed. Some also point out UTSA Football’s timeliness of their statement.
“The fact that UTSA continued the game kind of bothered me,” said Lesane. “I was checking for updates the whole time I was there.” He continued.
UTSA Athletics posted highlights and their win in the game on the day of the event and posted 2 days later a statement on tragedy in the pregame show. The university president released a statement
Many have pointed to social media desensitization as an aggressor in how this tragedy was handled. “We are so used to seeing it. To be frank, you can see gore on instagram and not be looking for it.” Lesane said.
Many online have been subjected to videos of decapitations, brutal car crashes, and shootings. For people like Lesane, this event is a stark picture of the reality we live in today, showing how fast people move on from tragedy.
Members of the band, football team, and cheerleading team have also received an unwarranted portion of that hate online. “It’s kind of disrespectful to criticize the people that had to endure it.” Lizarraga said.
Counselors attended the band’s Monday rehearsal. They have been a resource for affected students, offering support services and giving them advice for dealing with hate online.