"Direct your attention to section 110 for a special presentation. To continue a tradition that is uniquely Auburn, Nova will circle the stadium landing near midfield."
It has been a tradition for years to have Nova, the war eagle, soar around Jordan-Hare stadium getting fans pumped up for kickoff.
There is a tremendous amount of tedious training that goes on behind the scenes for Nova.
Nova and the other war eagle, Spirit, rotate games at which to fly as well as their practice fly every day in the stadium.
"We are actually just taking a natural behavior and modifying it," said Roy Crowe, Auburn's eagle consultant. "That's the way an eagle would hunt. They would fly over the prairies looking for a jack rabbit. We got him flying over The Plains looking for a leather lure. As long as he does not see that lure, he has no real reason to come down."
Eva Mathews, leather and lure maker, said she never understood how dangerous wild birds would be.
"I really just enjoy anything that is risk taking," Mathews said.
Crowe said the war eagles get special attention and care from The Raptor Center. They prepare all week for a two-minute fly around the stadium and on gameday they get a police escort into Jordan-Hare.
"It really is simple to train them, but that does not mean it is easy," Crowe said. "It takes a lot of consistent work."
Nova wears a special mask that covers his face while he is in the crate so he is not able to see all of the distractions while being carted to the top of the stadium.
The mask is removed as soon as they release him to soar around the stadium.
Crowe said he makes sure to keep a close eye on the eagle as he is circling to know when he needs to throw the lure of food out for him.
"Now he is gradually going to burn off altitude and speed, as he slows down and that is when you have to just watch for it," Crowe said. "We show him the lure and step out on the field and he will come down. If he does not see the lure he will go back up and around again. It depends on the wind, how he feels, how hungry he is that day and how cold it is."
Crowe and Eva explained how Nova has incredible eye sight and he knows to look for Crowe and the lure of food.
They do not feed him on the fist because it is not the most graceful landing when he pounces on the food.
There are many techniques that Crowe has taught himself just by trial and error.
Crowe said Nova was terrified of loud noises, cameras and Aubie, so it took time to get him accustomed to the gameday atmosphere.
Not every person would recognize all of these aspects.
"I took Nova down to the dog runs and fed him to get him used to the loud noise," Crowe said. "I had to make sure he was hungry, and I fed him in front of the dogs barking. Finally he just got to where he ignored them."
He said they have to train them to ignore 87,000 people and come to us. That is done by just acclimating them to it.
"He was afraid of cameras at one point, which can't happen during a game," Crowe said. "So we got old video cameras and fed him next to them to get him used to it. He was scared to death of Aubie, so we intentionally fed him in front of Aubie."
Crowe said now when they bring Nova into the stadium and he can hear the fans cheering, he immediately looks for food.
As for any risk taking performance, there must be a backup plan for error.
"The first flight in front of the crowd is always a little nerve racking," Crowe said. "Every year they kind of forget what they are supposed to do and you have to polish them up."
Crowe and Eva demonstrated their back-up plan in case Nova gets distracted and flies out of the stadium.
There is a tracking device that clips onto his tale and another device with antennas to actually track him. During his flight they have their volunteers stationed with maps and compasses just in case something happens.
"It is not a fun two minutes for us" Crowe said. "We are not as excited about those two minutes as everyone else is."
Eva said she has recently started to decorate the lures and bands that attach his legs to the chord while he is being held. She enjoys being a part of The Raptor Center and having the opportunity to help out Crowe.
All of their hard work pays off, because many students believe it is the best tradition in football history.
"I think that it is a great tradition," said Alexandra Sabates, a junior in psychology. "I feel as though it helps set Auburn apart with a tradition that is different than most, and it is a tradition that alumni and current students can share in the present and look forward to in the future with upcoming
generations."
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