The 55 spots on the bus to Western Kentucky University on Saturday for the Ball State University football game were almost sold out Wednesday.
The Cardinal Varsity Club is sponsoring the bus to Bowling Green, Ky., and has sold about 50 spots already, Executive Director Jerry Peirson said.
The group tries to sponsor buses to two or three road games every year to give fans another option to get to the games besides driving themselves. This year the group is sponsoring three trips - to Indiana University, Western Kentucky and Miami University - although it probably could have done more, he said.
"We probably could have taken a bus to every game the way the season is going," Peirson said.
Ball State is 6-0 on the season and ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. This week was the first time Ball State has ever been ranked in the national poll.
With more success from the team and more excitement from the fans the bus trips become easier to plan and more popular, Peirson said. Rising costs of gasoline have also contributed to the bus trips becoming more popular in recent years, he said.
The excitement among students is also key to generating excitement for bus trips and other functions with the football team, Peirson said.
Although few students ride on the Cardinal Varsity Club buses, their excitement generates more excitement in the community, he said. The people riding the buses are usually parents, alumni and season ticket holders, Peirson said. This week they will be joined by Charlie Cardinal and 10 cheerleaders.
"We've got a pretty full bus [to WKU]," he said.
The Cardinal Varsity Club was formed in 1962 and now has about 3,000 members. Although he was not sure of when the first bus trip was, Peirson said they have been around since the early years of the organization.
Like the Western Kentucky game, one bus usually goes on the trips. The most buses the Cardinal Varsity Club has ever sponsored on a trip was two or three, Peirson said.
"Usually it's really good," he said. "We had two full buses to IU."
The Alumni Association also sent several buses to the International Bowl last season.
The bus trip to Miami on Nov. 11 could be hurt because the game is on a Tuesday, and it will be on television, Peirson said. However, he plans for a bus to make the trip and hopes for even more, he said.
"I would love to have a caravan of buses go to Oxford," he said. "That would be terrific."
The bus trip to Western Kentucky will cost Cardinal Varsity Club members $58 and non-members $78. It costs at least $100 to join the organization.
The fees for the trip include the bus ride, a ticket to the game and snacks on the bus. Riders will also have a chance to tailgate before the game.
Unless the bus is full, Peirson said, reservations would be taken for the Western Kentucky game until Friday. Reservations are also being taken for the bus to Miami.
The trip to Miami could be expanded beyond one bus if there is enough interest, but it could also be canceled if there are not enough people to cover the costs of the bus, Peirson said. If the trip would be canceled people would be told a few days before the game.
For more information on the CVC bus trips call 765-285-8120.
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