ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 28, 1996 TAG: 9612300018
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: A Cuppa Joe
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY
When Kordell Stewart took the ball up the left side of the field and outsprinted the Carolina Panthers for an 80-yard touchdown run, last week's meeting of the Star City Steeler Club came to disorder.
Guys wearing black and gold jerseys, hats and jackets roared, jumped in the air, pounded each other on the back, slammed into each other from the front and delivered palm-stinging high-fives.
The women did too.
It was smash-mouth spectating at its best, the perfect way to spend a gray, chilly afternoon in the friendly confines of the Charades lounge at the Roanoke Airport Marriott.
"As many places as I've watched Steeler games, and that's a lot, there is no better atmosphere than this," says Cary Young. "We celebrate and suffer together. Nobody sits on their hands. They're true Steeler fans."
Young is from Kingsport, Tenn., a three-hour drive from Roanoke. He has come up for five games this year.
This is the way these people are.
`I wouldn't go back'
You don't have to be from Pittsburgh to join this club. You just have to live in a Pittsburgh of the mind, where all the men are strong, all the women are strong, all the collars are blue, all the steel mills are open and all the memories are of frigid days with blowing snow and tough guys like Franco Harris and Jack Lambert pounding their opponents into the icy turf.
Heck, you don't even have to like Pittsburgh.
"I wouldn't go back," says Mike Dorsch, 36, a technical specialist for a building products company, who's sitting at the bar. The reasons? Harsh winters, deep potholes and certain smash-mouth tendencies in social relations among the residents.
"The people here are way, way more friendly," he says.
You do have to be able to set aside your workday identity and immerse yourself in Steeler lore - from the hapless events of the '50s and '60s to the triumphs of Chuck Noll and the glory of Bill Cowher, the jut-jawed, headset-tossing, expletive-bellowing coach.
"Roanoke is an excellent place to raise a family," says Maura Carney, 33, a business owner and mother of two from Salem. One beat later: "The main strength of the Steelers is defense."
Sprained ankles and head-butts
Sixty percent of the club's 200-odd members have roots in western Pennsylvania. The others have the proper mind-set, and the club does a good job of marketing itself. A key selling point: no dues.
It started four seasons ago, when two guys from out near Smith Mountain Lake joined with two guys from in town, putting out fliers, running a few ads and filling the Ground Round with their raucous cries.
When they outgrew that place, the moved over to Chi-Chi's at Valley View. When Chi-Chi's closed, they migrated to Charades.
They don't ask for much, just an NFL cable package, plenty of seats, TVs, food and drink, and a management willing to look the other way when on-the-field developments make them tackle each other and violate decorum in other noisy ways.
Somebody sprained an ankle once. Head-butts are not unknown.
The lounge scores, too, with an average of 100 fans a week downing their fill of chicken wings, hamburgers and pitchers of beer and soda.
Last Sunday, in the dwindling light of the afternoon, with WSLS (Channel 10) running a sleet warning at the bottom of the screen, the Steelers lost to Carolina. The room went dead, but not for long.
This Sunday, the Steelers start the playoffs against the Colts at Three Rivers Stadium.
Nobody's overconfident - the team is banged up. It's crunch time, and club members know it.
TV coverage starts at 12:30. They expect a big turnout. I might go back myself.
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to kenn@roanoke.infi.net, or write to P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 linesby CNB