In the midst of any intense competition, the Rec Hall faithful can become fanatical. Every dunk, kill, takedown or routine is complimented graciously by the cheering fans who line the bleachers.

At its largest, the crowd swells to greater than 7,000 voices erupting in unison with each great play. The decibel level rises. The walls quiver. The ears start ringing.

But that's mostly the fans. Many athletes could hear a pin drop.

Psychologically, athletes learn how to block out the external elements. Gymnast Jim Delaney attributes part of his success to winning the mental game. Concentration can make or break a routine. When Delaney competes, he is completely immersed in each trick he performs.

"I don't really hear the crowd," the senior captain said. "I'll hear, 'C'mon Jim!' right before I'm about to go. But really, when I'm on a piece at a meet, I don't hear the crowd. I don't even think I'm aware of the crowd as much."

What if the crowd vanished during his routine?

"I wouldn't notice . . . until I got off and I went, 'Where is everyone?' " Delaney said.

Any distraction can result in error. An athlete must learn how to use the crowd to his or her advantage. Many athletes agree that the crowd's undying support helps motivate and comfort them.

Dave Yukelson, a sports psychologist at the Academic Support Center for Student Athletes, said crowds can affect an athlete's performance by sharpening his or her "attentional focus" -- what an athlete concentrates on during competition.

"You're totally focused on the task at hand," Yukelson said. "You have to be able to know how crowds affect you. (A crowd) either sharpens attentional focus, or it broadens attentional focus --and you get caught up in distractions."

Yukelson spoke mainly of how crowds can work for or against basketball teams, saying that once the focus broadens, a player gets sidetracked and that's how the crowd makes an impact.

If thousands of screaming fans can get into the heads of an opponent, attentional focus widens --things become rushed, mistakes mount and players abandon the game plan. This scenario plays out particularly well for a team's defense.

If a team gets out of its rhythm, the defense can sense it, cause a turnover and put a team back on offense, Yukelson said. After that, what a team does on offense is what works to pump up the crowd.

A classic example is last Saturday's Penn State-Kansas game at Rec Hall in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Shelby Thayer buried her three-point basket, giving Penn State the lead for the first time in the second half. The shot turned everything in Penn State's favor --in terms of crowd noise, Yukelson said.

"It stepped up (the crowd's) hope," he said, adding that he believes it also helped pump up the Lady Lions. Penn State never trailed again, going on to an 85-68 victory.

Kansas Coach Marian Washington said that, defensively, Penn State was the best team she had faced all season. But she agreed that the performance of the 5,979 fans made the difference.

"Being in someone else's backyard is not easy," she said. "That's why I'm not for a home-court situation. It's a total advantage for that team, but the crowd did a great job for them."

But no matter how many people are there, the crowd will not win the game by itself. In the end, it's how a team uses the energy from a crowd that also makes a difference.

Yukelson said that once athletes learn how crowds affect them, they are better able to sharpen their focus on the task at hand. It works symbiotically, with the players feeding off the crowd's energy, while the spectators get energized by watching some superb athleticism.

"The key is the efficiency with which you play -- you have to generate (enthusiasm)," Yukelson added. "The crowd facilitates that energy, the nucleus is how you execute. It energizes the emotional part of your game."

Men's Volleyball Coach Tom Peterson said he believes that the Rec Hall audience provides some pressure for both the home team and the visitors. He added that many teams like coming to Rec Hall because of the facilities.

But once inside the old building, it becomes harder for the opposition.

"We get probably 3 or 4 points a game because we're playing in Rec Hall," Peterson said.

All Penn State athletes seem to agree, there's no place that generates more enthusiasm for them than Rec Hall -- as it probably should be.

They don't get all the hype and fanfare like the renowned "Cameron Crazies" at Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Nittany Lions and Lady Lions don't seem to care.

Men's gymnast Brandy Wood said he couldn't believe how much support sports such as gymnastics received. Even on a recruiting visit, one of the lasting impressions made on him was by the Rec Hall faithful.

"All my life I grew up competing in front of like 20 people, 30 people," Wood said. "If there's a large crowd and they're out there yelling for you, and they're keeping the adrenaline flow going -- it's nice to have."