by Theodore Wiesehan

    Despite the exposure to bracing winds and lack of seating, for C.J. Novak and Adam Dietsch the game day view from the roof of Memorial Stadium's north skyboxes is unparalleled.
     "I'm not really one for crowds," Novak, 29, Seward, said. "To me it's a nicer view up there than having to sit with someone right next to you."
     "They're actually really good seats," Dietsch, 23, Omaha, formerly Seward, said.
     Years of volunteer work and experience assisting Mel Bolte with the Seward Fourth of July fireworks show earned the pair of Seward High School graduates spots atop the skybox after Bolte was selected to introduce pyrotechnic displays during Husker home games this year.
     Bolte chose Novak and Dietsch because at 14 and nine years, respectively, the pair have donated the most Independence Days to Seward's fireworks display.
     "They gave up many Fourth of Julys," Bolte said. "We start late morning and we're out there until 11 at night."
     Both Dietsch and Novak began volunteering to help Bolte in their early high school years - Dietsch at 14 and Novak at 15. The pair have worked on the display every year since.
     "It's just a lot of fun," Dietsch said of the Seward show.
     "It turns into a long day," Novak said, "but I guess I'm not too tired of it because I still continue to do it every year."
     With 51 Seward Fourth of July displays and close-proximity pyrotechnic (fireworks designed to minimize debris for use near crowds) experience under his belt, Bolte was asked by NU Assistant Athletic Director Butch Hug to introduce pyrotechnic displays at the stadium to accompany the tunnel walk.
     "(We arrive) at least two, two-and-a-half hours ahead of time," Bolte said of game day, "because you have to be ready when we get the signal. We try to allow ourselves 30, 40, 50 minutes of grace in case something goes wrong."
     While the trio's shows never failed to win the crowd, Novak said that wet weather kept a few charges from shooting off during the first three games.
     "When you're dealing with electronics and moisture it's not a very good combination," he said.
     At the Nov. 24 game against Colorado, Nebraska's last home game, Bolte coordinated additional fireworks with the halftime performance of Tschaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
     While the tunnel walk and halftime displays at the Colorado game kept the Seward group busy, they said their responsibilities during the other games allowed plenty of time to watch the gridiron action.
     "The tear-down only takes maybe a half-hour total," Dietsch said. "We'll do things when there's a time out or change of possession."
     The spots come with other perks, as well. Novak met and received an autograph from comedian Larry the Cable Guy, whose skybox is near their area.
     Though they've been working with firework displays for much of their lives, the excitement that led them to the work has not been lost on Novak and Dietsch.
     "It's exciting," Novak said. "There is a certain thrill to being up that close to something that powerful."