student section

by purpleman12 on Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:34 pm

Hey fellow Pilot fans,
Just wondering what your thoughts were on the student section at games this year. If you are like me you are not impressed but I was wondering if anybody in here had any suggestions for how we could up the enthusiasm. Thanks for any input.

PurpleMann

by **upsailor** on Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:45 pm

purplemann:
there has to be leaders who aren't afraid to step forward and establish some organisation a s well as leadership. It should be started in the dorms, at the pilot house, etc. and it takes some time, it woun't be a landslide overnite

by **PilotNut** on Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:15 pm

Thanks for the post, PM12. UPsailor is right on... there needs to be leadership! And not just one person, but maybe a group... Some students standing up in the front row, as an example for everyone else.... and hopefully those people will have a keen sense as to when the various chants are appropriate... that key defensive stand, that opponent free throw, etc.

The students have been showing up in decent numbers this year, but they are dissappointingly silent as they seem to be sitting on their hands. The old folks across the floor are making much more noise. Right or wrong, the entire fan atmosphere builds from the students.

Building a strong student section can't be done last minute on game day... students need to know well in advance, be provided with some hints (signs from the leaders, chant lists, etc)... hopefully you can build something that everyone will WANT to be a part of.

Everyone here wants to help... I hope there is a lot of positive feedback given. Please let me know if I can help!

by W W Winkie on Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:19 pm

How about giving the students a program. There is nothing more embarrassing than hearing them heckle the other team by number instead of name.

by **Stonehouse** on Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:26 pm

I think the students have been good so far. Of course, we would prefer craziness every time out, but I've been very happy with the numbers thus far.

The biggest obstacle has been the schedule. The two games that happened on a weekend night (UC Davis and Kentucky) the students showed up in droves and were loud and rowdy.

Otherwise, the game times have been Friday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 6 p.m.; Tuesday at 7 p.m.; and the Saturday of Thanksgiving.

And it doesn't get a lot better... during the break when students aren't around, games are the Wednesday before Christmas and the Monday after Christmas (both at 7 p.m.), and New Year's Eve at 4 p.m.

BUT... once it gets into the swing of Thursday/Saturday for WCC games, I think the students are going to be awesome. I really do. Especially with four ESPN games at the Chiles Center and two other ones broadcast live on Comcast.

Something tells me there's going to be A LOT of screen time for those teletubbies and the rest of the Pilot Riot crew.

by pilotram on Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:28 pm

Halftime keggers.

by PurpleGeezer on Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:31 pm

pilotram wrote:Halftime keggers.

Works for us old folks...(Pilot Club)

by purpleman12 on Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:42 pm

Thanks guys, I agree that the schedule does have a lot to do with it. I am guilty of not going to every game this year but it is mainly because of the schedule. I would say that the general turnout has been above average but I want to get the students involved. It means nothing if you go and sit there and make no noise. good suggestion on the programs, and if anyone wants to front the cash halftime keggers work for us as well.

PurpleMann

by onetouchfutbol on Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:53 pm

upsailor wrote:purplemann:
there has to be leaders who aren't afraid to step forward and establish some organisation a s well as leadership. It should be started in the dorms, at the pilot house, etc. and it takes some time, it woun't be a landslide overnite

So true. It would be great to have a group of 20-50 students decked out in purple sitting close to the court consistently yelling a little bit louder during the free throws. There are so many good programs out there to draw ideas from... I think that the students should mark the January 13th (at home vs LMU) and February 3rd games (at home vs. Gonzaga) onto their calendars since those will be on ESPN2, and we have a chance to give our team and the Chiles Center some national exposure. But, really every game is important...

Basketball

by Rochin54 on Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:16 pm

Leaders are key. But they need to be leaders who are knowledgeable about the game and how and when to impact the game as fans. Heckling is all well and good, and a whole lot of fun when done well, but the crowd should also be able to affect the game by lifting up the team, giving them that last bit of energy they need to close out on a three point shooter or hustle to get the loose ball. They need to know when to have a reaction to a call or lack thereof. You can't cry wolf at every call that goes against our guys.

Honestly, that was what dissapointed me most about the students that made it to Vegas last year. They didn't seem to have the knowledge of the game. They were busy simply shouting obsenities at the refs and opposing players. Not effective stuff. There is the place for a well-timed
"horse$***!!", but not every stinking posession.

A good crowd is an extension of the team. You've got to know the game, have a gameplan, stay composed, and execute it.

by pilotram on Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:22 pm

This is a question I'm sure every struggling program has been trying to answer since the game was first played.
The flyers that greeted students last year were probably not helpful in this matter.

by VillaGorilla on Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:47 pm

The student section has been getting the numbers over the past four or five years, but they have been lacking in the enthusiasm that had been there previously. I hate to repeat everyone else, but it starts with leadership. You've got to get people together before the game and head over as a group. The spirit has to originate before the game, starting in the dorms and off-campus houses. People aren't going to show up with a friend, see everyone else sitting, and suddenly get amped. You have to march in there with a posse and take over the place the moment you step in the door.

The students have always picked it up for conference play (and televised games), so I'm not worried.

Wear purple. Bring someone new every game. Always stand. Chant and yell. Best of luck.

P.S. What is the deal with the teletubbies? I just don't get it. Maybe I'm getting to far removed from the generation of students currently in college.

by **MesaPilot1** on Tue Dec 14, 2010 3:04 am

Welcome to my world, its kinda like a guy in my college days showing up in Star Wars outfit, he woulda left the arena in his under wear....without their teletubbies, regardless of how man y security personnel/cops tried to stop us...& if the AD WOULD have tried something we would have stuffed him in the largest trash can on campus...we probably would have stopped the maham if Rev or some little ol 80 yr old person asked us to, lol...or when they started throwin or sprayng tear gas/ pepper spray....most of the p layers realize UP students are flackey, selfish,& self centered.....plus its hard to support a program before Rev was a perpetual losing deal.....wish the students could pull their selfish "heads out of their a@#&" but since Stoney and his crew of Mattywizz DTR, etc, etc...student support is dismal as a whole.... Mad

by **DaTruRochin** on Tue Dec 14, 2010 11:13 am

You flatter us Mesa, but yeah it's good they are showing up in numbers, but basketball isn't supposed to be like Wimbeldon Centre Court...

It's been said already several times but the art of a good student section requires leadership and organization. You can't just have people show up and expect them to know what to do and when to do it, it requires a bit of an education. Rev scouts the other team and how they play, it's the students job to scout the other players as well. Look up their histories, scour student newspapers and websites to see if there is anything you can poke fun at. It can be done easily without resorting to vulgarity (although as R54 contends, there's nothing like a well placed old-timey swear.) Or it can even be as simple as noticing their footwear, or something they might be wearing (e.g. NBA socks) or a questionable tattoo.

And also it helps a lot to gather before the game elsewhere to get organized and get excited (You can decide HOW to get people riled up, there are different ways Wink

, some direct, some a bit more, um, liquid.) Just yelling in people's faces at the game to "stand up and yell" is just going to anger people half the time and encourage them to not come back to the game, you have to invite them in and make them feel like they are a part of something. It requires is a good core of leaders dedicated to making it a fun environment all while supporting the team in both a positive and exuberant manner. It isn't a hard thing to do at all, you just have to do it.

by **PilotNut** on Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:01 pm

DaTruRochin wrote:You flatter us Mesa, but yeah it's good they are showing up in numbers, but basketball isn't supposed to be like Wimbeldon Centre Court...

It's been said already several times but the art of a good student section requires leadership and organization. You can't just have people show up and expect them to know what to do and when to do it, it requires a bit of an education. Rev scouts the other team and how they play, it's the students job to scout the other players as well. Look up their histories, scour student newspapers and websites to see if there is anything you can poke fun at. It can be done easily without resorting to vulgarity (although as R54 contends, there's nothing like a well placed old-timey swear.) Or it can even be as simple as noticing their footwear, or something they might be wearing (e.g. NBA socks) or a questionable tattoo.

And also it helps a lot to gather before the game elsewhere to get organized and get excited (You can decided HOW to get people riled up, there are different ways , some direct, some a bit more, um, liquid.) Just yelling in people's faces at the game to "stand up and yell" is just going to anger people half the time and encourage them to not come back to the game, you have to invite them in and make them feel like they are a part of something. It requires is a good core of leaders dedicated to making it a fun environment all while supporting the team in both a positive and exuberant manner. It isn't a hard thing to do at all, you just have to do it.

This is a nominee for post of the year! Cheers!

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