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Post by bball30 on Oct 17, 2006 15:03:10 GMT -6
This has seriously got to be a joke, to even think our student section would resemble Duke's in the near future. You really think people are going to respond to chant sheets, and student leaders? The last thing any college student coming to a basketball game wants is to have to follow more rules. You have to crawl before you can walk, so let's just focus on getting some of the newer students down to the cell.
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Post by Pantherholic on Oct 17, 2006 15:10:58 GMT -6
Please don't try and organize the student section. It honestly just ruins the whole experience. how so?
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Post by bball30 on Oct 17, 2006 15:37:59 GMT -6
Read the above post.
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Post by PantherU on Oct 17, 2006 15:45:33 GMT -6
Yeah, bball30, what basis do you have? The student section may not be Cameron worthy, but building a student section where casual student fans can have fun is where we can make fans out of alumni.
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Post by bball30 on Oct 17, 2006 16:09:56 GMT -6
I agree you can build the student section, but no one wants to listen to a few people in the front telling everyone else what to do, say, and yell. Especially not by passing out sheets telling people what to say. Also, it'd be nice if certain people would remember, the front of the section is NOT reserved.... it's first come first serve.
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Post by formerseasonticketholder on Oct 17, 2006 16:34:36 GMT -6
Yeah, bball30, what basis do you have? The student section may not be Cameron worthy, but building a student section where casual student fans can have fun is where we can make fans out of alumni. this doesn't make sense to me - how does making building a student section where casual student fans can have fun make fans of alumni? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great idea to work to build the type of student section where casual student fans can have fun, but I don't see the connection. The best way for you to grow the alumni fan base will be to graduate and buy season tickets - I think the increasing profile of the team and additional marketing efforts of the athletic department will have more of an impact on current alumni than you can hope to. Growth in season ticket holders has definitely kept pace with, or maybe even surpassed growth in the student section in recent years (please don't take that as a knock, it means I support your goal). I believe the original Krazies used chant sheets and grassroots promotion quite effectively - maybe not when they first hit the scene, but after BP annointed them so they'd quit getting chased out of all the games by the Klotsche staff and the state police! These tactics can definitely help put bodies in the seats, but you'll have to remember to be good hosts when the new kids get there to help them have fun so they come back time and time again. Good luck in your efforts!
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Post by bball30 on Oct 17, 2006 17:12:36 GMT -6
We never really used the chant sheets, however we did spend hours in the union and dorm lobby handing out fliers to inform people of the games. My biggest disappointment is in some of the students that now believe they are better than others. All I'm saying is trying to organize a student section is going to draw interest. If you really wanna get everyone to know one thing, start with the school song, that way the entire arena is involved.
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Post by teddyp00 on Oct 17, 2006 19:42:09 GMT -6
I agree with bball here on this one. You guys are trying to walk before you crawl here. there is a process that needs to take place and it starts with growing the student section until it is full on a game in and game out basis. Until this happens the structure needed to orgainze "leaders" can not be present. Without consistently large student crowds the university will not be able to charge and until student tickets are purchased they can not assign seats. Until seats are assigned you will have the kids who only show up for the "big" games and push their way to the front and there goes the structure of the regulars leading chants.
I know this is all a long way off, but it has to start somewhere and it seems that there are several students who are here willing to do some extra things. So rather than try to create order in what is nothing more than a student section that has no order to it right now focus you energy in putting up fliers in the dorms and the union. Talking to people and telling them how much fun the games are so they decide to show up with their friends.
Then when you get them there you have to make it SIMPLE for them to be interested in the game and the chants.
If its not fun for them because they feel left out or are yelled at for not knowing what is going on they wont come back or tell others that it was a good time.
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Post by milwsport on Oct 17, 2006 21:39:52 GMT -6
Yeah, bball30, what basis do you have? The student section may not be Cameron worthy, but building a student section where casual student fans can have fun is where we can make fans out of alumni. this doesn't make sense to me - how does making building a student section where casual student fans can have fun make fans of alumni? It's simple really. After they graduate, the students want to keep having fun at the games so they become ticket holders as alumni.
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Post by formerseasonticketholder on Oct 17, 2006 21:45:31 GMT -6
this doesn't make sense to me - how does making building a student section where casual student fans can have fun make fans of alumni? It's simple really. After they graduate, the students want to keep having fun at the games so they become ticket holders as alumni. you bet, I get that part. it's a natural progression as I mentioned in the post you quoted. I read BPU's post as meaning the current student section impacting current alumni, but maybe I was off-target on that.
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Post by Pantherholic on Oct 18, 2006 9:15:25 GMT -6
here's my stance on it -
1) i agree that building the student section is important, unfortunately i don't have the time this semester to pass out fliers but i will strongly consider that next semester when my workload is easier.
2) i know not everyone will buy into what we hope to do. i'm not naive enough to think everyone will do as asked and yell and scream from the top of their lungs. however we need to do more than just the generic stuff. i'm also tired of hearing F-bombs and sexually explicit comments ALL THE TIME. i don't see how they work and i doubt the players would be more phased by that than if we came up w/ something original instead of sophomoric. during the Missouri State game, having everyone yell "bullsh*t" everytime there was a foul for the simple fact there was a foul called on us was completely stupid. i know it'll still happen but if we can reduce it, its at least a start.
3) i've been told by season-ticket holders "We expect more from the student section this year". this means both in #s and actual involvement. obviously we won't get the attendance like we did for the HL Championship last year but improving the quality AND quantity are equally important. i was told last night buy a season-ticket holder, "I live vicariously through the student section."
again, i know not everyone's going to buy into what we do. i saw how ppl responded from the chant sheets last year but from what i remember seeing, there was not a lot of order as to when the chants were to be chanted. if we improve the quality, that'll hopefully garner interest from the casual fans when they attend to come more often. mwu has offerred to talk to the band director to see if the band can be incorporated w/ whatever we come up w/. i've gotten a few PMs already about student interest, hope to see more PMs come my way.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2006 9:30:00 GMT -6
First you need to get students to the games. 25 at midnight madness is a BAD sign for the upcoming season. The poor attendance surely has a lot to do with the athletic department's lack of advertisements on campus. That has been a consistent problem over the last five years. Nevertheless, if you want good attendance, YOU need to work to get them in the stands. Instead of planning chants, perhaps start designing fliers for upcoming home games? Post them in the dorms, hand them out on campus. Create excitement among the student body.
Also, you will need to educate the students. It is going to be hard to get them to games after our tough non-conference schedule. It is likely that we will be around .500 before we begin the Horizon League season. That will discourage many from attending. Students need to know that this is a rebuilding year, and that support this season will lead to big things in 07-08.
No need to create chants for 25 students. Just work on getting them to games!
Adios, The artist formerly known as UWMfreak Former Klotsche Krazie
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Post by pantherdon on Oct 18, 2006 10:30:02 GMT -6
Yes, getting the kids to the games should be the number one concern, but if they don't have fun, they won't come back. Even if there was only 10 people in the student section, getting some simple chants out loud and clear will encourage others. Start off slowly, 1 or 2 catchy ones thats it. Build on it later.
As an Alumni and a season ticket holder, I totally agree, we live vicariously through the student section. I like to participate from my seat.
Get it organized! You don't need chant Nazis, just some direction. Just make it fun.
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Post by coacheinerson on Oct 18, 2006 18:50:26 GMT -6
Just so you know... the athletic department has been working to get more students interested.
There is going to be a huge banner going up above the Sandburg doors with the schedule on it and a place to catch the game if they aren't at home.
A new idea that came up was to actually pick a centralized location to catch the online games. I thought it'd be cool if we could put it up on a screen and get the fans together.
The idea is to build fanatics... not just casual fans. It'll be interesting to see how it works.
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Post by teddyp00 on Oct 18, 2006 19:18:52 GMT -6
Thats good because the kids in the dorms are the most likely the school is to get them to come out on a random night to the cell. Plus there are a few thousand in the dorms so even getting 10% to become regulars that adds what 300 to the stands in the student section each year. Over their 4 years that 10% is likley to grow to 15-20% just from kids moving in with other people and getting them to the games.
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