Student Support '09-'10

I was thinking today about the (slowly) approaching basketball season when a question came to mind: What will the students' section be like this year?

It is clear to me that there will never be another Clay but will anyone else emerge to support the basketball team and lead PP like he did? Will students recognize the skill and potential of our team this year and support them simply because of that? Will we benefit from having that Gonzaga game at the beginning of the conference schedule? Will beating or contending with Gonzaga keep students coming back for the remaining 6 home conference games (and the final game, of course)?

I'd love to see a Merlo-like feel move inside to Chiles this winter. Does anyone have ideas on how/if that could happen?

Closing thought: "T. J. Caaaaampbell.... for 3 "

Clay was a fantastic leader, but I think to really create a strong, sustained effort it requires a larger leadership group. As much as the school can do, when it comes to support, the grass roots stuff is often the most effective.

I agree. Which is why Clay drew very mixed responses from the student crowd. I often like to sit higher up in the student section and I have heard many students that would complain about Clay and who found him obnoxious and viewed him as a negative part of being at the game.

I think Clay had too much enthusiasm and spirit and I think that may have alienated some people. I think that incentives (pizza, gas $$ for Vegas, etc...) and encouragement like Clay's can only go so far in motivating students. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink and in the same way, you can bring students to the game but you can't make them become involved. Being an involved and vocal fan has to come from within and I hope that students are able to recognize the skill of our squad and find it within themselves to come out and support them.

Shipstad, I personally have been working with Purple Pride for two years, and this is my third year involved, my second as a leader. I am putting together a committee for people like you who want to see the students more involved. This committee will allow those who care about the team, but aren't as vocal like yourself to have a voice in what happens with Purple Pride and the student section. Getting people to games and involved in them is a lot harder than it sounds. Our thought process with the free stuff is that we get them there, they see the team doing well, they see people getting excited about the team, they want to be part of that, so they come back.

If you want to be part of anything, just let me know

Clay's graduated now. You may see him across the arena this year trying to get a bunch of geriatrics to do the "drive home safely" chant.

too many words, I think....

Geezaldinho wrote:You may see him across the arena this year trying to get a bunch of geriatrics to do the "drive home safely" chant.

Surely you arent referring to Section 12....

Yeah, I don't think he has much chance with us.

We can barely do "GO".

Whenever the cheerleaders try "Pilots" on us, it's always a failure.

You guys really need to recruit Stoney back to your section...

purplepride13 wrote:Getting people to games and involved in them is a lot harder than it sounds.

PP13, I couldn’t agree more. I have had a few leadership positions on campus as well and it is a great challenge to get students active and involved in anything. I respect you and all of PP Leadership a ton for your hard work and dedication.

purplepride13 wrote:Our thought process with the free stuff is that we get them there, they see the team doing well, they see people getting excited about the team, they want to be part of that, so they come back.

I also think that the “Free ___” tactic is a great one, for the very reasons that you laid out: it is a great way to get bodies to the game and to hopefully show people that the games and teams are worth their time and are a fun experience. I think that these programs were wildly successful last year; it is a good sign when the “Students’ Lounge” is so packed that I can’t get through to a) the pizza or b) the bleachers. Keep up the good work.

The point I was trying to make with my last post is that somewhere between getting students to the game and the transformation into a devoted fan, there has to be some sort of inner motivation, at least for me, and I hope that many students are able to become devoted and involved fans this year. I used the “leading a horse to water” metaphor to describe getting students to the game and I’m not saying that the initial step of getting students to the games isn’t important; I’m just saying that it isn’t sufficient for having the significant home-court advantage and big-game atmosphere that I hope to see developed at Chiles. In no way do I think that the enthusiasm of Clay or any other person detracts from the game or the experience from the bleachers. I think if anything, it helps to “pressure” other students into becoming equally vocal if they are the odd-man-out who isn’t singing, cheering, etc...

In the end, I think the students’ section will benefit as fans start coming not only for free food but also because they are genuinely interested in supporting the team and in the outcome of the game.

Also, I want to make it clear that I love Clay. In my mind, he IS the UP mascot (no disrespect to Wally). Clay’s dedication and hard work (chalking all over campus for all home games, working in Sports Info, tons of behind-the-scenes work and of course, his presence at every game he could get to) was incredible and it was inspiring to me. I look up to Clay; he is the paragon of selflessness and enthusiasm.

As for me, I sit a little higher up in order to have a better view of the court but I would also say that I’m a vocal and active fan. I typically don’t join in on chants or cheers but I am always cheering.

I would have to say that my level of excitement and volume are directly influenced by the size of the students’ section. As PP gets louder, so do I and as the students’ section gets more excited, so do I. I think this is probably true for most of the Pilot fans, students or not, which means that the atmosphere that we all crave (I’m assuming everyone wants an electrified home crowd) starts with the PP and the students and, in turn, it then transfers to everyone else in the crowd.

I make a motion that Stoney and other alumni of PP make a "surprise" appearance before the game. Then go sit in their assigned seats if some Gonzaga fan hasn't taken it from them while they were leading a cheer.


Mesapilot1

I'm hoping that the momentum from last year's student section can carry forward this year... the game vs. Oregon @ Chiles early on should help re-stoke the fire. Everybody loves a winner... so a couple big wins should go a long way to building interest very fast.

If the student sections at the soccer games I have been to are any indication, the group seems well organized and large... and hopefully groups like the Villa guys can carry their attendance over to Chiles.