bubbrubbhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
We are the intuitive minds that plot the course. Woo-WOOO!
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Post by bubbrubbhoya on Feb 3, 2008 22:57:21 GMT -5
The student/YA sections have generally been great this year, and HB has done a good job, for the most part, getting people revved up for cheers. The fact that a section of Seton Hall fans in the 400 section could dominate the Verizon center for a full minute, though, was plain embarrassing.
During a timeout when there is no music, even for only a small amount of time, FILL THE VOID WITH A CHEER!! We shouldn't have to respond to an opposition chant, because we should be cheering so loud that they can't be heard. If the opposing fans do manage to get a cheer going, however, DROWN IT OUT IMMEDIATELY!
There were some YA trying to drown out the Seton Hall chant as soon as it began, but until HB caught on about a minute or so later, the student section didn't respond at all. The cheers need the leadership of HB, so please, in the future, let there be no silence at Hoyas games.
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Feb 3, 2008 23:05:41 GMT -5
I fully agree. The "Lets go Pirates" cheer was eventually drowned out but it took too long. We'll discuss how to fix this but ultimately people (in paticular people with loud voices) need to be aware of this and be quicker to react
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Feb 3, 2008 23:11:11 GMT -5
The time was right before the cheerleaders were going to cheer. The "nice" thing to do is to let them cheer. The problem is that opponents will take advantage of that lull. I'm not blaming HB - it's the fault of whoever was supposed to key the music.
Maybe the best thing is for HB to have the "We Are" "Georgetown" signs available. If the "Let's Go Bulls" chant gets audible, run the sign chant until the music starts.
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Post by HoyasAreHungry on Feb 3, 2008 23:11:20 GMT -5
i think more importantly than the seton hall chant (which only got started due to our cheerleaders lack of coordination in any routine they attempt...thats another story altogether but i digress) HB really needs to work on coordinating their cheers....one side of the student section is ALWAYS off from the other.....a simultaneous cheer sounds alot better than the echo effect cheers. There are also many times i've heard a defense chant being started on one side and a let's go hoyas on the other....HB get it together!! you guys do a great job but like our beloved hoyas you need to step your games to reach that next level and live up to your preseason student section ranking!
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bubbrubbhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
We are the intuitive minds that plot the course. Woo-WOOO!
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Post by bubbrubbhoya on Feb 3, 2008 23:30:29 GMT -5
The time was right before the cheerleaders were going to cheer. The "nice" thing to do is to let them cheer. The problem is that opponents will take advantage of that lull. I'm not blaming HB - it's the fault of whoever was supposed to key the music. Maybe the best thing is for HB to have the "We Are" "Georgetown" signs available. If the "Let's Go Bulls" chant gets audible, run the sign chant until the music starts. Agreed. Don't get me wrong, I know that the reason there wasn't a cheer ready was because everyone expected the cheerleaders/stadium music to be able to start within two minutes of the beginning of the timeout, but obviously things went wrong there. The point is, even if there is another routine about to start, cheer until it does eventually start. Suffocate the opposing fans, and make it clear that the Verizon Center is our house.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Feb 3, 2008 23:35:07 GMT -5
in my opinion HB (and i know there are many members who read this board) has done a poor job combating opposing chants. during the SUcks game the su fans up in the 400s started a chant just as SU got the lead- this is when HB needs to be on its best and not let the momentum shift!!! but what did they do- nothing. i was in the third row right behind many members and there was no response from them- i tried to start a lets go gtown chant with moderate success but HB is in a much better position then i am but they did little!
also my two pet peeves are (and i know many students who agree with me): 1) the defense chant is WAY to quick youve got to slow it down it is ridiculous to got at the speed that ours does
2) the little "you you you..." foul thing is awful, it never works out well and just is stupid in my opinion
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Feb 3, 2008 23:48:50 GMT -5
"i tried to start a lets go gtown chant with moderate success but HB is in a much better position then i am but they did little! "
Depends, how loud is your voice?
Really anyone can start a cheer/chant. It has NOTHING to do with where your seat is or what groups you hang out with. I haven't been remotely close to the front row this year* and I can get cheers going just because I have a loud voice, my invovlement with HB is irrelevant. If you have the courage to yell and do so loudly you can get people to do say anything. Next time if we ain't stepping up give it a try yourself, you may be suprised on how well it catches on
I agree with your pet peeves (I'm not a fan of the "you" thing) but whatever, its something that's been there for longer than I have and not worth fighting.
*Except for the Michigan game which I worked at distrubuting wrist bands
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Feb 3, 2008 23:59:57 GMT -5
it wasnt where i was physically (i was in the third row so it was essentially the same as the HB people) i meant it more that 1) people are looking to them for when to and what to chear and 2) all of the HB people up front will join in an HB cheer, and there a lot more HB people then there are my friends at the game with me so they produce more sound no matter how loud i am (i can be very loud but this was like the last 10 min and my voice was shot after the first 30 min and the 3 hours of chanting and taunting SUcks fans in the cold waiting to get in)
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Feb 4, 2008 0:46:01 GMT -5
The best place to start a cheer is actually further back in the section, since you can shout forward and people can still hear you. The front row is the worst, since your voice doesn't travel very far back.
Last year Hoya Blue had people with megaphones about halfway back in the section to start/coordinate cheers, but for some reason that hasn't been brought back this season.
But like vcjack said, if you think a cheer is needed, go ahead and start one. There's no rule saying that Hoya Blue has a monopoly on cheer starting. I don't agree with your claim that HB is better at starting cheers - crowds don't know who is HB and who's not, and they'll pick up a good cheer no matter who starts it.
And if you think we're doing a bad job, come to one of our meetings (Tuesday 9pm, ICC first floor - room varies) and give us some suggestions on how to improve it. The meetings are always completely open, and we always like new ideas.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Feb 4, 2008 1:11:56 GMT -5
The reason i say HB is better at starting chants is because they are a large group of people who are unified. if there was a large group of people who started cheers together they would be better then HB and an even larger group would be better than the second and so on. either way i dont think the HB does a bad job just in some instances there isnt the quick response that is necessary. and i am very willing to start cheers on my own and have in the past. it is important for everybody (and even if it doesnt sound like i do, i do) to understand that it is going to be hard to get 2000 people doing the same cheer, but that is why HB (or another group) is at an advantage because as soon as they start one there are already 30 (or so) people doing, while when i start its only like me and my few friends.
i think you guys do a great job, its tough, the only things that could be improved are really small things so the marginal value (for all you econ folks) is tiny compared to the job that is already being done
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RBHoya
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Post by RBHoya on Feb 4, 2008 2:49:44 GMT -5
It's a fair point, in all honesty I didn't quite realize that the chant was going on for as long as some of you are saying... it was definitely a product of the technical difficulties with the cheerleaders music, and a smart move by the Hall fans to capitalize on that. To be honest I think that people were sort of focused on watching the cheerleader mishap and it didn't even register that it was a "Let's Go Pirates" rather than a "Let's Go Hoyas". And once people realized what it was, it was drown out. It may have lasted a little longer than I realized but I still don't think it was momentum changer or anything like that, though probably annoying to those who picked up on it earlier.
I unfortunately missed the Cuse game due to illness so I can't comment on that one. As for the lack of coordination between the two sides, I agree that it's definitely a major problem but it's REALLY tough to fix. During the couple times a game that I walk the length of the floor you can really pick up the discord. A couple times/game you can even tell we're not doing the same cheer, which is egregious. However, it's a TOUGH problem to fix. For the most part the more active student cheerers are quick to catch onto and join in with whatever cheer somebody starts, which is a very good thing in general. But at times somebody will start "Here we go Hoyas" and the other side will stick with the default "Let's Go Hoyas"... and it's pretty tough to a cheer once it gets going. Most people are content to keep going with whatever they're cheering rather than trying to figure out what the other side is doing, stopping in their tracks, and trying to get on the same page. And that's understandable. There's really no way to let everyone know "hey guys, you're cheering the wrong thing, do what the guys on the otherside are doing", once they've started, the only thing we can hope for is that people see what/if the other side has got going, and follow suit. And we encourage them to do so on the cheer sheets, but things can and do go wrong.
And as for the lack of harmony even when we are doing the same cheer, again it's tough. Cheers aren't always started by the same people on each side every time. Cheers come from all sorts of different people in all different parts of the section on both sides. And that's great and we encourage that. But if the cheer starter on side b doesn't factor in what side a is doing when he starts it up, we'll be out of sync, and that's what happens most of the time. The only way to ensure that it doesn't happen is for the so-called "HB people" are the ones who start the cheers on their respective sides every time. Even if we wanted to do that, it'd be difficult to, because a lot of times other people/groups are quick to start things out. But, in all honesty, while we do want to help things to be organized and as loud as possible, we don't want to foster an environment where "non-HB" people feel like they cant/shouldn't be the ones to start cheers. We can't, don't and shouldn't have a monopoly on that. We want to improve coordination as much as possible, but if the only way to do that is by training everybody in the student section to shutup and do as we tell them to, then we'll live with some discord. I'd rather us be loud and out of sync than to try to force everybody to be a drone like they do down in Durham.
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Post by whatrocks33 on Feb 4, 2008 2:55:07 GMT -5
We've definitely cut down on this in recent years, but that doesn't mean we're done! Gotta keep on being loud so we can make our home games as tough as any in the country.
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FLHoya
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Proud Member of Generation Burton
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Post by FLHoya on Feb 4, 2008 6:06:49 GMT -5
When it comes to drowning out opposing fan cheers, I really don't think it's necessary to be sitting around waiting for a cue from someone, a HB person or otherwise. I don't think HB people are the only folks in the world clever enough to come up with the cheer that has been used every time to drown out an opponent cheer...wait for it...
Let's Go Hoyas.
Ummmm...folks, just make some noise. Not that difficult.
Not that the discussion of how to make cheering more coordinated/better herein isn't useful. But on the subject that started the thread...well that's a pretty easy one.
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bubbrubbhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
We are the intuitive minds that plot the course. Woo-WOOO!
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Post by bubbrubbhoya on Feb 4, 2008 9:01:54 GMT -5
When it comes to drowning out opposing fan cheers, I really don't think it's necessary to be sitting around waiting for a cue from someone, a HB person or otherwise. I don't think HB people are the only folks in the world clever enough to come up with the cheer that has been used every time to drown out an opponent cheer...wait for it... Let's Go Hoyas. Ummmm...folks, just make some noise. Not that difficult. Not that the discussion of how to make cheering more coordinated/better herein isn't useful. But on the subject that started the thread...well that's a pretty easy one. As soon as I heard the Let's Go Pirates, I started yelling "Let's Go Hoyas," and despite my being able to get cheers started while the game is going on, during this break, my cheer was met with blank stares from the students who turned my way. While in-game cheers can be started by anyone with a loud voice and don't need HB as much, cheers during breaks are dependent on HB. People look at these breaks as exactly that--breaks--and they aren't too willing to strike up a cheer just because one guy is crazily chanting away. The reason that HB is more effective at these times isn't because they have a loud person or a megaphone, but rather it's because they can start a cheer with several people at once or with a sign. If other students hear several people chanting, they'll think that the cheer is spreading, and in no time you have the entire section cheering. If the "We Are Georgetown" or "Hoya Saxa" signs go up when everyone is looking at the courts, again you see everyone chanting what's on those signs in no time. So yeah, it doesn't take much creativity to start a break-time cheer, but it does take the impression of momentum. In order to create this impression quickly enough to silence the opposition immediately, HB and the numbers they can bring to bear at the front of the crowd are necessary.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Feb 4, 2008 9:16:41 GMT -5
Note that "Let's Go Hoyas" becomes a fight between who can yell "Pirates" or "Hoyas" louder. I like the "We Are" "Georgetown" or "Hoya" "Saxa" options better because 1) they confuse the opposition and 2) they're automatic (the concerns about starting the cheer from the back versus the front doesn't really matter if someone's holding up a sign).
I graduated a while ago, however, so this isn't my call. The ability to get noise from the season ticket seats is difficult at best.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Feb 4, 2008 10:26:21 GMT -5
I think the main problem with coordination is that we need offensive cheers to be started by the side that's near the basket were shooting at and the defense cheers be started by the side close to the basket we're defending. I think this would go a long way to fixing this problem. The cheers can start from anywhere in a section, but if you're on the opposite side of the ball wait for the other side to start, then follow.
as for saturday, I don't think it was that bad, and i think a lot of people, myself included, where waiting for the music to start to drown them out, when it was clear that wasn't happening we started cheering.
I think in general we've done a good job of drowning out opposing fans if they ever start up.
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Post by Hoya TMF on Feb 4, 2008 11:05:03 GMT -5
HB really needs to work on their coordination. I sit right next to the student section and there is just a genenral lull during a lot of time outs. Myabe there should be designated cheers for desiganted time outs and situations. My friends and I start the defense chant as soon as the opposing team inbounds the ball, and the students kind of wait for some kind of leadership from HB or somewhere else. The HB cheat sheets about the other teams are great, but not really usefull during the game. What would be more useful is a sheet with simple instructions. We chant this ... when. Consistency is the key. Obviously some chants can start spontaneuosly like "warm up the bus" or "sit down coach" but if HB develops continuity and works with the cheerleaders, then we could get thigns straight. There should be a designated and SUSTAINED chant for when opposing fans pipe up whether it's Let's Go Hoyas or We are Georgetown or whatever.
That coordination needs to happen and be communicated. Loook at other homecourts and every student knows what to chant and when. They move in unision.W e are not such a big campus that we can't have the same coordinated effort.
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Post by dajuan on Feb 4, 2008 11:14:37 GMT -5
2) the little "you you you..." foul thing is awful, it never works out well and just is stupid in my opinion Agreed. It's lame, I think that's why people don't really get into it. I also don't like the "Left, Right, Left, Right" thing when somebody fouls out. There's something of a natural proving ground for these cheers. Whenever a large portion of the student/YA section is consistently unresponsive on a particular cheer, it may be best to shelve it in favor of something else.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Feb 4, 2008 11:18:04 GMT -5
These things should just happen -- I don't understand why it needs to be so organized and rule-bound. You hear the other team's fans start shouting? Just shout back even louder. We're gonna have numbers, and people who are inclined to participate will do so.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Feb 4, 2008 11:31:05 GMT -5
During most time outs the PA guy is on or the band is playing you can chant over those things, they're just too loud.
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