Drown out opposition chants

[TBird41]

Feb 4, 2008 11:18:04 GMT -5 hoyatables said:

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.

Agreed. BTW--I know HB has been killed for trying to make things too structured, and now they're getting killed for not being organized. I also agree that the cross court cheers can be better--IMO, having people w/ megaphones half way up the section goes a long way toward fixing that.

[DrumsGoBang]

My chants are always extremely offensive and cause an awkward silence and stunned reaction to all within auditory range.

[Hoya TMF]

I wonder how it's done at other schools, since it seems pretty structured when I watch the games on tv. I wasn't aware that HB was criticized for being too structured, but aybe it seems like a tall order because it has never been in place before. Not even ten years ago, my friends and i could show up an hour before the game and stand in the front row of the student section. I'm glad things have changed significantly since then. This doesn't have to happen overnight, and maybe there just will be a natural progression to a more diverse array of cheers and everyone being in sync with them.

In the meantime, let's at least make sure that there is a designated chant to start when we hear Let's Go Pirates Coming down from the rafters. Someone's suggestions of We are Georgetown is great.

[hoyatables]

Feb 4, 2008 11:36:07 GMT -5 DrumsGoBang said:

My chants are always extremely offensive and cause an awkward silence and stunned reaction to all within auditory range.

I can personally vouch for this. The awkward silence as heads slowly turn back to see who uttered the statement is the best part.

[Coast2CoastHoya]

Feb 4, 2008 13:56:35 GMT -5 hoyatables said:

Feb 4, 2008 11:36:07 GMT -5 DrumsGoBang said:

My chants are always extremely offensive and cause an awkward silence and stunned reaction to all within auditory range.

I can personally vouch for this. The awkward silence as heads slowly turn back to see who uttered the statement is the best part.

That, and the "aftershocks" of our follow-ups/little kids crying. yes ladies and gents, we are the rascals that brought you BALLS[tate] and other gems.

I do have to say though that on the whole, Section 121 has been weak this year, with the exception of the A Team, the rest of Row T, the Cap'n, and Braswell Mask Man. The YAs are getting old and quiet.

I've been pretty impressed by the students this season. The SHU game was a nooner during the height of Spring Semester drinking season and SHU is not a contender, so I can see why the more casual fans didn't show (not that I EVER missed a game for that reason or condone the practice), and why tomorrow night's game might be thin as well with USF.

That said, the main thing I've noticed this year is the dude cheerleaders trying to start the cheers more, and it seems to conflict with the HB-led cheers. Either way, you guys should work out who's in charge of that. I think having HB do it makes more sense and is way more effective simply because the cheerleaders are only on one side and their voices don't carry as well. The call-and-response cross-court cheers sound awesome when they're done right, and the DE-FENCE CLAP CLAP cheer has GOT to be slowed down.

The other main problem with crowd noise is obviously due to the fact that the A Team and Cap'n Casual Friday have not gotten sufficient jumbotron time this year.

[The Stig]

Feb 4, 2008 11:56:33 GMT -5 Hoya TMF said:

I wonder how it's done at other schools, since it seems pretty structured when I watch the games on tv. I wasn't aware that HB was criticized for being too structured, but aybe it seems like a tall order because it has never been in place before. Not even ten years ago, my friends and i could show up an hour before the game and stand in the front row of the student section. I'm glad things have changed significantly since then. This doesn't have to happen overnight, and maybe there just will be a natural progression to a more diverse array of cheers and everyone being in sync with them.

In the meantime, let's at least make sure that there is a designated chant to start when we hear Let's Go Pirates Coming down from the rafters. Someone's suggestions of We are Georgetown is great.

Other schools have one contiguous student section, which is a lot easier to coordinate than two sections on opposite sides of the floor. When we go on a road trip and have one solid section we're always a lot more coordinated.

Like RBHoya said, coordination is tough. Getting a cheer started on on side, getting the rest of that side to pick it up, getting the other side to see it (because of the sound travel you have to coordinate by watching people's hands, not waiting for the sound), getting somebody on the other side to start it in sync, and getting the rest of the other side to join in takes a long time. Usually coordination breaks up because somebody starts a cheer without trying to sync it to what the other side is doing. Hoya Blue tries to get cheers going in sync, but if somebody else has already started one we're not going to tell them to shut up (that would be an example of being "too structured").

We Are Georgetown during opposing cheers is a good idea though. Do we still have those big signs we used to start the cheers?

[Coast2CoastHoya]

Coach Thompson's quote from today's pre-game article in the WaPo (Camille Powell):

"The fans are terrific. We not only appreciate it, but we need that energy," Thompson said after the Hoyas beat Notre Dame in front of 19,286 on Jan. 19. "Our fans do a great job of understanding when we're not playing well, when we hit those lulls, that's when we need them."

If Coach says we need to be loud when the team is in a lull, that's good enough for me. Let's make it happen.