SDHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,331
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Post by SDHoya on Feb 3, 2005 11:04:26 GMT -5
Ok, now I consider myself a fairly diehard Hoya fan, though perhaps a bit more reserved then some others, and I have been at every home game in the student section over the past two years (excluding games over winter break, though including our shows last year). But, in defense of my fellow Hoyas, the reason why people are leaving early has nothing to do with lateness or lack of interest. It has to do with the bussing system that we have in place. if students don't leave early during a game like that, they feel like they won't get a bus at all. I have been in that situation, and missed the last bus in the past, and it sucks having to take the Metro back, especially on weekend nights when the GUTS bus doesn't run, so you have to walk back from Rosslyn. I liked what the PA guy did last night, which was telling fans that student busses would not start departing until after the buzzer, but until the busses are better organized to ensure that everyone will find a seat, this is gonna happen during every game that resembles a blow out.
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Post by Hoyabliu on Feb 3, 2005 11:12:52 GMT -5
I still don't think, under the circumstances, comparing us to the middle school band makes for a very fair argument for alot of obvious reasons, but I do agree w/ alot of your constructive criticism. Under our new director, the band really has been rapidly improving, not to mention how much of a difference a better basketball team has made. It's hard to get 30-40 members at every men's game, every women's game, every football game, but we're gradually getting bigger and bigger. Our band is (personnel wise) dominated by underclassmen (i'm a soph), and we've put in a lot of effort to recruit more members. We got 5 or so more to join at the semester. We were hoping to get the word out a little more at the beginning of the semester but bad weather kind of affected our plans. As much as I'm offended when people bash the band haha and naturally inclined to fight back, it is good to get an idea of what other people (especially the students) think of us. Regarding issues such as personnel, instrumentation, music and general "rowdiness" hahah.. they will improve. fast.
go band! go hoyas!
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DaHoya
Member
Opie and Anthony on Sirius XM
Posts: 82
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Post by DaHoya on Feb 3, 2005 11:35:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the great feedback on my comments from before. I wasn't aware of the fact that the band could/has received technical fouls for playing at the wrong times, and I could definitely see why the middle school band would be less apt to be concerned about such things.
As for the volume, I also was not aware of the acoustic limitations of MCI. If that is the case, then we definitely should work with the technical staff at MCI to use mics and whatever else is necessary to make the band a true force.
As for songs, perhaps a permanent post at the top of the boards for song suggestions is warranted? I'm sure that a lot of folks on this board have great some great suggestions, and if the band is reading this board they could put the ideas to use.
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Cambridge
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Canes Pugnaces
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Post by Cambridge on Feb 3, 2005 11:36:04 GMT -5
Well as a TV observer the crowd was great. Good job guys! Seemed like a lot of energy and it sounded really loud. I could hear the various cheers of Hoya Saxa, Brandon Bowman and others. It was great. Also, the MCI crowd in general seemed loud. They reacted pretty audibly to a couple calls...ie Brandon's "charge" under the basket when the doofy white center mauled him. Great to hear and see. Great job!!!!
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FLHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Proud Member of Generation Burton
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Post by FLHoya on Feb 3, 2005 11:44:04 GMT -5
Ok, now I consider myself a fairly diehard Hoya fan, though perhaps a bit more reserved then some others, and I have been at every home game in the student section over the past two years (excluding games over winter break, though including our shows last year). But, in defense of my fellow Hoyas, the reason why people are leaving early has nothing to do with lateness or lack of interest. It has to do with the bussing system that we have in place. if students don't leave early during a game like that, they feel like they won't get a bus at all. I have been in that situation, and missed the last bus in the past, and it sucks having to take the Metro back, especially on weekend nights when the GUTS bus doesn't run, so you have to walk back from Rosslyn. I liked what the PA guy did last night, which was telling fans that student busses would not start departing until after the buzzer, but until the busses are better organized to ensure that everyone will find a seat, this is gonna happen during every game that resembles a blow out. Oh yeah, no question about that. I even have a name for this--the "Double Bonus Rush for the Bus". First foul under two minutes that sends us to the line for the double donus when we're up by a comfortable margin... This has been happening for god knows how long. And sure, part of it is the fact that the more fans show up for a game, there will probably be more who aren't "interested in the game" and leave early. But the bigger problem is the lack of buses. No one wants to have to Metro and GUTS bus it back to campus at 9:30 on a weeknight. I did it too many times when i was still a student, and it sucked if you wanted to stay for the end of a game like tonight and it happened. There's a bunch of reasons for the lack of buses, which aren't worth getting into here. I should point out I told someone who did leave early for fear of lack of buses about the announcement they made on the PA. And they told me, that's great, except when they got outside (they started leaving in one of SHU's timeouts with about 90 seconds to go), that two buses had already left and they were getting on the third one. So much for that. Now on the GU band vs. middle school band issue. I don't think it's a slight to the GU band to say the middle school band was in fact very good and very loud. They just were--it's easy to appreciate a group of 11 and 12 year old kids who have cool playlist, who DANCE during their songs, and who in general seemed thrilled as heck to be in the student section that day. Same reason everyone loves the game when the Howard band comes to play. There's a reason I like to sit where I do in the student section, and a lot of it has to do with our band. I do believe they are some of the best fans in the section, and I've seen the same members game in and game out for five years. And you talk to them outside of the game, and it's clear they don't just come to play an instrument--they care about the team. And so help me God, they deserve a medal from the Athletic Department for being forced to go to every football game. Moreover, as I said somewhere else, the band--last night and others--has been one of if not the most important source of getting the conflicting cheers in the student section organized. A couple beats on a drum or the well-placed band that stretches back several rows following a cheer will get a lot of people in line. There's a lot of reasons that cheers don't travel well at MCI--the sound doesn't carry, not enough students care enough to cheer, people in two different sections get a good cheer idea at the same time. It's not fair to pin it on the band simply because of their location. Getting the cheers in order is a hard job to begin with that needs EVERYONE to get involved. Now that being said, I agree with those who want to explore what we could feasibly if that band section were opened up to students. That, plus moving the couch, could open up close to 100 new seats for student near the court. I do sympathize with the folks who want to come down and stand in the aisle--who doesn't want to be close to the action? And I've seen it happen at the end of games like someone suggested above, and the addition of the extra (yelling) fans makes for a much better atmosphere in crunch time. But it's really not something that can work for an entire game. Maybe by trying to get MORE students CLOSER in a legitimate way--by opening more seats down low--we can get somewhere. The problem is MCI doesn't have the layout to do it. All these other college arenas that have the band somewhere else--they're designed differently. Some don't have the two tunnels flanking their student section. Some have special areas carved out for the band. In some of these students are sitting along the sidelines. In some there's plenty of floor space for the band next to the student section. We'd really need to explore the studio space on this question if we wanted to move the band.
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Post by TheCashew05 on Feb 3, 2005 11:56:01 GMT -5
Anyone have any idea regarding whom to talk to about changes to the student section/band, etc/ ? It seems that the admin might be willing to listen to us, if the poll indicates anything. There have been a lot of ideas generated regarding the student section- both on this and past threads, and it seems pointless to beat them to death without knowing whether they're feasible.
Hopefully with the way this team is going, the admin will realize that the student section will be overflowing in years to come and we would have some leverage talking with them. Might be worth a shot. We could at least maybe reclaim the spots behind the other basket, move the press area.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2005 12:12:48 GMT -5
Why do the busses leave so early that you have to miss the end of the game in order to catch a bus? That's just dumb. All busses should plan to leave 30 minutes after the end of the game. If a bus fills up before then, it can go. But no half-empty busses should be leaving at the buzzer....who's in charge of that?
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hoyadrummer
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Class of 2000
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Post by hoyadrummer on Feb 3, 2005 12:16:47 GMT -5
actually, that's the problem, there is usually a little shortage of buses, and if they leave once full, then people have an incentive to duck out to guarantee a ride home. A better rule is that no bus can open its doors to let anyone on until 5 minutes after the game.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2005 12:32:32 GMT -5
Is there a shortage of busses going to the games? I mean, if you know how many busses you needed to get everyone TO the game, you should know how many you need to get everyone home from the game, no? Am I missing something here? I realize that some people probably go over early, or on their own (and then catch the bus back), but that number can't be THAT high, can it?
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Feb 3, 2005 12:42:58 GMT -5
Is there a shortage of busses going to the games? I mean, if you know how many busses you needed to get everyone TO the game, you should know how many you need to get everyone home from the game, no? Am I missing something here? I realize that some people probably go over early, or on their own (and then catch the bus back), but that number can't be THAT high, can it? The problem is how having the right amount of buses for the beginning of the game. I talked to one student who said something like 50+ kids had to take a cab to get to the MCI last night because all the buses were full on the way there.
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hoyadrummer
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Class of 2000
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Post by hoyadrummer on Feb 3, 2005 12:46:01 GMT -5
that, plus people who have late classes, work downtown/ on the hill, etc get to the game by other means and then take a bus home.
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Bahstin
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
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Post by Bahstin on Feb 3, 2005 12:51:22 GMT -5
I would say there are a LOT of students who get over on their own and then take a bus back. How about a system where you get bus ticket on your way there and then those same students get the busses back?
Also, there is no need to leave early and there is no need to walk from Roslyn. How much is the cab $9? Take a cab home. Split it 4 ways and it is hardly more expensive than the metro.
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hoyahoyasaxa
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
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Post by hoyahoyasaxa on Feb 3, 2005 12:51:49 GMT -5
Why do the busses leave so early that you have to miss the end of the game in order to catch a bus? That's just dumb. All busses should plan to leave 30 minutes after the end of the game. If a bus fills up before then, it can go. But no half-empty busses should be leaving at the buzzer....who's in charge of that? 30 minutes or ten minutes would be fine. They need to announce this before the game when they are going through the, "Any fan who throws something on the court" routine. This needs to be official policy. If they keep doing this, students will figure it out after a few times of leaving the games early and standing around unable to get on the bus. They also need to issue bus tickets when students get on the bus at Gtown and collect them for the return trip (they need to check these carefully). Then students who took the bus to the game can get a ride back. All they need is two big guys to collect the tickets when students get on the bus, and for all the busses to load in the same loading zone. It creates a line, yes, but that's life.
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Post by JohnJacquesLayup on Feb 3, 2005 12:53:19 GMT -5
I don't want to move the young alums, but there's got to be a better spot for the band, where they can still play a role in the game, yet not take up valuable courtside, student section space. The band doesn't really contribute much right now, as I see it, to warrant the space up front. They don't really lead us in any cheers; in fact, the middle school band for the UConn game was much more of a presence than they were- I'm being totally serious when I say that. Any thoughts? You don't want to move the young alums (including myself), who rarely contribute anything to the games but fill some courtside seats, but you want to move the band? The young alums are spotted sitting down half the game, while the band stands, cheers, and heckles the entire game. Not just when the ball is in play, the ENTIRE game. Having spent 4 years going to home games in the student section next to the band, I feel moving the band would be detrimental. There was a lot of communication between the band and students in my time, with the band leading us in the student section in call and response cheers. Which brings me to my second point . . You're critical of the band not not contributing anything (oh, besides the hours of "pep" music) because they don't lead YOU in cheers. Hey buddy, how about you request the help of the CHEERLEADERS to lead you in cheers. HENCE THE NAME! I suspect the reason the band may not be as active in leading cheers as you'd like is because they a) don't want to step on the cheerleaders toes, and b) i think they have to concentrate on coordinating music with timeouts. Not sure but just my thoughts.
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hoyatables
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,603
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Post by hoyatables on Feb 3, 2005 12:59:44 GMT -5
Hoyadrummer knows firsthand about the shame of a band technical foul . we should probably move future band/student discussions over to the other board specifically designed for these discussion.
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JimmyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Hoya fan, est. 1986
Posts: 1,867
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Post by JimmyHoya on Feb 3, 2005 13:45:06 GMT -5
The student section last night was great. Awesome job guys. I tried to get the students sitting near me to go back to the section, but they wouldn't have any of it. And I don't think people leaving early last night was as big a deal. I almost left early, cos to be honest, it got really boring last night. SH played horridly, G'town played down to their level, and the game lacked any excitement from my perspective in the second half, even when it got relatively close. Now, if it's the ND game, things are obviously tight, and the team needs support, that's one thing, but leaving early from an ugly game like last night really isn't that important.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Feb 3, 2005 13:49:28 GMT -5
1. Depends on when the fans are chanting, the band can only play during certain times (essentially timeouts) and never when the ball is in play (NCAA rule). Otherwise you risk a technical foul being called on the band, and trust me, that ain't pretty. There have been instances in the past where overzealous drummers have gotten technical fouls for accidentally playing during the game, and hurting the team is the last thing we want to do. Hoytables touched on this, but's pretty funny for those in the know to see these two posts back to back. H20yaPolo, you really should trust hoyadrummer on the technical foul issue.
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GUHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,083
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Post by GUHoya07 on Feb 3, 2005 13:52:03 GMT -5
The student section last night was great. Awesome job guys. I tried to get the students sitting near me to go back to the section, but they wouldn't have any of it. And I don't think people leaving early last night was as big a deal. I almost left early, cos to be honest, it got really boring last night. SH played horridly, G'town played down to their level, and the game lacked any excitement from my perspective in the second half, even when it got relatively close. Now, if it's the ND game, things are obviously tight, and the team needs support, that's one thing, but leaving early from an ugly game like last night really isn't that important. Its very important. The student section should not be emptying out like that with 2 minuttes left, it's a disgrace to the program and the bus situation is the main cause. You don't see crap like that at other basketball schools and we cant have that here.
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JimmyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Hoya fan, est. 1986
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Post by JimmyHoya on Feb 3, 2005 13:54:47 GMT -5
Most other schools aren't like ours though.
And I agree, the buses suck.
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GUHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by GUHoya07 on Feb 3, 2005 13:56:18 GMT -5
Oh, so I guess we should settle for being a ty crowd rather than trying to fix the problem we have.
No excuse for leaving early.
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