As I said in my previous post about Ohio Northern, I LOVE
ONU. I love almost everything about it; key word being “almost.” And if you’ve
read my bio you’ve noticed that I also love sports. I have my favorite teams
and am interested in a wide variety of sports. From baseball to volleyball and
snowboarding to curling; I’m interested in them all. I love the atmosphere of
going to sporting events. I love the atmosphere of fans cheering and going nuts
as their team goes on to victory, or the fans booing and hanging their heads as
they watch the other team win. Many emotions are involved in being a fan and
supporting a team that may or may not be any good. I’m a Cleveland fan…that’s
really working out well for me.
Now back to the “almost” from before. The one thing that I’m not a fan of is ONU’s lack of student fan support. I know that there’s a major difference between ONU sports and the sports at some Big Ten school like Ohio State, but we’re still talking about college sports here. It saddens me when I look out into the crowd at a basketball or football game and there isn’t a distinct student section. A student section like Ohio States “Block O” chanting stuff like Kansas’ “Rock Chalk” would be awesome.
Having been a high school athlete I know what a buzzing
crowd can do to a game. Fans can take the momentum that comes from the game,
turn it into something to cheer about and, BAM, you have fuel to keep the momentum
going. Fans can add to the atmosphere of a game. This is something I wish ONU
had more of; more school spirit! Sure some students go to the games, but this
is mainly just because one of their friends is playing. Grant it at a school
with only 3,500 something students EVERYONE knows a varsity athlete, but I
digress. I wish students would go to the games for the sole fact that ONU is
playing and they want to go support their school.
Now on a more positive note there is a group of students working
on fixing this problem. They’re part of a group called the “King-Horn Krazies.”
You can buy the T-shirt that I posted below with your nickname on the back
for just $10.
Like them on Facebook at King-Horn Krazies and follow them
on Twitter @KingHornKrazies
I’m a huge fan of this group and bought myself a T-shirt,
and I hope that they can help fix this issue and students start showing a
little more school pride!
See you at the game,
Jake
The King Horn Krazies need a pr person because I've never heard of them. Practicum hours anyone? But seriously, I agree Jake. We just played a team with a big, crazy student section and it made the game so much more exciting, especially when we shut them up! I would love to play in a setting where the student section is on my team's side!
ReplyDeleteI think any athlete will agree to this.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of games are how crazy your fans can get and the unyileding support you feel from them. The atmosphere is what makes sports incredble.
That's why Saturday morning games are always the worst - no rowdy student section to help get you pumped.
The student section at ONU is quite pitiful.
I think this is a great idea! I would love to see way more polar bear school spirit! I know that personally, I don't go to games because I never know the schedule, or I am too busy, or just have no interest in the sport. I think that if there were incentives for students, and maybe an easy access to the sports schedule, students would be more apt to come.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you! I have never understood why our student section is so terrible. ONU may not be a big Division I school, but our athletic department is not lacking in any way. Every team at Northern is competitive in the OAC (which is one of the toughest Division III conferences)and are exciting to watch. I think the lack of support is a shame, but I have hope that the school spirit will improve. Keep pushing this idea and advertise more. I think that there are more people who would enjoy this type of group than you think. Go Bears!!
ReplyDelete