[dwhite]

my thoughts:

make a couple of posters with "L" for the student side and a couple of posters with "U" for the bap side.

we place the 5 posters with "L" at the bottom of the student side spread out across the front
and do the same with th "U" for the the bap side.

I know I can get my crew going and we can all just pick up...it shouldn't be that hard for us,
i am more worried about the bap side getting it going.

i have one of the cheerleading megaphones that will help us get it started.

[SuperJon]

I have no doubt it'll work on our side. It's just getting some of our guys over to the Baptist side to do it. We just have to have a way to spread if from you guys, across the band, to us. Once we get that, our side will be set. It's just getting the Baptists to do it.

[bigsmooth]

welcome to the board dwhite, and thanks for what you do to get the students going during games! i have to ask who called out the students?? i think what was said was the student body for the most part has been apathetic to LU sports because they would rather watch the school they followed growing up on tv or do something else,and that they are late arriving.that is fact. it has been like that for years...even when i was a student. LU students come to games when we are winning. if the students show up for the western game esp. if we lose to coastal, will show a change in the attitude. the whole atmosphere at williams has been great this year, and the studetns have a lot to do with it. you have to keep in mind that the "baptist" side as the students call it, is starting to fill up, and it is not just LU or TRBC people. the locals are starting to catch the enthusiasm and like everyone has said it is a process and it will take time. the L U chant alternating sides is a grat idea, as i have seen it at UVA and many other college stadiums. it can really get the crowd going and make the atmosphere even better. i encourage all students to make the lawn in front of the hancock building their tailgate place, and get rowdy before the game and then make your entrance into the game. make that lawn the party place...in a good way of course just continue to do what you do and let's all keep in mind that this is gonna take time to make it what we want.

[SuperJon]

But I found it very frustrating to see "fans" watching the game and not taking a part in it. All the players ask of us is to show up and to cheer. I guess that is too much of them to ask. But it is okay for us to turn on our team after one bad play.

At that moment our "fans" made the decision to give up on our team. It wasn't until the last play of the game that I heard someone yell, "get really loud they mght false start". I just thought this was funny considering he was not to be heard when the team needed him most.

That's where he called out the students. Because he was sitting with us, that's why we know that's towards us. He apologized to me, but that's what we're talking about when we say he called the students out.

[bigsmooth]

fair enough. but throwing stones at the "baptist" side does not help either. in any regard, this is a process to make LU football and williams stadium a tough place to play. it will happen, it will just take time.

[PAmedic]

I have no doubt it'll work on our side. It's just getting some of our guys over to the Baptist side to do it. We just have to have a way to spread if from you guys, across the band, to us. Once we get that, our side will be set. It's just getting the Baptists to do it.

I'm starting to think putting the band in the end zone seats might be a good idea.

I believe it was SMOOTHIE and me who were arguing over that at h/c, but I think now (after watching the Tech/Clemson game) that it might just work. It would make the student seating area a little more homogenous, and the band could get on and off the field better.

hmmmm

[Rocketfan]

I have no doubt it'll work on our side. It's just getting some of our guys over to the Baptist side to do it. We just have to have a way to spread if from you guys, across the band, to us. Once we get that, our side will be set. It's just getting the Baptists to do it.

I'm starting to think putting the band in the end zone seats might be a good idea.

I believe it was SMOOTHIE and me who were arguing over that at h/c, but I think now (after watching the Tech/Clemson game) that it might just work. It would make the student seating area a little more homogenous, and the band could get on and off the field better.

hmmmm

I like this idea as well, i just wonder if there are any rules with how close to the field they can play or something during the game? If there aren't any rules barring this, i don't see any negatives at all.

[JK37]

Speaking fo the band, I was glad to see them stick around a little longer the last couple of games. The way they used to leave for the ENTIRE third quarter was just disgraceful. Leaves a massive blemish in the stadium seating, and just overall shows a lack of support or commitment. Not syaing they don't work hard or sound great, but losing them for third quarters always seemed more than odd to me. Been to a lot of college stadiums, both I-A and I-AA, and don't recall seeing that.

BUT, I'm glad they're putting a little more commitment into it...

[SuperJon]

I think if we were to just put the band on the section on the far left (or right if you're looking from the baptist side, closer to the old field house) it would work great. They could get onto the field really easy and there wouldn't be a gap in the students.

[A.G.]

Speaking fo the band, I was glad to see them stick around a little longer the last couple of games. The way they used to leave for the ENTIRE third quarter was just disgraceful. Leaves a massive blemish in the stadium seating, and just overall shows a lack of support or commitment. Not syaing they don't work hard or sound great, but losing them for third quarters always seemed more than odd to me. Been to a lot of college stadiums, both I-A and I-AA, and don't recall seeing that.

BUT, I'm glad they're putting a little more commitment into it...

Suprisingly, the VA Tech band is back in their seats for the 3rd quarter.

[SuperJon]

They've been getting better about it but they're still missing a good 5-7 minutes of the 3rd quarter.

[dwhite]

bigsmoothie:

Not throwing stones at the baptist side (although I do like the fact that even our message boards have Biblical connotation) just noting that it's interesting how we (the students) get called out, but the other side of the stadium gets a free pass. That's all.

as far as the band goes:

Honestly I love sitting next to our band. Especially after we score and they begin to fan the flame. It makes doing pushups a lot easier when you have a rhythym. I do know that we need to address the seating issue though, so one solution may be to move the band one section to the right(when looking at the student side from the baptist side) where they have easy access on and off the field.

student tailgating:

We tailgate in the Flames Club parking area, where you'll find one or two grils, a propane deep fryer for the wings, music, toss football, and everything else that makes college football great. We'll even have LU cornhole ready by the 11th, so feel free to stop by and say hello. Keep in mind that at most state schools Greek life is the fuel behind gameday tailgating. If LU's clubs and organizations would do this it might help fill the void we have in this area.

L-U cheer:

Jon, we may have to start it on our side only for now (i.e. we say L, you say U). Once we get the others behind us then we can add the bap side.

[bigsmooth]

good ideas dwhite. the flamefans tailgate is in upper p-1 alongside the road under a blue tent. feel free to stop by as well. thanks for the invite to yours too. yesz indeed if the clubs and other orginizations would tailgate, it would certianly change the atmosphere. BTW, no one gets a free pass, but keep in mind you students are he heart and soul, and energy, it will take longer to get the "baptist" side going, but like i said before it will take time. i appreciate your passion!

[flafan]

L U Cheer

Give the cheerleaders a wireless mike and let them lead some pregame cheers through the PA system. It works great at other schools.
You could still use the LU cards, etc.

[Flamesfanva]

I have often wondered why the band disappears for almost the entire 3rd qtr, when you see other school bands who don't. It's so quiet if we score while they away and seems to break the momentum at times. They do a great job and Fan the Flames is great with the band. I'm for having the band sit in the endzone. I agree that the atmosphere this year has really improved and will continue to.

[SuperJon]

Dallas, we pretty much agree on the band thing. Just flip their section with where you guys are and it'd be great. We'll do the L-U chant between our sections next game, that won't be hard.

I'm just hoping we have some support here in Conway later today. I don't know of any students (besides the band) that made the trip.

[dwhite]

Yeah, I hate that we couldn't make the trip this weekend. I'm hoping we finally have that game that everyone and their brother says we're going to have, the one where both the O and D show up big.

As far as the band goes, we tried to do that the first game(i.e. we were told the band was SUPPOSED to sit where we have been sitting)_, got there an hour and a half early, only to be told that the band was coming into the section we'd been sitting in four over an hour. We got kicked out of our seats about 15 mins prior to the game, so needless to say we were ticked. We have a good relationship with the band though on our end, (although when I asked the director if he'd let me lead "Fan the Flame" when we won he said "no". Oh well.) and so maybe we can talk with the powers that be and have them switch places with us.

This also might best be achieved through the AD office (Bob Good and those guys).

Thoughts?

[jimflamesfan]

Of course, being in both highschool and LU's band. As a band member, I always liked sitting on the sideline side better, because I could see better. Although, it would still be cool in the endzone.

The band did come back earlier last week. I think the break wasn't too long. Did you notice the size of LU's pit. It probably takes 5 minutes just to get that stuff up. The band could probably get back quicker if they had some more people volunteer to be runners (move equipment, etc).

If you notice, a lot of college bands don't use pit percussion, and so they can get back faster. Although I prefer having the pit percussion, it sounds great...(JMU actually marched some kind of base guitar which you would normally put in the pit, they had two people rolling the amp..rather commical).

To me, although I'm biased b/c I was a band member, I still have the right to share my opinion...LU's band is great for the size of the school. I can't speak for this year, but I know when I was in it, a lot of the people in the band aren't even music majors. At really large schools, they have a larger music department, and their schedules include required perfomance credits, so a lot HAVE to do band.

At LU, a lot aren't music majors, they just march for the fun of it (they get a scholarship that just about covers the cost of the class...so it's really volunteer). If you make it so the bandmembers aren't having fun, you'll go from a 120 member band to a 50 member band in no time.

So in other words, I hope you really respect what LU's band is trying to do. It's unfair to compare them to VA Tech, or schools with huge music departments...although I believe the fieldshow would hold its own with Tech.

And if people complain, and the bandmember feel that they aren't respected, they'll quit. It happens. In 97 I was in the band, and the school gave us problems having a practice field...we felt like we weren't needed. There were about 110 members in 97.

So then the next year, 98, a lot of the people said, forget it...and there were 55.

I'm fine with a 7 minute break into the 3rd quarter. Get the pressbox an MP3 of the fightsong for when we score during that 7 minutes. Enjoy one of the better fieldshows in I-AA (the championship division).

Anyway, I don't think they would mind sitting in the endzone...but give them a chance to get a break to get the fieldstuff moved up and get a drink, so they don't pass out.