UAZippers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 10 minutes ago, zippy5 said: Glad you brought them up. You don't join the Cameron Crazies. You don't join the Oakland Zoo.. Maybe it's best to not have an official "club" to join. Once again, people are falling for the trap the the ROWDIES are the student section. The ROWDIES are just a student org, not run by athletics, that tries to make games more fun for its members. The ROWDIES are happy to have any student join them at the games. Anyone can sit in the floor seats. Anyone can cheer. The ROWDIES just tend to be the students that do care and are the most visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Didn't you just post that new students tried to get theme nights going and the older Rowdies folks shut them down? Let it happen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZippers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) 1 minute ago, zippy5 said: Didn't you just post that new students tried to get theme nights going and the older Rowdies folks shut them down? Let it happen They can, the ROWDIES just don't advertise it. Edited February 10, 2017 by UAZippers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Can someone fill us in on the current policy on this? If "other students" can go sit in those lower end-basket seats, why isn't this happening? I'm sure most of them would gladly exchange their nose-bleed seats for a seat near the floor. Maybe this sounds too logical, but here's my proposal. 1) Give priority to the Rowdies and let them claim their number of seats prior to the game. And for God's sake, let them all do whatever they want. If the Freshman want to have their own "theme night", who gives a damn. 2) Let the rest of the students come to some location prior to the game and claim the rest of the lower-bowl end seats until they run out. Give out the remainder at the student entrance, if there are any left. And once again. let them do whatever the hell they want to do also. Does this make sense? I'm sure we can easily fill 100 damn student floor seats every game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 16 minutes ago, UAZippers said: The ROWDIES just tend to be the students that do care and are the most visible. And they are clearly the most visible when there are 10 of them, and the other 50 blue seats around them are empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZippers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 3 minutes ago, skip-zip said: Can someone fill us in on the current policy on this? If "other students" can go sit in those lower end-basket seats, why isn't this happening? I'm sure most of them would gladly exchange their nose-bleed seats for a seat near the floor. Maybe this sounds too logical, but here's my proposal. 1) Give priority to the Rowdies and let them claim their number of seats prior to the game. And for God's sake, let them all do whatever they want. If the Freshman want to have their own "theme night", who gives a damn. 2) Let the rest of the students come to some location prior to the game and claim the rest of the lower-bowl end seats until they run out. Give out the remainder at the student entrance, if there are any left. And once again. let them do whatever the hell they want to do also. Does this make sense? I'm sure we can easily fill 100 damn student floor seats every game. The way it works now is that there is somebody with wristbands standing next to the student entrance. Any student can take a wristband and sit on the floor, until they run out. Most games a ROWDIES member goes into the upper level about 5 minutes into the game to practically beg students to come down. Very few people want to sit on the floor, they find it more fun to sit up top and talk to their friends in peace. On the floor you basically have to stand up, because the person in front of you is standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) 4 minutes ago, UAZippers said: The way it works now is that there is somebody with wristbands standing next to the student entrance. Any student can take a wristband and sit on the floor, until they run out. Most games a ROWDIES member goes into the upper level about 5 minutes into the game to practically beg students to come down. Very few people want to sit on the floor, they find it more fun to sit up top and talk to their friends in peace. On the floor you basically have to stand up, because the person in front of you is standing. If that's the case, I'm truly saddened. Really pathetic. Thanks for sharing this information. EDIT: Then I have another idea. Give those wrist bands out to ANYONE who wants a damn floor seat. I bet there are some of us in our 50's and 60's who would really have fun hanging out with the Rowdies for a game. And we aren't going to care if they are part of the "cool crowd" or the "uncool crowd" Edited February 10, 2017 by skip-zip 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 13 minutes ago, UAZippers said: The way it works now is that there is somebody with wristbands standing next to the student entrance. Any student can take a wristband and sit on the floor, until they run out. Most games a ROWDIES member goes into the upper level about 5 minutes into the game to practically beg students to come down. Very few people want to sit on the floor, they find it more fun to sit up top and talk to their friends in peace. On the floor you basically have to stand up, because the person in front of you is standing. Thanks for sharing your input. Not sure I agree with everything you've said was or is done, but it takes some dedication to try and lead that group. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsrule Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 1 hour ago, K92 said: Back in my day, the north side of campus smelled like a grilled cheese sandwich when those Wonder Bread ovens were fired up. I remember the Wonder Bread smell........ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZippers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) 42 minutes ago, LZIp said: Thanks for sharing your input. Not sure I agree with everything you've said was or is done, but it takes some dedication to try and lead that group. I'm not saying that everything is perfect, I just get frustrated when people call out the ROWDIES leadership,for all of the attendance woes, here and anywhere else. Those students are the ones that are trying. They should be applauded. It is easy to forget that the ROWDIES is not run by athletics and their leaders are not university employees. Everything they do is entirely volunteer work done because they love UA. Edited February 10, 2017 by UAZippers 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K92 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 19 minutes ago, UAZippers said: I'm not saying that everything is perfect, I just get frustrated when people call out the ROWDIES leadership,for all of the attendance woes, here and anywhere else. Those students are the ones that are trying. They should be applauded. It is easy to forget that the ROWDIES is not run by athletics and their leaders are not university employees. Everything they do is entirely volunteer work done because they love UA. You are right. I was wrong to criticize. I should light a candle instead of cursing the darkness. Who should I send one of these to? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZippers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 4 minutes ago, K92 said: You are right. I was wrong to criticize. I should light a candle instead of cursing the darkness. Who should I send one of these to? Its true that some of the chanting is abysal. It is what I was worst at as the president at games. I always felt really awkward starting them, hoping and praying that people would follow. I am a much bigger fan of the natural taunts and cheers as a reaction to the game, instead of the chants that start at the beginning of a possession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K92 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 2 minutes ago, UAZippers said: Its true that some of the chanting is abysal. It is what I was worst at as the president at games. I always felt really awkward starting them, hoping and praying that people would follow. I am a much bigger fan of the natural taunts and cheers as a reaction to the game, instead of the chants that start at the beginning of a possession. I enjoy sitting with the Rowdies at the Q. My personal favorites are Who's your father and You're not gonna make it. I hope you youngsters don't mind an old fart chiming in with you. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I will say this. I think the University itself does a pretty pee poor job of getting their students engaged in athletics, especially with basketball. Again, this goes back to my previous comment regarding the layout of the JAR, but they stick the Rowdies - 50 or so students - in one end of the court behind a freaking basketball that you have to look around to see the other side. The rest are thrown up above, again on the end where you have to look over or through a basket to see a lot of the action. Get them on the side of the court and involved in the game. Give them signs, pom poms, etc. If I were on the AK-Rowdies leadership team, here are some things I would do... - Have theme nights. This is Marketing 101. It may sound a bit high schoolish, but it could be very effective. Kick it up a notch from the usual high school crap (camo night, etc.), and relate the themes to either the University, MAC, or NCAA as a whole. I could see something like Grayson Allen night, where students are asked to make all of their signs relate to "tripping". I'm not saying that's a theme the Rowdies should do because we don't play Duke, but it's edgy and would catch some national attention I'd assume. This is where getting the Rubberducks involved would be phenomenal. They are one of the best minor league organizations when it comes to marketing. They thread the needle with some of their themes, but they never cross the line and are absolutely terrific. - Have a committee of "retired" Rowdies that aid the current student Rowdies leadership team. Have the "retired" Rowdies committee help select the leaders, and coach them in how to get students involved, how to get national attention, etc. I remember 10 years ago (+/-), the Rowdies were talked about on national broadcasts. Their bus trips made a difference, and the media loved them. I don't know what the Rowdies do now as far as bus trips, but this is an area where former Rowdy leaders could be of much assistance. Not sure the retired Rowdies would do something like this, but if it's being mentioned that a large part of the current Rowdy contingent is made up of graduates, I feel like some would step up and help. - Get in sync with the rest of the students/crowd/band. Send people to the upper bowl to help organize a LET'S GO ZIPS chant, or Z-I-P-S or ZI-PS chant. If other students are reluctant to participate with the 50 or so Rowdies on the floor, get the crowd involved and force the hand of the other students. - Lastly, be creative. Come up with some game-time antic - within the rules - that gets you noticed. Do something that makes people want to join in. I forget which college student section does it (Nebraska maybe?) but the students sway side to side, with every other row going one direction, and the other rows going the opposite, during opponents' free throw attempts. That wouldn't work for us the way the JAR is set up, but you get the idea. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAZip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 It all starts with the BAND! The more outrageous the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Virginia Commonwealth: 24k Undergraduate Enrollment City School No long, rich sports history. Basketball success over the last 10 years. Seems like nearly a mirror image of Akron? Yet, if we had 1/4 of this volume of student involvement right now, I'd be happy. Oh that's right, I forgot. "College students today are too busy, and don't go to basketball games" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) VCU plays in a vastly more high profile conference, has made the NCAA tournament 9x in the past 13 years, and has made a Final 4 appearance. Akron meanwhile is waiting for their 1st NCAAT win. Once Akron basketball reaches the level of VCU basketball we'll have a vibrant student section too. Edited February 10, 2017 by kreed5120 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I said I'd take 1/4 of that. I knew that more excuses would be forthcoming. They made a tournament run 7 years ago. We're all sitting here as a conglomerate of the most avid fans of the Akron Zips, and some keep making excuses instead of acknowledging that we have a disconnect with our students and athletics. With football, some say that we just need to have a winning team. With basketball, the same people come here and say that winning isn't enough. We could come up with solutions here. But we won't as long as some people deny that Akron has a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 13 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: VCU plays in a vastly more high profile conference VCU's conference for the last few years has a ranking of 8th Their previous conference is ranked 11th The MAC is having a bad year, and is still ranked 14th. Nobody has anything to brag about here, despite the "vast" difference you extol. Neither is in a power conference either. So, are we just continuing to look for more excuses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAZip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 15 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: VCU plays in a vastly more high profile conference, has made the NCAA tournament 9x in the past 13 years, and has made a Final 4 appearance. Akron meanwhile is waiting for their 1st NCAAT win. Once Akron basketball reaches the level of VCU basketball we'll have a vibrant student section too. I believe they left the CAA in 2013/14. That conference is by no means better then the MAC. You are right that the run made a huge difference at the school. It is cool now to go to VCU. Prior to that, VCU was identical to where Akron is now. Commuter school, where you went when Tech or UVA didn't take you. Point is...it can happen! I still like watching the Zips play more than VCU though. Hate that havoc style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, skip-zip said: I said I'd take 1/4 of that. I knew that more excuses would be forthcoming. They made a tournament run 7 years ago. We're all sitting here as a conglomerate of the most avid fans of the Akron Zips, and some keep making excuses instead of acknowledging that we have a disconnect with our students and athletics. With football, some say that we just need to have a winning team. With basketball, the same people come here and say that winning isn't enough. We could come up with solutions here. But we won't as long as some people deny that Akron has a problem. And they have made the tournament every year since. They have won 13 NCAAT games and Akron has won 0. How's that an excuse? Nobody here is denying apathy exists. The MAC is viewed as the minor leagues by the students, alumni, and just the local Akron community. The MAC hasn't produced an at-large team in nearly 20 years and the team that does go doesn't make it past the 1st weekend, or even 1st game for that matter. The MAC and the Zips need to do better to shake the stigma of being labeled as a minor league conference/team. In the meantime, I've tried giving ideas on how to get the crowd more into the game. Lets have more real half-time entertainment. During those TV timeouts lets do more promotions that involve fans instead of watching the same boring on the court races. Lets utilize sound, lighting, and perhaps pyrotechnics to help energize the crowd. In an ideal world where we get a new arena, lets make sure students are closer to the action. Having better promotions like $1 dog night and actually selling beer could perhaps get more people too. Call me sexist or whatever, but appreciation of women in sports night just makes me want to Meanwhile, you can go back to your constant complaining instead of offering ideas for improvement. Edit: From the sounds of it having more polarizing people leading the Rowdies would help too. Edited February 10, 2017 by kreed5120 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 7 minutes ago, skip-zip said: VCU's conference for the last few years has a ranking of 8th Their previous conference is ranked 11th The MAC is having a bad year, and is still ranked 14th. Nobody has anything to brag about here, despite the "vast" difference you extol. Neither is in a power conference either. So, are we just continuing to look for more excuses? The A-10 is an awesome BB conference. I would kill to get to play VCU, St Bonny, St Joes, Dayton, Rhode Island, Richmond, etc every year. Also, we can acknowledge the fact that they are in a better situation but we still could do better. It's not all black and white Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K92 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 49 minutes ago, skip-zip said: making excuses That's. What. Zips. Fans. Do. Best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) 46 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: Meanwhile, you can go back to your constant complaining instead of offering ideas for improvement. Have you read some of my previous posts in this thread alone? 4th post on this page. And 7th post on this page. For example. I'm complaining about all of the excuses. Correct. Edited February 10, 2017 by skip-zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 1 hour ago, kreed5120 said: Edit: From the sounds of it having more LESS polarizing people leading the Rowdies would help too. ^^I think I FIFY? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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