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sgm405

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  1. Student Section Rules

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    One other thing, comparing the Cameron Crazies to the AK-ROWDIES is like comparing apples to oranges. You are comparing the biggest and most prolific fan group in college basketball to a small group from a very small conference in it's second year of existance. The Cameron Crazies can get away with wearing different colors because:1) There are over 1,000 of them2) There seatinc capacity is much greaterI can see why they would want to have a universal color to show some unity and make a small group look big. I hope that someday we can compare ourselves to the Cameron Crazies but right now that is unfair to the fans, members, athletics staff, and board members to hold them to such lofty standards. I think sometimes we all forget that this is only year 2. The fact that we can all sit here today and talk about the organization on an organized web blog is a sign that we have come a long way. Let's try to work together to resolve these problems by communicating to one another. By posting on here, I'm not sure your friend is exactly going to solve the problem. Just my suggestion guys, please don't take offense. Like you, I want to make this work and believe it will.
    You missed the point completely. When in my post did I compare the AK-Rowdies as a student section to the Cameron Crazies, or say that I expected us to be as good as them? That's a ridiculous thought. My point in bringing them up was in showing that the greatest student section in college basketball has no dress code other than wearing Duke gear. I'm also not sure that wearing the same color shirts will make us look bigger. The section will have an effect on games by being loud and crazy...the worst possible thing you can do is send people up top and leave 20 open seats down low, which was done.

  2. Student Section Rules

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    I was sitting in the section near some of the officers and I heard them talking about the policy. Apparently, if you did not have your shirt on that night they were going to inform you of the policy and let you sit down below if you agreed to pick up your shirt and were cooperative. Your friend didn't say anything negative to them did he? I know my buddy came in another shirt and had the same conversation with an officer. By the end of the conversation they established a time and place to pick up the shirt and, despite the minor setback, it went well. I can see how both sides were upset, but I don't see a reason to drag this on or continue to ruffle anymore feathers about the subject. At the end of the day we all want one thing, to cheer on the Zips. Let's try to work together to create some positive morale for the upcoming HUGE Nevada game and stop dwelling on this topic.
    See, it's that kind of thinking that is going to hurt in the long run. There was a problem at the game...RowdyZip's friend obviously left upset, and I know a few others that aren't happy that something they had no idea about was mandatory. Many of these people are veterans of the student section. So let's just sweep it under the rug and ignore it? That is the solution when problems arise? I'm really not trying to start a shitstorm here...but when you have confusion (people not knowing about meetings, not getting emails), lack of organization (lack of notice on the meeting, people being told different things), and veteran section members getting booted, that is a problem worth talking about.Again, I'm not trying to bash the leaders...I am sure they're trying their hardest, and they will naturally hit some bumps in the road. But the absolute worst possible thing we can do with this information that is coming out from various members of the group is to ignore it. Why not look into what happened, admit mistakes made, and work together to find a solution?I agree we all need to be on the same page before the Nevada game...unfortunately, if we look to avoid "dragging this on" and "ruffling any feathers" instead of fixing what has gone wrong so far, I'm afraid that we'll again have 3/4 of the student section filled with yellow shirts, and double that number of Rowdies sitting in Section 5, wondering when this meeting was and why they never recieved an email...

  3. Student Section Rules

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    This year's shirts are harder to color-match than navy blue ones; there are lots of different shades of gold that you can get a t-shirt in.  I have several Zips t-shirts in gold that I've bought at the JAR team shop and they wouldn't match this year's Rowdies shirt.  It definitely would look better to have everyone in the same color than in seven shades of gold.  Navy blue might be easier to pull off but I don't think that asking that people wear the particular shirt is too big an imposition.  When we're playing conference games, everyone will know what to do and we'll have no problem filling up the floor seats.It will only take a couple times with the rule being enforced strictly for people to fall into line.  It's a lot easier to be strict starting off and possibly loosen up later on than to try to become more strict as the season progresses.I wish RowdyZip's friend would have stayed at the game; Section 5 is there for overflow and for AK-Rowdies who don't have their t-shirt on.  It's too bad that he turned around and left.  Maybe he did not know about that since I assume he wasn't at the initial meeting (where this was discussed) since he didn't have a t-shirt.I'm pretty sure that the AK-Rowdies leadership cares about the Zips and wants nothing more than for students to support the Zips.  I'm sure they appreciate constructive feedback; the key is to create light, not heat.
    I still hold to my belief that unless you have shirts ready to give out for at least the first 3-4 games, you simply ask people to cheer like crazy and to wear Zips gear or blue and gold. Look at the Cameron Crazies picture posted in my previous comments...they have all different shades and they look just fine. I don't know where this whole "We have to look exactly like" thing came from...I just don't see the big deal. The biggest problem stems from the initial meeting. It was put together last minute, people were given one day's notice, and the meeting itself was very poorly run. I know 5-10 people that I talked to on Saturday afternoon alone that, A) Had no idea there was a meeting, B.) Had no idea there were shirts, and C) That they were mandatory to wear. That was the first problem.The second problem is the response. I know that the leaders of the group care about the students...and that they're doing their best...and that they have the best intentions. But by telling the student that had been sitting in the student section for years that he had to leave his seat - that sends the wrong message. A much, much better response would have been to get him a shirt, or to let him stay and ask him to pick one up before the next home game. If they have office hours to give out shirts, couldn't they have just gone and gotten him one? Wouldn't the shirts be stored there? I would've done the exact same thing RowdyZip's friend did. Why couldn't they have worked something out with him instead of letting him sit with the people he came with, the section he has been sitting in for years (and probably has been sitting in since before the leaders of this group knew what a Zip was)? Why was the message simply to move? Hearing this kind of thing scares me...with actions like this, it could be a very, very disappointing year for the AK-Rowdies...and that would be a true shame.

  4. Student Section Rules

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    I understand all the frustration of all of you guys and i am not in the board of the rowdies and i am not here to defend them either.All what i want to say is that it makes total sense to me that a uniform should be required, don't you think ?If we go back to last year, everybody was wearing the right shirt in the first game, few people were not in the 5th game and by the time we got to the end of the season, almost half the rowdies were not wearing their shirts and the section looked awful.If you look at any organized and decent student section, rule number one in the book is to wear the same shirt... so let's cut the rowdies board some slack.When i'm running out of time and i do not have my rowdies shirt, i will happily sacrifice sitting in the upper section rather than sacrificing the organization of the whole student section.
    And I'll continue the response lolI simply have to disagree here. Two main points...1) It's not true at all that all student sections wear the exact same shirt. A few do, but most simply wear something of the school or the school color...that should be the requirement. Wearing an Akron shirt of some kind, or blue and gold? You're in. Take a look at the following pictures:Duke - http://www.mrkamoji.com/b_images/crazies.jpgWisconsin - http://badgerherald.com/news/2005/02/01/BBALLfans_DM_416.jpgValparaiso - http://www.valpo.edu/student/pepband/pics/...t%20Section.jpgIt is NOT, I repeat NOT common for the students to all wear the same exact shirt. I have no idea where anybody got this idea from. It IS common for the students to be asked to wear some sort of shirt from the team, or at least the school colors. 2) What looks worse, 3/4 of a section wearing one shirt or a FULL student section all wearing Zips gear/colors?GO ZIPS!

  5. Student Section Rules

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    I wanted to move a discussion from another thread to here so that this topic gets the attention it deserves. The discussion is about the student section and what proper attire should be...here are the remarks made so far by various members of our forum:ROWDYZIP SAID:I'd like to vent here over some idiocy over what is now apparently a completely student-run group. I had a good friend of mine get booted from the student section because he wasnt wearing THIS YEARS Ak-Rowdies shirt. That's right, a 5 year engineering student and now grad student and AK-Rowdy who didnt have time to pick up his shirt prior to the game (full time work and full time school make it kind of hard) was removed from the section by the student "president." Now maybe it's just me, but shouldnt we be making sure the section is at least full before booting people? It sure was nice to see those 30+ empty seats down low while my friend was sitting at home, angry at the entire athletics department because of one little big-headed "fan."I SAID:Just to piggy back on what RowdyZip was saying, I think we need to focus on getting Akron fans down low to fill up the lower section. Either have more of the shirts on hand and ready to give to people or let it slide...the only requirement to sit down low should be to be cheering loud and proud for the Zips, especially when there are empty seats. One Zips fan kicking out another Zips fan out of the student section is simply inexcusable. I am confident that the leadership of the group will step up and fix this problem.ZIPPYRIFLE SAID: yeah, when you get the shirts you have to sign a contract saying that you have to wear them, always stand and be loud, and that you will be classy fans. i find it a bit ridiculous because there are so many other things i am required to wear that sometimes i don't go home between class, practice, then a game. on top of that, it has to be THIS YEAR'S shirt, so you can't even get by with last years. by signing the contract, it also means that there aren't going to be seeing any of the half-naked, fully-painted fans down below. i dunno...i signed the paper with the understanding that i won't get to stand down below for a majority of the games.SKHORBOTLY SAID:I understand all the frustration of all of you guys and i am not in the board of the rowdies and i am not here to defend them either.All what i want to say is that it makes total sense to me that a uniform should be required, don't you think ?If we go back to last year, everybody was wearing the right shirt in the first game, few people were not in the 5th game and by the time we got to the end of the season, almost half the rowdies were not wearing their shirts and the section looked awful.If you look at any organized and decent student section, rule number one in the book is to wear the same shirt... so let's cut the rowdies board some slack.When i'm running out of time and i do not have my rowdies shirt, i will happily sacrifice sitting in the upper section rather than sacrificing the organization of the whole student section.ZIPTRUMPET87 SAID:Another suggestion might be to have the offending person move to the edge of the section so as not to detract from the uniform look? I understand the dress code thing, but even some of the Rowdies were wearing things over their shirts.Let's keep this discussion going...I think it's a very important one to discuss. :thumb:

  6. UA vs. Winston-Salem Game Predictions

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    Observations:WSSU defense was tough. Played what seemed to be a hybrid of a 2-3 and man-to-man most of the time. gave us fits inside and lead to a LOT of ill-advised outside shots.Ced's half-court shot at the buzzer of the first half won the game for us. Instead of down 1, we were up two. This team could've beaten the zips tonight.Sitting with the AK-Rowdies for my last season, I was impressed with the involvement. I'm in my 7th year at Akron (finally getting my degree after 5 years of part-time) and I've seen the progression from the "pouch" (me and 5 other people) to this year's rowdies (75% full for a nothing game). It makes me happy to see the student support that I wish was there a few years back.That being said, I'd like to vent here over some idiocy over what is now apparently a completely student-run group. I had a good friend of mine get booted from the student section because he wasnt wearing THIS YEARS Ak-Rowdies shirt. That's right, a 5 year engineering student and now grad student and AK-Rowdy who didnt have time to pick up his shirt prior to the game (full time work and full time school make it kind of hard) was removed from the section by the student "president." Now maybe it's just me, but shouldnt we be making sure the section is at least full before booting people? It sure was nice to see those 30+ empty seats down low while my friend was sitting at home, angry at the entire athletics department because of one little big-headed "fan."Sorry bout that, but that got to me. Good game Zips, hope to not see you against St Francis, "PREZ."
    Just to piggy back on what RowdyZip was saying, I think we need to focus on getting Akron fans down low to fill up the lower section. Either have more of the shirts on hand and ready to give to people or let it slide...the only requirement to sit down low should be to be cheering loud and proud for the Zips, especially when there are empty seats. One Zips fan kicking out another Zips fan out of the student section is simply inexcusable. I am confident that the leadership of the group will step up and fix this problem. I had an interesting perspective of the game as I was sitting with a few friends from Cleveland who wanted to check out the Zips. After hearing that the gold shirt was required we sat up top...just didn't have the energy to fight that crap. Anyways, here are a few thoughts...- Overall student section noise was great, especially for a game against a no-name squad. - Good, strong chants...just need to make sure both sides are on the same page next time. It seemed like there was a lot of confusion. - I'd drop the "that way" thing...or whatever it is. Only half of the people seem to be doing it and you can't make out what the group is saying at all...it basically looks like half the section points and yells jibberish. Everybody around me was trying to figure it out (I only knew from the discussion on this forum)All in all, a solid performance!

  10. Kudos on the T-Shirts

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    I love the idea (great run of beer commercials) but ... the Zippers were based on a product by the B.F. Goodrich Company, not Goodyear.
    yeah... two thing i noticed... the first is on the frobnt where is has EST. '05. I lied last years EST. 2005 way better and what's with the word University being cut at the end of a line and split in two?! some details are being overlooked UAM! i do like the gold color though. I think of it this way, every school we play with the color blue has blue shirts so why not exploit the fact that we wear gold! at least it sets us apart.Kudos on getting the name on video games. I heard about this happening back in June when a former worker and friend of mine was at a college sports convention representing UA. They were putting in student section names and he approached and made sure AK-ROWDIES would be in there. He didn't even know it was in the game until i read it hear and told him. He was pretty excited although he hopes they didn't screw anything up with it. Can anyone give some more info on what it says and how it looks in the game?!
    It just basically lists "Student Section: AK-Rowdies"...and with the game's chant creator you can easily make some of the chants we do...pretty cool stuff

  13. Cheers And Chants

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Z (clap) (clap) (clap) I (clap) (clap) (clap) P (clap) (clap) (clap) S (clap)(clap)(clap)Z (clap) I (clap) P (clap) S (clap)Z I P SZ I P S That's by far the best cheer i would love to see... if done right (with the arm motion) and if the band plays along, this would rock the JAR and have the ak-oldies jump in.
    Talking about stealing cheers, that is straight up O-H-I-O from OU.
    Yeah, I definitely agree there. I mean, most cheers are ripped off of somebody...but we can't steal from teams that are visible to our fans and opposing fans, like OSU or anyone in the MAC...that'd just be tacky.

  16. Cheers And Chants

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Hey guys, I was looking for some old school Akron cheers and chants to be used at the basketball games. Do you know of any? Also does any one have any new cheers and chants that you would like to hear this year? Also I have been looking for some fotage on some of the bigger schools in terms of student sections. Does any one have any tapes or websites I could get ahold of?Thanks for all your help and GO ZIPS!!!!!!!!!! :screwks::screwks::screwks::screwks::screwks::screwks:
    Here's some of the best from the best student section in the NCAA:http://espn.go.com/page2/s/cameron/hits.htmlI'll go back to my original thoughts though...the main focus should be on noise, noise, and more noise. "De-fense"..."Let's Go Zips"...Jumping up and down and just making noise....these cheers should remain the focus.Not to say that we shouldnt come up with some good ones for OU (Bubba) and Can't, but we don't need one every game. The problem, as I see it, is that the student section isn't that big in the first place. It's much, much harder to get a good "special" chant or cheer going. If the focus is on the 3 basic ones and making a ton of noise, the rest of the crowd can help out.

  18. ESPN Comments on Akron

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/stor...ht&lid=tab4pos1Nov. 13Arkansas-Little Rock 81, Akron 79Results like this are why the MAC doesn't ever get a second team into the Dance. Instead of having an opportunity for a solid road win at Texas Tech and a chance to get games against Marquette and possibly Duke on a neutral floor, the preseason MAC favorite punted one against a Sun Belt club that finished 14-15 last season. Akron's schedule also included only one additional D-I game until this Saturday.

  19. The Ak-Rowdies Have Been Recognized...

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Nice. Is that the game with the chant creator? I really wanna hear "Can't State Sucks!" and "Pocket Rockets!"
    Haha yeah, the chant creator is sweeeeet. Me and my roommate started a dynasty and each took a team...he took YSU so I have my fans chant "F-U-C-K-Y-S-U" LOL!And they actually say Dambrot's name and stuff...great game

  22. AK-ROWDIES

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Point taken. I will defend myself in say that the "airball" chant was not my idea, it came from the VP and it happened, but I will also ask what would have not wasted your beloved time. Sure the "Dials" and "Romeo" chant didn't need to be reviewed much either but being on the same PAGE means that come next Saturday not 6 or 12 or 50 members keep that chant going and make the ROWDIES sound bad. ok there are also chants that were new that needed to be gone over. I am sorry that we wasted your time but I really wish that yyou wouldn't speak for a group or for half of the people there but for yourself and yourself alone. So anyway all I am asking for is a little respect and if you have an issue with what comes up at meetings come to our board meetings and suggests things there. Instead of going on Zipsnation and talking where not a lot of people/board members go on, that's not fair to us. And as JAY said before and I will say again We Are a NEW organization and post behind our backs doesn't help anyone.its midnight and Can't STATE STILL SUCKS!!
    A few general responses...TO QUICKANDZIP:- I didn't go behind anyone's back with my post. I know many of the leaders post on Zipsnation, and I know that the heart of the Zips student section resides right here on this forum...that's why I wrote what I wrote, because I knew it'd reach you guys. I know you're saying this to try to make me out to be the bad guy, but there's a big difference between constructive criticism and going behind someone's back. Going behind someone's back would be if I criticized the group and said nothing to you guys...here I am though, coming to you and the rest of Zipsnation (the best Akron fans) with my feelings on the group, trying to help you guys get even better. - I'm sorry, I just don't see how practicing the chants is going to do anything with keeping everyone on the same page. When Romeo scores, we do the Romeo chant. The veterans in the crowd will do it anyways, the new members will echo it...it's not brain surgery. - I say I am speaking for others because many that were there that don't have an account said the same things. TO BLEACHER BUM:I'm glad you see my point, and I think we're closer to being on the same page than we might realize. I like the "special chants"...I really do. It just seems like at times we are trying to plan to do 6 or 7 of these, instead of just sticking with one or two.

  23. AK-ROWDIES

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Any of you at the women's game tonight can understand the importance of meetings like this. I know it was the first time of the year that the Rowdies were actually cheering as an official student section, but at times the chants between the two sides were off. It also helped us hone our skills in the new chants. By the way, the new free throw chant with "ZI-PS" after the "Whoosh" worked really well. Also, the "That's another trifecta" didn't seem to work. It doesn't help much that the Rowdies sit on opposite ends of the floor. It is almost impossible to get everyone on the same page. That's why I thought the meeting was effective in establishing "section leaders" to try to keep everyone on the same page. The board members need to print out sheets like "The Rowdy" again this year. Does anyone think that the intensity of the OU and Can't games last year was brought up a notch? I don't think it was just because they were big games. They were planned out and came together perfectly. We need to do this for EVERY GAME! I know not everyone cares about women's basketball, but we should all attend one of their games before the next men's game so we can all get a feel of how things are gonna go. We definitely do not want to come in confused and embarass ourselves in front of a men's audience.Also, any of you Rowdies planning on going home for the holiday...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make plans to come back for the Nevada game! This is going to be one of the most important games in the school's recent history! Also, don't forget that our home game winning streak is on the line! We are #3 in the COUNTRY! Right behind GONZAGA and UCONN! Don't tell me that's not huge! We need all of the Rowdies to get in the right frame of mind for that game. NO SCREW-UPS! NO ONE SITTING DOWN AND NO ONE CHANTING THE WRONG THING! The Rowdies should be in mid-season form for this game! I want Gonzaga and UCONN to lose at home before the Zips, so that anytime they show that stat right before they lose, everyone says "Wow! That Akron must be pretty damn good!"That's my rant!Bleacher Bum OUT!
    Bleacher Bum, a few thoughts...- Glad to hear people went to the women's game...Kest seems like exactly what that program needed. - I'm not sure section leaders really worked at all last year. It's a good idea in theory, but when the game gets heated I'm either making a ton of noise or doing a defense chant, not looking to my section leader to see what chant to do next. - The intensity for the OU and Can't games were up a notch because those were the two biggest home games of the year...I really don't remember anything that was planned specifically for either that had any effect on the game. We were just loud and proud with defense chants and noise in general. Personally, I think most of the chants are too cute...maybe have one or two "special chants", and the rest of the time stick with the basics - defense, jumping/noise making, let's go Zips...that's seriously all we need. - I agree on the Nevada game being huge. Anything less than a sellout would be a huge disappointment. Again though, I suggest we just try to make a ton of noise and have very loud chants of defense and let's go Zips...they do the job, they carry a big time noise level, and there's no way anyone can screw them up.

  24. AK-ROWDIES

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    Well I guess we can't take criticism...and you're missing the point. I have been going to games for 6 years now and have always sat in the student section. I care a great deal about the Zips and in supporting the team. I'm speaking out because I want the group to be successful and because I want you to maintain the interest of both new and current members. If you'd like, I can tell you the meeting was worthwhile. I can tell you that we needed to practice chanting "airball", that we needed to tell everyone where the student section is, that we needed to practice jumping up and down, and that we needed to go over other chants like "Diaaaals"...if that's what you want, I can do that...that's fine. Or I can tell you that the meeting was a great idea in theory, but that the time wasn't used in the best possible ways (better than "waste", eh?)...I can tell you that when you try to instruct basketball fans how to chant "airball", it insults their intelligence. And I can tell you that whether or not you believe it, there were many in attendance who feel the exact same way I do about the meeting. I can also tell you that if you react this way anytime someone tries to help with some constructive criticism, it'll scare people off from ever doing it in the future. And I can tell you that if that happens, this student section will never, ever reach it's potential of being the bets in the conference and one of the best among mid-majors in the nation.

  25. AK-ROWDIES

    in AK-Rowdies

    Posted

    I THINK THE MEETING WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! ITS SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. PEOPLE HAVE TO REALIZE NOW THAT WE ARE A STUDENT ORGANIZATION SO IT MEANS THAT MEETINGS LIKE THIS NEED TO HAPPEN SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE ORGANIZATION. THE BOARD WORKED EXTREMELY HARD ON PREPARING THE MEETING...AND SURE SOMETHINGS COULD HAVE GONE BETTER...AND YES SOME CHEERS PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW...BUT WHAT YOU ALSO NEED TO REALIZE IS THAT THERE ARE NEW MEMBERS OF THE ROWDIES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A GAME AND THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO SAY AND WHEN TO SAY IT...ALSO, DON'T JUST COME ON ZIPSNATION AND START BACK TALKING THE BOARD WITHOUT THE BOARD...WITHOUT THEM MAKING THE AK-ROWDIES A STUDENT ORGANIZATION THE ROWDIES WOULD BE DEAD AND WE WOULD BE STARTING OVER AT PHASE ONE WITH SUPPORT FROM STUDENTS...LASTLY IN REGAURDS TO STEALING ZI--PS THATS WHAT OTHER MARKETING DEPARTMENTS DO TO ONE ANOTHER THEY STEAL AND CHANGE IT TO MAKE IT FAVOR THEIR SCHOOL/TEAM...HOW DO YOU THINK WE GOT FEAR THE ROO...THE ATHLETIC DIDN'T JUST SAY GEE LETS SAY FEAR THE ROO...YEAH RIGHT.OOO YEAH I STILL HATE CAN'T STATE
    Did you even read my post? I praised the leaders of the group many times, and was quick to point out that it was simply constructive criticism concerning the meeting. I never "bashed" the group or the leaders...I just pointed out what many in attendance felt - much of the time that could have been valuable was simply wasted. I'm not sure if you're a leader in the Rowdies or not, but if you are I certainly hope you learn to take constructive criticism much, much better. I care about the Zips and the student section and want to see nothing but success, and thought my concerns might be of value to some. There was really no need to get that defensive...
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