Rowdies...I have a confession to make

[WinZip]

Hopefully this takes some of the off-topic posts off the stadium cam thread. Rowdies, I have a confession to make, and while I am reluctant to post this I feel it is interesting and hopefully beneficial for everyone. I have been a pretty serious Akron sports fan for both years at the University of Akron, however I am not an AK Rowdy. Perhaps if we look at different perspectives we can work to improve something that is a vital part of Akron sports.So I'll start by giving a little background. I went to a pretty large high school, one that had a substantial athletics program in terms of both achievement and rivalry. I chose the University of Akron (over OSwho) for a variety of reasons, sports aside. Naturally competitive, it took me no time at all to call myself a Zip. I saw the potential and knew things were only gonna get better. It was pretty easy for me to sit with my friends (who also aren't Rowdies) and immerse myself in the game. Come basketball season I was hooked on Zips sports, but still never felt the urge to join. I was never approached or told of ways to become a member. My friends and I attended every home game regularly. One constant at many of the games was our criticism of the small, "goofy" student section. It was all in good fun, don't get me wrong. Perhaps it was the half hearted ZI-PS chants or the tiny bleachers that were not even full. Something just seemed lackluster about it all. I was unimpressed. Of course there were some creative ideas that I liked, but we only play Can't so many times. Nothing got me more fired up than the entire JAR on it's feet, cheering Let's Go Zips at that classic OU comeback win. I don't care what cheers are done, just as long is it gets everyone pumped up! I doubt there is anyway to insult a team more than to take their cheer and turn it around on them 10 fold. Anyway, I don't think I need to rant to much. I think the Rowdies are getting better every time I see them, especially at soccer games. I realize you can be quick to dismiss my comments as the view of just one person, but who knows how many hundreds of others feel the same way. So I'm just throwing out some ideas that I have had:1) The Rowdy section needs to be bigger: No I do not necessarily mean the stands need to be bigger, but more students need to sit there! There are lots of ways to get them into the seats. Get people coming out in groups, make it fun, and be accepting. Maybe adjusting the seating at basketball games is the answer, I dunno. ***2) Be creative:Keep in mind I'm just an observer, but I think the more signs, props, unique chants the better. I have no problem with getting into the heads of the other team. As was said in another post, this is college; it needs to be taken to the next level. 3) Be intimidating: So this kinda overlaps with being creative, but chants should get in the other team's head. I have heard too many times when the rowdies aren't together or sound uninspired. Make the most of the home court advantage. 4) Gain Respect: People want to be a part of something with pride and class. I think we have a lot of it here and it's important to be viewed in a positive way. Get out and tell people why they should be an AK-Rowdy!!!***So in closing I realize my mistake. If I view the Rowdies as too small why am I not contributing? I'll stop sitting and observing and start helping, even bringing some friends with me. I think that a ton of progress has been made, but I wanna be a part of taking it to the next level. I'll be joining asap

[RootforRoo44]

This is good to hear, and i agree with you. There just isn't much to be done unless you want to help change things like me and a small group (10 or so) of others have been doing.Sit on the North side next year, there will be plenty of room and hopefully you and your friends can help build this thing into something bigger than an exclusionary group of people.

[zippy5]

can we make this into a suggestion thread for the Rowdies?-Don't make the bottom seats Rowdies only until we have a huge overflow...I know at least 6 or 7 people every game that want to sit down there but don't get to because they don't have their white shirt, or just aren't rowdies. I try to convince them to join, but whatever. my point is that what's the point of having a 50% full North Side AND turn people away, then complain about it not being full...

[zippy5]

I've also heard rumors about making attendance at a certain amount of games next year mandatory...bad idea, the same people will show up, imo, and we'll just have a lower overall number. let the 1400 sign up, get their money, and spend it on the dedicated fans. hopefully more wins will equal higher turnout..

[zipfan85]

I've also heard rumors about making attendance at a certain amount of games next year mandatory...bad idea, the same people will show up, imo, and we'll just have a lower overall number. let the 1400 sign up, get their money, and spend it on the dedicated fans. hopefully more wins will equal higher turnout..

we're and i still don't think anybody will show up. besides, if you don't show up to games when we're not that good and show up just because we're winning, i don't want those students there anyway.

[WinZip]

can we make this into a suggestion thread for the Rowdies?-Don't make the bottom seats Rowdies only until we have a huge overflow...I know at least 6 or 7 people every game that want to sit down there but don't get to because they don't have their white shirt, or just aren't rowdies. I try to convince them to join, but whatever. my point is that what's the point of having a 50% full North Side AND turn people away, then complain about it not being full...

Yes, I made this with just that in mind. I think it's fine that the lower seats are devoted to Rowdies only, but it should be easier for students to become a part of a student group. I obviously don't want Can't fans down there. I dunno there must be a better way...

[zipfan85]

not to be mean at all, just looking for more info, how is it so hard? you go to the rowdies office, sign up, give $10 for your shirt, and show up to the games. again, can't stress this enough, not intended to rude.

[WinZip]

I can say that I personally don't hear that much about joining the Rowdies. This includes how to join or why to join. I don't know everything that goes down, and I'm sure every idea has its consequences, but some fans might only sign up if you can do it at the games.maybe set up a table and get groups of students to join at a time?

[ZachTheZip]

It's not difficult to join them at all. You can either go to the office and sign up there, or sometimes you can sign up at games. They even sit at a table in the middle of the Student Union for a week at the beginning of the school year with a sign and a box of shirts in case anybody passes by and wants to sign up. What more do you want?As far as getting people to show up to games, they had somewhere around 1,200 people who signed up but only 50-100 were the dedicated, screaming, jumping students that you see and hear. A good chunk of the students who sat up top at the JAR or in the stands for soccer signed up but didn't want to get involved in the cheering. I think it has a lot to do with the organization being made up of mostly freshmen. Give it a few years when they can pull in large numbers from consecutive incoming freshman classes and you should see what we are all hoping for.Any students reading this but not signed up: you have no idea what you're missing. $10 for the shirt, premium seats to basketball games, and the road trips, oh the road trips. This is where you earn some of those stories you'll tell (or be too embarrassed to tell) years from now when you look back.

[zipfan85]

I can say that I personally don't hear that much about joining the Rowdies. This includes how to join or why to join. I don't know everything that goes down, and I'm sure every idea has its consequences, but some fans might only sign up if you can do it at the games.maybe set up a table and get groups of students to join at a time?

did you not go to student orientation, that was the first place i ever heard of the rowdies. they showed a video and i was hooked. as soon as i arrived to campus to move in, that was my first objective to sign up to become an ak-rowdy. maybe you just didn't put for the effort.

[WinZip]

Eh no offense but none of the people in my room know anything about an AK Rowdy office. Just trying to help you improve; take it to the next level ya know? It's easy for you to say you know about these things when you're in the organization. Actually yes I do remember hearing of the rowdies at student orientation, was two years ago my bad. I had other things on my mind at the time, as I'm sure others did. Taking a "you had your chance" attitude will get you half full tiny bleachers

[zipfan85]

still, you can't walk around campus and not see someone wearing a rowdy shirt and ask, "Where can I sign up?" those student letters they send every friday, sometimes mention how to sign up, especially at the beginning of the year. so you can't tell me that there isn't word out about the rowdies and how to sign up. and it's not "you had your chance," anybody can sign up all year long.

[WinZip]

can always improve thats all I'm trying to say

[uafan]

Some ideas that work at another school.....This student group consists of over 3000 students. The school reserves good sections for them in football and basketball, (over 2500 tickets), and tickets are free. But they have to join. They collect points for helping with fund raisers and attending other sporting events. The more points, the better. Than, when it comes time to distrbute tickets, they use these points to get better tickets.This helps in so many ways. The kids get involved in community activities, lesser sports get more attendance with kids trying to build their point totals. When it comes time for a rivalry game or a TV game, the more points gets them prime seats to maybe make a fool of themselves on national TV.It's a big social club with many perks for the kids. Oh, BTW, it doesn't hurt to have a lot of cute girls join! And everybody hears about this group at freshman orientation, and in the weekly student paper.

[tbozeglav]

Some ideas that work at another school.....This student group consists of over 3000 students. The school reserves good sections for them in football and basketball, (over 2500 tickets), and tickets are free. But they have to join. They collect points for helping with fund raisers and attending other sporting events. The more points, the better. Than, when it comes time to distrbute tickets, they use these points to get better tickets.This helps in so many ways. The kids get involved in community activities, lesser sports get more attendance with kids trying to build their point totals. When it comes time for a rivalry game or a TV game, the more points gets them prime seats to maybe make a fool of themselves on national TV.It's a big social club with many perks for the kids. Oh, BTW, it doesn't hurt to have a lot of cute girls join! And everybody hears about this group at freshman orientation, and in the weekly student paper.

This is what I have been proposing to all my friends for almost a year. Its the best way to increase attendance across the board to all games while building that reputation and unity that is needed.I made the decision this year that next year Im gonna try to run for a position in the AKRowdies administration. There is so much work that needs done with the Rowdies that they need someone to step up and do something about it.

[plowerman78]

I know the president coming in next year for the ROWDIES..he tries really hard to get people to games and has purposed ideas for the ROWDIES for community projects like Make a Difference Day, and Relay For Life...really good kid and is going to continue to send the ROWDIES in the right direction.

[AwesomeDude]

Yeah the president next year is going to turn things up a notch, but then again this person can only do as much as the athletics department will let him. Not to mention this year we had 1400 people sign up for the organization and only 100-150 people actually showed up. So thats 150 fans of our sports teams and 1250 people who just wanted the damn t-shirt. Yes we did things at orientation this past summer, we also did set up a table in the student union for an entire week for around 3 hours a day the first week of school. I remember seeing that someone stated that they came to every basketball game this year and didnt see anywhere to sign up. Well if you came in the student entrance you walked right past us doing the sign ups EVERY TIME! Those people handing out the wristbands for the lower seats? They were doing the sign ups, for future reference. Anyway the president next year will turn things up a notch.

[tbozeglav]

Yeah the president next year is going to turn things up a notch, but then again this person can only do as much as the athletics department will let him. Not to mention this year we had 1400 people sign up for the organization and only 100-150 people actually showed up. So thats 150 fans of our sports teams and 1250 people who just wanted the damn t-shirt. Yes we did things at orientation this past summer, we also did set up a table in the student union for an entire week for around 3 hours a day the first week of school. I remember seeing that someone stated that they came to every basketball game this year and didnt see anywhere to sign up. Well if you came in the student entrance you walked right past us doing the sign ups EVERY TIME! Those people handing out the wristbands for the lower seats? They were doing the sign ups, for future reference. Anyway the president next year will turn things up a notch.

Thats good to hear. I really would like to see a larger emphasis on attendance of more games for other sports. I know this year Ian kept saying "coming to this game gets you points for the Can't game at the MAC tourney", but nothing really came of that. I guess it was a ploy to get more students to come out, but that will only last so long. Something tangible and understandable needs to put into place so that students REALLY understand how important their overall attendance is. Here's something I would LOVE to see done for the new stadium: Make the lower-level sections of the bleachers for registered and active Rowdies and the upper sections for general students. Let the overflow from both sections go to the endzone berm. That way if students want better seats, they gotta be active members.

[plowerman78]

in terms of those Can't tickets, there were great tickets before hand something about 100-120 tickets down in the lower bowl right behind kents bench, and were takin away by Can't prolly because they didnt want to lose the homecourt advantage, but there was an actual reward for it, it was just takin away so they had to give them G.A. tickets instead.

[RootforRoo44]

Well i think a reason that people don't want to be a part of the Rowdies is the fact that we just aren't that impressive in terms of a college type student section. For example:-Rowdies: I research that an opposing player was found guilty of having sex with a minor or was charged with rape. When he's shooting free throws I yell "LOOK A TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL!" or start a "NO MEANS NO" chant with a few friends. This of course causes some freshman or sophomore goody AK-R to come up to me and explain that i cannot say such things because there are children present. Yes, at a college basketball game in THE student section i was told that i was being inappropriate for yelling something that had no profanity whatsoever (like that matters either). This exact event has played out multiple times the last few years, i personally ignore it but that kind of sissy attitude is embarrassing. -Cameron Crazies: When a Maryland player was alleged to have sexually abused a fellow student, the Crazies showered him with more than 1,000 panties, and one student held up a sign that read, "HEY, (NAME), DID YOU SEND HER FLOWERS?"People cheered, they did not say "oh that was inappropriate".That is the main problem with the rowdies. It's turned into a highschool fan group and not a college student section like it should be. When it comes to college sports, the more lewd & cruel, the BETTER.

[AwesomeDude]

I was just having a conversation with the future president of the Rowdies. I told them that the problem i saw the most with the past presidents was that they were only in the position for one year. None of the past presidents in the last three years were ever in office for more than a year. It seemed like in that year they never got to the point where anyone in athletics or the higher offcials (whatever you want to call them) got to know these people and found out how they work or what not. The president that is going to take office on May 1st has the opportunity to be in office for multiple years. They will be able to work with the same people for a few years if possible so i see things turning around alot within the next couple years.

[airrage]

Instead of the student union, why not have the Rowdies set-up tables inside the main classroom buildings to recruit? I teach in CBA and between classes hundreds of students move in-and-out of the atrium there. They are a captive audience. Also, why not engage the faculty? I would be willing to make announcements in my classes about the goings on of the Rowdies. Many of my colleagues would as well.On a side note, as an alum, professor, and season tx holder, the highlight of any UA event for my family and myself is observing the AkRowdies section. Keep up the great work!!!

[tpsjugglerdude]

Instead of the student union, why not have the Rowdies set-up tables inside the main classroom buildings to recruit? I teach in CBA and between classes hundreds of students move in-and-out of the atrium there. They are a captive audience. Also, why not engage the faculty? I would be willing to make announcements in my classes about the goings on of the Rowdies. Many of my colleagues would as well.On a side note, as an alum, professor, and season tx holder, the highlight of any UA event for my family and myself is observing the AkRowdies section. Keep up the great work!!!

The only other place I can see a table being set up would be the Polsky building because it is out of the way and there are students who only have classes in there. It would be extremely hard to set tables up in classroom buildings. They would only be busy at class changes, whereas Polsky and SU have students in there at all times. But I think that is a great idea for the faculty to announce events.The Rowdies need to setup a website that is continually updated. It would of course have a link to the Nation. I think that has the potential to keep students more updated then random facebook events and messages (not that those should stop because those are great!)

[tbozeglav]

Instead of the student union, why not have the Rowdies set-up tables inside the main classroom buildings to recruit? I teach in CBA and between classes hundreds of students move in-and-out of the atrium there. They are a captive audience. Also, why not engage the faculty? I would be willing to make announcements in my classes about the goings on of the Rowdies. Many of my colleagues would as well.On a side note, as an alum, professor, and season tx holder, the highlight of any UA event for my family and myself is observing the AkRowdies section. Keep up the great work!!!

The only other place I can see a table being set up would be the Polsky building because it is out of the way and there are students who only have classes in there. It would be extremely hard to set tables up in classroom buildings. They would only be busy at class changes, whereas Polsky and SU have students in there at all times. But I think that is a great idea for the faculty to announce events.The Rowdies need to setup a website that is continually updated. It would of course have a link to the Nation. I think that has the potential to keep students more updated then random facebook events and messages (not that those should stop because those are great!)

Thanks for bringing that up... thats something else I think needs to be approached is that the AK-Rowdies don't have any kind of a website to operate from. Yes, they have a facebook page, but prospective students need to be able to get information on what the AK-Rowdies are without having to get information from a person. Now more than ever, people use the internet to get their information because its more convenient for them. I really should contact them and see if I can get them to let me design and build a website for them...

[Zip_ME87]

Instead of the student union, why not have the Rowdies set-up tables inside the main classroom buildings to recruit? I teach in CBA and between classes hundreds of students move in-and-out of the atrium there. They are a captive audience. Also, why not engage the faculty? I would be willing to make announcements in my classes about the goings on of the Rowdies. Many of my colleagues would as well.On a side note, as an alum, professor, and season tx holder, the highlight of any UA event for my family and myself is observing the AkRowdies section. Keep up the great work!!!

As an Alumnus, I'll 2nd the highlight comment and also say that the most fun I had at the MAC Tourney was at the semi-final game (against BUGS), when I sat on the edge of the Rowdies section and joined in the chants.