They would be similar to what Pittsburgh fans swing around at playoff games, or if you remember what Tampa Bay Lightning's rink looked like during the Stanley Cup with fans swinging their towels, thought this would be a cool promotional idea for Lynah, considering they never give out the lightning sticks or anything else.
Also, it's an extremely intimidating sight, thought it would add some new flavor to Lynah for the ECAC playoffs.
Thoughts?
My first-glance, knee-jerk opinion:
Bleah.
Our power is not in the physical items we bring with us to games (with the possible exception of Fish, but that's because we throw them at Sucks and because they smell so bad). Our power is in the noise we create, the creativity we display, and the power we have over opposing players. Towels would make us Just Another Bunch of Fans With a Spirit Crutch. This is why the Big Red Foam #1 Fingers from a few years ago were cool for about ten seconds, and no more.
(Not to mention, some idiot would inevitably throw a towel on the ice and garner us a penalty.)
Beeeej
On the other hand, I still think it'd be cool to have red-and-white Cornell Hockey fan scarves in the style used by European soccer and hockey clubs. I've been seeing more of those Stateside lately, e.g., for USA Soccer, and several of the Union parents had Union College scarves in that style.
I don't think it's that bad of an idea. If it would get some of the facetimers more into the crowd action instead of talking about what (or who) they're going to do after the game, it could have its benefits.
True, Jeff, true.
Beeeej
Blech.
Tampa Bay can have their towels.
We should stick with wit and fish.
Anything you give to the students will find it's way to the ice. Throwing anything that isn't nailed down onto the ice is apparently still "funny" to a few of them. Candy, full beverage cups, bottles, toothpaste, fish, newspapers, hats....wait strike those last few.
No towels. How bout doing what the Flames did, "The C of Red" where every single person comes wearing red.
In 1986 for the playoff series versus Vermont, fans received a Rowdy Red Rag (a red dishtowel with the words and the bear-leaning-on-a-C printed on it. For a freshman, as I was, it was a nice keepsake. None landed on the ice, BTW.
I put this idea forth also to get the townie side of the rink into the action.
Seeing as how the townies don't really participate in many (if any) cheers, the terrible red towel (or red rags, as they were called back in '86) would be a way to make all 360 degrees of the rink physically imposing as opposed to the usual half that is wild, and the other half that is relatively normal.
By the way, I don't think it should compromise the wit or noise of the Lynah Faithful. If anything, it should complement it. For instance, they could be used during the opening faceoff of each period, or right before we go on the power play, when there arent too many chants going on.
As far as Calgari's point about the "C of Red," you can't get everyone to wear Red. This is Cornell: the majority of fans will always dress casually to hockey games, and there isn't enough fan interest to "turn Lynah red," which is a cool concept, since I've never seen the rink look dominantly red.
If the towels are there when the fans go to their seats, it will instigate those who normally don't voice their support (aka facetimers) to actually show some spirit. By giving them something they are probably familiar with or have seen on television (the towel swinging at World Series games or Stanley Cup playoff games), I think it would actually make the rink louder, and more exciting. Not to mention, if the game is on television, it's a good promotion to see a rink full of rabid fans swinging towels around in unison.
Why can't you get everyone to wear red? If they could get 20,000 fans in Calgary to do it, I'm sure they could get 4,000 in Ithaca to. Well at the very least, they could definitely get all the students to wear red. I personally would think the whole place in red would be much better than the towels.
I'm not huge on noisemaking props (thunderstix, clappers, etc.) because we're so good at that on our own. But I think a visual prop might be kinda neat (assuming we could guarantee that they wouldn't wind up on the ice).
The whole place in red would look cool, Ari is right.
I agree, similar to what they do at RPI for the Big Red Freakout, except they don't really push promotions here like they do elsewhere for one-night deals like at RPI.
the 20,000 Calgary fans probably laid down in front of a train to get their tickets, and they are much bigger hockey fans than the Cornell students that attend the games here, which is why I suggest you put towels in the rink, so that lazy ass Cornell kids don't have to make an effort to wear red, an effort most of them would not make, even if there was a promotion like the RPI Freakout.
Faithful07 has a point there. While some of us on this board are certainly about as much of a hockey fan as one can be there are many, many Cornellians who only go to games because it's a social event and really don't care much about what's going on on the ice. (Heck, I was one of these poeple the first time I attended a game.)
A smattering of Union fans had the scarves on saturday. I was not that impressed.
[Q]Faithful07 Wrote:
I agree, similar to what they do at RPI for the Big Red Freakout, except they don't really push promotions here like they do elsewhere for one-night deals like at RPI.
the 20,000 Calgary fans probably laid down in front of a train to get their tickets, and they are much bigger hockey fans than the Cornell students that attend the games here, which is why I suggest you put towels in the rink, so that lazy ass Cornell kids don't have to make an effort to wear red, an effort most of them would not make, even if there was a promotion like the RPI Freakout. [/q]
Although most of what you say may be correct, I disagree that students would not wear red if asked to. If the event was promoted and publicized well, they would definitely get 4000 people in red. Of course there's another option which was used in Philadelphia during the playoffs. I think a bank or some type of company just made 20,000 orange shirts and had them on every seat so the whole place was orange. Last year for the basketball game against Georgia Tech, all students who came to the game got "Red Zone" T-shirts so everyone in the student section was wearing red.
Thats why athletics sells the Lynah Faithful t-shirts at such a low price. They're quite decently silk screened and the t-shirts are of quality fabric, so they last a while and they serve to turn Lynah more red. They should availble for sale at every home game.
Hell, Quinnipiac got all their student fans to wear identical yellow QC shirts to their first-round NCAA game against us in 2002, and they hardly had a significant history of hockey mania. I think with the proper planning and methods, we could get 99% of Lynah to wear red to a game.
Beeeej
[Q]calgARI '07 Wrote: Why can't you get everyone to wear red? If they could get 20,000 fans in Calgary to do it, I'm sure they could get 4,000 in Ithaca to. Well at the very least, they could definitely get all the students to wear red. I personally would think the whole place in red would be much better than the towels. [/q]
Hey, Ari, shouldn't you be writing a column (or a term paper? how many credits you taking?) rather than rambling on red?
All-red is a good idea provided we're not playing BU or Union or Wisconsin ... or perhaps BC or Harvard or someone else with a reddish-cast school color.
That also means you gotta buy two game-worn jerseys, one in white, which looks better for formal events, and red to blend in in situations such as this.
[edit] If this is for At-Lynah, ignore the part about BU or Wisconsin. They aren't coming. And if 50 Union activists show up in red, that'll help the place look all red, and we drown them out anyway.
Just tell the sorostitutes (sp?) that red is slimming. Aw, I shouldn't be ripping on the pretty girls, esp. since a couple years ago I was pretending I was one of them...
On that note, never assume that some of those gossips "taking up space" in the front rows had no idea what was going on on the ice. Although I am sure it's a cardinal (carnellian?) sin by most standards on this board, I liked nothing better than sharing a juicy tidbit with my friend, then letting loose with a "WHERE'S THE FORECHECK? COLLAPSE HIS LUNG!" or some similar directive.
Some of us are talented enough to do two things at once.
[Q]Luke 05 Wrote: A smattering of Union fans had the scarves on saturday. I was not that impressed.[/q]
One would be impressed if that was all they wore. Just don't let the ones in the front row pound the glass.
[q]That also means you gotta buy two game-worn jerseys, one in white, which looks better for formal events, and red to blend in in situations such as this.[/q]I personally much prefer the red ones. But then I've never worn one under a tuxedo...
[Q]Jerseygirl Wrote:
Some of us are talented enough to do two things at once.[/q]
There's gotta be a fingercuffs joke in there somewhere... ;)
Ari,
Have you become so lonely that you're replying to your own posts and starting ficticious arguments with yourself? I daresay that Faithful07 and yourself seem to be psting from some awfully similar ip addresses. Then again, what do I know?
Tea anyone?
-MH javascript:void%20InsSm('%20::nut::%20')
Gaging the reaction of posters on this board, it seems as though most support the idea of turning Lynah Red sometime in the future.
Since there probably isn't sufficient time to promote for this year's playoffs, I would suggest to whoever has influence to schedule a Turn Lynah Red Night for perhaps next year's Senior Night vs. Harvard, or maybe one of the Michigan State games to show our spirit to the "Izzone" fans.
I think Ari and I live must live in the same apartment building, because I have seen the "danica computing" IP on his name in the past, same as my apartment.
"turn lynah red" : good idea, but it sucks for those who paid $100+ for game worn white jerseys
then again, i opted for the red jersey
then again, i'm not even on campus anymore so why should i care
i can't help but think of the U of I basketball fans in orange or the BC (football) fans with the superfan yellow shirts. it looks nice. i do think that's what they're trying to do with the time in line shirts
another problem is that they sell cornell paraphanalia in every color imagineable, which creates the spectrum of colors you see at the rink
-mike
Wow Madhatter, you cracked the case. Absolute genius.
The hundred or so people that live in the apartments we live in have the same IP adress.
Okay, next order of business for anyone who wants to make this happen is what? Contact hockey office? athletic office? Schafer?
The beginning of playoffs is not the appropriate time to be contacting any of those people about something you want to do for next season. It's probably more appropriate to work through the Cornell Hockey Association, anyway - Sue Detzer, et al.
Beeeej
[Q]jtwcornell91 Wrote:
On the other hand, I still think it'd be cool to have red-and-white Cornell Hockey fan scarves in the style used by European soccer and hockey clubs. I've been seeing more of those Stateside lately, e.g., for USA Soccer, and several of the Union parents had Union College scarves in that style.[/q]You think anything European is cool, John. USA! USA! USA!
If the phrasing is "Turn Lynah Red," the defense could accomplish that singlehandedly, but it might involve five- not two-minute penalties.
Fingercuffs? The punch line you may be thinking of goes something like, " ... she drops her finger-nail file."
or just invite the anthropology and political philosophy faculty
If "C" of red at lynah becomes a regular deal, can I be given an exception? The only two times I wore red to Lynah, we lost both of those games to Harvard. :-( I think that's reason enough.
[Q]ugarte Wrote:
[Q2]jtwcornell91 Wrote:
On the other hand, I still think it'd be cool to have red-and-white Cornell Hockey fan scarves in the style used by European soccer and hockey clubs. I've been seeing more of those Stateside lately, e.g., for USA Soccer, and several of the Union parents had Union College scarves in that style.[/Q]
You think anything European is cool, John. USA! USA! USA![/q]
So I think we can agree about European-style USA Soccer scarves.
I wonder if the standard scarf dimensions have some convenient aspect ratio, like A4 paper.
[Q]calgARI '07 Wrote:
Of course there's another option which was used in Philadelphia during the playoffs. I think a bank or some type of company just made 20,000 orange shirts and had them on every seat so the whole place was orange. Last year for the basketball game against Georgia Tech, all students who came to the game got "Red Zone" T-shirts so everyone in the student section was wearing red.[/q]
BU did the same thing for the opening of Harry Agganis Arena, by giving everyone red t-shirts. Of course, if one more person had reminded me to wear red (which I was going to do anyway) I would have put on my white SCREW BU shirt over my red Cornell jersey just to spite them. :-(
[Q]judy Wrote:
If "C" of red at lynah becomes a regular deal, can I be given an exception? The only two times I wore red to Lynah, we lost both of those games to Harvard. I think that's reason enough.[/q]
Judy is not allowed to wear red to Cornell hockey games. I wear a white game-worn to Cornell games and a red replica to non-Cornell games. Individual traditions are cool, and probably part of the reason why these orchestrated wardrobe things don't excite me.
[Q]billhoward Wrote:
[Q2]jeh25 Wrote:
[Q]Jerseygirl Wrote:
Some of us are talented enough to do two things at once.[/Q]
There's gotta be a fingercuffs joke in there somewhere...[/q]
Fingercuffs? The punch line you may be thinking of goes something like, " ... she drops her finger-nail file." [/q]
*Whooooooooosh*
I know exactly what punch line I was going for Bill. I just thought subtlety would be funnier quoting the movie dialog verbatim.
Maybe you can drive up to Red Bank and get Rick Derris or Cohee Lundin to explain what fingercuffs means.
Snoogins. :)
[Q]jeh25 Wrote:
[Q2]billhoward Wrote:
[Q2]jeh25 Wrote:
[Q2]Jerseygirl Wrote:
Some of us are talented enough to do two things at once.[/Q]
There's gotta be a fingercuffs joke in there somewhere...[/Q]
Fingercuffs? The punch line you may be thinking of goes something like, " ... she drops her finger-nail file." [/Q]
*Whooooooooosh*
I know exactly what punch line I was going for Bill. I just thought subtlety would be funnier quoting the movie dialog verbatim.
Maybe you can drive up to Red Bank and get Rick Derris or Cohee Lundin to explain what fingercuffs means.
Snoogins.[/q]
To further explain the joke for those not in the know, it helps to have seen the film Chasing Amy.
A certain % of the crowd is Contrarian and woud not wear red precisely because there was an orchestrated promotion, but:
1) That would give Contrarians a reason to feel superior, which is always good, and
2) By definition, the Sheeple you gain will far outnumber the Petulants you'll lose.
The Quinnipiac presence at the NCAAs looked *sharp.* I also recall the overwhelming effect caused by the UVM crowds at the Gahden and Placid, or by other similarly Borg-dressed crowds (Minny, Maine, Wisco). It is a great amplifier and I'd bet the players would get a kick out of it. So I suggest at least a word-of-mouth campaign, spread in the frats and dorms, to increase the amount of red and white (any Cornell jersey counts, period).
Maybe the townies should wear white and students, red. Unless you're in C, in which case you should, naturally, wear red. :-P
Terrible Red Towels!!!!! GOOD FRIKKIN IDEA!!!! Who's gonna invest?
[Q]CowbellGuy Wrote:
Unless you're in C, in which case you should, naturally, wear red.[/q]
What about pink? ::help::
Actually, the ushers at the Wacko handed them to you as you walked through the door. And they did it for two nights with two different sponsors.
Of course, since the Flyers lost that series, I don't think I've ever seen anybody wearing one since.
[Q]DeltaOne81 Wrote:What about pink? [/q]
Not that there's anything with that.
Does anyone know who provided the large foam fingers for the first game of 2003? From what I remember in Section D, there was a "go big red" foam finger on every seat (numbered bench spot) when I walked in. The large fingers looked quite good while pointing out that their goalie was a sieve. I was wondering who thought of this idea and then who paid for it. I personally thought it was a great idea. I've brought my finger to every game since and have been asked multiple times where I bought it...I guess they don't sell them at the campus store, you just had to be at that game.
By the way, although the opposing team can hear the faithful, they rarely actually look up into the stands. The only time that a majority of the opposing team does let themselves lose focus is during the newspapers at the beginning of the game. Most of them can't help glancing up at the sea of Cornell Daily Suns. Another uniform visual distraction in the entire rink might be a great idea. Now, if only Snapple would sponsor terrible red towels and play one less commercial with Jim and his keyboard over the radio...
[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:
Actually, the ushers at the Wacko handed them to you as you walked through the door. And they did it for two nights with two different sponsors.
Of course, since the Flyers lost that series, I don't think I've ever seen anybody wearing one since.[/q]"The Wacko" is the best nickname for a venue I've heard in a long time. B-]
[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:
Of course, since the Flyers lost that series, I don't think I've ever seen anybody wearing one since.[/q]
I wear my Orange Crush shirt now and then. Here in LA, nobody understands what it means.
the only one allowed to where pink in lynah is steve silverthorn
[Q]jmh30 Wrote:
"The Wacko" is the best nickname for a venue I've heard in a long time. [/q]
Better than its previous name "The F.U. Center"?
Somebody brought the towel idea up for the Frozen Four two years ago, but I don't think anything really came of it. I'm not wild about it (how many home playoff games have the Steelers lost over the last ten years again?), but I do wish more people would wear red and/or white at Lynah.
As far as getting the university behind any marketing, they've twice promoted the Scholkopf Sell-out (unsuccessfully once, not sure how the second one turned out). So I don't think they'd dismiss the idea as easily as some people have suggested.
[Q]jtwcornell91 wrote:
On the other hand, I still think it'd be cool to have red-and-white Cornell Hockey fan scarves in the style used by European soccer and hockey clubs. I've been seeing more of those Stateside lately, e.g., for USA Soccer, and several of the Union parents had Union College scarves in that style.
[/Q]
The European soccer scarves idea is an excellent one. The soccer fans (at least in Paris, which I have to admit is the only place I've seen a European soccer game) are downright fanatical, and we could really learn a few things from them (except for maybe the whole thing about lighting fires in the stands and people dying in stampedes and all that stuff). They also hold up their scarves at particular points during the game, like when they're singing a particular song, and that makes entire sections of their fans look amazing. So, if we somehow adopt the scarf idea, I'd suggest that a new tradition gets introduced, where the scarves are held up during a particular song or chant.
What's even nicer about the scarf idea is that hockey is a winter sport, so it makes even more sense than wearing scarves for soccer, which traditionally takes a hiatus during the winter months (when you actually need a scarf).
[Q]Luke 05 wrote:
A smattering of Union fans had the scarves on saturday. I was not that impressed.
[/Q]
It probably wasn't impressive because it was only a smattering. And heck, it was Union. I mean, come on. Union sucks.
[Q]billhoward wrote:
All-red is a good idea provided we're not playing BU or Union or Wisconsin ... or perhaps BC or Harvard or someone else with a reddish-cast school color.
[/Q]
Speaking of Union, I imagine billhoward is referring to fellow Capital District team RPI. Union wears some sort of bluish and maroon number, if I remember correctly, whereas RPI wears red.
But in the meantime, the C of Red idea is also a perfectly good one, and I don't really see why it wouldn't work. As someone said above, circulating the word through dorms and across campus and over the airwaves would probably do the trick.