Separate ushers-vs.-fans game thread?

[billhoward]

Having successfully separated the lengthy game thread (Post: GOALLL! Post: Who? Post: Seminoff, I think. Post: LGR, just 1:32 left. Post: Oh no!!!!!) from the postgame thread, it almost seems as if we need a third thread about the antics of the ushers to keep that separate from the why-we-won (or didn't) and who played well (or not) discussion. That seems to be nearly half the post-game thread on Wayne State. How tough and mean-spirited are the ushers (in their role as enforcers of force majeure)?

It would be good to hear from Lynah-attending alumni of the past decade who may have a more dispassionate view but aren't that far removed. Has fear of expressing onself really invaded the rink, or are the ushers trying to bring a civilizing influence to the Lynah atmosphere?

And for extra credit: Is sucks really such a bad word? To a lot of people, it has become a catch-all for "I don't like it" and seems for a long time to have become apart from any suggestive or sexual connotation. (Like Ari's terse summary of Wayne State Game 2: "Didnt suck as much as yesterday but still sucked" http://elf.elynah.com/read.php?1,103490,103523#msg-103523) "Sucks" didn't make George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words Usage is trending younger. If there isn't, there probably will be a Raffi song, "Kindergarten sucks." So far, Barney is probably going to lay low on this one.

[kaelistus]

I don't know the degree of what's going on, but all I have to say is that the Athletics administration has, over as many years as I've seen them, done everything they can to make Cornell Athletics an unfriendly place to be.

Hence my 5 year old sig:

[jtwcornell91]

[quote billhoward]"Sucks" didn't make George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words[/quote]

Neither did "asshole", while "piss" did, so maybe that's not the best barometer.

[CKinsland]

Well, lest the students think they are singled out for usher issues...

I sit over in H (so townie side) in row 2.  The guy in front of me (who has had his seats for 17 years) hits the glass at 4 distinct times in the course of the night 1-3) when the Olympia brand ice-resurfacer comes around, he whacks the glass 2-3 times to get the driver's attention and wave 4) he smacks the glass during the cheering when the team is raising sticks post-game. I've never seen him hit the glass during play or at any other time.

Last night, he was smacking the glass during the cheering at the stick raising ceremony (post-game, remember) and the usher came down to tell him he had to stop.  I'm thinking, "or what, are you going to throw him out?...the game is over").  

CK

[oceanst41]

I've been a graduate for just a few months now, and it already sounds like Lynah is far worse for cheering than I ever remember it.

I was talked to once for saying something, my sophomore year, for the whole group of friends using the "see ya" chant to its full extent. After that ushers pretty much left us alone, although you could always see them perk up during penalties and Gary Glitter. The only time they ever came down to discuss our conduct was to tell us to not touch the glass and not block the walkway below the first row (as we always had front row seats).

Now it seems like any time a loud individual opens their mouth during a quiet moment they are getting repremanded. I'm shocked Andy's head didn't explode while Nickerson was at Cornell for 4 straight home games.

So what is the change since? Is Cornell athletics trying to keep their image clean for the national...er local...er "All-Access" broadcasts?

[reilly83]

This same usher really rubbed us the wrong way this weekend, too.  We've have been sitting in the same seats for nearly 20 years, and so have most of the people around us.  I KNOW WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO SIT, DAMMIT.  We were about the only people in the whole section, an hour before the game started, and she felt the need to scrutinize our tickets, and then re-examine them every time we came in and out of the section.  And then lecture about the possibility that some people in part of Section G might be standing, duh. (And then, fail to keep people from finding their seats in the middle of the row during play.)  For crying out loud, I am too old for this and no one wants to sneak into section H anyway!

I can't really figure out exactly why she made me so mad, but she did.

Maybe its because the usher before last bothered to know the season ticket holders in his section.  Maybe it's because I am still really pissed off about being patted down for fish for the first time.  Is keeping fish out really so important that some stranger has to touch me? I am frickin' 45 years old and I sit behind a 30 foot high net, for cripe's sake!  I VOTE FOR PROFILING!  Give me another glass of wine and I'll tell you what I really think :-)

[BMac]

As a junior in his third year, sitting in the exact same place as last year (row 6, Section A, on the B-side aisle), yes, it is totally different from last year. I can no longer do my "blunt instrument" routine of being the loudest guy in the section just filling in noise that disturbs their players.

EVERY time the puck was on the other side of the ice and we had the goalie to ourselves (and silence) I would tell him that I hated him, or he sucked, or that he's awful, etc. And people would join in. We got quite a few of players last year to acknowledge our annoying-ness, which means we're doing our job correctly.

This year I cannot do it, because any lone voice crying out, no matter how inoffensive, will be stared down. I'm afraid of telling our opponents that they suck. And that's a damn shame.

[RazzBaronZ]

Not that we aren't doing it, but can everybody be as loud as possible the entire game and not give a crap next time to see what happens?  No cursing, no anything.  Just be the loud guy(s)/gal(s) in your section.

If people get kicked out simply for being loud, would they be able to plead their case?  I know they can just kick people out at their discretion, but if I'm being louder than others while not cursing or doing anything else that my mom wouldn't want me to do, what right do they have?

Edit: BMac posted at the same time as I did and he sits right behind me...My thoughts exactly: Let's go crazy next game.

Another thought that came to me: are they assuming that if we're being obnoxious and loud that we're not sober or something?  Is there any justification or should I just not bother looking for any method to the madness?

[cth95]

Not having been there this year, I can't fully comment, but it seems to me that if everyone cheered as loud as they could and yelled out all of the chants minus the swear words the ushers would be at a loss.  They could start throwing people out, but if all of the fans kept it up anyway, what could the ushers do?  end up with an empty rink?  If this happened for a couple of games in a row atheletics might get the hint.  I also don't think Schafer and the team would be too happy to see the stadium emptying out over the game.

[RichH]

[quote reilly83]This same usher really rubbed us the wrong way this weekend, too.  We've have been sitting in the same seats for nearly 20 years, and so have most of the people around us.  I KNOW WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO SIT, DAMMIT.  [/quote]

YES!!!  I'm really glad you brought that up, reilly83.  I had to laugh at the annoyance of that lady at the G/H aisle.  Look...I don't mind that the ushers check tickets to make sure the people entering the section have tickets for that section...that is absolutely their job.  But don't make me look like a 2nd grader by proceeding to point out where my seat is exactly with  a 15-second explanation of how to get there.  I didn't ask where my seat was.

Of course, that irritation is such a minor one compared to what's apparently going on in the student section now.  If true, this shouldn't stand.  Fight back with voices and in numbers.  Coach has said throughout his coaching tenure that obscenities are the only thing he objects to and he encouraged the Lynah crowd to be intimidating and loud.

Earlier this season, I showed up a little *too* early, as they weren't taking tickets yet.  As a result, I got to unintentionally observe from a distance the pre-game huddle that Gene had with the ushering crew.  It's somewhat interesting.  A lot of "Andy says..." and "Andy wants..." being thrown around.  So there are marching orders.  It seems that some people handle power differently than others.

[BCrespi]

[quote cth95]I also don't think Schafer and the team would be too happy to see the stadium emptying out over the game.[/quote]

Exactly.  I too haven't made it back to Lynah yet this season, but our own school is clearly trying to remove part of our own home-ice advantage and a major part of the Cornell student experience (besides, it's not like we get to go for free!).

At this point, I think the only thing that could have an impact (independent of the entire student section being LOUD at all times every game) would be to contract in the opinion of someone more respected than (fire) Andy Noel.  While he is a rather busy man at this point, I think it would probably be worth the time of some students to try and reach Schafer some how and express what is really going on here.  It seems much of the vulgarity has been cleaned up (which he would approve of), but now many of the aspects vital to our home-ice advantage (and recruiting strategy to boot) are being taken away.  I think that is a cause Coach might get behind.  While it's probably not the best course of action now, if this facism continues throughout the season it is an avenue worth exploring.

[kaelistus]

facism? I'm not sure if you're using the right word here. How about draconian? That's a much better word.

[BCrespi]

[quote kaelistus]facism? I'm not sure if you're using the right word here. How about draconian? That's a much better word.[/quote]

Fine then. Insert oppressive -ism of your choice.  You get the point. The only -ism we dealt with in Natural Resources was "environmentalism" and that's definitely a made-up word, I don't care what anybody says.

[fullofgas]

This creepy, power hungry lady will not let anyone go out the doors opposite the stairs at the end of each period.  She says we will not be let back in.  So they force us to walk into the bottleneck that occurs at the top of section j or k where the concourse ends and we must go back into the rink to then exit out of the main doors.  Why do they feel the need to plaster our hands with ink that takes three days to wash off if they won't let us exit thru the most convenient doors possible?  What possible harm would it do to let people out of those doors (especially when most of the ushers are happy to let people out there!)?

[oceanst41]

Well I plan on coming back for a game this year, maybe SHU, and I plan on bringing back some love if this is the case.

I mean I'd love to have some chippy defensman come visit Lynah again if he will take 5 penalties a game by himself. And I'll let the visiting goaltender know how much I love his ability to allow 6 or 7 goals in a game (not so out of the question with this team anymore).

Could they really throw me out for telling the opponents I love how great (read: poorly) they are playing that night?

Or maybe Andy just wants the students to drink until they can't feel feelings anymore...