Terrible Red Towels

[Faithful07]

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?

[Beeeej]

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

[jtwcornell91]

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.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

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.

[Beeeej]

True, Jeff, true.

Beeeej

[KeithK]

Blech.

[Nathan Chicowdy 92]

Tampa Bay can have their towels.
We should stick with wit and fish.

[RichH]

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.  

[calgARI '07]

No towels.  How bout doing what the Flames did, "The C of Red" where every single person comes wearing red.

[CUlater 89]

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.

[Faithful07]

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.

[Faithful07]

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.

[Faithful07]

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.

[calgARI '07]

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.  

[Josh '99]

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.