How To Be a Good Fan

[RichS]

yeah, because cornell didn't win it...lol.   Seems to have acquired a bit more meaning in more recent years.  :-D

[Brian]

"When finished with this guide please dispose of in the proper receptacle," sounds like the email sent by an executive at Arthur Andersen to Enron!::moon::

[Josh '99]

[Q]RichS Wrote:Seems to have acquired a bit more meaning in more recent years.   [/q]I dunno, Rich.  The left-hand side of my screen calls it the "Cleary Jell-O Mold" at the moment.  I think it said "Cleary Pisspot" on my last click.

[billhoward]

Now Clarkson fans once again learn the reality that a gracious loser is still a, ah, loser.

Clarkson/St. Lawrence seem to share a couple ECAC RS or postseason titles every ten years, then go into never-neverland.

[DeltaOne81]

[Q]RichS Wrote:
Seems to have acquired a bit more meaning in more recent years.   [/q]
"Cleary Spittoon" on mine - very clever, Age, with that random script to show the alternate names. How technology improves our lives every day B-]

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]peterg Wrote:

 I have to agree with RichS - it's kind of sad that this was necessary at Clarkson.  I can remember a trip up around 1980 or 1981.  Brian Hayward was in net.  He'll still tell you he can hear that bell.  It was a horrible result (a 10-3 loss, or maybe 12-2? - just horrible), but the atmosphere in the old rink was incredible.  Oh, and that bell.  The crowd needed no prompting and it was as tough a place to play as any - I dare say as tough or tougher than Lynah was then or is now.  Did I mention the bell?[/q]

At least the bell is being used again.  There were a couple of years there when the boys from DSP seemed to be falling down on the job.

And as I've said before, if Tech ever wins the national title, that damn bell had better ring for 24 hours straight.

[CUlater 89]

[Q]Will Wrote:

 But did we give out cheer sheets those years?[/q]

Cheer sheets were given out in the past 20 years, several times, by the boosters, the band and by interested fans.  I have a couple, including one from a Harvard game, when the fans had clearly forgotten the special Harvard cheers and the band needed to remind them of the words.

And there have been plenty of times over the past 20 years when the Faithful have been bad (and tasteless) sports after losing at Lynah.

It's easy to laugh at others when things are going as well as they are for our hockey program now.

[CUlater 89]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:

 you know, this sorta thing (cheer sheet) reminds me (in principle) of the whole duke cheer sheets mess. i hand it to the cam' crazies, they're very creative. most amusing recent escapade: maryland player nick caner-medley was arrested for a drunken fight, and he reportedly screamed out "you can't beat me, i'm from maryland" as he was taken away in cuffs. at the next game, the sheets indicated the info to all the students, and in rounds the two halves of the stadium commenced "i'm from maryland" and "you can't beat me." that's too good. some other game, a guy came dressed in a huge milk carton: missing jumpshot.

[/q]

Of course, the Maryland fans got their revenge: http://www.diamondbackonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/01/28/41f9ca982b370

[Robb]

[Q]Among other drivel, RichS wrote:
Oh please...as if the faithful don't treat visting fans in similar fashion? I've experienced it myself. [/Q]

As usual, RichS shows up only to miss the point.  Nobody was complaining that the cheer sheets called for behavior that crossed the line - in fact, quite the opposite: we were laughing at how weak the called-for cheers were.  When I go to Clarkson, I expect to be verbally abused 10x worse than anything that was printed on those sheets.  Anything less, and you're hardly trying!

Let me spell it out for you:

Cool List:
Heckling opposing team
Heckling opposing fans
Spontaneous and creative cheers
Cheering a dominating performance by an opposing player
Gathering over a beer with opposing fans after a game
Having an annoying goddam bell that annoys the hell out of opposing fans

Lame List:
Passing out cheer sheets that have weak cheers on them
Not knowing the words to your school's alma mater
Crossing the line with opposing fans (spitballs, threats, physicality)

[ugarte]

[Q]RichS Wrote:

 yeah, because cornell didn't win it...lol.   Seems to have acquired a bit more meaning in more recent years.   [/q]I, with Age, am calling bullshit on this. Nobody here calls us ECAC Champions because of the Cleary. We like regular season success because it demonstrates the quality of the team but we don't pretend that it means as much as the tournament. I remember the roundtable and every time Clarkson honked the tournament we had to have the same debate about what "champion" meant.

Our Red Are AWESOME!!!

[Scersk '97]

[Q]Robb Wrote:
Cool List:
Spontaneous and creative cheers
[/q]

Addition:

Passing out a cheer sheet with creative cheers to counteract the ubiquity of "[Opposing team] sucks!"

If Clarkson's cheer sheet is lame, then show them up.  Everyone knows that good taunting, like good comedy, requires equal parts preparation and spontaneity.

[daredevilcu]

I'm prepared to take the hate... but here's a perspective from a Clarkson fan.

Seriously... if you are trying to call Clarkson not creative, I think you need to look at your own.  Your cheers haven't changed in how long?  I understand that some are tradition and that's great, but when you say "Clarkson... SUCKS" ad nauseum (to the tune of 15 times in the first period, we counted) then it's time to think up something new.

I thought "Drive home, find a gorge, jump right in" was fairly creative, and don't worry, we keep adding verses to your alma mater (new one added last year).  I'll be seeing the Lynah Faithful again for the 2nd round of the ECAC playoffs regardless of Clarkson vs Union (living in Ithaca and being on spring break I need something to do).  I'll keep track of your cheers and let you know how much more or less creative you were than Clarkson.

Also, keep in mind that nobody's student section gets into it, INCLUDING the Lynah Faithful, when they're getting killed.  From what I hear, Game 3 of last year's playoffs at Lynah was pretty dead, except for all of you getting mad at the Clarkson fan with the trumpet.  Regardless of what you thought of him, you gotta admit it takes balls to go to Lynah and do what he did.

With regard to the Karma Bell -- the frat kids who ring it now are idiots.  They tend to ring it at the most inappropriate times (right after we take a penalty), which is why you don't see them as much.  It's considered annoying when not rung appropriately.  If they could give the job to someone other than that frat, which unfortunately they can't, it might be a lot better.

[Trotsky]

[Q]daredevilcu Wrote:
Seriously... if you are trying to call Clarkson not creative, I think you need to look at your own.  Your cheers haven't changed in how long?[/q]

About one game.  The great thing about any creative hockey crowd, whether Lynah or elsewhere, is the spontaneous, one-time-only chants, cheers, jibes, insults, questioning of masculinity (in the case of engineering schools this is superfluous) and irritiating, incessant running commentary.  If you listen at Lynah, there is never quiet or even semi-quiet -- people come up with stuff like flashbulbs going off, randomly, all over the building, in response to any stimulae, no matter how silly or subtle.  Opposing players get ribbed for having their sweaters hang wrong, or for taking a turn or stop awkwardly, or for no reaon at all.  And missed by the opposing fan is the constant hum of positive cheers and chants directed at the home team, and the ubiquitous screamed compliments and appreciations to home players for equally small stuff -- keeping their head up and making a small positional change that blocks off a pass, backing up another guy when he pinches in, or... for no reason at all, but just because they're wearing red.

The en masse, traditional cheers are only a tiny portion of the experience.  If you think Lynah is just "Screw BU, X Too!", you're completely missing the point.

[Beeeej]

[Q]Trotsky Wrote:
 [Q2]daredevilcu Wrote:
Seriously... if you are trying to call Clarkson not creative, I think you need to look at your own.  Your cheers haven't changed in how long?[/Q]
The en masse, traditional cheers are only a tiny portion of the experience.  If you think Lynah is just "Screw BU, X Too!", you're completely missing the point.[/q]

Plus, coming to this board and saying "[Opposing team] Sucks!" is an overused crutch is kind of preaching to the choir.

Beeeej

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]CUlater 89 Wrote:

 [Q2]Will Wrote:

 But did we give out cheer sheets those years?[/Q]
Cheer sheets were given out in the past 20 years, several times, by the boosters, the band and by interested fans.  I have a couple, including one from a Harvard game, when the fans had clearly forgotten the special Harvard cheers and the band needed to remind them of the words.[/q]

I've thought of making up cheer sheets to marshall the locals at far-flung tournaments after the experience of having about two people in the Cornell section at the 1995 Denver Cup http://www.amurgsval.org/squishy/denver.4.c.html#round2 know any of the cheers.

[Q]CUlater 89 Wrote:
It's easy to laugh at others when things are going as well as they are for our hockey program now.[/q]

And Clarkson has certainly been one of the better crowds in their prime.  Vermont may have had bigger loud crowds, but at least Tech has more than one cheer.

But still, "You're a big puss"?  Lame!  Don't call someone a pussy if you're not willing to say the word.