The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Really like the changes to the change with the cheerleaders carrying in the MONARCHS flag when the team enters the court before the game. Like some of the new songs the pep band is playing.

The Student Section has NO SPIRIT. There is no unity. There are no chants. They don't even get excited for the O. D. U chant. Or MONARCHS fight song. the turn out was good but they do not create a hostile environment. They have no passion for cheering. Bring back the jean vest guy or someone to get them organized.

Yep - pretty poor. As a student that was around during the better years (jean vest, monarch manaics, etc.) this is always pretty depressing to see.

The university needs to appoint some resources to get them in better shape.

I was thinking a good idea would be to allocate 50$ per game to award a gift card to the "student fan of the game" whoever makes the most noise/looks the best/whatever. They seem to respond to prizes (t-shirts, gift card, other swag).

I'm a graduate student now, but still sit in that section (because....free tickets). Would certainly be willing to work towards a better environment, but need some willing participants from here. Any current students/recent alums interested?

Give awards to groups showing the best support, like at the Stihl Classic. You get better showing that to a single person.

Overall the atmosphere was very good for the game.

I would get the Big Guy who challenged the Super Fan a job and let him do a lot of the things Super Fan does. He has the tools to do a very good job.

(11-17-2014 09:28 AM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  Give awards to groups showing the best support, like at the Stihl Classic. You get better showing that to a single person.

Overall the atmosphere was very good for the game.

I would get the Big Guy who challenged the Super Fan a job and let him do a lot of the things Super Fan does. He has the tools to do a very good job.

Agree!! Get that guy and a belt!

Wish we could clone the jean vest guy. Sucks that he grew up.

What is their freaking fascination with Bobby Hollywood?

It's only one game but it looks like they are making some attempt to improve the game experience. The "rap" show at halftime missed the mark, but at least they tried something.

I still don't understand why they can't run student oriented games or contests during halftime. It would solve the student attendance/participation problem and provide some comedic value.

Superfan guy did a great job. There ought to be two of them- one working each side of the Ted.

Why wont our fans clap to our fight song? Every school I have been to its like pavlovs dogs. As soon as they hear their school's fight song they stand and clap. Not ODU, you can barely get asses out of the seats when the team is introduced or when they come on the court. Well, you will know who I am when you see a fat guy standing and clapping to our fight song when the team comes out.
"Victory for Old Dominion" is a catchy fight tune, its original and you can download it off itunes.

"Fight, Old Dominion" is ok, i like how the band has kept it and will still play it. There are words to both tunes, but I dare say our fans should learn them.

(11-17-2014 01:45 PM)TedHead Wrote:  Why wont our fans clap to our fight song? Every school I have been to its like pavlovs dogs. As soon as they hear their school's fight song they stand and clap. Not ODU, you can barely get asses out of the seats when the team is introduced or when they come on the court. Well, you will know who I am when you see a fat guy standing and clapping to our fight song when the team comes out.
"Victory for Old Dominion" is a catchy fight tune, its original and you can download it off itunes.

"Fight, Old Dominion" is ok, i like how the band has kept it and will still play it. There are words to both tunes, but I dare say our fans should learn them.

I feel like I'm the only person in the world that knows the words to Victory for Old Dominion, Fight Old Dominion, and the Alma Mater.

But you were in the band - so a bit unfair there.

haha.

I do know the Alma Mater. Not the others though.

To echo others - yes...some kind of student promos is a must.

When I was an undergrad we had giveaways every game - tshirts, jerseys, hat, etc...then there were in game giveaways - pizza, better seats, timeout challenges (shooting challenge, free throws, layup contest).

There were season long contests - every game attended gets an entry to win a new car, certain number of games gets you a signed basketball, etc.

The cheerleaders used to actually LEAD cheers....i noticed at the game on Saturday that they did not start a single DEFENSE chant, no O-D-U, no lets go monarchs, no nothing. What is their purpose if they will not lead cheers?

Additionally, the band looked totally disinterested during play. Lots of texting, turning around and chatting with friends, and the like. Not that those things are inherently bad, but the band should be leading the way with student section participation - beginning noise, jumping up and down, doing chants....

if our own university sponsored organizations (band, cheerleaders, monarch maniacs) are not going to up the atmosphere game, how do we expect the students to? there is no leadership.

I've been saying for years......we should copy vcu's system of rewards and give aways.

Sure it's like bribing these kids to show up, but guess what, it also works!

Of course the irony of vcu's program is that college kids get paid rewards to show up and watch the basketball team but the same team can't get any rewards for playing or they would be suspended by the NCAA. So instead the team resorts to stealing things like briante weber.

Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

It's really just leadership. People and fans will do what they are told to do and what they are encouraged to do. What the ODU admin has never understood is that atmosphere is manufactured. Super Fan is a perfect point. If someone leads - people will follow. If they want people to stand and clap to the school song - which at least every alumni an student should do without prompt - they need to have the PA announcer or an actual "cheer leader" tell the crowd what to do. "Alumni and Students - Now Let's Stand and Clap to Our School Song as We Welcome The Old Dominion University Men's Basketball Team". People will do it. Great atmospheres in college and pro sports are completely manufactured. Schools with great cheer traditions TEACH those traditions to their students - that's how they become traditions. We do that to our students with Ice Cream and Cake - something I personally abhor as it has nothing to do with ODU. But - our administration for some reason has chosen to teach this to our students and it's the most active participation you will get from our student section. It was taught and manufactured. If they would teach more cheers/chants - we would get more than Ice Cream & Cake. I grew up in the mid-West, some of the best fan bases in the nation. I remember as a kid going to a Purdue basketball game - they were playing Iowa and it was on National TV. Ushers and University staff ushered everybody out of the hallways and into the arena. The PA announcer told the crowd the 15, 10, 5 minute countdown to game time. At the minute mark they told the crown to stand and cheer and told them we will be welcoming the nation into Mackey Arena - Let's Give them a Boilermaker welcome. It was a frenzy when the clock got to zero and when you were at home watching on TV you saw Brent Musberger say " We Are Live at Mackey Arena the Home of the Purdue Boilermakers....." It was loud and impressive. That incredible college hoops atmosphere didn't just happen - it was manufactured. I'll end this long post by complimenting the band director at VCU - another example of leading the fans - instructing the fans and students and creating an atmosphere. It doesn't just happen - it has to be taught and instilled and led and manufactured. That's how an incredible college sports environment is created.

(11-17-2014 04:10 PM)MonarchsWon Wrote:  It's really just leadership. People and fans will do what they are told to do and what they are encouraged to do. What the ODU admin has never understood is that atmosphere is manufactured. Super Fan is a perfect point. If someone leads - people will follow. If they want people to stand and clap to the school song - which at least every alumni an student should do without prompt - they need to have the PA announcer or an actual "cheer leader" tell the crowd what to do. "Alumni and Students - Now Let's Stand and Clap to Our School Song as We Welcome The Old Dominion University Men's Basketball Team". People will do it. Great atmospheres in college and pro sports are completely manufactured. Schools with great cheer traditions TEACH those traditions to their students - that's how they become traditions. We do that to our students with Ice Cream and Cake - something I personally abhor as it has nothing to do with ODU. But - our administration for some reason has chosen to teach this to our students and it's the most active participation you will get from our student section. It was taught and manufactured. If they would teach more cheers/chants - we would get more than Ice Cream & Cake. I grew up in the mid-West, some of the best fan bases in the nation. I remember as a kid going to a Purdue basketball game - they were playing Iowa and it was on National TV. Ushers and University staff ushered everybody out of the hallways and into the arena. The PA announcer told the crowd the 15, 10, 5 minute countdown to game time. At the minute mark they told the crown to stand and cheer and told them we will be welcoming the nation into Mackey Arena - Let's Give them a Boilermaker welcome. It was a frenzy when the clock got to zero and when you were at home watching on TV you saw Brent Musberger say " We Are Live at Mackey Arena the Home of the Purdue Boilermakers....." It was loud and impressive. That incredible college hoops atmosphere didn't just happen - it was manufactured. I'll end this long post by complimenting the band director at VCU - another example of leading the fans - instructing the fans and students and creating an atmosphere. It doesn't just happen - it has to be taught and instilled and led and manufactured. That's how an incredible college sports environment is created.

Great post. Thank you for your thoughtful input.

(11-17-2014 04:10 PM)MonarchsWon Wrote:  It's really just leadership. People and fans will do what they are told to do and what they are encouraged to do. What the ODU admin has never understood is that atmosphere is manufactured. Super Fan is a perfect point. If someone leads - people will follow. If they want people to stand and clap to the school song - which at least every alumni an student should do without prompt - they need to have the PA announcer or an actual "cheer leader" tell the crowd what to do. "Alumni and Students - Now Let's Stand and Clap to Our School Song as We Welcome The Old Dominion University Men's Basketball Team". People will do it. Great atmospheres in college and pro sports are completely manufactured. Schools with great cheer traditions TEACH those traditions to their students - that's how they become traditions. We do that to our students with Ice Cream and Cake - something I personally abhor as it has nothing to do with ODU. But - our administration for some reason has chosen to teach this to our students and it's the most active participation you will get from our student section. It was taught and manufactured. If they would teach more cheers/chants - we would get more than Ice Cream & Cake. I grew up in the mid-West, some of the best fan bases in the nation. I remember as a kid going to a Purdue basketball game - they were playing Iowa and it was on National TV. Ushers and University staff ushered everybody out of the hallways and into the arena. The PA announcer told the crowd the 15, 10, 5 minute countdown to game time. At the minute mark they told the crown to stand and cheer and told them we will be welcoming the nation into Mackey Arena - Let's Give them a Boilermaker welcome. It was a frenzy when the clock got to zero and when you were at home watching on TV you saw Brent Musberger say " We Are Live at Mackey Arena the Home of the Purdue Boilermakers....." It was loud and impressive. That incredible college hoops atmosphere didn't just happen - it was manufactured. I'll end this long post by complimenting the band director at VCU - another example of leading the fans - instructing the fans and students and creating an atmosphere. It doesn't just happen - it has to be taught and instilled and led and manufactured. That's how an incredible college sports environment is created.

Agree 110%

There is no leadership for the leaders at the games (cheerleaders, band, and others). This will go nowhere without a concentrated effort from Admin, cheerleader sponsor and pep band leaders.

Go Monarchs

It's funny - this conversation comes up every year about this time for the past 5 years or so....someone at the University is PAID to do this job. How are we still getting such poor results? It has been on the steady decline for 5 years - I know our product on the floor has also been in decline, but the overall state of the athletic program is stronger, donor base should be MUCH stronger, and we have more resources than we ever have.

Is there something we can do?

More students make for better game atmosphere, but the athletic department appears to be perfectly happy as long as the big donors are happy. I make this statement because if this were not the case things would change. I find it hard to believe we can't find 500 students out of student body of 20,000 or so to come to a basketball game.

(11-17-2014 04:10 PM)MonarchsWon Wrote:  It's really just leadership. People and fans will do what they are told to do and what they are encouraged to do. What the ODU admin has never understood is that atmosphere is manufactured. Super Fan is a perfect point. If someone leads - people will follow. If they want people to stand and clap to the school song - which at least every alumni an student should do without prompt - they need to have the PA announcer or an actual "cheer leader" tell the crowd what to do. "Alumni and Students - Now Let's Stand and Clap to Our School Song as We Welcome The Old Dominion University Men's Basketball Team". People will do it. Great atmospheres in college and pro sports are completely manufactured. Schools with great cheer traditions TEACH those traditions to their students - that's how they become traditions. We do that to our students with Ice Cream and Cake - something I personally abhor as it has nothing to do with ODU. But - our administration for some reason has chosen to teach this to our students and it's the most active participation you will get from our student section. It was taught and manufactured. If they would teach more cheers/chants - we would get more than Ice Cream & Cake. I grew up in the mid-West, some of the best fan bases in the nation. I remember as a kid going to a Purdue basketball game - they were playing Iowa and it was on National TV. Ushers and University staff ushered everybody out of the hallways and into the arena. The PA announcer told the crowd the 15, 10, 5 minute countdown to game time. At the minute mark they told the crown to stand and cheer and told them we will be welcoming the nation into Mackey Arena - Let's Give them a Boilermaker welcome. It was a frenzy when the clock got to zero and when you were at home watching on TV you saw Brent Musberger say " We Are Live at Mackey Arena the Home of the Purdue Boilermakers....." It was loud and impressive. That incredible college hoops atmosphere didn't just happen - it was manufactured. I'll end this long post by complimenting the band director at VCU - another example of leading the fans - instructing the fans and students and creating an atmosphere. It doesn't just happen - it has to be taught and instilled and led and manufactured. That's how an incredible college sports environment is created.

This is right on the mark. I think all responsible parties need to look at each event (this includes Football) as a Show. Each show has Directors, Producers and Writers to make it come to life. Jack Ankerson reading from a vanilla script is not the way to go.

Investing in a wireless signal jammer for the Ted would go a long way to at least have the students that do show up pay attention to what is going on.

The Head Knocker that is overseeing this department of ODU needs to be identified and if there is not an overseeier then one needs to be appointed and bring the parties involved together.