The students have been pissing me off all year long

[Shock Top]

I believe Coach Marshall made it clear tonight he plans to take care of it himself.

Can he coach the student section and the team, at the same time??

He truly is the greatest!! :)

[shockmonster]

But they don't have time. They are there to look good, and are on scholarship to do flips, etc., not do the difficult stuff. Yes, I agree that it isn't a good idea.

[1972Shocker]

Could have an student organization that helps do this.

Hell, pay them, or give them scholarships. Incentivize.

You mean like an official student fan club that offers prizes for attendance at Shocker athletic events?

http://www.thesunflower.com/sports/article_9b9ebf12-6a94-11e4-94df-7777432d24be.html

[RussDaBus]

Ok, here is my take on the student section issue. There are several issues with the section that will/need to be addressed. First let me start by telling how I became involved in WSU shocker basketball. My first game was in 2005/2006 season. The first valley game of the year was against Indiana State. My roommate invited me during Christmas break so I went and was immediately hooked. Since that game, I have been to every home game minus 4 games all of which I was out of the state or country at that time. During these almost 10 years I have always sat in Section 117. I graduated in 2009 but have continued to sit in the section because I absolutely love it. Regarding the tickets being picked up but not used, that has never really been an issue until this year(System needs adjusted). The biggest issue I see is that there is a lack of organization. As some have posted on here, that has to come from the students getting things organized. I am not a student and haven't been for a while now so unfortunately I cannot do much about it. What I can do and actually do at the games is start cheers and chants. My issue is that I shouldn't have to start these cheers and chants. That is what the cheerleaders/yell leaders are for. There are so many times when we get cheers going and then the cheerleaders start doing something completely different. They are supposed to be leaders, not coming in too late and making it sound like a jumbled mess. Some student organization needs to get involved and work with the cheerleaders/yell leaders to get on the same page. I would agree that we are not a very creative section. Also, while I love the band, I agree with Bob Lutz (can't believe I just typed those words) that the band plays the same 5 songs every single game. They could stand to be a little more creative as well.

It does sound like there will be less student tickets available if Marshall has his say and I am ok with that. Clearly it is not working the way it is supposed to. I have full faith that on Saturday with a valley title on the line, Gameday in the house, and Senior afternoon the section will be full and loud. I just wish it was that way every game.

Basically coordination between the students, the band, and the cheerleaders would do wonders. Maybe a class should start up like the class that did the bringgamedaytowichita thing could be a good starting point.

One last thing, this post may sound like I am bashing the student section. I am not. I love sitting in the section and really as a 30 year old should be moving on but I can't bring myself to doing that. Just trying to offer some input to try and help make the section the best it can be for my alma mater.

I would also love to see the rest of the crowd not leaving early and being a little more involved out of their seat when the team really needs it. Not just when things are going well and we are on a big run or something.

Go Shocks! I will hang up and listen off the air!

[Rosewood]

How about, instead of complaining about thes issue, why not propose some solutions?
We all know the issue. Now, how do we amend it?

I did. One of the firsts things I said was to own it and stop making excuses. You had one of the first replies with blaming Don Hall. Yes, he is cheesy as all hell and doesn't help. But it doesn't matter. If students cant be bothered to cheer and yell when the Ashely home furniture shoot out is going on and ignore him like every other adult than they don't deserve to even be in shitty end zone seats.

[ShockerPhi]

I think there may be a few factors all playing out at once here that are causing this.

1. All these freshman living on campus now. They can make the 2 minute walk over to Koch Arena, grab every ticket available and maybe go to a game or try to sell them. This is the thing that pisses me off the absolute most. I have to stand in line forever to get tickets with the risk of them selling out, only to find out there's 100 empty seats at said game.

2. The undefeated season last year + lackluster competition. It's a terrible excuse I know, but my generation isn't the brightest. But I'm thinking that since we didn't lose last year, and this year we just continue to blow out our meager competition, some people would just rather not make the hassle to go. (Believe it or not, you still have to get to the game really early to get a good spot, even though it doesn't completely fill up.) Now I can 100% GUARANTEE YOU that we will be filled to the top on Saturday and loud and rowdy, because we actually have competition. Another example would be that a few years ago when we weren't head and shoulders above the majority of the MVC, our student section was actually pretty good because the competition was more level. Made for more exciting games. I dunno, this could be a factor.

3. Too many games available for pickup at once. In the beginning of January, they took HCGM's advice and made only one available at a time, and I think it was working for a few games. Then they stopped and the last 2 pick up dates have had multiple tickets available and the attendance dropped again. I think if they just make 1 game available per pick up date AND over sell it, then maybe we can start getting better attendance again. But this is all thought for next year now.

Sorry for my fellow, dumb-ass students. I hate them all as much as you do.

[Rosewood]

Was this thread started because 3G tore the students a new one on his show tonight?

I've been making comments about this all year long. I liked when I sent out a picture on Insta and GoShockers Favorited before they realized it was a picture of empty student seats and then took away their fav. As I traveled the city today a number of people brought it up. Two Jayhawk fans said "We will have more KU students at K-State than you had at a home game." Obviously not true but his blatant troll is what made me want to blatantly troll the students. Then when HCGM once again said something I decided to hell with it and posted.

[Rosewood]

Maybe they could hire a student section cheer coach to help out.

Isn't that what those boys and girls in the outfits on the edges of the courts are for?

[shockmonster]

Isn't that what those boys and girls in the outfits on the edges of the courts are for?

I actually said it as a sarcastic comment.

[1972Shocker]

1. All these freshman living on campus now. They can make the 2 minute walk over to Koch Arena, grab every ticket available and maybe go to a game or try to sell them. This is the thing that pisses me off the absolute most. I have to stand in line forever to get tickets with the risk of them selling out, only to find out there's 100 empty seats at said game.

Are there really more residents living on campus now? Or is it that it is just that Shocker Hall is just more conventiently located to Koch Arena than WheatShocker Apartmernts were. I don't think Shocker Hall really gained any on campus beds though. More or less just replaced what was lost in WheatShocker and Brennan Hall and the downsizing of Fairmount Towers.

Could be because of the convenience more of these students are picking up tickets hoping to sell them and they all aren't getting that done.

[shoxlax]

The students and the corporate seatsuckers alternate as the bane of my existence but it seems like after HCGM chastised the businesses that had seats that were empty during the games, they started becoming consistently filled. This is at least strike two for the students and poor organization or not, there will be seats taken away.

The student section that does show up needs to come up with something original that is not 30 years old. All it takes is a group of 10-12 creative writers who know basketball to orchestrate a game program full of heckles and cued up chorus lines of ridicule towards the opponent.

Hell, the sign ideas we came up with in about 24 hours were glorious and mostly original. Not too much to ask the same of the student fans, is it?

[ShockerPhi]

Are there really more residents living on campus now? Or is it that it is just that Shocker Hall is just more conventiently located to Koch Arena than WheatShocker Apartmernts were. I don't think Shocker Hall really gained any on campus beds though. More or less just replaced what was lost in WheatShocker and Brennan Hall and the downsizing of Fairmount Towers.

Could be because of the convenience more of these students are picking up tickets hoping to sell them and they all aren't getting that done.

Well for one thing, Shocker Hall is 4 times closer than Wheatshocker ever was. So with students both at Fairmount AND Shocker Hall, it just makes for more students much closer that can pick them up and go back to bed or whatever.

[1972Shocker]

Well for one thing, Shocker Hall is 4 times closer than Wheatshocker ever was. So with students both at Fairmount AND Shocker Hall, it just makes for more students much closer that can pick them up and go back to bed or whatever.

Yes, that is what I suggested was the case. Not a big growth in residents.

[Shock Top]

You mean like an official student fan club that offers prizes for attendance at Shocker athletic events?

http://www.thesunflower.com/sports/article_9b9ebf12-6a94-11e4-94df-7777432d24be.html

No, not a fan club (thought they could improve on that as well).

More like an organization that leads what goes on during the game. They can have an executive board an everything. just like SGA, SAC, Greek houses, etc.

[Shock Top]

I did. One of the firsts things I said was to own it and stop making excuses. You had one of the first replies with blaming Don Hall. Yes, he is cheesy as all hell and doesn't help. But it doesn't matter. If students cant be bothered to cheer and yell when the Ashely home furniture shoot out is going on and ignore him like every other adult than they don't deserve to even be in shitty end zone seats.

That comment wasn't direct at you. Just the ones who say "students suck" and move on.

I'm not necessarily blaming Don Hall either. It's not his fault he has to do those promotional games. The thing is though; we he starts talking and has to do one of those silly deals, it sucks all the energy out of the arena (students and all fans alike).

When KSU started taking over tonight, they didn't do any of those stupid games or throw out t-shits. They blared the $#!t out of "Sandstorm" and jumped up and down and cheered "EFF KU"! (Hard to do that when you MC is on the mic commentating on a washing machine carnival game)