2008 Woodie Awards
Calling All Raider Fans
Jessica Slenker
Issue date: 9/9/05 Section: Commentary
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Colgate is rich. Not necessarily monetarily speaking, but rich in the sense of tradition and pride. I have long thought of our school as one of the most spirited and boisterous around, a campus where students are excited to tailgate at sporting events with friends, heckle from the stands and let opposing teams know when it's time to "warm up the bus."
If you look through past issues of The Maroon-News or Salmagundi, some of the most classic Colgate pictures are ones taken during snowy football games, rowdy hockey matches and championship swim meets. You will find that the stadiums and fields in these pictures are packed with maroon-clad students waving flags, holding posters and simply having a good time. But judging by the lack of student support at Saturday's football game, pictures like these may become harder to find.
Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, hot, sunny and perfect for taking in an afternoon game with friends. Considering it was the first game of the year, I guess I expected the stands to be filled with students ready to unleash Raider spirit. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The crowd was sizeable at kick-off, but it dwindled steadily as each quarter passed. I was not the first to realize the poor showing of support, but was alerted after a couple sitting in front of me who asked, "Where are all of the students?" I scanned the rows to find most seats occupied by alumni, parents and children, with the occasional grouping of Colgate kids. The end zone bleachers, where some of the best and most chaotic cheering usually goes on, emptied out after the first quarter - it turns out a party across the street was more important.
Being an athlete, but more importantly a student invested in the spirit of Colgate, I was disappointed in the way we represented our team and our school. I understand the game wasn't the most exciting (although I almost had a heart attack in the game's final minute), but our participation and attendance in general over the last few sports seasons has been pathetic. Downright sad. NCAA and Patriot League statistics support this claim, as we were nabbed with the lowest attendance rate in all of Division-I for men's basketball games last year. From women's hockey to men's track, volleyball to tennis, how is it that we cannot find time to show up and show our pride?
If you look through past issues of The Maroon-News or Salmagundi, some of the most classic Colgate pictures are ones taken during snowy football games, rowdy hockey matches and championship swim meets. You will find that the stadiums and fields in these pictures are packed with maroon-clad students waving flags, holding posters and simply having a good time. But judging by the lack of student support at Saturday's football game, pictures like these may become harder to find.
Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, hot, sunny and perfect for taking in an afternoon game with friends. Considering it was the first game of the year, I guess I expected the stands to be filled with students ready to unleash Raider spirit. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The crowd was sizeable at kick-off, but it dwindled steadily as each quarter passed. I was not the first to realize the poor showing of support, but was alerted after a couple sitting in front of me who asked, "Where are all of the students?" I scanned the rows to find most seats occupied by alumni, parents and children, with the occasional grouping of Colgate kids. The end zone bleachers, where some of the best and most chaotic cheering usually goes on, emptied out after the first quarter - it turns out a party across the street was more important.
Being an athlete, but more importantly a student invested in the spirit of Colgate, I was disappointed in the way we represented our team and our school. I understand the game wasn't the most exciting (although I almost had a heart attack in the game's final minute), but our participation and attendance in general over the last few sports seasons has been pathetic. Downright sad. NCAA and Patriot League statistics support this claim, as we were nabbed with the lowest attendance rate in all of Division-I for men's basketball games last year. From women's hockey to men's track, volleyball to tennis, how is it that we cannot find time to show up and show our pride?