As a Gonzaga student, it's hard to say this...but I can't take it anymore:
The Kennel Club this season is lazy, quiet, unenthusiastic, and dissapointing.
In fact, I left tonight's LMU game furious because I needed to get this off my chest. Read on for "The State of the Kennel Club" and solutions to this huge problem.
Gonzaga students-
My first Gonzaga basketball game was a truly unforgettable experience. The MAC was sold-out, I had 1000+ rabid students at my back, and when Zombie Nation began I knew that The Kennel was a special place. And it got better game after game.
This year started weak, hit mid-season weak, and is still weak. Students behind the fifth row don't cheer, yell, clap, stomp, or jump. It takes a cheer three or four repetitions before anybody joins in. And when they do join in, the rhythm is way off, not to mention nearly silent.
So what's the problem? Students either a) don't know their cheers, or b) aren't giving any effort.
For the students that don't know their cheers, here is a list of common Kennel Club chants:
Offense: Score Zags Score, Let's Go Zags, Here We Go Bulldogs Here We Go, Go Gonzaga G-o-n-za-ga, We Are GU.
Defense: AAAAAAHHHHHHH, Defense Bulldogs Defense, D-D-D Defense, Defense (clap clap).
At Ref: That Ref Sucks, Take His Whistle, Bulls**t (it's a family venue...so don't), What/what?
Foul Against Opponents: YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU Onnnn YOU (b**ch...again, stop it), You Can't Do That
But here's the strange thing: at the Portland game, a section of 200-ish students was louder, more coordinated, and knew their cheers better then tonight's 1,200 kid KC. Why? Because the UP game was during break, so only fans who REALLY care attended...there were few, if any, students who weren't going bonkers.
So that means that during the regular season the KC is mostly made up of kids who just go to the game and watch. Even the kids I sat next to tonight didn't say a word...and we were in the third row. I felt like I was at a Whitworth girl's game.
The solution? Firstly, if you don't plan on losing your voice from screaming at the top of your lungs, either sit in the back rows or watch the game on TV. If you're going to spend the night outside waiting for great seats, make sure that you're up to the challenge of leading/inspiring 1200 college students to scare the crap out of the visitors.
If kids don't know their cheers, spend the 90 minutes before tip-off practicing so we can be coordinated. That's up to the Kennel Board if they care enough to organize it.
Remember the WSU game last season where we all burned Cougar jerseys outside, went nuts, and cheered the Zags back from a 15-point deficit to win the game? I couldn't hear for an hour after the final buzzer...that's what most games last year were like.
The Kennel was, before this season, one of the hardest places to play in America. But watching LMU play right now, they aren't intimidated by The Kennel at all.That can change if we all come together to strike fear into the hearts of our opponents by cheering until we lose our voices, jump until we sweat, swear until our mothers would be embarrassed, and inspire the Zags until they're once again unbeatable in the MAC. We can do it...I've seen it in previous years.
Make it happen!