Kurt wrote:
 
     >4.  Preparation.  Yes, the fans at other schools are better prepared,
     >particularly Cornell and Vermont.  At Vermont, during the play-down
     >round in 1992 Pete Ungaro and I (the WRPI crew that night, along
     >with Pete's then-girlfriend, Pam the She-Nazi) were amazed that the
     >student section was filled 45 minutes BEFORE the puck dropped. That's
     >how seriously they took their job(?).  Next RPI home game,
     >watch how many students are still filtering in as the announcer
     >starts the opening proceedings.  Also, many schools, and I'll cite
     >Cornell and Vermont again, perform their cheers and rituals so well
     >they must practice them.  Excellent organization on the students'
     >part would produce a much better result overall.  Ask yourself what
     >little things happen at an RPI game the average person wouldn't know.
     >Except for the "Sieve" chant following a goal and the "You suck" when
     >the opposition is introduced, nothing really happens.  Go to Vermont
     >and Cornell to see how it should be done.
 
     Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think at many other
     schools, the student seating is general admission.  This gives the
     students a HUGE incentive to get there early.  As an example, I was
     just at the Maryland-Carolina basketball game on Tuesday.  The game
     was at 9:00pm.  There were already 2,000 students lined up outside
     Cole Field House when the doors opened up at 5:30.  All ~4,000 student
     seats were filled by the time the regular ticket doors opened at 7:30.
     With assigned seating, why should anyone get there before opening
     linups?  Or, at worst, before team warmups?  Nothing really happens
     before warmups, anyway.
 
     Things that happen at an RPI game:  Yelling "PHONE!" when the press
     phone rings; yelling "HALFTIME!" at 10:00 of the second period; the
     "seive-funnel-vacuum-black hole" cheer; yelling "AWWWW SHIT!!" at
     EVERY close missed scoring opportunity.
 
     Waiting for the day ESPN picks up the ECAC final four...
 
     Dave / RPI '91
     LET'S GO RED!!