PRIORITY seating. When I wrote about this issue early last semester, it was in reference to the academic arena. This time, the venue is changing, but the basic premise is not. Discussions concerning the improvement of University Hall have begun to take a serious turn in the wake of increased success on the basketball court. In response, Student Council President Joe Bilby and Engineering Rep. Patrick Kelly sponsored a bill late last semester to support several basic seating considerations for the student body.
From the beginning of Bilby's term, this issue has been among his top priorities ("Students request role in basketball arena plans", The Cavalier Daily, April 27, 2000). The main points raised by Council relate to the design of a new arena and the issues of priority and student seating sections. The bill is now being looked over by officials in the Provosts' office who are preparing a response to assure Council that its voice has been heard.
With the basketball season in full swing, now is the time to address the concerns raised by the bill. The current seating situation at University Hall leaves much to be desired and Council's resolution will benefit students as plans for an improved facility begin. But, in order to further affirm the claims staked by Council, students need to go to basketball games in droves, make enough noise to be heard up and down Rt. 29, and carry the team with all the spirit found at Duke or the University of North Carolina.
So far, we're doing well on attendance. Since returning from Winter Break, students heading to U-Hall for games have had to arrive a good hour or so in advance to claim a seat. Everyone knows that getting into upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference match-ups will be a chore, even on the night of Valentine's Day.
Unfortunately, much of this student energy is diffused once inside the arena. Partly due to the poor location of the student section, but more noticeably caused by the lethargy of those sitting there, U-Hall lacks the desirable gameday intensity necessary for a maximum home-court advantage.
It's like Coach Gillen says in his e-mails to the student body: The students need to be the sixth man for the team. The earnest and spirited attempts Gillen makes to peak student involvement in games speaks volumes for the potential he sees in the students. If students show up at games and go nuts no matter who the opponent is, administrators will be more likely to see the value in putting the student section ringside at a new facility.
Instead of acting like work-dazed twenty-somethings, these games are the perfect opportunity for students to relax and leave stress behind. That's right - face paint, goofy hats, orange and blue all over the place - kind of like the Pep Band. Watching the U.Va. game against UNC game last week, I was struck by how every student - the only people visible on TV because they're sitting courtside - was wearing that annoying shade of blue.
I know how distracting it would be if U-Hall was an explosion of orange. Hailing from "Big Orange Country," I grew up watching University of Tennessee fans brazenly embrace their colors. It may not be pretty, but it works. We Vols are famed for our cult-like sense of spirit and enthusiasm, however tacky it may be. No one cares because it's fun and because the team appreciates the show of support.
To get the type of arena and seating that will rival our ACC foes, we have to demonstrate how wild we can be to the people planning, building, and most importantly, funding this project. Since arriving here two years ago, Coach Gillen consistently has demonstrated a firm commitment to Cavalier fans, especially the students. His efforts to build a respectable program and bring hopes of a new arena to life should be rewarded with a strong base of enthusiastic and spirited students.
Granted, our potential to demonstrate such emotion is stifled by the existing seating situation at U-Hall. But, we can do better than just show up for games. There is enough room for more than one "Superfan" and the cheerleaders aren't the only ones who can yell.
We can get up and cheer when the team comes onto the court and stay on our feet until the first basket swishes through the hoop. We can wear as much blue and orange as possible and save the cute party clothes for post-game celebrations. We can humor the Pep Band in their undying efforts to start cheers for the crowd. We can make noise throughout the whole game and not just when the team is on a run.
And when the University builds a new arena, we can come and enjoy the best seats in the house. We'll have them because we've earned them. There's no better place for the sixth man.
(Katherine Martini's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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