I want to start a thread

[eagle60]

Actually, MGQ, there really isn't a difference in function. Football "conferences" traditionally favor that description. There is for example the "National Football League" but it means the same as "conference." Baseball prefers the traditional "league" designation as does soccer.

Aside from dictionary examples and traditions these two names are the same. You might attend a business "conference" for the "League of Women Voters" Some sports and levels of sports have used "conference" as a division of a "league." Such as the Western Conference of the National Football League in the pros.

That's about it! Hope it helps.

[MeanGreenQueen]

Thanks!!

[MootPoint]

Hmm, really weird, but they've always let me sit whereever the heck I want.

[Pierow 2]

Hmm, really weird, but they've always let me sit whereever the heck I want.

You frighten them...

[GreenBrigadeDebbie]

I'm not a student and I have reserved seats by the press seats.  I do feel the students need to be given a larger section(s).  But I don't think athletic officials want them standing and yelling behind the floor seat donors either, and I believe it's against league rules to have them behind the opponents bench. 

I don't want our students to be compared to SMU's classless fans that just heckle the bench, it's better to make loud noise to confuse the players on the floor anyway.  Smart fans know when and who to make noise to!

Maybe the band could be moved to the opposite end of the arena since the cheerleaders are down there too, when they come (did they have a good reason to miss it?).  That would free up another student section.  We need more students at the games, and alums, and must work to keep all happy.

Suree, move the band to the side in which there are no people. If you want the side the cheerleaders are on to be louder, make the cheerleaders go to the stinking game. I am sorry. That is the problem. We have a squad of like 30 cheerleaders and to only have 2-3 show up at games is unacceptable. Make 15-20 cheerleaders (or more) come to the game. And Scrappy was not even at the game Saturday night. That really makes me mad. I understand that sometimes the person who is Scrappy may have a scheduling conflict and can't make it to a game. And that is why you should a couple of "understudies" to fill in. It is completely unacceptable to not have someone dressed as Scrappy at the game.

As far as having our fans behind the visitors' bench, I am in agreement that we do NOT have our fans back there. It is not really fair. Sure it might be to our benefit to distract them, but are we just about winning or are we about winning with dignity and being fair and being hospitable to the opponent? I vote the latter. The rules are there for a reason. We can like them or not. I do like the group that is NEAR the opponents bench. It really distracts them during free throws, but as far as being directly behind the opponents' bench, I think that we should leave that section open to the opponents' fans.

And another thing that makes me mad, is that the Sizzling Seat Contest prize NEVER goes to a student and yet college students probably could benefit from winning the most. I think that the students should at least have a chance of winning, it might encourage more students to come. But right now, the students never win and it really is not fair.

[CO Green]

GreenBrigadeDebbie, do you understand what you are saying? You are having a double standard. It is okay for Scrappy to miss because he might have a scheduling conflict but it isn't ok for cheerleaders. Unlike the band, the cheerleaders get nothing for what they do. In order to support themselves most of the time they have to work. Some of the games that are scheduled, such as last Saturday's game, there were only 4 cheerleaders scheduled to cheer because the other people had to work. Also the reason one of the guys didn't show up was because he injured himself the practice before and couldn't find a replacement. If the cheerleaders were given some sort of stipend or something to defray the costs of education they wouldn't have to work so much and would be more available. Therefore making 15-20 cheerleaders at a basketball game a possibility.

[IronMan4]

CO Green says this:

You are having a double standard. It is okay for Scrappy to miss because he might have a scheduling conflict but it isn't ok for cheerleaders.

Replying to GBDebbie saying this:

It is completely unacceptable to not have someone dressed as Scrappy at the game.

Makes sense.

[CO Green]

The way her post was phrased, it seemed as if she was saying it is ok for Scrappy to have scheduling conflicts and not the cheerleaders.

[Mad Hatter]

In GreenBrigadeDebbie's defense, she did say "It is completely unacceptable to not have someone dressed as Scrappy at the game". Everyone unserstands that every once in a while you're not going to be able to make it to the game, but for basketball that seems more like the rule rather than the exception.

GMG!!!!!

[IronMan4]

The way her post was phrased, it seemed as if she was saying it is ok for Scrappy to have scheduling conflicts and not the cheerleaders.

It is ok for someone to not be able to make every game. That is why there needs to be "backup" Scrappys like there used to be. That was her point.

It is ok if every cheerleader can't make it to every game, but 2 or 3 is pathetic, no matter how many excuses you pull out your hat.

[CaraBear]

If the cheerleaders were given some sort of stipend or something to defray the costs of education they wouldn't have to work so much and would be more available. Therefore making 15-20 cheerleaders at a basketball game a possibility.

Ummmm the dance team still manages to show up and i dont think are given a stipend.

[GreenBrigadeDebbie]

CO Green, I understand that the cheerleaders need to work and pay for school. I am not an idiot. But let's see here. We have a squad of 30 cheerleaders and everyone but 2 or 3 have to work on a consistent basis? And with Scrappy, we should always have someone who can take over for who ever the regular guy is that is Scrappy. Stuff comes up and I understand that all the cheerleaders can't make it to every game. Maybe I misstated my last post. But come on if you think that having 6% of the cheerleading squad at the games is justifiable, come on!!! The dance team makes their financial ends meet and still have most if not the entire squad at most of the games. I am not trying to get the cheerleading squad mad at me. That is the last thing I want to do. But CO Green, try to look at the situation from the average fans' perspective. You go to a basketball game on Saturday with a decent sized crowd and you see 3 cheerleaders and no mascot.

If I offended you CO Green, I am sorry, but I find it somewhat disappointing that we can't get more than 2-3 cheerleaders at a game. But I am stupid either. I understand that the cheerleaders have to work too. But please reread my post again.....

[CO Green]

If you look at those who are on the dance team it is the same people every time. Those that work rarely do a game. Most of the cheerleaders don't have the luxury of not working while they are in school so the only other alternative they have is to work. Granted there are some people on the squad who just don't take their committment seriously, but don't overgeneralize.

[GreenBrigadeDebbie]

I can see why we can't have backups for cheerleaders. But CO Green, can you tell me or find out for me if there are any backups for Scrappy? I understand that the cheeleaders and the person who is Scrappy can't make every game, but the average person has a shot of "being" Scrappy for a game to fill in for the regular Scrappy. So can you find that out for me? I am sure there would be a good number of people on this board who would not mind filling in for the regular Scrappy on the nights he has to miss. (Myself included on this)

[CaraBear]

CO- your comments are ridiculous. So you are saying cheerleaders are the only people at North Texas who have to work? The dance team doesnt have financial obligations? Your acting like they can just show up because they dont have to work for anything. Yes, different members of the dance team are at each game, they have signups for each game, but the difference between them and the cheerleaders is that the dance team ACTUALLY SHOWS UP.

Everyone makes sacrifices to get to the games....even the fans. The fact is, the cheerleading squad is a joke for not showing up to games. Its pathetic and shows absolutely no school spirit.

Go ahead get mad....but its the truth.

Edited February 2, 2004 by CaraBear

[Cerebus]

Everyone play nice. Last warning on this subject.

[MeanGreenQueen]

Sounds and looks like to me that it's an advisor/sponsor/coach's problem. Jennifer Cluttiea (I don't know how to spell her name) is ALWAYS there with the dancers. Where is the cheerleader's director, or whatever you call them? Shouldn't they be the ones making the cheerleaders show up? We are getting onto and yelling at CO Green, but he probably has no control over which cheerleaders go to the games. Now, the turnout for them is RIDICULOUS, but it seems to me that maybe they just need to be told to be there. I think the athletic office should get involved and offer something to them, a reward, or something. I talked to a cheerleader last semester that said that they have to pay for their uniforms!! There's no motivation for them to show up to games if they just flat out don't have to. If they have to work, or need time to do homework, or would rather go out, then why not? They don't get anyhting for being at the game, and no one is making them go..... so, I wouldn't go if I wasn't a fan. If the AD realized and accepted this as a problem, maybe they would do something about it. Has anyone expressed this concern to them???

[CO Green]

I never said cheerleaders are the only people at North Texas who have to work. I said if you look at the dance team, most of those people that are there are the same people everytime. Most of these people have it worked out so they don't have to work during the night. The UNT Dance team practices at night so most of these girls work during the day. However the UNT Cheerleaders had it scheduled to practice during the day so they could work at night. While this was recently changed many people can't change the shift they were hired to work for.

Please don't make this a personal thing and try to keep it civil.

[GreenBrigadeDebbie]

I didn't mean to make a debate happen between the cheerleaders and the general fan base. I was only concerned that only 2-3 cheerleaders showed up at the game. CO Green explained the situation and I have an answer now. Some of the cheerleaders have to work. I wish that more could come to the games, but what can you do?

[CO Green]

Scotty Brown unfortunately can't be at all the games. He has his own business that he has to run. I am sure he would like to be at all the games but it just wouldn't be financially feasible.

You bring up a good point about the AD but the key word is accepted. They issue of the spirit squads getting some sort of scholarhsips, even books, has been brought up but the administration refuses to see it as a problem. Even when it is staring them in the face that many other schools that are at the place they want to be give their cheerleaders scholarships or give them control of what company they attend, they still refuse to acknowledge it.

[hope24]

Ok think of it this way, how many home games are there per week? Maybe 2, a Thursday and a Saturday one. It would make sense if half of the working cheerleaders scheduled so they don't work Thursday nights (the waiters/waitresses who don't want to miss Saturday night tips), and the rest take off Saturday nights, this way there would be at least half the squad there at every game. That's what, one night a week to take off? They may not even have to take the entire night off, maybe they could work until 6 or so. Also this is something I wonder about - CO Green - I bet more cheerleaders come to practice than to the actual game, correct? Why practice then if you don't go to games, seems pointless. Then we remember- competition. Maybe there should be a rule that if the cheerleaders don't have a certain average attendance rate at the games, they don't go to competition. This sounds like a good idea to me.

[MeanGreenQueen]

Great points Hope!! They really need some motivation and the AD needs to get involved. They sould not have to pay for their uniforms and there should be something like the quotas idea in order to go to competition. Good thinking on the work issue..... makes sense to me, doesn't seem to be asking too much.

[JayDub]

First off....CO Green, I (and I think the rest of us here) DO appreciate your input on this board...and I appreciate your dedication to the UNT Cheer Squad and to UNT as a whole. Keep up the good work...just keep trying to get the rest of your crew out there.

What kind of support do you folks need that you don't get? I mean, what kind of outside support are you needing? I know that might sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I am being truly serious. I might be overstepping my bounds here...but I really think that there's alot of alumni on this board that might at least know someone who can help out financially...

(see everyone...JayDub can be diplomatic at times...)

[UNTLifer]

There's no motivation for them to show up to games if they just flat out don't have to. If they have to work, or need time to do homework, or would rather go out, then why not? They don't get anyhting for being at the game, and no one is making them go..... so, I wouldn't go if I wasn't a fan.

No Motivation? I thought cheerleading was motivating the crowd to become involved in the game.

So, I wouldn't go if I wasn't a fan. Uh, if you try out for cheerleading and understand that the number one priority of this job is to lead cheers for the athletic teams of this university, wouldn't you want to be a fan of these sports? Why else would you want to be a cheerleader? The competition? Be a gymnast.

Look, I respect COGreen for coming on this board and sharing his thoughts, and I also applaud COGreen for being a cheerleader that cares but something is just wrong with this picture. If Jennifer Cloutier is responsible for the cheerleaders and dance squads doesn't this make her a part of the athletic department? Shouldn't she have to answer to RV? I would be surprised if he stands for this.

As an alumni of UNT I find it ridiculous and an embarassment that the cheerleaders and the mascot and not required to be at these events. There are just a few home games left this year, and I believe there is adequate time to adjust work/study schedules to insure 100% participation on their part.

[MeanGreenQueen]

No Motivation? I thought cheerleading was motivating the crowd to become involved in the game.

So, I wouldn't go if I wasn't a fan. Uh, if you try out for cheerleading and understand that the number one priority of this job is to lead cheers for the athletic teams of this university, wouldn't you want to be a fan of these sports? Why else would you want to be a cheerleader? The competition? Be a gymnast.

Look, I respect COGreen for coming on this board and sharing his thoughts, and I also applaud COGreen for being a cheerleader that cares but something is just wrong with this picture. If Jennifer Cloutier is responsible for the cheerleaders and dance squads doesn't this make her a part of the athletic department? Shouldn't she have to answer to RV? I would be surprised if he stands for this.

As an alumni of UNT I find it ridiculous and an embarassment that the cheerleaders and the mascot and not required to be at these events. There are just a few home games left this year, and I believe there is adequate time to adjust work/study schedules to insure 100% participation on their part.

Their motivation is for the competitions and while they do show up to football, it's just basketball that's the issue. No one makes them go! And it seems that maybe they didn't sign up for cheerleading knowing that their job is to go to games and cheer. I worked with a girl last year who was a senior and was trying to get a cheerleading scholarship. She said she was considering NT even though there was no scholarship because of how great our squad was in competition, winning Nationals and what not. That's what she brought up, nothing about sports or games. So maybe the cheerleaders are here for the competition and not for cheering on the crowd. Maybe that's their focus. COGreen says their coach can't come to games, but I bet you he takes off a week to go with them to competition! And Jennifer Cloutier is not in charge of the cheerleaders, just the dancers.