GCHS Support (or lack thereof)

[PageMan]

Great posts, wneely. Your dedication to Giles sports should be commended. All teams should have a die-hard fan like you to stir up interest in their teams. I agree with you that schools should offer a discount for students so that more could attend the games. Student support with their loud cheering & taunts should be encouraged, not discouraged, by school officials. Anyone should be able to sit anywhere. I guess they'll start charging more if you want to sit on the front row. Keep up the posts, wneely - I like your opinions about Giles Co. sports.

Edited January 4, 2004 by PageMan

[tcross]

MR.Mcelroy is TSMITH'S UNCLE

[wurd up]

It continues to amaze me how some of these schools with nowhere near the talent level of Giles County (Sycamore namely - no offense guys) support their team more than Giles County.

Ouch.

 

Don't complain about crowd support at Giles. Sycamore does not have the crowd support it has had the past few years. Last year's pep club was the largest in the school's history (close to 100 members). This year looked to be great. We had 130+ members sign up and we sold over 160 pep club shirts. There is a grand total of MAYBE 15 people at away games and 30 or so at home. The pep club has turned into the Social Club.

 

Is Giles student section as big as it was last year?

[LetMeHearYA]

I agree with students getting discounts and having a section. A student section really helps and encourages the players to play. They can make a big difference. For example in the early 90's especially 94-96 McNairy Central probably had one of the best of not the best student sections in the state. I don't know if any of you have been to the Roundhouse at McNairy but you have bleachers down the sides of the court and a good size balcony filled with seats above them and then bleachers at each end that are the width of the court. The far end was the student section and was packed for every home game. In 95, McNAiry went to the state and they hosted the district, REgion, and Sub-state games and the students were a big part of their play. The student section got into the heads of every player of the opposing team and I mean alot of smack talk especially against Melrose in the sub-state. The chant you was talking about was nice compared to theirs. THere nicest chant would be when a McNairy player would foul someone, they would chant Hit him a little bit harder, harder. They are why McNairy has not hosted a district tournament since. FOr some reason, the TSSAA would not let them stand and do chants at the state tournament that year. A student section can make a close loss into a win because nobody likes to play in a hostile environment.

[wneely]

PageMan, I'm only so enthused because I attend GCHS. I don't plan on making a career out of following GCHS. (But I AM going to school to become a broadcast journalist). Not knocking you for being loyal to Page at all. I will always love GCHS, and my alma mater, (I'm thinking MTSU, Duke, Mizzou, Florida, Georgia or Vandy) Schools with great media departments. I'm not a bandwagoner, unlike everyone else.

 

Sycamore guy, our student section is about 3/4 as big as last year's and nowhere near as loud.

 

I don't know if the only reason everyone bandwagons here so much is because our other sports are bad, or just the fact that people are trying to act "cool" by standing in the section but not cheering.

[wneely]

Tcross, I did not know that. I work with Ann McElroy. I wonder if they are related? She is like 24. Tcross, you making the trip to Lewis County?

[Opperman]

PageMan, I'm only so enthused because I attend GCHS. I don't plan on making a career out of following GCHS. (But I AM going to school to become a broadcast journalist). Not knocking you for being loyal to Page at all. I will always love GCHS, and my alma mater, (I'm thinking MTSU, Duke, Mizzou, Florida, Georgia or Vandy) Schools with great media departments. I'm not a bandwagoner, unlike everyone else.

WNeely, let me give you a bit of advice. Going to a bigger school can have its benefits...possibly more connections. But I went the small school route, and I think it's better for someone trying to get into the media.

 

I'm a senior. Right now, I'm the play-by-play voice of the local HS basketball team, color for football, play-by-play for our women's basketball team, color for men, PA announcer for baseball, will probably drop that and be play-by-play for baseball. I write for the school newspaper, I write a lot of press releases that the local daily picks up, running my byline. I've also been a stringer for the main newspaper for the state, and I worked an internship at the state's football preview magazine. I'm more or less in charge of statistics, game notes, and media relations at my school. I've also been involved with production of our statewide football coach's show, and I've done the interviews on it a couple of times.

 

I know someone who is a better broadcaster than I am and went to a bigger school, and he's basically limited to being the studio pregame/halftime/postgame host for his school's women's basketball team and the PA announcer for baseball. Don't get me wrong, that's a big deal, but the benefit of a smaller school is that you can do as much as you want. And I think, at least in media, the best way to learn is by doing it. At those schools, you might get to call a basketball game into a tape recorder. At mine, you can be the play-by-play guy on the radio.

[mreverything]

Nobody answered my question yet who gets the money from the gate? I can't seem to find anybody that knows. Pageman maybe you know if so please share it with everyone?

[CoachT]

Nobody answered my question yet who gets the money from the gate? I can't seem to find anybody that knows. Pageman maybe you know if so please share it with everyone?

The school gets the gate money, minus expenses, but it is up to each school as to whether it all goes to basketball or not. A percentage may go to a general fund to help non-revenue sports, etc., but it is up to the school and administration as to how that is done.

[wneely]

OPP - you going into any type of media or just colour commentary? I would like to be a radio or TV announcer for any sport. Baseball, football, hockey, basketball. Any one of those four are just as exciting to me. Baseball is old school - back in the days like in St. Louis where everyone listens to you at work while the Cards have a 1:00 game.

 

My favorite announcer in any sport is without a doubt Gary Thorne calling the hockey games. He's not so as enthused about baseball or football, but man oh man can he bring the game to life in the NHL.

 

Being a team's announcer vs working for a company like say ABC, CBS, JP Sports would be better, I think. Especially if it's your favorite team.

 

What schools do you recommend OPP?

[Opperman]

OPP - you going into any type of media or just colour commentary? I would like to be a radio or TV announcer for any sport. Baseball, football, hockey, basketball. Any one of those four are just as exciting to me. Baseball is old school - back in the days like in St. Louis where everyone listens to you at work while the Cards have a 1:00 game.

 

My favorite announcer in any sport is without a doubt Gary Thorne calling the hockey games. He's not so as enthused about baseball or football, but man oh man can he bring the game to life in the NHL.

 

Being a team's announcer vs working for a company like say ABC, CBS, JP Sports would be better, I think. Especially if it's your favorite team.

 

What schools do you recommend OPP?

I'd really like to do play-by-play, not sure if I'll have the opportunity to do it full-time (that's one area where a bigger school probably helps some, but the experience at a smaller school helps a lot). I'm planning to go into media relations/PR (Sports Information as well) or radio if I can.

 

My favorite announcer was Joe Buck on the radio. Probably would've been Jack Buck if I was a few years older, but I really only heard him in serious decline. And you better believe I know how it is in St. Louis with the Cards.

 

I'm at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, and I know there are as many opportunities to get involved as you want to make. We've got a sports journalism class this spring which will be hands on newspaper, PR, etc. writing as well as radio broadcasting, basically everything I'm involved in.

 

One more plug...we're consistently one of the top 4-5 values in the south according to US News & World Report. I'm not sure what the other smaller schools offer, but I am fairly confident in saying that we have the most opportunity for experience in at least the GSC West. Most of the other schools either get no media attention and don't do much to create their own or are big enough that they have GA's to do most of the media work. Here, we don't get much media attention, so we've worked to try to create more - all our basketball games are broadcast online, etc.

 

Good luck wherever you end up. A big school may be better for you, I won't dismiss the possibility, but I think a small school has some major advantages as well.

[Clay]

wneely,

I am a parent of two elementary school children in Giles Co. I, like you, cannot believe the lack of support from Giles Co. There is no reason that the gym should not be full on any given night, especially a friday night. I am highly disappointed that we did not sell out Martin for the Bradley game. Band wagon fans, they will all come out come tournament time.

I come from a larger school in Ohio....Go Buckeyes....I can't believe you're a fan for that team up north....anyways, you keep driving that wagon and it will be full by the end of the season. You are doing all you can do. As for the student section being moved, I say heck with em'...get there early and take up the bleachers right when you walk in the door. Heck with the faculty and what they think...as long as you aren't doing anything that can get you in trouble.

Just so you know, a lot of parents like what you are doing. My son thinks your cool. That hard hat would look better without those stripes...I'm thinking ...maybe buckeye leaves.