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Topic: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Topic: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

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RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 4:57:10 PM

You read right, people!

Post any problems you have with the current O Zone and ideas of how to fix it here! We want to encourage open communication between us and you.

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

KyleWvr13
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Member Since: 11/9/2010
Location: Pottstown, PA
Post Count: 500

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 5:43:49 PM

Here's a few ideas that I think could go a long way as far as gameday experience is concerned.

Someone mentioned this before, and I agree with them. Have the first 2-4 rows across the entire student section is reserved for people with O Zone shirts. Possibly mention in the rap sheet that the these rows will be reserved for people who are wearing this years official O Zone shirt and have it open for everyone else 10-15 minutes before tipoff. I know it'll probably be a little difficult to organize/enforce because that area is so open, but I think it'll go a long way it is enforced throughout the season.

Have someone be a "designated cheer starter" and have others be spread out through the O Zone to encourage these chants. Move them through the dead areas of the student sections to encourage everyone to participate.

GO TO THE BAND AND COORDINATE CERTAIN CHEERS WITH THEM. Go up to whoever is conducting the pregame songs, and ask who to talk to that will get the word out to the band, they will more than likely point you to someone who is passionate about basketball, and they can help spread the word. If you guys want to get an "OU Oh Yeah!" cheer going, having 100+ people in the band help start in the beginning will get it going really fast.

And one more general rule of thumb, the "Defense" chant should start out slow, like REALLY SLOW. It's a natural tendency for a crowd to speed up chants like that. This will help with how long the chant will last as well. This may be getting really technical, plus I dunno if any of you guys are familiar with metronomes, but around 90 BPM is a really solid tempo to start.

Antonio Pierce
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 6:10:10 PM

Props to the Ozone at the Valpo game. A great improvement over the UNI game! We need a Ric Flair impersonator for the Nature Boy.

Don't let one day define the rest of your life.

JSF
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Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 6:24:22 PM

RPKirtland wrote:

You read right, people!

Post any problems you have with the current O Zone and ideas of how to fix it here! We want to encourage open communication between us and you.

Don't sweat the complaints on this board too much.

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

My blog about depression and mental illness: https://bit.ly/3buGXH8

TheBobcatBandit
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Member Since: 8/25/2013
Post Count: 618

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 7:20:59 PM

When and where are the meetings for the ozone?

shabamon
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Member Since: 11/17/2006
Location: Cincinnati
Post Count: 6,485

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 9:00:17 PM

KyleWvr13 wrote:

Here's a few ideas that I think could go a long way as far as gameday experience is concerned.

Someone mentioned this before, and I agree with them. Have the first 2-4 rows across the entire student section is reserved for people with O Zone shirts. Possibly mention in the rap sheet that the these rows will be reserved for people who are wearing this years official O Zone shirt and have it open for everyone else 10-15 minutes before tipoff. I know it'll probably be a little difficult to organize/enforce because that area is so open, but I think it'll go a long way it is enforced throughout the season.

Have someone be a "designated cheer starter" and have others be spread out through the O Zone to encourage these chants. Move them through the dead areas of the student sections to encourage everyone to participate.

1) I really think it should be the entire bleacher section. I'm sure there are more than enough official card-carrying O Zone members to fill those sections four times over, and people can do laundry. Entrance to those sections has been policed by event staff in the past. It's doable. I know there are plenty of casual members that attend games more frequently in conference play. One idea would be to keep the section open to any students in games prior to winter break and then police it in conference games. I'm neither here nor there with that idea.

2) I wouldn't suggest doing anything that might discourage non-"leaders" from starting a chant, but I do think it's a good idea to spread leaders around the sections.

I watched some of the Valpo game online. It seemed as though it was louder than in recent non-conference games. I did notice that when there were dunks or threes from Ohio, some students went straight into the jumping "OHHHH" thing and then they eventually stopped jumping. If those are "leaders", they need to keep going. If they are non-leaders, then something needs to be done to encourage them to make it last the entire possession.

BillyTheCat
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Member Since: 10/6/2012
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/18/2013 10:22:49 PM

JSF wrote:

RPKirtland wrote:

You read right, people!

Post any problems you have with the current O Zone and ideas of how to fix it here! We want to encourage open communication between us and you.

Don't sweat the complaints on this board too much.

After all it's just a game!

RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/19/2013 12:10:15 AM

shabamon wrote:

KyleWvr13 wrote:

Here's a few ideas that I think could go a long way as far as gameday experience is concerned.

Someone mentioned this before, and I agree with them. Have the first 2-4 rows across the entire student section is reserved for people with O Zone shirts. Possibly mention in the rap sheet that the these rows will be reserved for people who are wearing this years official O Zone shirt and have it open for everyone else 10-15 minutes before tipoff. I know it'll probably be a little difficult to organize/enforce because that area is so open, but I think it'll go a long way it is enforced throughout the season.

Have someone be a "designated cheer starter" and have others be spread out through the O Zone to encourage these chants. Move them through the dead areas of the student sections to encourage everyone to participate.

1) I really think it should be the entire bleacher section. I'm sure there are more than enough official card-carrying O Zone members to fill those sections four times over, and people can do laundry. Entrance to those sections has been policed by event staff in the past. It's doable. I know there are plenty of casual members that attend games more frequently in conference play. One idea would be to keep the section open to any students in games prior to winter break and then police it in conference games. I'm neither here nor there with that idea.

2) I wouldn't suggest doing anything that might discourage non-"leaders" from starting a chant, but I do think it's a good idea to spread leaders around the sections.

I watched some of the Valpo game online. It seemed as though it was louder than in recent non-conference games. I did notice that when there were dunks or threes from Ohio, some students went straight into the jumping "OHHHH" thing and then they eventually stopped jumping. If those are "leaders", they need to keep going. If they are non-leaders, then something needs to be done to encourage them to make it last the entire possession.

1.) The marketing department (last year and, as they said, this year) are policing the O Zone for member shirts only for conference games. Frankly, I don't have a problem with letting someone get hooked and then getting them to buy the shirt down the line. We will include a notice in the dirt sheets during conference play about wearing the shirts.

2.) We did after our mass meeting last year, only to have 60% of the leaders stop showing up or stop wanting to sit where they volunteered to. Right now we have leaders for three sections, the main group in the middle two sections, and myself and two other students on the farthest section from the 110. For the Valpo game, we were having some numbers problems beforehand, so my section moved to the middle to fill it up. This consolidated the sound, but it could have been louder.

3.) I tried, during the Valpo game, to get something started on almost every possession, and I feel it worked better than normal. I thought it would work kind of like a "capo" in soccer cultures. However, I have some upper respiratory sickness that I am too stubborn to go to a doctor for, so many of the chants actually stopped when I broke down into a coughing fit. There were 3-4 occasions where "OOOOOOOOOOOH" started, and when I started coughing and hacking, stopped. It's a bit of an irk, but we'll find a way through it.

I like it, keep it coming guys!

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/19/2013 12:10:53 AM

TheBobcatBandit wrote:

When and where are the meetings for the ozone?

We do not have regular meetings as of now, but if you would like to be involved with decision making, send me a PM and I'll help set you up.

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/19/2013 12:12:02 AM

JSF wrote:

RPKirtland wrote:

You read right, people!

Post any problems you have with the current O Zone and ideas of how to fix it here! We want to encourage open communication between us and you.

Don't sweat the complaints on this board too much.

I want the O Zone to be the damn best it can be. Granted, I am not taking any comments made on a web forum to heart, but every complaint has some origin, and if we can pinpoint that, maybe there is something we can do to keep improving.

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

shabamon
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Member Since: 11/17/2006
Location: Cincinnati
Post Count: 6,485

Status: Offline

RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/19/2013 9:00:27 AM

I watched the last ten minutes of the Valpo archive late last night since I couldn't see that portion of the game live. I thought the O Zone sounded solid. If you guys bring that kind of effort against a team a lot of fans don't know a lot about, you'll have good atmospheres during MAC play.

LoganElm_grad09
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Member Since: 9/9/2010
Location: South Bloomingville, OH
Post Count: 934

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/19/2013 3:34:23 PM

Is there a video replay of the Valpo game somewhere? I wanted to hear the Ozone in action, but I couldn't keep the radio at work turned up.

bigtillyoopsupsideurhead
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Member Since: 12/1/2006
Location: Cincinnati
Post Count: 1,926

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/20/2013 10:53:19 AM

It would be great if you guys could pick a well attended game and get someone to record Winning Team/Losing Team. I feel like we haven't had a good WT/LT video on youtube in years. I'm tired of Utah State stealing our thunder.

shabamon
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Location: Cincinnati
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/25/2013 10:03:34 AM

I went to the Heidelberg game, my first game of the season. The majority of the O Zone looks like a bunch of followers, which is fine, but their body language suggests they want to be involved and are too timid to be the one to start some action. Whoever said earlier that the O Zone needs leadership that really embraces the role (a Dan Lowe type) is spot on. It doesn't have to be one person. If after a dunk or a three, "leaders" go absolutely apeshit, jump around, get some real volume on the OOOOOOOO, it should prompt a timid person to at least do the OOOOO with you. If the leaders do a tired, lazy-sounding OOOOO without jumping, then the timid person might not do anything at all. This might sound miniscule, but I bet it would make a world of difference.

By the way, Heidelberg had three guys shoot airballs in the game, but there were almost no airball chants the rest of the game for any of them. I realize it was only Heidelberg, so the energy in the building wasn't naturally there. I watch other college basketball games involving schools with notorious student sections hosting "lesser" teams, and I see the same thing - not a ton of natural energy, so we're not the only ones. But like Situation said, those are some of the things that should be second nature to student sections, whether we are playing Heidelberg or Akron.

JSF
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/25/2013 2:56:11 PM

RPKirtland wrote:

JSF wrote:

RPKirtland wrote:

You read right, people!

Post any problems you have with the current O Zone and ideas of how to fix it here! We want to encourage open communication between us and you.

Don't sweat the complaints on this board too much.

I want the O Zone to be the damn best it can be. Granted, I am not taking any comments made on a web forum to heart, but every complaint has some origin, and if we can pinpoint that, maybe there is something we can do to keep improving.

As do I, but there's a lot of "Stop saying 'sucks' and come up with something more creative" to wade through before you find something useful.

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

My blog about depression and mental illness: https://bit.ly/3buGXH8

Antonio Pierce
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Member Since: 10/13/2012
Post Count: 243

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 11/25/2013 8:46:53 PM

Let's be positive, see the basketball thread. I love the Ozone. You need shirts...and more followers. Let me/us know how we can help.

Don't let one day define the rest of your life.

GoCats105
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Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,152

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 1/13/2014 10:53:18 AM

I sat in the Bobcat Black seats and was very disappointed in the lack of fire for the Akron game last night. Seriously, a double OT game and the O Zone was quuuiiiiiieeeetttttttt. Aside from the occasional one-liner and making noise when an Akron player was inbounding the ball, there was no energy at all. Oh wait, and during the 6 point spurt where there was a Mo dunk and Stevie steal and layup. That was it. You guys can do wayyyyyyy better than that.

Where was the defense chant at the end of the game when it was needed? Those Mo dunks were huge. Those should entice BEDLAM.

Last Edited: 1/13/2014 10:56:19 AM by GoCats105

shabamon
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 1/21/2014 7:46:06 PM

I was at the Akron game, too, and I agree that the O Zone seemed a bit reserved. Like they wanted to get rowdy, but they weren't sure if the person next to them would. An interesting thing happened toward the end of the game - a guy behind the Akron bench got the whole arena to do "OU - Oh Yeah", and it worked because he started it loud enough for the O Zone to hear. I see the front row gang making an effort to do something organized on most possessions, but be sure to be loud and passionate enough to get those who are not near you to join in.

Can I ask why the "OHHHH" (we need to make a name for that) at tipoff has devolved over the years. It used to be that the O Zone went from the last O-H-I-O from the fight song straight into it all the way to the tip (O-H-I-O-HIOOOOOOO...). Then the O Zone would start it right when "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" kicks in. Now, you only do it after the song is turned off, leaving only about five seconds until the tip. Starting it at least when the song kicks in would go a long way towards setting the tone for the game.

Those Mo dunks were huge. Dunks and threes really should induce bedlum, not golf claps. At the Ball State game, I was surprised to see more people in the section between the O Zone press row than in the O Zone. Some were even wearing O Zone shirts. You leaders need to make sure you are loud, passionate, and inclusive enough to make that section fun for everyone there.

Last Edited: 1/21/2014 7:59:31 PM by shabamon

GoCats105
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 2/4/2014 12:06:43 PM

Was actually more impressed with the Toledo game on TV than Akron in person. When the Bobcats made their comeback, especially during that sequence when Travis got two offensive boards and an assist to Nick for a three, the crowd went bonkers. Even saw some members of the O Zone in the front row raising their arms repeatedly to try and get everyone psyched up. Great energy.

I'm with Shab on the tipoff thing. From the time Stand Up and Cheer stops to the time Ready to Rumble starts playing, it should be chaos. The opposing team should think "man, this is what we're in for alllllllll day/night."

Antonio Pierce
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 2/4/2014 6:03:49 PM

Thanks Ozone for the Toledo game. I really liked "strip."

Don't let one day define the rest of your life.

left lane, hammer down
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 2/10/2014 1:12:56 AM

Quote:

a guy behind the Akron bench got the whole arena to do "OU - Oh Yeah", and it worked because he started it loud enough for the O Zone to hear. I see the front row gang making an effort to do something organized on most possessions, but be sure to be loud and passionate enough to get those who are not near you to join in.

Glad we got the OU Oh Yeah going at the Miami game. We need to do more of that louder / more often. But you folks need to start it. Us folks on the other side in the 'old zone' will finish it - Oh YEAH!!

RPKirtland
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Location: San Jose, CA
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 2/10/2014 12:01:32 PM

left lane, hammer down wrote:

Quote:

a guy behind the Akron bench got the whole arena to do "OU - Oh Yeah", and it worked because he started it loud enough for the O Zone to hear. I see the front row gang making an effort to do something organized on most possessions, but be sure to be loud and passionate enough to get those who are not near you to join in.

Glad we got the OU Oh Yeah going at the Miami game. We need to do more of that louder / more often. But you folks need to start it. Us folks on the other side in the 'old zone' will finish it - Oh YEAH!!

Yeah, I am no longer worried about OU/Oh Yeah. It used to be that one side wouldn't get it, or it'd be too quiet, but everybody gets it now. I was the one that started it at Miami, and I basically just went "F*ck it" and stood up and led it.

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

RSBobcat
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 2/10/2014 11:34:06 PM

The timing was perfect at the Fiami game. I like it in the second half - when we need it before the last stretch. And off a time out when Fiami was getting the ball. Not good when we are just into getting the ball.

RS Bobcat

TheBobcatBandit
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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 5/21/2014 10:11:40 PM

Would It be possible to release colored smoke at the kickoff of football games or when we score a TD. Fans do it a lot a soccer games I'm not sure if there is a heath risk or anything but if there isn't why not.

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/brownsvillehe...

Something like this but more controlled. It would really look cool and would create an atmosphere that no other school has.

KyleWvr13
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Location: Pottstown, PA
Post Count: 500

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RE: Official O Zone "Problem and Ideas" thread

Posted: 5/27/2014 7:36:42 PM

TheBobcatBandit wrote:

Would It be possible to release colored smoke at the kickoff of football games or when we score a TD. Fans do it a lot a soccer games I'm not sure if there is a heath risk or anything but if there isn't why not.

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/brownsvillehe...

Something like this but more controlled. It would really look cool and would create an atmosphere that no other school has.

You'd have to be careful with that, because you can easily delay the game several minutes by doing this, possibly giving our team a penalty.

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