I figured for my first post I would write up something that I have a strong opinion about. This is what I wrote to Cyclone Alley when they sent me an email telling me to respond to how I thought Cyclone Alley did. I am a student at Iowa State and I know this is just one opinion. I would like to hear all of yours!
I am only a freshman this year at Iowa State University, however I am certainly not a “new guy†when it comes to the Cyclones. I know you might not even take the time to read this because I could see you guys only reading survey responses that "praise" cyclone alley. But I am here to say that cyclone alley is an absolute mess right now. Were any of you ever around when Hilton rocked back in the late 90's early to mid 00's? I can’t honestly say for myself I was here for the Orr years because I was born in 1991 but I certainly started coming to all the home games in the late 90’s. I highly suggest that if you weren't at any of those games though.. try to find some game footage from the 80’s, 90’s, and early 00’s and see what Hilton was all about.
I have heard so many adults complain about how the student section is lame and boring. And sadly, even though I am apart of it, I have to agree. I want to make a few points about cyclone alley that I disagree with.
First, I absolutely do not agree with everyone wearing the same shirt to EVERY game. This gets very old and is unreasonable. Do you see us wearing the same shirts to football games? I know that you want to say we are "unified" by all wearing the same shirt but in reality, we shouldn't have to wear the same shirt to be “one†and be together in cheering for our Cyclones. Yeah, maybe for a couple big games, Ex: Kansas and Texas, we can wear one color and just call it a gold out. Also I would like to point out that kicking someone out of the student section for a game because they don't have the right shirt color looks horrible for your “organizationâ€. My friend came to the game early in the year for the Baylor game but accidentally wore his gold shirt to the game. You told him “You can’t sit down in the student section because it is against cyclone alley rules, you have to have the right shirt color.†He had a grey sweatshirt and put that on over the top just so he could sit down there without you noticing that he didn’t move. He covered up his CYCLONE shirt…. To put on a grey sweatshirt that had nothing to do with ISU. That is a joke.
The second thing I would like to talk about cheers. One of my biggest pet peeves of cyclone alley is that every single time down when we are on defense all we do is yell "Oooo." Not only do we only yell “Oooo,†but ONLY the side that is closest to the hoop we are defending yells it. The other side just stands there and watches. Can nobody up front be more creative then that? I am a freshman this year and if I try to do anything different no one listens. Because I am only a freshman… why listen to me? You guys are the leaders because cyclone alley “elected†you to be. So step up and be leaders. Quit being shy. Sometimes it makes me think all cyclone alley leaders want is for it to be on their resume that they were a “Leader†of their so called “Organization.†Back to my point about “Oooo,†It is not our trademark to yell that. We are not Duke. So lets stop trying to be. Even a "Defense clap clap Defense clap clap" would be better then that. Or maybe even just an "ISU clap ISU clap" every once in a while. Im not saying completely take away the "Oooo" but please not every single time down the court. It really is pathetic that no one will start anything but that. The only time "Oooo" gets really loud is when it is a huge spot in a huge game. Other than that, it is quiet and embarrassing.
Next I would like to give my input on free throws. Please, please, please, please, please get rid of those signs. Not everything has to be organized. Let students do what they want and let them have some fun. Don't be control freaks. Have you seen our football student section??? Do any of you guys go to football games? We start up many cheers that are unique each and every game. To be brutally honest, it puts cyclone alley to shame. Being controlled is not what college is all about.
Another thing that bugs me is the over use of the term "Hilton Magic" by cyclone alley members. I see this all the time in emails and at games. Like I said earlier, I don't know if any of you went to games when the Magic truly existed (not even I went to games when it TRULY existed because some say it was in the 80’s and early 90’s), but Cyclone fans can all agree we have not witnessed Hilton Magic in a very long time. So stop saying "Come witness a little Hilton Magic tomorrow at 7 p.m. when the Cyclones take on Texas Tech at home!" That is NOT Hilton Magic. I know this might sound picky, but it bothers me when the people at the top write things like that. When was the last time we beat a ranked team at home? If I’m not mistaken, it was before Mcdermott stepped in as our coach. We as a fan base need to WILL our team to victory. Not through props, not through organized signs, not through matching t-shirts, not through redundant cheers, just going absolutely nuts and putting all your heart into the Cyclones.
I can honestly say that after being at over 90 percent of the home games since the 1998-1999 season, this is the LOWEST our student section has ever been. Total organzation..... does NOT equal fun. I want Hilton to get back to what it used to be just like we all do, but it will never be the same if cyclone alley continues down this road. It will NEVER be the same if we continue to do some of the things we are doing. I am not only speaking for myself right now, I am speaking for the majority of the Cyclone fans out there. I know, I have heard many times that winning will bring the fan base back. I’ll tell you this; it is not going to bring the student section back if we continue doing the things listed above as a student section. It's a disappointment. We need to listen to those people that were here when Hilton Coliseum was unbelievably loud, when the floor SHOOK the place got so loud, those people were here when the Magic took place. It can happen again, but it starts with us students. We have to make change. Let's get Hilton Coliseum back to what it once was. Cyclone Alley, If you did read this entire message I would like to thank you for taking the time to read it. Go Cyclones!
I am only a freshman this year at Iowa State University, however I am certainly not a “new guy†when it comes to the Cyclones. I know you might not even take the time to read this because I could see you guys only reading survey responses that "praise" cyclone alley. But I am here to say that cyclone alley is an absolute mess right now. Were any of you ever around when Hilton rocked back in the late 90's early to mid 00's? I can’t honestly say for myself I was here for the Orr years because I was born in 1991 but I certainly started coming to all the home games in the late 90’s. I highly suggest that if you weren't at any of those games though.. try to find some game footage from the 80’s, 90’s, and early 00’s and see what Hilton was all about.
I have heard so many adults complain about how the student section is lame and boring. And sadly, even though I am apart of it, I have to agree. I want to make a few points about cyclone alley that I disagree with.
First, I absolutely do not agree with everyone wearing the same shirt to EVERY game. This gets very old and is unreasonable. Do you see us wearing the same shirts to football games? I know that you want to say we are "unified" by all wearing the same shirt but in reality, we shouldn't have to wear the same shirt to be “one†and be together in cheering for our Cyclones. Yeah, maybe for a couple big games, Ex: Kansas and Texas, we can wear one color and just call it a gold out. Also I would like to point out that kicking someone out of the student section for a game because they don't have the right shirt color looks horrible for your “organizationâ€. My friend came to the game early in the year for the Baylor game but accidentally wore his gold shirt to the game. You told him “You can’t sit down in the student section because it is against cyclone alley rules, you have to have the right shirt color.†He had a grey sweatshirt and put that on over the top just so he could sit down there without you noticing that he didn’t move. He covered up his CYCLONE shirt…. To put on a grey sweatshirt that had nothing to do with ISU. That is a joke.
The second thing I would like to talk about cheers. One of my biggest pet peeves of cyclone alley is that every single time down when we are on defense all we do is yell "Oooo." Not only do we only yell “Oooo,†but ONLY the side that is closest to the hoop we are defending yells it. The other side just stands there and watches. Can nobody up front be more creative then that? I am a freshman this year and if I try to do anything different no one listens. Because I am only a freshman… why listen to me? You guys are the leaders because cyclone alley “elected†you to be. So step up and be leaders. Quit being shy. Sometimes it makes me think all cyclone alley leaders want is for it to be on their resume that they were a “Leader†of their so called “Organization.†Back to my point about “Oooo,†It is not our trademark to yell that. We are not Duke. So lets stop trying to be. Even a "Defense clap clap Defense clap clap" would be better then that. Or maybe even just an "ISU clap ISU clap" every once in a while. Im not saying completely take away the "Oooo" but please not every single time down the court. It really is pathetic that no one will start anything but that. The only time "Oooo" gets really loud is when it is a huge spot in a huge game. Other than that, it is quiet and embarrassing.
Next I would like to give my input on free throws. Please, please, please, please, please get rid of those signs. Not everything has to be organized. Let students do what they want and let them have some fun. Don't be control freaks. Have you seen our football student section??? Do any of you guys go to football games? We start up many cheers that are unique each and every game. To be brutally honest, it puts cyclone alley to shame. Being controlled is not what college is all about.
Another thing that bugs me is the over use of the term "Hilton Magic" by cyclone alley members. I see this all the time in emails and at games. Like I said earlier, I don't know if any of you went to games when the Magic truly existed (not even I went to games when it TRULY existed because some say it was in the 80’s and early 90’s), but Cyclone fans can all agree we have not witnessed Hilton Magic in a very long time. So stop saying "Come witness a little Hilton Magic tomorrow at 7 p.m. when the Cyclones take on Texas Tech at home!" That is NOT Hilton Magic. I know this might sound picky, but it bothers me when the people at the top write things like that. When was the last time we beat a ranked team at home? If I’m not mistaken, it was before Mcdermott stepped in as our coach. We as a fan base need to WILL our team to victory. Not through props, not through organized signs, not through matching t-shirts, not through redundant cheers, just going absolutely nuts and putting all your heart into the Cyclones.
I can honestly say that after being at over 90 percent of the home games since the 1998-1999 season, this is the LOWEST our student section has ever been. Total organzation..... does NOT equal fun. I want Hilton to get back to what it used to be just like we all do, but it will never be the same if cyclone alley continues down this road. It will NEVER be the same if we continue to do some of the things we are doing. I am not only speaking for myself right now, I am speaking for the majority of the Cyclone fans out there. I know, I have heard many times that winning will bring the fan base back. I’ll tell you this; it is not going to bring the student section back if we continue doing the things listed above as a student section. It's a disappointment. We need to listen to those people that were here when Hilton Coliseum was unbelievably loud, when the floor SHOOK the place got so loud, those people were here when the Magic took place. It can happen again, but it starts with us students. We have to make change. Let's get Hilton Coliseum back to what it once was. Cyclone Alley, If you did read this entire message I would like to thank you for taking the time to read it. Go Cyclones!
