We’ve now had two chances, with Kraziness in the Kennel and the exhibition game, to practice being good fans at Gonzaga basketball games. Some are getting the hang of it fast, while there are others learning the ropes. It’s not only freshmen that need a friendly reminder every once in a while, either.
I grew up as a kid excited for the opportunity to one day be in the Kennel Club, and I’m not looking forward to Senior Night this year, which will mark the end of my Kennel Club career. To make this season as enjoyable as possible for everyone, I’ll offer a few guidelines to the student section. We have one of the best student sections in the nation, and if everyone can follow these tips, we’ll be that much better.
1) Stay standing – The games are only about two hours on average. It’s not asking too much to ask people to stand for the majority of it. In my mind, I think halftime is the only acceptable time to sit. It doesn’t matter if we’re beating Mississippi Valley State by 40 with two minutes to go, or losing — God forbid — to some team as the clock winds down. The energy of the Kennel drops drastically when half the student section is sitting, and we don’t need that.
2) Wear red – If you don’t know by now, I am telling you — the Kennel Club shirts are red this year. I am not going to be unrealistic and expect every student to buy a $20 T-shirt, but every student owns at least one red shirt. Even if it’s not a Gonzaga shirt at all, it’s better than being that one kid in the section with a green shirt.
3) Don’t be the kid sitting by yourself in a row covered in jackets - If you have a friend who has a class until the game starts, that’s one thing, but taking shifts in line and then saving multiple seats for your friends will only make your group the despised one in the section. Wait in line together and get seats together. It’s only fair to everyone else.
4) You’re not too cool to participate – It doesn’t matter if you’re in the first row or the last row, everyone should be participating in the game. The cheers are so simple. Jump up and down during Zombie Nation, yell “Score, Zags, Score” and “Defense, Bulldogs, Defense,” and hit the seat in front of you when the opposing team is shooting free throws. If this is too difficult, there is always the Kennel Board in the front row — just follow them. There really are no excuses to not participate. You only have four years to be in a college student section. Let loose and enjoy it.
5) Don’t take it for granted – Gonzaga has not always been as good as we are now. What we have done in college basketball has been an incredible story, and as much as we don’t like to think about it, all it would take is a year or two of missing the tournament and Gonzaga can go right back to being irrelevant in the college basketball world. What I mean by this is do not be upset if we don’t win by enough. Don’t start pointing fingers if we lose one game to a team you don’t think we should lose to. Don’t spend more time criticizing the team than being loyal to them. Ask the alumni of 15 or 20 years ago, and they will tell you they would give anything to be a student at Gonzaga right now and to take part in the electric environment of the Kennel Club. We’re lucky to be here now. Enjoy the ride. It goes faster than you think.
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