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Topic: OT: O Zone Discussion

Topic: OT: O Zone Discussion

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RPKirtland
General User

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

Status: Offline

OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 5:03:36 PM

Hey folks.
Last year when I announced the new O Zone exec, I mentioned that we would be using this website as a way to encourage communication. Well, to that end we have plain sucked. With that in mind, it's never too late to try and do that again, so I have started a new thread in the "O Zone" part of the forum. If you have any problems/ideas/questions/love letters you would like to relay to us, please do not hesitate to do so.

Thanks, you guys help us to become better.
-R.P. Kirtland

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: 501

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 5:44:23 PM

I already posted this in the O Zone section, but I thought I might as well post it here as well just for exposure:

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 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 if 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.

Last Edited: 11/18/2013 5:46:47 PM by KyleWvr13

JSF
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Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
Post Count: 6,554

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 6:12:07 PM

KyleWvr13 wrote:

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.

Good luck... it's rare the large crowd that can pull it off without direction.

"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

RSBobcat
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Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,437

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 8:50:03 PM

Couple thoughts from the Valpo game:

1. We don't want to ramp up the noise when WE have the ball - why make it tough for OUr offense? Happened late in the game when the game was on the line and we really needed a basket - and I could not believe it.

2. Winning Team/Losing Team. Uh - not when we have a guy on the line shooting free throws...........it can wait until he is done.

There was some good energy yesterday - gettin' in synch will certainly help!

RS Bobcat

JSF
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Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
Post Count: 6,554

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 9:35:54 PM

RSBobcat wrote:

2. Winning Team/Losing Team. Uh - not when we have a guy on the line shooting free throws...........it can wait until he is done.

If the game is clinched and the there's only a few seconds left, it's fine. Has happened for years this way. Might be the only way to get it in while the team is out there.

"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

bobcat695
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Parkersburg, WV
Post Count: 1,345

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RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/18/2013 10:02:14 PM

I had really good seats near the Buckeyes bench behind the basket at the OSU game. I noticed the student section leaders had neon colored 8 x 11 sheets of laminated paper with the names of the cheers printed on them. There were a couple guys in the front of each section along the entire sideline and in the student section behind the hoop OU shot at in the 2nd half.

Nearly every cheer/chant was organized by the guy at center court. He would hold up the sheet and the others could clearly see what color it was, then each section leader would hold up that sign so everyone could see it. The entire student section was in sync all the way from the OSU bench to the opposite corner of the arena.

The O Zone's main problem has been coordination of efforts and having a plan that includes the enitire section. Since my seats are right there, I have been able to see most of what is going on. The regulars at center court do a good job of cheering, they just have trouble spreading the word. Those 10 die hards could spread out along the front row and use signs to get the entire section working together. Having someone from the 110 helping would be very effective. They are the best group on campus at getting a large number of people to be in sync for one purpose.

It would also be effective to do some research on the opposing team's players and coaches. I always love clever needling of an opponent. It doesn't have to be vicious, but the Akron and Kent police blotters have been great for this in the past.

On a side note, if those arrogant pricks in Columbus can have their actual cheerleaders go out and cheer "Go Ohio" and "O-H-I-O", as well as bring the OHIO flags out during timeouts, why can't ours make quality signs and get the OU/Oh Yeah cheer going at our games? I get the commitment to the actual name of our school, but one cheer using OU doesn't sacrifice that mission. Until they can help, the O Zone should do this at least once each game.

Last Edited: 11/18/2013 10:02:51 PM by bobcat695

"You can't un-fist a fist pump." - Saul Phillips 1/24/15

RPKirtland
General User

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

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/19/2013 12:02:47 AM

bobcat695 wrote:

I had really good seats near the Buckeyes bench behind the basket at the OSU game. I noticed the student section leaders had neon colored 8 x 11 sheets of laminated paper with the names of the cheers printed on them. There were a couple guys in the front of each section along the entire sideline and in the student section behind the hoop OU shot at in the 2nd half.

Nearly every cheer/chant was organized by the guy at center court. He would hold up the sheet and the others could clearly see what color it was, then each section leader would hold up that sign so everyone could see it. The entire student section was in sync all the way from the OSU bench to the opposite corner of the arena.

The O Zone's main problem has been coordination of efforts and having a plan that includes the enitire section. Since my seats are right there, I have been able to see most of what is going on. The regulars at center court do a good job of cheering, they just have trouble spreading the word. Those 10 die hards could spread out along the front row and use signs to get the entire section working together. Having someone from the 110 helping would be very effective. They are the best group on campus at getting a large number of people to be in sync for one purpose.

It would also be effective to do some research on the opposing team's players and coaches. I always love clever needling of an opponent. It doesn't have to be vicious, but the Akron and Kent police blotters have been great for this in the past.

On a side note, if those arrogant pricks in Columbus can have their actual cheerleaders go out and cheer "Go Ohio" and "O-H-I-O", as well as bring the OHIO flags out during timeouts, why can't ours make quality signs and get the OU/Oh Yeah cheer going at our games? I get the commitment to the actual name of our school, but one cheer using OU doesn't sacrifice that mission. Until they can help, the O Zone should do this at least once each game.

OU Oh Yeah is a whole other mess that, frankly, we slammed our head into the wall to get done at football.

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

The Optimist
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Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,597

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/19/2013 8:31:40 AM

I thought the timing of WT/LT was ok. He waited until after FT #1 which was the key one. I was always super conservative about waiting until we couldn't blow it because I didn't want to be the guy who led WT/LT and jinxed it for us...
That said, I always tried to get it off before the game ended. The second the buzzer sounds the 110 goes into stand up and cheer. WT/LT is just better in every way if the LT is still actually on the court.

I agree with 695 about spreading out. I know the O Zone has discussed that for years now and we haven't really followed through with it completely. Part of the problem is everyone wants to have good seats... Who can blame them?
The biggest positive difference from 5 years ago is that the bottom section (lower bowl, not just bleachers) is almost always full of students now. The 110 taking away seats helps, but our high profile success in the tourney has also helped bring out students more consistently.
I think coordination with posters could also help the 110 and o zone get in synch. If that happens, that whole section has the potential to really be better than ever.

Also, OU Oh Yeah in football is top notch.

Last Edited: 11/19/2013 8:34:49 AM by The Optimist

I've seen crazier things happen.

cc-cat
General User

Member Since: 4/5/2006
Location: matthews, NC
Post Count: 3,949

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/19/2013 1:01:31 PM

Many schools assign sections by class - with seniors getting center court. Does Ohio do that? Could freshmen and sophomore members take the wings?

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

Status: Offline

RE: OT: O Zone Discussion

Posted: 11/19/2013 3:23:00 PM

RPKirtland wrote:

bobcat695 wrote:

I had really good seats near the Buckeyes bench behind the basket at the OSU game. I noticed the student section leaders had neon colored 8 x 11 sheets of laminated paper with the names of the cheers printed on them. There were a couple guys in the front of each section along the entire sideline and in the student section behind the hoop OU shot at in the 2nd half.

Nearly every cheer/chant was organized by the guy at center court. He would hold up the sheet and the others could clearly see what color it was, then each section leader would hold up that sign so everyone could see it. The entire student section was in sync all the way from the OSU bench to the opposite corner of the arena.

The O Zone's main problem has been coordination of efforts and having a plan that includes the enitire section. Since my seats are right there, I have been able to see most of what is going on. The regulars at center court do a good job of cheering, they just have trouble spreading the word. Those 10 die hards could spread out along the front row and use signs to get the entire section working together. Having someone from the 110 helping would be very effective. They are the best group on campus at getting a large number of people to be in sync for one purpose.

It would also be effective to do some research on the opposing team's players and coaches. I always love clever needling of an opponent. It doesn't have to be vicious, but the Akron and Kent police blotters have been great for this in the past.

On a side note, if those arrogant pricks in Columbus can have their actual cheerleaders go out and cheer "Go Ohio" and "O-H-I-O", as well as bring the OHIO flags out during timeouts, why can't ours make quality signs and get the OU/Oh Yeah cheer going at our games? I get the commitment to the actual name of our school, but one cheer using OU doesn't sacrifice that mission. Until they can help, the O Zone should do this at least once each game.

OU Oh Yeah is a whole other mess that, frankly, we slammed our head into the wall to get done at football.

If I recall, we tried doing it against Akron last year for basketball. However, Lou stepped in before it could get started and led the "LET'S GO... BOBCATS" chant. (Whether or not this was intentional, I have no clue.)

Have we done if for basketball this year?

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