New leader, goals for student cheering section
Preston Sellers
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Sports
If Pat Gamble and his "crew" have their way, GCSU basketball games will be cranked up a notch this season and beyond.
Gamble, a junior transfer student, recently took over as president of the student cheering section, formerly the "Thundercats," and is rebuilding the group from the ground up. The name changed to the "GCSU Thunder Crew," and their focus is on the entire student body.
"Basically we want to build a student section at games that will involve all GCSU students, not just a few guys," Gamble said. "We want it to be loud enough to aggravate the other teams."
Gamble has a vision of creating a tailgate-type environment around home basketball games, similar to what larger schools like the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have.
"Our first (men's home) game will be 'The Greenout,' where we'll get there around 6:30 (p.m.), get painted up, have some music, make it sort of a pep rally kind of thing and pregame a little bit," Gamble said. "We want to get people involved that maybe aren't huge sports fans, but that will want to come out for the atmosphere."
The group is taking the initiative to push school spirit as the main focus of home sporting events, particularly basketball games, which lend themselves more easily to large cheering section environments.
A statement from the Thunder Crew's constitution sums up its philosophy: "As members of The GCSU Thunder Crew, we pledge to elevate school spirit and rejuvenate a sense of Bobcat pride."
One major change for this season is the Thunder Crew moving to the opposite end of the arena, where the band, cheerleaders and Sassy Cats can gather together.
"That way, we get the band and cheerleaders going with us, make a bunch of noise, get everyone organized," Gamble said.
The challenge for the group comes in keeping students on campus for weekend games. Gamble hopes that good marketing and fun activities will do just that.
"Our first Saturday home game against West Georgia (Nov. 21) will be a barbecue, which will hopefully also be an official tailgate by then, but we're working on that," Gamble said. "But the point is to get people out there early, hang out and get excited about the game, not just show up, watch the game, and leave. Keeping people in Milledgeville is my dream, and one that I'm kind of putting on everyone else to make a reality."
Gamble, a junior transfer student, recently took over as president of the student cheering section, formerly the "Thundercats," and is rebuilding the group from the ground up. The name changed to the "GCSU Thunder Crew," and their focus is on the entire student body.
"Basically we want to build a student section at games that will involve all GCSU students, not just a few guys," Gamble said. "We want it to be loud enough to aggravate the other teams."
Gamble has a vision of creating a tailgate-type environment around home basketball games, similar to what larger schools like the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have.
"Our first (men's home) game will be 'The Greenout,' where we'll get there around 6:30 (p.m.), get painted up, have some music, make it sort of a pep rally kind of thing and pregame a little bit," Gamble said. "We want to get people involved that maybe aren't huge sports fans, but that will want to come out for the atmosphere."
The group is taking the initiative to push school spirit as the main focus of home sporting events, particularly basketball games, which lend themselves more easily to large cheering section environments.
A statement from the Thunder Crew's constitution sums up its philosophy: "As members of The GCSU Thunder Crew, we pledge to elevate school spirit and rejuvenate a sense of Bobcat pride."
One major change for this season is the Thunder Crew moving to the opposite end of the arena, where the band, cheerleaders and Sassy Cats can gather together.
"That way, we get the band and cheerleaders going with us, make a bunch of noise, get everyone organized," Gamble said.
The challenge for the group comes in keeping students on campus for weekend games. Gamble hopes that good marketing and fun activities will do just that.
"Our first Saturday home game against West Georgia (Nov. 21) will be a barbecue, which will hopefully also be an official tailgate by then, but we're working on that," Gamble said. "But the point is to get people out there early, hang out and get excited about the game, not just show up, watch the game, and leave. Keeping people in Milledgeville is my dream, and one that I'm kind of putting on everyone else to make a reality."
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