Kennel Club Lazy

[proudzagparent]

Long, long time season ticket holder here. Have not posted on this Board in several years -- though I still read it every day. Hondo, Roncalli, CDC84, and of course BobZag are my lifeline for sanity when it comes to GU hoops. Unlike the old days on this Board, the rest (with occassional exception) is just so much noise.

Anyhow, now posting because the Utah State videos, elsewhere posted on this Board, really got my blood pumping. "That is supposed to be the GU Kennel Club!" I cried to my monitor.

I do hope the current KC leadership (oxymoron) reads this Board, and is not just out studying for graduate school exams leading to hopeful big bucks careers. Or texting during games. (DON'T miss this opportunity -- it comes only once, to make your mark, and a lifetime of memories).

Kennel Club now is a bunch of lazy, unimaginative, unorganized embarassers thinking that jumping around and wearing dumb hats and hoping to get a personal flash on the Heister/Ehlo broadcast is a goal to be achieved above any else. None of them were around when things were truly frenzied. Frauds as compared to the day (not too long ago, but again, the real ones have long since graduated.)

So too just as lazy, though, are we, the season ticket holders.

We have all gotten drab and boring. Success does this. Human nature I guess. So thanks to whoever posted the Utah State stuff. They have what we had six-ten years ago...

Should shake us into remembering that our GU program is continually shocking the nation on ESPN, etc.. AND SO SHOULD WE, FOR OUR PART, AS GONZAGA UNIVERSITY FANS. This is special. We, as fans, should be equally special.

Old Kennel, Season Ticket Holders: On our feet entire games. We actually challenged the Kennel Club to be imaginative and crazy. I remember one key game where we the ones who chanted to the Kennel Club, during a time out, "On Your Feet." Current Season Ticket Holders: On our hands until flashy Stephen Gray video and video board exhorts us to get on our feet and MAKE NOISE, which we meakly do. Absolutely embarassing.

No need (nor method) in Old Kennel for us to be "exhorted" to MAKE NOISE. It just happened naturally, and it was deafening -- from students as well as opposite side, equally. Ask Santangelo, Dickhau, Nielsen, even Morrison, etc. about that. But embarassing showing last few years from we season ticket holders' perspective, and getting worse. (Much of that due to monied bandwagoneers.)

Old Kennel: Kennel Club: Jumping and yelling (just like now) but imaginative and coordinated cheers that would make Utah State envious. Not just "You Can't Do That," "That Ref Sucks," "Airball," "Up By Twenty" stuff (the latter of which only comes, if at all, typically, from the KC when the Zags are up by 22). Pre-game research of key opposing players and creative, tailored, organized chants as to them. What was the hilarious KC chant at the Kennel against the Pepperdine kid whose Dad had assaulted someone in the Pepperdine library a few days before the game? Remind me, one of you old timers, please... EVERY GAME, there were two or three chants tailored to the opponents' personnel or coach. After a few seconds to make out what tee KC was chanting, on our side, there was laughter and then loud joinder from us. "NBA REJECT" rained on Paul Westphal the entire game at the Kennel when he was coaching Pepperdine. The KC "ZAGS" spell-out on the floor inspired more noise than any manufactured Chevron-sponsored animated video-screen car race...

Lest you think I am mean-spirited by my fond remembrance of the "poor" Pepperdine kid with the misguided father, I love the "I Believe, We Will Win," and the "Closing Score" chant from Utah State.

This showing up of the Kennel Club by the likes of Utah State is an utter embarassment...

There are two days left before the next home game, you lazy, fat, spoiled GU kids (my son is one of them, a senior). I better hear, "I Believe, We Will Win," complete with the hand gestures and all, befitting ESPN highlights, this Thursday, or there will be hell to pay.

What you are witnessing is special. And you MUST be up to the task and equally special, as student fans.

I will do my part in getting we lazy Season Ticket Holders involved. It may take a few games for we geezers to catch on, but can you imagine 6,000 crazies in the McCarthey Center cheering, "I Believe, We Will Win!!!"?

Get it together, dumbasses. This Thursday. And Saturday. And beyond.

[Mantua]

I think that this board is a place to get a sense of the fan community, not to say that most aren't grateful for wonderful moderators.

Does the NCAA have any rules against bribing the Kennel Club?

[cjm720]

Like it or not, a drunk KC is a good KC...always has been. Not sure what happened a few years back, but I recall emphasis from the University to clean up the perception of the KC.

I assume students still tie one on, but perphaps it's less so than in the past. Anyone know?

Go Zags!!!

[Zag4Hire]

Articles for Good Ol' Days

Spokesman Review, 1987; Response to Blanchette's 'Kennel Club Takes Rare Breed'

I feel these students should learn more discipline. They may pay to get into the games, but they do not have the right to shout rude and cruel things to anyone. Sure, it might be fun and amusing to them, but there are others who are being totally embarrassed. I feel this article (Jan. 31) was an eye opener and I commend Mr. Blanchette.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nEQjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ce8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=958,8187065&dq=gonzaga+kennel+club&hl=en

[proudzagparent]

C''mon. Imbibement no excuse. We are talking about UTAH STATE (read LDS) embarassing the KC -- not WSU or Chico State.

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

I have never been to a game in the new arena and can only evaluate what I see on t.v. However, I agree that the student section has looked very ordinary for the past couple of years. There is a pretty good home court advantage for the Zags, but a pretty good home court advantage is nothing like the home court advantage used to be. At one time, the inside of the Martin Centre felt like an overwhelming force of nature. The new MAC seemed to have that same feel when it opened. I haven't see that same intensity for the past year or so.

Pick it up. Bring such a rain of palpable hostility that opposing teams and coaches want to crawl under a rock and hide. If you haven't lost your voice by the end of the game, you need to give your tickets to somebody else who wants them more than you do.

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

C''mon. Imbibement no excuse. We are talking about UTAH STATE (read LDS) embarassing the KC -- not WSU or Chico State.

You don't need to be drunk. You need to be loud. You need to be willing to ignore the chuckles and funny looks from people around you if you are way louder than they are.

[bullzag23]

You don't need to be drunk. You need to be loud. You need to be willing to ignore the chuckles and funny looks from people around you if you are way louder than they are.

The chuckles and funny looks should be DIRECTED to those who aren't being loud, like it was a few years back. I was lucky enough to see the last 2 years of the Martin Centre and the first 2 years of the MAC. It's unfortunate that none of the students now have any idea what games in the Martin Centre were like.

-GU Alum '06

[Johnzaga]

Agreed!

Thank you Proudzagparent! I have felt the same thing. And thank you for pointing out that the height of the kennel club was 6 to 10 years ago (My Time at GU)! These kids have it easy and don't know what it means to cheer. In the past 4 seasons I have been in awe of how quiet K2 can get. The old Kennel was never ever even close to quiet! And the MAC was built to be loud! If you can hear the person next to you without screaming then the kids have lost it!

I am certainly dissappointed in the current student fans. They need to understand that when the team is down, that's when they need to cheer the loudest! And that goes double for us! We, the fans, know better and need to push them as well. Where are the "Cheers?" I recall many more cheers led by the "Cheerleaders". Where are the GO GONZAGA chants? Where is the passion?

GO ZAGS!!!

[hooter73]

Bumping a thread subject that Ive posted about before.

Is there anyone on here that represents the current KC? What do they have to say or how does this get to the current students?

[GoZags]

The Pepperdine chant from the Kennel Club was "Beat your Teammate" as Glen McGowan shot free throws (or touched the ball). I believe the kid's dad was there, but the actual, physical beatdown was teammate on teammate.

Down the road, I actually began to like McGowan, who seemed to have learned from his transgression and became quite a good player in our league. In addition -- he later had some very significant health issues that he overcame.

But the chant was "Beat your Teammate"

[ZagNut08]

6 years ago people were complaining about the KC and saying how great it was 6-10 years before that. Sometimes it seems that people pick out the one or two great games a year and as time goes on, they think the whole season was like that.

I vividly remember the UW game in 04/05 as being absolutely crazy, but I don't remember the lmu game, was it good, I don't know, but I know the UW game was nuts...so therefor, the kennel club was great then...remember all the "ear job jensen chants!?" we used to get in the players heads, etc etc.

Believe me, I wish the club was more proactive/organized and put effort into things like this...but they dont.

In 07/08 (maybe the year before) the school took over the KC (in wake of the kickert chant - which is a whole other debate about the KC being PC / to make money off it) and they cracked down on the "social fee" which used to go to pre/post game keggers for all. Now they have a bar tab at the bar after for those of age. It elminates a lot of the congregating/getting drunk/coming up with last minute chants. Also, in the "good old days" I heard you could walk in 10 minutes before the game and have a front row seat. Now, people are camped for days for big games...which is an exhausting process, leaving them perhaps too little energy once in the game to go nuts.

[GoZAGsMang]

Agree with most.... but not copying the chant of our competition

Agree with most.... but not copying the chant of our competition

We dont impersonate

We innovate

GoZAGsMang

[zagfan07]

Oh, thank God! I was beginning to worry. It had been a whole 2 weeks since one of these threads was started...

[gamagin]

+1

6 years ago people were complaining about the KC and saying how great it was 6-10 years before that. Sometimes it seems that people pick out the one or two great games a year and as time goes on, they think the whole season was like that.

I vividly remember the UW game in 04/05 as being absolutely crazy, but I don't remember the lmu game, was it good, I don't know, but I know the UW game was nuts...so therefor, the kennel club was great then...remember all the "ear job jensen chants!?" we used to get in the players heads, etc etc.

Believe me, I wish the club was more proactive/organized and put effort into things like this...but they dont.

In 07/08 (maybe the year before) the school took over the KC (in wake of the kickert chant - which is a whole other debate about the KC being PC / to make money off it) and they cracked down on the "social fee" which used to go to pre/post game keggers for all. Now they have a bar tab at the bar after for those of age. It elminates a lot of the congregating/getting drunk/coming up with last minute chants. Also, in the "good old days" I heard you could walk in 10 minutes before the game and have a front row seat. Now, people are camped for days for big games...which is an exhausting process, leaving them perhaps too little energy once in the game to go nuts.

I've noticed the level of enthusiasm pretty well matches the excitement and flow and pretty well aligns with the importance of the game. So does the KC.

In all instances, the KC outshines the crowd when it is there.

I nominate the thread starter to stand up and scream the whole game vs. Pepperdine. Show those kids and season ticket holders what fer.

No matter what's going on in the game. No matter what the score is. Just keep screaming. Because that's the way it was done back in the day. Go for it. Every game from now on. See what happens.

I predict the KC and the crowd will rise and sit, cheer and jeer, pretty much in line with what is actually going on in the game. To me it's a sign we are all in the game, watching and living & dying with the action & the game as it unfolds, reacting like fans with every action or inaction or bad call we observe.

That's the way I've seen it over the years, even going back to the "good old days" when the games were played on Boone Ave., where the Russel (sp?) Theatre is now located.