From the Barn
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You need 22 people, probably less than that. Depending on your powers of persuasion, you should be able to find 21 other people in your little area willing to help out. I wouldn't try this during the NDSU game since its Thanksgiving weekend, but you should have plenty of people ready, willing, and able during Virginia game. If I were you I would seriously consider making some sort of chart, and talking to the people who stand in line before the doors open. Explain to them what you are trying to do, its goal, and why you need their help. You'll be surprised what can happen if you ask. If they are willing to stand in line for an hour just to stand around for another hour, they should be willing to take one for the team.
Any way, if you look at the chart below, the green areas are where you are now, where the cheerleaders are, and where the band is located. When you "super fans" distribute yourselves throughout the student section, your little area will still be fine. The most enthusiastic students will gravitate to that corner on their own.
The yellow areas, in my opinion, will be fine by the time the conference season starts. Yes they aren't threatening to kill anyone after a bad call, but they are engaged in the game, chanting when its needed, etc. I know you want them louder, and they will be by the time the Big Ten season starts.
The gray area is pretty much hopeless. They are reserved seats for god knows who, and won't be students. An enthusiastic student section would probably encourage some of them to be a little louder than the casual fan, but you can't put people there and they will largely do their own thing no matter what.
The red areas are the big question mark. Yes, they are quiet now, but the reason isn't as simple as simple as they don't care or they don't know nothing about basketball.
Problem # 1 is population density. At least for non-conference games, there just aren't as many people there, and the ones who are there tend to be spread out. Less people + more spread out people equals less noise.
Problem #2 is that people stand in these areas specifically because they don't want to be loud and rowdy. This is especially true in the top corners and under the overhang. Putting some loud rowdy people up there and they will get that they are still in a loud zone, and there is no safe zone.
Problem #3 is that some people in the red areas may not know much about basketball. This is where leadership is important. If they have people near them who clearly know about basketball, and are freaking out when the team needs a big defensive stop or after a great hustling play, they will follow your lead.
Problem #4 is that some people don't care. See the solution to problem #3. If they think it is just fine to not even clap during a non-conference game, if you have people near them acting like every possession matters, they will get it, and join in.
Problem #5 is that a lot of Minnesotans, regardless of their age, don't want to stick out. If the 100 people who are closest to them aren't chanting, they will be reluctant to chant themselves. You can unlocks their chanting potential.
Problem #6 is that geographically it is a very large student section, and even if there are students who want to follow your lead (and there are more than plenty) who are sitting on the opposite end of the student section, they can't see you or hear you. You can't make a speech to 2,000 without a microphone, but making a speech to 100 without a microphone is not that hard. You also can't yell at quiet sections to be louder if you can't even see where they are or talk to them. If you are in your spots before the other fans get there, you can tell them as they arrive they are expected to be loud. Heck, even practice a chant or two. Somehow the Barnyard stopped being a participatory experience, and you need to educate the rest of The Barnyard out of that attitude.
On to the graphic below. The light blue circles are an approximation of the number of superfan volunteers and where they should be. Obviously if there are parts of the student section where no one is, putting a superfan there isn't worth it. The yellow areas are fine, and the red areas need help. Concentrate on the red areas, and enjoy being the great revitalizers of the student section.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea for the 22 or so of you to differentiate yourselves somehow, so people will see you are the super fans and will follow your lead. I know of you guys wears some sort of atrocious plastic gopher head hat. If you all wore those, people who know who you are, and would probably be more likely to follow you because of your semi-official status. If you go for the silly hats or some otherway to differentiate yourselves, for the love of god don't revert to sitting back in your little corner, because it would only reinforce and amplify that your little corner has the cheering covered, and the rest of us can be free-riders.
Any way, if you look at the chart below, the green areas are where you are now, where the cheerleaders are, and where the band is located. When you "super fans" distribute yourselves throughout the student section, your little area will still be fine. The most enthusiastic students will gravitate to that corner on their own.
The yellow areas, in my opinion, will be fine by the time the conference season starts. Yes they aren't threatening to kill anyone after a bad call, but they are engaged in the game, chanting when its needed, etc. I know you want them louder, and they will be by the time the Big Ten season starts.
The gray area is pretty much hopeless. They are reserved seats for god knows who, and won't be students. An enthusiastic student section would probably encourage some of them to be a little louder than the casual fan, but you can't put people there and they will largely do their own thing no matter what.
The red areas are the big question mark. Yes, they are quiet now, but the reason isn't as simple as simple as they don't care or they don't know nothing about basketball.
Problem # 1 is population density. At least for non-conference games, there just aren't as many people there, and the ones who are there tend to be spread out. Less people + more spread out people equals less noise.
Problem #2 is that people stand in these areas specifically because they don't want to be loud and rowdy. This is especially true in the top corners and under the overhang. Putting some loud rowdy people up there and they will get that they are still in a loud zone, and there is no safe zone.
Problem #3 is that some people in the red areas may not know much about basketball. This is where leadership is important. If they have people near them who clearly know about basketball, and are freaking out when the team needs a big defensive stop or after a great hustling play, they will follow your lead.
Problem #4 is that some people don't care. See the solution to problem #3. If they think it is just fine to not even clap during a non-conference game, if you have people near them acting like every possession matters, they will get it, and join in.
Problem #5 is that a lot of Minnesotans, regardless of their age, don't want to stick out. If the 100 people who are closest to them aren't chanting, they will be reluctant to chant themselves. You can unlocks their chanting potential.
Problem #6 is that geographically it is a very large student section, and even if there are students who want to follow your lead (and there are more than plenty) who are sitting on the opposite end of the student section, they can't see you or hear you. You can't make a speech to 2,000 without a microphone, but making a speech to 100 without a microphone is not that hard. You also can't yell at quiet sections to be louder if you can't even see where they are or talk to them. If you are in your spots before the other fans get there, you can tell them as they arrive they are expected to be loud. Heck, even practice a chant or two. Somehow the Barnyard stopped being a participatory experience, and you need to educate the rest of The Barnyard out of that attitude.
On to the graphic below. The light blue circles are an approximation of the number of superfan volunteers and where they should be. Obviously if there are parts of the student section where no one is, putting a superfan there isn't worth it. The yellow areas are fine, and the red areas need help. Concentrate on the red areas, and enjoy being the great revitalizers of the student section.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea for the 22 or so of you to differentiate yourselves somehow, so people will see you are the super fans and will follow your lead. I know of you guys wears some sort of atrocious plastic gopher head hat. If you all wore those, people who know who you are, and would probably be more likely to follow you because of your semi-official status. If you go for the silly hats or some otherway to differentiate yourselves, for the love of god don't revert to sitting back in your little corner, because it would only reinforce and amplify that your little corner has the cheering covered, and the rest of us can be free-riders.
