From the Student Section Wants the (Ugly) Parents Gone

Submitted by SaddestTailgateEver on

Ok folks, sorry for the long absence from the posting world. The last two home football games were just not worth writing about for much the same reason that they really weren’t worth UFR-ing—namely, basically everyone that was responsible for any student section maladies is now gone. Sure, yes, Brandon was gone, but not with enough time for anything really to change. At any event, I’ll eventually get around to some closing thoughts that might still be relevant come next year, but for this article we’re going to talk about a different student section, namely that of Yost.

I’ve had hockey season tickets for a number of years, and in that time, Yost has always been a wonderful, fantastic, electric atmosphere. There have, however, been some up and downs. The renovation was a mixed bag: brighter, cheerier motif, more room, I think the foot stomping is more effective; however, the top rows have bad visibility, and the student section is smaller. Some of the other “recent” changes:

  • Moving the student section around the bend: New this year, the student section extends from about Section 19 (behind the home bench) to Section 14 (south wall next to the band). Generally speaking, this is bad. The student section used to extend along the entire east wall (minus the band). This means less raucous Yost-worthy fans near the other net, it also means that the student section is no longer contiguous (more on that later). The reasons are likely Brandonian: side seats can probably be sold for more than those behind the nets. The only benefit I’ve seen is that it makes it marginally easier to get the “GO” “BLUE” chant started by bouncing between 17 and 14 rather than across the ice.
  • Too damn much music. Not much to add here, choir.
  • Moving the opposing parents behind the visiting bench: This is the one I want to particularly deep dive into. This has been unequivocally the most detrimental to the fan experience at Yost since I’ve been there.
  • Making the student section just plain smaller: If I had to guess, this is a money issue, but not the cost of hockey tickets. I believe this is a cost of football tickets issue. If football tickets are stretching the bank, other season tickets are the first thing to go. Hopefully we’ll see some rebound here next year.

Why the parents being there is so bad

Let’s revisit contiguity. The reason that Section 17 (the heart of the student section) is so great is because everyone is clumped together; they can feed off each other; they can exchange cheers, ideas, etc. Imagine trying to start the wave in the Big House if there were a section of OSU fans in between two parts of the student section. Yeah, that isn’t working. For the same reason that moving part of the student section to the other side of the band is bad, so is putting the opposing parents behind the visiting bench. Worse, the (albeit minimal) upside doesn’t exist because the split up sections face the same way. So now we essentially have a core student section that maxes out at a full Section 16 and 17, which is loud and proud, but fundamentally limited in size. Compare that to when I started going to hockey games, where for the big games you could expect to fill the whole east wall with people who were pretty into it.

Also there’s utilization. Even when we’re playing teams that are nearby like MSU or OSU the parent section is half empty and the students aren’t even allowed to sit in the periphery. That is a full-blown, fully mapped DMZ that you better keep stepping through and not stop. So now we have students that don’t fit in Section 17, stuck above row 10 in Section 18 and a bunch of needlessly empty seats below them. And for what? So these parents can have some elbow room to look at their sons’ backs? That’s the area they want to be filming—they want to show the crazy passion fans have in promo materials. And now they take a picture and it looks like the student section abruptly fades to empty silver bleachers. Great planning that is.

Finally, it is just a fundamentally bad idea that has actually led to altercations and fisticuffs in the stands. I would love to have been at the meeting where this was pitched.

“Alright team, what if we move the opposing parents into the student section?”

“Dave, that’s insane.”

“I regret to inform all of you that Phillip will no longer be working with us. Does anyone else have thoughts about the move?”

<Pause>

“Seeing none, meeting adjourned.”

 

But actually, what type of sane human being hears that and doesn’t immediate respond “that’s actually insane”? Since the move, I’ve seen mortified parents trying to shield their children from the “cya” cheer. I’ve seen a UMass-Lowell parent push a UM student down the stairs. And just this evening I watched an OSU parent come up and jab a student in the chest. Fortunately—I suppose—I was close enough to observe the whole incident. From what I could tell the “instigation”, if you want to call it that, was that the student observed (albeit quite loudly) that OSU’s goal to make it 5-2 UM with like 30 seconds left would have no bearing on the outcome of the game (I must admit, he did have a point). What baffled me though was that this parent was not immediately escorted from the building, nor even the section. Worse still, event staff got on this student’s case and threatened to kick him out of future games if there were any complaints (despite nearby students asserting that he hadn’t done anything wrong). To be fair, most of my experiences with event staff folks have been positive, but I’ve also had a number like this, where one event staffer can sour the whole experience for the fans, which is a real shame.

Now, were there other things said that may have irritated the opposing parents? Probably. It is the Yost student section after all. But, really, that’s the point. Yost is a great place because the fans, especially the students, are insane and make it a loud and intimidating place to play. Putting the opposing parents in the middle of the students is asking for trouble, and that request has been answered too many times. It’s time to undo this tragedy of basic judgment and move the parents somewhere else.

Comments

Bando Calrissian

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:41 AM ^

This predates Brandon, actually. Sorry, somewhat long history lesson to come.

Round about 2001-2, the students were getting a bit, shall we say, extreme. There were a few newspaper articles in the Detroit dailies talking about what could be done, Red got out on the ice with his grandkid in tow to get the students to tone it down, emails were sent, fliers were put on seats, and nothing did the trick. Fast forward to the 2002 NCAA Regional, when (IIRC) Denver threw a fucking shitfit because Michigan had a home ice advantage, and the NCAA said enough was enough--it wasn't just that Yost was loud, it was that the language was "dirty." I think Michigan even got fined. They'd already promised Yost another regional, so 2003 had to happen, but that was the end.

By the 2004-5 season, things were getting even dicier. The students had added "WE LOVE YOU RED!" to the end of the CYA cheer after the grandkid thing. Then, they took it out, and added "cocksucker" instead. For Athletics, that particular word was the last straw. They didn't like douchebag, they didn't much like asshole. But as soon as "cocksucker" entered the mix, all bets were off. For whatever reason, that was a particularly offensive word for the Assistant AD overseeing these things (who was actually a pretty cool guy throughout all of this). They already had the NCAA down their necks. They wanted to host NCAA events again, and had put enough money into the building to meet all of the other requirements for locker rooms and such. Of course, when the NCAA moved away from on-campus sites and put in a capacity requirement soon thereafter, this was all moot--but it was still very much in play at the time. On top of it, Athletics was rather embarrassed about the form letter apology they had to send by the dozens after every weekend Yost hosted a series. It actually was getting a bit out of hand.

And as a result of all this, they started really trying to clamp down. They were sending ushers into the student section as soon as the CYA cheer started, and were booting people out of Yost on sight if they said "cocksucker." They had a few focus group meetings with student ticket holders--I was there, which is how I got the whole story. I'd been around for a good chunk of it anyway coming to Yost over the years, but hearing the AD's side of things made the picture much clearer.

We were told about a bunch of different options, from continuing to clamp down on language to revoking tickets to moving the students to the end zones. There was even a survey sent out. The basic message was to shape up or ship out--and they were prepared to force the issue.

The only big-ticket solution they mentioned that ended up being implemented was to split the student section in two using general sale and parent tickets. It was the one thing they thought could actually get the students to clean it up by making it more difficult to get a really unified cheer going. There were also concerns about having students right behind the opposing team benches, security and such. So they moved the parents behind the benches, and sold the tickets behind the Michigan benches, too. And it kind of worked, unfortunately. The student section has really never been the same. In one way or another, that split has been there ever since.

So that brings us up to date, I think. This is an ancient issue. I think there was a period when some parents were also on the other side of the ice (my parents somehow ended up with rinkside seats for a Fairbanks series once, it had to have been ~2007?), but the student side of the ice hasn't been exclusively students in a decade. It probably won't change, either. That's just the way it is, unfortunately.

jcgary

February 23rd, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^

The parents were moved to the other side of the ice near the penalty box somewhere around 2005 or 2006.  

I was a student from 2000-2004 and the parents were behind their respective benches every season I was a student.  I believe there were some altercations between away parents and students that cause the move to the other side of the ice.  

I had been to almost every home hockey game from 2000-2011.  I moved away from the area middway through the last season before the renovations were made.  I actually attended my first game since the renovations this past Sunday.  My impressions is the renovations seemed to make Yost quieter which was dissapointing to me.  

wile_e8

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^

This differs with the way I remember it - I thought the parents moved in the 03-04 season. I had student tickets in section 17 for 02-03 (right on the aisle next to section 18) and remember a big fist fight between (IIRC) Ferris St. parents and some students in the top half of section 18. The next season (03-04) the opponent parents were on the other side of the arena, and I was in section 18 behind some random non-student Michigan fans between the students and the opponents' bench.

I might be off on some of the details there, but 03-04 was my last year with season tickets and I remember at least one season of the parents being moved.

BlueFish

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^

My recollection is, the opposing parents were behind the bench from 91-96, as well.

I also believe that's about when the Ugly Parents chant began.  Then again, Yost didn't really have much organized fan participation (outside of end of the period and genesis of C-Ya) until the Cornell playoff series in '91.

Neodoomium

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:07 AM ^

Logic would suggest putting parents directly across an aisle from an entire section dedicated to calling them ugly, with only George as a barrier, is a terrible idea, and they were better off in section 7, not 17. 

My first season in the section was 2009/10, and I distinctly remember "Communist" being the capper to the C-Ya chant, so there was a second attempt to draw it back somewhat. Obviously it did not stick.

There was an attempt to make the COY an official Maize Rage hockey group a couple of years ago as well, and the overall consensus on our part was that anything they could offer us (away game trips, for one) would just be something they would threaten to take away for behavior they saw as inappropriate. There is no official leader precisely for that reason.

SCS100

February 24th, 2015 at 10:26 AM ^

It was more of a survey. The idea was pitched to the group by the Maize Rage and The Zone, if I remember correctly. The results ended up being 2-1 or 3-1 in favor of not going official (which is exactly how it should be). Even if they inexplicably had been in favor I doubt it would have happened. 

Canadian

February 23rd, 2015 at 8:03 AM ^

I have season tickets in section 13 and with the students wrapping around the band now I enjoy it but they seem to be out of the loop most of the time. Idk if they're not regulars or if they're all young and therefore inexperienced but you can tell they're lost on some of the chants

StephenRKass

February 23rd, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^

I remember this well. This is a great example of the "why we can't have nice things" principle. The cheering is fine and all, but when it goes over the line, it goes over the line badly. And the perps have a pretty entitled "F you" attitude toward anyone who suggests anything different.

I particularly understand the thing with visiting parents being near the visitor bench. If you've been in enough hostile environments, it is even more understandable.

mbrown339

February 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^

Hey, I'm one of the current cowbell clowns. I'm a fifth year and I remember pre-renovation (RIP, Corner Seats)
The parents were moved back because it's an NCAA rule (no doubt money was also a reason they never argued the point). That coupled with the drop in attendance due to ticket prices across the board, and the team's dip in performance and basketball's rise made the student section very disjointed. It happened because there weren't many people on the other side of the parents and they were cutoff from everyone else. That's why a couple of us this summer accepted the idea of filling the corner. Not good, but better than it was. Trust me, I want the parents gone and our corner seats back and the sound dampers cut down more than most.
Anyone want to take one for the team and get a parent to attack them?

MFan73

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^

I had student season tickets in the mid-90s when the student section was really getting going to become what it is was to make Yost such an intimidating place to play for opposing teams, and I always loved that we filled then entire sideline behind the team benches (not including the visiting team's families).  After reading all the posts, it got me thinking, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think those days might truly be over.  Even having any student sideline seats is a bonus, I think.  Having been to more than half of the Big Ten schools for hockey, this is not the norm.  The Ohio State and Wisconsin students all sit in the endzone where the opposing team defends in periods one and three.  At MSU, they wrap around the corner, much like at Yost these days.  I haven't been to Minnesota or Penn State, but when we were considering going to Penn State in year one of the Big Ten, I recall seeing a seating chart that showed the PSU student section in one of the endzones.  So, unfortunately, it appears that Michigan's student section was unique for a long time, but may never be set up the same way again.  I hope that I am proven wrong.

Old Lax Wolve

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^

I went to the Michigan game up there last season (a WTF loss) and the student section was behind one goal - where the visitors goalie is for periods 1 and 3 (duh).  I thought that was pretty cool. They have a nice facility. Pretty vanilla.

 

CSB (?) / my high school hockey team played at yost a lot and I (among others) got kicked out for throwing stale bagels on the ice. Something I picked up from RPI waaaaaaaaay back in the day.  The players (told me) they loved shooting the stale pucks, I mean bagels, around.

But we never, ever, used foul language /s

InterM

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:58 PM ^

Not only is the student section weaker now that it wraps around the corner, but the northern end of what used to be the student section is now the emptiest/lamest part of the arena.  I just "upgraded" this year from the north end zone to the west sideline, and it drives me nuts to see better seats than mine across the way on the east sideline that are either empty or filled with folks who are on the extremely casual/quiet end of the fan spectrum.  When they moved the students out of those seats, why didn't they put them up for sale to the season ticket holders?

Team 101

February 24th, 2015 at 10:37 PM ^

The other big change in the renovation was the installation a large number of mostly unused seating for wheelchair people.  Not only did the student secton occupy most of the east sideline but they were right up against the boards.  Now only small handful of seats are against the boards.