A Remembered Compliment

Although I have followed the Lady Raiders Basketball team since the late 1980's, I only started attending the Texas Tech Lady Raider Basketball http://www.texastech.com/sports/w-baskbl/text-w-baskbl-body.html games semi regularly in 2005.  Some years, I am a season ticket holder. Some years, I just go to the games, look for promotions on tickets, and if I get discouraged with the performance (and I have) I stay home and watch on TV or listen to the games on the radio.

When I first started going to the games, the Texas Tech Lady Raider team was considered a basketball powerhouse and the arena was always crowded.  Even if the uppermost tier was not full (which it often was in 2005) the lower seating was full.

I am a very vocal fan.  I yell and scream and chant.  I cheer the cheers, and do the claps, the "Guns Up" and sing the Matador Song at the end of the game. I yell "Raider Power" depending on what side of the arena I am sitting.  Even though I am not a Tech graduate.  I am a Tech employee. And a fan.

Well, years ago, I remember at one game, I was doing my usual yelling and cheering and exhorting, and a gentleman in the row in front of me turned around and told me he liked the way I cheered. One of the players had done something incorrect or bad on the court, and instead of disparaging the player, I yelled a positive "do" statement.  He was right.

I do not disparage the players.  My cheers are things like:  "Get some points!"  "Hold 'em!" "Get the stop!" "You can do it!" "Defense!" "Good hustle! (including when good hustle does not turn out well)" "Score!"  "Go, Lady Raiders!" "Rebound!"

I cheer the Court Jesters http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/goinband/courtjesters.asp 

The most negative thing I do is scream a protracted "Miss it!" when the opposing team is shooting free throws.

Other than that, I do not usually boo or disparage the opposing team. The exception was when Brittany Greiner of Baylor University took a roundhouse punch to Jordan Barncastle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtaPtQnu370.  That was inexcusable, and frankly, I think the sanctions against Brittany Greiner were too mild.

I rarely boo the officials, although I will admit that I do, on occasion, when the call is so blatantly bad.  And this year, at least twice, when a player has obviously been hurt (Tech or opposition) and the officials have allowed play to continue.  What is that about?  I would think one of the most important responsibilities of the officials is to make sure the players are safe, and if you have an injured player on the court and do not stop play, that is criminal.

And kudos to the ball girls.  They are very well trained.  They get out there and wipe up the areas of the floor where there is moisture, and they keep their heads up in case play comes back there way.  The ball girls are young. They look to be elementary or junior high age. But guess what.  When I compare their performance to the performance of the "ball boys" or assistants at the men's games, the ball girls' skill, agility, and game awareness are far and away better.   Go Lady Raider ball girls!