No Place Like Home, But Where's Fan Support?

This year's Ogemaw Heights basketball team has had its problems. Plenty of youth. Little experience. Coach Jim Beach's letter to Santa Claus - he wanted a 6-foot-8 tree to plant in the middle of the lane - was ignored.

The Falcons are 0-3 heading into this Friday's game at Roscommon. They won't return home until January 10, against North East Michigan Conference rival Pinconning.

Yes, it's tough when you're rebuilding. But what's truly disheartening about Heights is its apparent lack of student and community spirit.

At Ogemaw's home opener, an administrator looked out at the sparse crowd and sighed. "If this is all we're going to get for the first basketball game of the year, it's going to be a long year."

I quickly agreed. Row upon row of Ogemaw Heights bleacher was empty, not even close to the SRO group which invaded the same location less than a month before, when the Girls Class B District games drew more than a thousand pumped-up fans to the hardwood matchup.

I do believe fan turnout will improve, now that Christmas Shopping Season is finished. But strength in numbers is only part of the answer. Therefore, I am offering some suggestions that will not only improve fan attendance at the games, but improve the show of spirit, since Heights is saddled with the additional problem of not having a cheerleading squad on the floor this winter.

Home court advantage should put fear into the hearts of visiting opponents. Instead, the Falcons' gym is like a Holiday Inn - inviting teams to come in, kick their shoes off and enjoy the stay.

Ogemaw needs fan support to bring home court advantage back to town.

Here are some ideas which may help:

Wear an article of clothing with "Ogemaw Heights" on it. If this is not possible, do the next-best thing: wear something brown and gold. This will help show the Ogemaw faithful are united.

Come to the game :fired up." Be prepared to yell and scream.

Ogemaw Heights should furnish a Pep Band - perhaps members of the Jazz Band. They can play the National Anthem, Ogemaw Fight Song, and other one-minute (time-out) pieces.

All this is good for starters (and even the bench). It's a sign of fan support. Heights players can look up in the stands and see they have the support of their peers and families, and even other people who never thought once about going to a Falcons game, but finally decided to come just for the heck of it.

Now ...

In order to intimidate the opposition, you look to the best. The Cleveland Browns' "Dawg Pound," Michigan State University's "Hockey Hysterics," the Atlanta Braves' "Tomahawk Choppers," and Minnesota Twins' "Homer Hankies" are all legitimate candidates. But for hoops action, no one knows fan power like UCLA.

For years, the Bruins were mowing down the opposition. True, they had some pretty good players (Kareem Whatshisface did OK). But don't be fooled. UCLA is headquarters for the most powerful guerrilla fan tactics known to the sports world. They make cheering an art form.

When the starting line-up for the visiting team is announced, the following catcalls could be used:

Starter No. 1: "SO WHAT?"
Starter No. 2: "BIG DEAL!"
Starter No. 3: "WHO CARES?"
Starter No. 4: "WHO'S HE?"
Startet No. 5: "GO HOME!"

Fans can even bring huge cardboard signs with the messages written in large letters - sort of a "cue card" method of cheering.

When the visiting team goes to the foul line, the crowd should count his dribbles out loud and wave their arms wildly as he prepares to shoot. They can even add keychains (with keys) to add to the noise level. All this might distract him from the shot.

When an opponent commits a foul, let him know he has by chanting: "You! You! You!" This is even more effective if you point at the guilty party.

The Falcons' gym might have a new, second scoreboard, but you can still fool the opponent. How? Easy. A false countdown can be started. For example: With 20 seconds remaining, start counting, "10, 9, 8 ..." One word of caution: This should not be done when Ogemaw has the ball.

This "how-to" is not meant to slight Whittemore-Prescott basketball. The Cardinals' are just as welcome to adopt these guidelines to better fan-team management. As it evolves, both teams should start bearing the fruit of their efforts. And pretty soon, you'll see Ogemaw and Whittemore in the Class B and C finals.

You're welcome.

This article originally appeared in the Ogemaw County Herald.