Okay this post is a week overdue. Sorry about that but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overreacting to the situation. Last weekend I went to the opening game of the Waterloo Warriors season with a friend and her daughters. I wanted to check out some of the Guelph Gryphon players and see how UW was going to do with their newly resurrected football team.
The game itself was a blowout but I expected that. What I didn’t expect was the complete lack of attention the cheerleaders paid to the game. They were cheering through the huddle, through injured players on the field and when the other team was scoring. They held up signs that blocked fans’ views of the field while the game was on. It wasn’t only the signs, they also stunted and did cartwheels which also blocked the view of fans. To me, doing backflips when there is an injured player on the field shows a lack of respect for the game that you’re supposed to be cheering at. It seems like the UW cheerleaders have forgotten that they’re not the main attraction but are simply supposed to be cheering on the team and getting the fans involved IN THE GAME. Distracting fans so they can’t see the game makes true fans not come back. I’m not sure I want to go to another Warriors game – why would I pay to see a game that I won’t get to see all of because for at least 1 quarter there will be cheerleaders blocking my view and getting the fans to yell at completely inappropriate times?
They also looked sloppy. One of them was chewing gum. the rest of them slouched, stood around with hands on hips (and not in the typical, cheerleader ready to cheer pose – in a I’m bored and don’t want to be here way). I have seen high school cheer teams behave more appropriately. If the Waterloo cheerleaders don’t want to be at the game – then don’t go. The true football fans will thank you.
Because I know a couple of people who were involved in the Warrior Band over the years (and have been persuaded to play when they were shorthanded on more than on occasion) I feel the need to mention them too. They were there. They were far from mighty. They were not balanced – 3 flutes, a trumpet, a sax and a badly played drum from what I could hear and see. They also barely played. This is unusual. Typically the Warrior Band is in direct competition with the Rider band for the “who can annoy the opposing team first” award. I heard them 3 times – once before the game, once in the 3rd quarter when the PA announcer directed our attention to a passable version of the Magnificent 7, and when they murdered the Warrior song. My friend who went with me to the game has been to a lot of UW games. I have not. I asked her if the song I heard was the Warrior song, she said “no” then “maybe” then “i don’t know – it sounds kind of like the Warrior song but played really badly”. Being a flute player, I am pretty sure that the flute part i heard was part of the Warrior song – but not so sure about everything else. Hopefully they, too, get better with practice.
With all of that said, I did have a great time at the game. Saw some great football (mostly by Guelph) and spent an early fall day (yes I know it’s still technically summer but the leaves are starting to change colour so it’s fall to me) outside in the fresh air.
Looking forward to your comparison of the Waterloo band to the completely nonexistent bands at most Canadian schools.
It’s a little unfair to criticize the ones who show up. They’re volunteers doing the best they can. Maybe the regular drummer couldn’t make it and somebody else was filling in at the last minute? Who knows. They came, they made some noise, they’re supporting the team.
If you want to argue that the band should get more support from the school so that it can grow, that’d be great. But I’d be careful about slagging the ones who actually do show up. The ones who could come, but don’t, that’s a different group.