COLUMN: Give other sports a chance Aggie fans
Spring semester is starting to wind down. Thoughts are moving toward finals, graduation, jobs, and of course, summer break.
The major sports at USU are also wrapping up and it might seem like athletics are done for the year.
Basketball just finished a great season, gymnastics is preparing for its conference tournament, hockey wrapped up back in February, and football ended months ago.
What are Aggies fans to do? They can attend some of the lesser-known sports, the hidden gems of athletics, and of course, take their enthusiasm with them.
For the big sports, Utah State fans are generally known for being great.
They yell, cheer, support the Aggies and make life miserable for the opposing team. I’ve seen it first hand time and again in Romney Stadium, the Spectrum, or even the Ice Sheet.
But with those sports finished, opponents in some of the other sports can be shown what raucous Aggie fans are like.
Utah State students — both varsity and club — are still competing, and they need the support of their fans. Many sports are still going strong. Take a break from the studying, enjoy the nice, spring weather — if it holds — and support the Aggies.
Among the varsity teams, softball, track and both men’s and women’s tennis will all be playing at home in the next month.
The Aggie softball team, having just won three of its last four games at Sacramento State, will play its home opener Wednesday against Southern Utah University at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson field (it’s just north of Romney Stadium). By the end of the season, the Aggies are scheduled to play 15 games at home.
Utah State track will also be at home, competing in Logan in April.
If you’re more into club sports, the baseball team has a few upcoming home games, including several this weekend, all played in Providence. Men’s and women’s lacrosse and rugby are also in action, with men’s lacrosse playing at home Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
While they don’t have any home competitions scheduled for this spring, both the Ultimate Frisbee team and the men’s club volleyball teams are competing this spring.
Last, but certainly not least this spring, are the USU varsity tennis teams. Both the men’s and women’s teams still have plenty of home matches to attend. Each team plays at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club located in North Logan, giving fans a great opportunity to attend.
The men’s next home match is Wednesday, and the women play three times in the next week (Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday).
While fans are encouraged to cheer and be supportive at all the events they attend, for some sports the etiquette for fans is a little bit different.
Tennis is one of those sports in which fans need to be aware of those differences.
Here are a few cheering guidelines provided by women’s tennis team members Andrea Hansen and Jill Smith: ·
Fans can clap and cheer after points, but they should take care to not yell during a point. Players want fans to cheer enthusiastically, but at the right times.
Cheering should be done for good shots, not because an opponent missed a shot. ·
As much as fans enjoy doing it at basketball and football, it’s inappropriate to heckle opponents. ·
Until the weather improves enough that matches can be held outdoors, they are held inside the tennis bubble at the Sports Academy. The bubble does not provide excess room for spectators, so be careful when entering, exiting and moving around so as to not disrupt the players. ·
Most importantly though, fans need to have fun and enjoy the matches.
So if you have a few moments, get out there and support your fellow Aggies. The players will appreciate the support and you’ll have the opportunity to have some fun. Try to find some time to attend the games, and who knows, you might just learn something or find a new favorite sport.
Landon Olson, a print journalism student, is finishing his second major. Comments can be sent to him at slbk5@cc.usu.edu.