Comments on: Jack, Make This Happen: Fewer ND Home Game Pep Rallies

By: BJGator

BJGator — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:47:42 +0000

I don’t know what ND pep rallies are like now. But I’ll give my two cents on the “Only One Pep Rally” idea. At UF, we have only one pep rally, and it’s more of a variety show. It’s called Gator Growl, and it’s the largest student run pep rally in the country, attracting about 60,000 people. It really is cool, but I still would rather have several pep rallies. They are part of the culture of college athletics. Being a student, I would be in favor of more student-centric productions. It doesn’t have to be non-family friendly. But to cater to alumni and children seems to rob the pep rally of its intensity. There are ways to involve and entertain the students without alienating alumni and their families.

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By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:37:24 +0000

I dont know that eliminating alums is the way to go (that’s me!), but changing the venue and the program makes a ton of sense.

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By: Tuba Pete

Tuba Pete — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:37:58 +0000

OK, I’m dating myself, but the suggestions to return to Stepan though in the right vein, only tell half the story.

The real pep rallies were in the old field house; dirt floor, clouds of dust everywhere, screaming, sweaty, enthusiastic students. It was so crowded some guests never even noticed the floor was dirt.

I know we can’t return to the field house, but the suggestion(S) to return pep rallies to the students, keeping alumni to those who can sneak in, is the right move.

When I was a student, I went to a few pep rallies of other schoools. They literally paled in comparison. If we want ND football to return to what it was, the pep rallies have to be part of that.

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By: Publius

Publius — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:10:08 +0000

I’m hoping, probably in vain, that this might actually lead to something positive. The JACC pep rallies are a Disney-esque farce of a true rally. Just watch a video of the old, student-centric rallies at Stepan and compare to the bland, alumni-centered JACC ones.
I know there was a lot grumbling among the student body last year about on the issue, but all the recommendations that were given by the Hall President’s Council were watered down or outright denied by the authoritarians at SAO.
Maybe they’ll come to see some sense and have an actual rally, rather than just a artificial production for the out-of-town fans. If not, I hope the halls can find some solidarity to challenge SAO, rather than leaving Sorin to be the sole dorm boycotting the rallies.

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By: Around the Interwebs | CollegeGameBalls: College Football at its Finest

Around the Interwebs | CollegeGameBalls: College Football at its Finest — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:03:17 +0000

[...] Notre Dame fans that get It. Because of renovations to the Joyce Center, the venue for pep rallies, the Irish athletic department is scrambling to find a substitute location. HLS has the perfect solution. Simple, just have way, way fewer pep rallies and then hold the one or two that are worth having in the stadium. [...]

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By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:49:26 +0000

They should all be Dillon Pep Rallies. That would make them worthwhile.

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By: domer.mq

domer.mq — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:00:58 +0000

Gah. Thanks, OC. I’ve had a splitting headache all day long, making it quite difficult to read/write correctly.

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By: OC Domer

OC Domer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:22:16 +0000

And another thing – The USC game is on October 17th, not the 24th. Hope you haven’t already booked your plane or hotel.

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By: OC Domer

OC Domer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:18:46 +0000

We don’t need fewer rallies. We need fewer LAME rallies held in a JACC filled with lame, tame alumni. The rallies need to be in front of standing-room-only crowds of fired up students (who may or may not have come over directly from happy hour). Any alumni in attendance need to squeeze in the back of the room after all the students have been let in. Moving the rallies from the Steppan Center to the JACC sucked the life out of them. The first time I attended a rally in the JACC I couldn’t believe all the ropes and barriers between the students and the stage. A travesty. Get Chuck Lennon off the stage (we still love you Chuck) and give the pep rally back to the students.

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By: John C

John C — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:09:11 +0000

This would be a great opportunity to have the pep rallies in the Stepan Center just like back in the day. From what the alumni say, those student only pep rallies were 10x better than today’s pep rallies. And then the big USC game can be in the stadium for the public to see.
-John ’07

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