22
Broadside
Aug. 27, 2012
Get Competitive with Club Sports
opinion
Section 124: A View from the Platoon
Welcome to Mason Nation! Basketball is part of our everyday life here in Fairfax. From checking out new recruits to watching every game, Mason hoops are an essential part of our university life. To a non-Patriot, it might just look like we are simply attending basketball games. But for us, heading to the Patriot Center is a ritual. e easiest way to get hyped up for a game is to get decked out in as much Mason gear as possible. I like to call it Mason “swag.” At almost every game and campus event, you can pick up some sort of free green and gold flair. It is probably a smart idea to just go ahead and dedicate a drawer now to Mason shirts, bags, beads and any other school spirit you acquire. After a while of picking up random pieces of Mason gear, you’ll certainly figure out what your regular game “uniform” consists of. Personally, I go with five sets of
beads (two green, two gold and one mixed), a Mason headband, an armband on my left arm and a Mason sleeve on my right arm. I guess you could call me bit superstitious. If you decide you want to go to a lot of games, sit with the craziest fans and get special benefits, I highly recommend checking out the Patriot Platoon. Once you’re in the Platoon, some of the perks include getting into each game early to pick out your perfect seat, road trips to away games and meet and greets with the team. ere is also a point system in which students are award prizes at the end of the year for attending the most games. Once you’ve picked your perfect seat, there is etiquette to cheering. You’ll quickly learn all of the cheers that go on during the game. Obviously, cheer as loud as possible when we’re on defense. Make sure you get a roster before the
Sports
game starts because some of the best chants come at the expense of the opposing players. Another thing you’ll notice is that students will throw little pieces of paper in the air when something big in the game happens. A great way to kill time before the game starts is to make yourself a little paper collection. Overall, the best place to see some true student spirit is inside the Patriot Center. We come together like no other place on campus. You get to make some amazing new friends and celebrate with people you don’t even know. No matter if you decide to be the biggest fan or just go to games casually, Mason basketball will just be another roller coaster ride in the amusement park that is your college experience. CoLUmN by DANieL Zimmet
stephen kline/BroaDsiDe
Club sports at Mason provide a median of the NCAA Division I teams at Mason and the casual atmosphere of intramural sports. Some club teams compete in national championship events on a regular basis. In the past several years, football and cricket have both brought back champion titles. Different sports are constantly being added to the roster in response to student interest. Most teams practice several times a week depending on their sport and season. All students enrolled full-time with good academic standing are eligible to play on a club team. For safety reasons, team members must display a degree of skill or proficiency in order to compete in games. According to recreation.gmu.edu, the following club sports are available for students to join:
Co-ed: - Bowling - Fencing - Swimming - Tennis - Trap and Skeet - Ultimate Frisbee - Underwater Hockey - Paintball - Triathlon - Running
Men: - Baseball - Crew - Football - Ice Hockey - Cricket - Lacrosse - Rugby - Soccer - Inline Hockey - Volleyball
Women: - Equestrian - Field Hockey - Lacrosse - Soccer - Synchronized swimming - Volleyball - Rugby - Softball