Suggestions To Improve The Fort

Complete unintentional. You probably know the historical reference of it but I've always like the name and it would fit this team well if a group was called that.

Not a wind-up, but are you being serious, or sarcastic here?

It was a serious suggestion.

There are no big secrets to this.

a) A typical problem I've noticed is folks starting competing songs. Try to listen to what's getting started around you and pick up whatever it is. You don't know the words? Make some up.

b) I know the tailgate is fun, and I know the march in once casual fans are already in the stadium looks good, but if the Fort is going to be full of the loud and boisterous crowd, then said crowd has to be in the gate THE MINUTE IT OPENS lest the Fort be full of High School kids on their cell phones the whole game. The Fort will ALWAYS be general admission.

c) Bring a friend, get them hooked, get your friend to bring a friend, who can bring another, and so on...

Flags? Tifo? Great stuff, but let's start with trying to get our songs together and such before we try to do Pyongyang-style Mass Games.

O.k., glad I asked then. Reason I did is because back in the early days of The Fort (1996-2000), there was a small group of fans who called themselves the "Sons of Liberty." They weren't great in number... maybe 3 - 5 at best, and their claim to fame (or infamy) was that they dressed alike with their group name spelled out on their shirts (tye-died in red, white, and blue at some point), played drums the whole match while making no effort at all to work with the other people drumming and chanting, and were made up of a group of grumpy, older Italian men.

In short, they were more than a bit of a joke, and any long-time Fort regular (TomHill, Amy Ross, etc.) could probably come up with something similar to say.

Not knocking your idea for a name, but it's already been taken, and the association with it isn't the best, especially in the context of The Fort.

While I'm all for a Fort tifo crew, I don't think they need any fancy name. What they would need is coordination, support, and people willing to work hard to make their efforts worthwhile; it's certainly possible.

The Magpie

You can't listen if you are chanting a competing song. During the ECF, there were just as many people singing in rows 30-35 as there were in 1-5. Did you here any of them? I doubt it, because you guys down front often started chants over them. In the middle, you could hear them loud and clear.

People aren't going to give up 50% of their tailgating. Beer's eight times more expensive in the stadium and there's people who only see each other at tailgates because they live 2 hours apart. There's plenty of people that are willing to, and do, participate who are unwilling to go in an hour before the game like you suggest.

That sounds like an affiliation with S.O.B. from Philly to me....
IMO, I wouldn't like to be part of a group that sounds like it belongs to another team...

Part of the problem is that there are too many drums in the first 5 rows. Drums need to be spread out. Wanna sit in the front, go ahead, but if there is already a drum there, think twice. You want the make the Fort sound better, well give up your drum or move to a spot that needs a drum. Remember, we are here to give our team a boost, not to get on camera.

I completely agree. We can still do a march and get good seats. What starts small last season can grow into something large next season. The more we spread the word that we are going to march, the more people will join. It just happens that way.

Understanding that, it was strictly a historical reference.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/sons.htm

We could make a committee of nine and call ourselves The Loyal Nine.

I know US history, thanks. As I stated, it sounded like it belongs to another team in my opinion.

I think I want to see Tifo as a topic at the next GM in Feb so the members can discuss it, not just the board.

Being a fort member who sits in row 10 to 12 I see way to much of Fort regulars to the right and left of me never ever chanting, and then come on here and complain about the Fort. Also I see people on here complaining about the Fort and the sound and how people get in the Fort at game time who come to like 5 games a year.

We also have way way to many drums I think Monty's and one other is enough. Many people do not know how to keep up with the Chants going on.

Also my suggestion is let people have the first 4 rows who want to sit for the game and start in row 4 and up for singing and chanting. It is not about being on TV. Again it is not about being on TV. One drum in what is the first of row of the Fort and one in middle somewhere. Also with our flags I love them, but have people who know how to wave them without disrupting someones view and not hitting people.

If you want to sit during the game you should be in a different section as it clearly says at the top of the section it is a STANDING section.

This whole "Sons of Liberty" idea....are we trying to say we'd be splitting up the Fort into two seperate supporter's groups, a tifo-centric (flags, banners, potentially even flares etc) while the remainder stay in the present day Fort?

Seeing the animosity between other supporter's groups (RPB/U-Sector, the millions of Crapids and Crew groups, El Batallion/Texian Army etc), is this really the answer?

Regardless of what happens, count me into the group that wants to make it look good, the tifo group. I can still sing if I'm waving a flag.

Just a minor note. Only 2 Rapids groups, Class VI and Centennial Firm. They were started because of the same problems you are running into, namely we had one group who wanted to be able to sit and watch the game while heckling, chanting, etc. and another group that wanted to stand, sing, wave flags, etc. So Class VI was formed for the former, Centennial Firm for the latter. For the most part the two groups get along with the exception of a couple of people that have issues with Class VI.

Our main problem isn't the multiple groups and their relationship, its the #@#$%! Front Office that told us we're replaceable.

ouch.

It's that out of touch and/or pompous attitude that thought DSG would easily sell out most games heading into last season and wound up well below their target. It's also that attitude which will prevent the serious fan base from growing to where it will sell out most games.

Our FO was worse in the past and is much better now. However, they don't exactly go out of their way to support us. Sure, the free bus trips were fantastic, but you can't compare one-off gestures with an environment that has been somewhat unsupportive.

If we have a Tifo committee, why not a chant committee? Select a few members who every game they spread out among our section and coordinate which song they are going to start while the current one is going on. (Hopefully a 1-2 have a drum with or near them)

1)What about getting a lamented card like the Revs give the STH to wear, to identify Fort Regulars. Only to identify yourself as someone that understands the section, so that regulars can easily identify newbies, talk to them about what is expected if they choose to stay in the section.

It would not mean you can't sit there if you don't have a lamenate, but it would help identify non-regulars.

2) Set up a schedule among the Riders so for each game 10 people volunteer to go in early and not necessarily save seats, but talk to the people that decide to take a seat in the Fort and discuss with them the pros and cons, maybe even teach them songs. It would be like Rider diplomats. So, maybe everyone in the Fort has to go in early one game, and doesn't burden the same people every week.

When people are suggesting a tifo committee, I get the impression it would be responsible for:

1. Organizing get-togethers for painting banners, putting flags together, etc...

2. Figuring out who goes in early to help hang banners.

3. Getting money from the board and/or taking up collections for larger purchases such as banners, flags, and mass quantities of streamers on the cheap.

4. Ensuring things like flags comply with whatever stadium rules exist and that those who are waiving them also aren't violating rules.

5. Safeguarding tifo products during away trips.


Am I far off with my assumptions? If I am lucky enough to win the pot luck lottery this year, I wouldn't mind volunteering for this.

What weight would those with badges hold with those unfamiliar with the section? Good idea, but I'm just not sure how it would be implemented.

Maybe have people with those badges pass out songbooks and answer questions as they come?

Again, great in theory, but how many of us are that gregarious?

This a great idea from a PR standpoint, but I don't think it will weed out the kinds of people who won't participate. The type of person who's that friendly isn't very effective when 20 high schoolers tell them to pack sand.

The only issue is the delayed effect. I remember getting the top of the fort somewhat in sync, and then another chant would have already started.

Another nutty idea:

Why not just get everyone who wants to participate in singing, chanting, flag waiving, etc... be situated between rows 20 and higher?

* It's usually rather sparse even at 7:15 when the main group could arrive.

* The few that would be overrun can easily walk down to some empty "better" seats in rows 1-20.

* Stragglers can find a seat in this concentration.

* Flag waivers can do their thing at the top of the section.

* It'd probably be much easier to get those seats saved with or without help from security.

* Heck, slap a large disclaimer on the back of the Supah Revs banner and sprawl it out over those seats before the game.

* If there were a massive concentration in that area, those who want to stand in the front could easily hear the chants and participate. Those with young children would also be allowed to distance themselves from the potty mouths.


Oh, and there is no need to discourage people from bringing drums. Personally, I wish there were more. Maybe the drummers could use some group practice at a tailgate next year to get on the same page, but they definitely add to the atmo nonetheless.

They need to be placed better.

So, who's going to tell a Fort veteran, like Raymundo, where he needs to move to? How about Doug?

My point is that the a lot of the Fort just stands there and doesn't add anything execpt when the camera's on.