The way I figure it… if we’re going to keep alive the spirit of Houston 1836 we’re going to have to do it as fans. So… having checked out a few of the ideas posted on these boards and on the supporter’s club page over the last day I’ve come up an idea. How about we start a supporters club called “The 1836 Brigade,” dedicated to supporting our team and preserving its short lived identity as a symbol of Texas pride. Disclaimer: Only some of these ideas did I come up with on my own Name: The 1836 Brigade Activities: Attend the home games (and perhaps away games vs. Dallas) as a group and participate in officially sanctioned team events (like charity gigs, public relations initiatives, etc.) to keep ourselves relevant to the casual fan base Purpose: To support our team on the field, celebrate our pride in Texas and the men who sacrificed 170 years ago to make her, meet new friends, reach out to the community, and have a helluva lot of fun in the process Attire: We can get some generic soccer jerseys with a similar color scheme to whatever the team eventually wears and put on them our own 1836 logo (perhaps even just the numbers in big bold black print). We could even sell these jerseys on the side to fans who aren’t part of our club to help fund our activities or even to donate at team charity events. In addition, we could wear (to borrow a phrase from John Wayne’s Davy Crockett in 1960’s The Alamo) beaver-hats (more commonly known as coon-skin hats) a la Davy Crockett and his Kentucky volunteers who died at the Alamo. Banners/Flags: Since it will be too hot to wear traditional soccer scarves I propose that we make 1836 Brigade towels to wave (and wipe the sweat off with at games) at games like the Aggies use 12th Man Towels and the Pittsburgh Steelers use Terrible Towels. We could also make these for sale to folks who aren’t members of our group. Also, we should bring Texas Flags to the game to wave and other flags associated with the War of Independence like the Texas Bonnie Blue flag and the Come and Take Flag used at the first battle of the war in Gonzales. In addition, we should eventually make an 1836 Brigade banner to bring to US Men’s National Team games that might be held here in the future that incorporates the “Stars and Stripes” motif from Old Glory in it. At the Games: First and foremost we should be a supporters group and sit together at the games whenever possible to cheer on the team. In doing so, we should seek to help create a more passionate and exciting atmosphere for all the fans – and this is very important – we should be the ones DEFINING THE TRADITIONS from day one that will characterize our fan base. Here are my initial ideas from some of the songs and chants that we should do to help define the team’s game day traditions. Songs: Texas our Texas – sing at least once per half and then transition right into chants The Yellow Rose of Texas The Star Spangled Banner – we should bring at least one American flag to the game and be really noticeable (sing) when the national anthem is played. Then we can transition into a U-S-A, U-S-A chant after the last refrain “…and the home of the brave.” Chants: Our base chant should be Eight-teen Thirty-Six (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) and we should do it almost all game long… and eventually the rest of the crowd will probably catch on too. We could transition into this, for example, right after the last refrain of “Texas our Texas” Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad Other Ideas: We should run a website and recruit new members while at the games with some kind of booth. At the booth we could also provide literature about Texas history and maybe event infor about museums (like the Washington-on-the Brazos museum outside Navasota) and such where people can learn about Texas Revolutionary history.
Works for me! My vote was for Bayou Brigade, but after the debacle feel the supporters group must have 1836 in the name.
Hmm MBean, guess you missed the first 2 supporters meetings where we started organizing all of this and voting on things like the name, officers, dues, sections, etc. Looks like you've got some reading to catch up on. ;-)
Yeah, welcome aboard. Pardon the mess, but we've just taken one across the bow. Our "united" front has been shaken, but come April 2nd, at 1836 (man, I hope they still keep that start time!), we will be there in force.
I've perused some of the posts here over the last few weeks... but haven't been able to figure out exactly what you guys have set up so far. I noticed, for example, that there are two groups linked at the top of the board... one yahoo site and a different independent site. Is everyone on this board putting a single club together, or are these different groups of people. Also... i seem to remember a while back a post with the minutes from a meeting where ya'll actually decided on some things... but I'm not sure where it was. Is it possible for one of you guys to link to it or maybe just make a synopsis post outlining everything that been done so far in regard to putting together a supporter's group(s)? MBean
The yahoo page was our first attempt at getting something started. The web site is a temporary one for when we finally get a name voted on and then FuBoy will be organizing and designing our permanent home. The meeting notes are located at the yahoo page and I'm still waiting for Stephen to get me the meeting notes from the last one. Our next meeting hasn't been set in stone yet. Maybe Feb 25 or Mar 4. You'll know when we decide though.
Talk about heck. I can't do much work on a site until we got a name - just playing around a bit. So we can't decide on a supporters name, and then the team goes and bails out on their name. I'll be in Austin at the game on the 25th. I say we meet march 4th over near la porte. I think we need to have a supporters rally near some stick in the mud - aka - San Jacinto Monument. Give Sylvia a history lesson.
It's never too hot for a supporters scarves! Throw it over your shoulder or tie it on your wrist. You don't have to bundle up with the thing. Hell, wave a scarf instead of a towel! I can understand wanting something unique, but dismissing scarves out of hand for heat is absurd IMO.
I like the name "Sam Houston's Army" for a supporters' group. DEFINITELY have to wave the "Come and Take It" flag from Gonzales... Viva 1836.