If Saturday's volleyball match between the Nanooks and rivals UAA Seawolves proved anything, it's the power of a crowd and a motivated department.
When UAF faced UAA in Anchorage on Oct. 11, head coach Phil Shoemaker was hoping for a win.
"If you'd asked me before the game, I certainly would have said we're a better team," Shoemaker said at the time.
But an unfriendly, loud crowd of 581 fans greeted the team. And they weren't nice. Several Nanook players recall the comments were offensive or rude.
"They have a tendency to make fun of the other team," said senior middle hitter Katrina Jensen.
It's no secret that rivalries tend to bring out the rudeness in sports fans.
Just a couple weeks ago, The UAA Northern Light called the Nanooks "no-good, two-timing bums from Hicksville" in an editorial criticizing the team for stealing the rights to be called "Alaska."
But even without the rivalry, the Nanook volleyball squad walked into a lion's den that night that's regularly ready to pounce on its prey. To date, UAA's home volleyball games have drawn an average attendance of 482 people compared to UAF's 214.
On Saturday, things were different, and it's in part thanks to the staff at the Athletic Department. They understood what the 'Nooks needed most that night -- fans. The department wrote op-eds, placed ads, mass e-mailed fliers, got the student government to provide free food, and encouraged dorms to compete for higher attendance.
The deparment nabbed giveaways like t-shirts and balls for players and mascots to throw at the crowd. Most of all, the department chose glory over money by waiving ticket costs for UAF students, faculty, staff, Junior Nanooks Club Members, and students in the eighth grade or below.
The plan worked. The crowd swelled to 584, three more people than at the Anchorage match. The 'Nooks won 30-24, 30-13, 28-30, 30-24. It was an inspiring effort by the department to come out of the shadows and provide not just the day-to-day sort of administration it always gives but also the type of active encouragement the volleyball ladies needed to defeat UAA.
As Barry Piser, a sports information intern, said after the game, "We beat them on the court and off the court."
The volleyball team noticed the change too.
"It's always great to close out the season with a win, and it's always great to beat UAA," Shoemaker said. "And of course it's so nice to have a civil, large crowd at the game."
Congratulations to the Athletic Department for pulling off an amazing feat. It's rare that a plan like this works so well, and it's rarer to see the UAF community mobilized like it was. A great number of departments at this university could learn from your example.
