A night at the footy - Part Four

[Mike]

A night at the footy - Part One (the Cricketers)
A night at the footy - Part Two (the President's Dinner and the rooms)
A night at the footy - Part Three (sitting with the Cheer Squad)

When I write I rarely know where I'm going to end up, my writing develops a direction of its own and although I start with some idea of what I want to say, I don't often end up saying it.

What I wanted to express in part 3 - and what I missed completely in my haste to get my report finished (I really hate writing) - was my unbounded admiration for the people who make up the Cheer Squad.

It's easy to imagine that these people have the best position at the ground, particularly for home games when they're right there behind the goals and in the thick of it, but what I discovered when I sat with them is that their view of the game is severely limited. They only have a good view of the game in the half closest to them. They're at ground level so it's almost impossible to work out what's happening at the other end of the ground unless they watch it on the screen and in the quarters when the Pies scoring end is away from them they have to maintain the same level of energy as when it's right in front of them. Add to that the need to keep the energy up and the noise (read support) going when we're losing or when there is nothing much happening, and the job's starting to get pretty hard.

We television football viewers get a very distorted view of the Cheer Squad. After a goal the cameras show the Cheer Squad, a mass of black and white joy. That doesn't look too hard. After all, we're all on our feet cheering after a goal, it's a natural reaction. Sit with the squad and the story is very different. It's true, the Cheer Squad are on their feet after a goal, that's the easy part. What we at home don't see is the Cheer Squad cheering throughout the game, winning or losing. Joffa and Alf drive them alternatively and relentlessly. A chant starts - it's everyone up chanting as loud as they can, clapping, waving banners and flags. The chant finishes and they sit, but only long enough to draw breath and they're at it again - new chant depending on what's happening on the ground, or if there is nothing happening, a chant plucked at random by one of the chant leaders. Next time you're sitting at a match or even if you're sitting in a chat room and the Pies are losing and you hear people starting to spit it or you see people leaving, just remember the squad keeping that support going until the final siren blows. I now know what drives Joffa's hatred of the non-attender or the early-leaver and Alf's disdain of those who won't display their support in public. Keeping the scoreboard running right to the bitter end is going to be much easier now that I've seen what the real supporters do.

Black_White asked me the day after the match how my hands were, because his were sore from the clapping. I realised that mine were too. Neither of us spent the whole game with the Cheer Squad and I can only imagine what sort of physical wreck I would be if I had. The aches and pains would all be worth while and probably a welcome and familiar feeling after a win, but after a loss or particularly after a thumping, those aches must almost be unbearable combined with that sickening feeling that a thrashing always brings.

The Cheer Squad are always back for more the next week, win or lose, rain or shine and they've done that right through the black period of the last decade.

Unconditional support, unconditional faith it's an example that we could all follow...

and one that's made me feel very humble.

[foxy]

cheers mike.

i gotta say, i was very proud to be a part of the cheer squad today. i thought we farkin rocked all day. great stuff. our best performance for the year.

[AlfAndrews]

... and then there's the stress fractures of the larynx !

Your comments are very much appreciated, Mike. Our Cheer Squad has gone from being the worst in the AFL to close to the best during the course of this season ... and a hell of a lot of people have put a hell of a lot of work into making that happen.

Joffa and myself are the ones who stand up on matchdays and fire people up, but spare a thought for our President, Kerri. She's got the job of having to keep the peace when some no-life from the crowd dobs us into Security for some minor indiscretion, or when some front-running opposition supporter decides to get in our collective faces when we're losing. Then there's the people who give up their Thursday nights (and, in some cases, their Wednesdays as well) to make the banner. And the property people who have to miss the last few minutes of every match (no matter how close) in order to collect up all the flags, pattie dukes etc so they don't get stolen. And the people who seem to spend half their lives running around doing things for the Cheer Squad.

And most important of all ... the people who turn up ... week after week ... win or lose ... never say die ... and just chant their hearts out all day to make the Cheer Squad what it is.

I love these people. The footy is a big part of my life and these are the people I share that with. We go through the highs and the lows ... TOGETHER. When we're happy, we're happy together. When we're sad, we're sad together.

I'm feeling very emotional tonight. I'm not going to Canberra, so today was the end of my season and I'm going to miss these people over the next few months.

But next year we'll be back ... better than ever ... and I reckon we'll have a lot more happy times to share than sad ones as these Pies come of age as a team.

I'm glad you enjoyed today's effort too, Foxy. I reckon our best performances in the Cheer Squad for the year have happened during our two worst performances on the field ... today against the Bluescum and that abortion of a match against the Hawkscum.

I was thinking 9 out of 10 today ... but you've swayed me a bit, Foxy. I'll make it nine and a half out of ten.

**floreat pica**

[SIB4897]

Well said Alf, and well done to everyone involved with the Cheer Squad. My number one priority (Chiko roll relegated to second priority!) when sometime in hopefully the not too distant future I re-visit Oz, it will have to be during the Footy season, and if I'm invited I'll be joining the Cheer Squad to barrack the MIGHTY 'PIES (shouting intended!).

A big thanks to all contributors of Nick's Bulletin Board, it makes the long distance barracking just bearable.

Stephen Ives, Manchester, England (ex Frankston & Moe, Vic.) Pie 'til I die
2001 Magpies Nest Member Collingwood Football Club

[Go Pies]

Terrific story. It took me two days and about 6 intererupted visits to read it all, but it was worth it.

I loved the bit about Mike and Nick walking onto the MCG with Eddie. What would you give to do that. And I'm all fired up to join the cheer squad next season. Fantastic.