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Newfound student spirit may 'open dores' to hardwood wins

Photo by Neil Brake

The student group Memorial Maniacs bring rejuvenated enthusiasm to Memorial Gymnasium for men's and women's basketball games. Sponsored by Open Dores, membership in the Memorial Maniacs has quadrupled in the past year.

by Skip Anderson

In recent history, student enthusiasm for Vanderbilt athletics has wavered from season to season, sport to sport. Some years, the student section at Vanderbilt Stadium is packed with boisterous, cheering fans. Others, the athletes appeared starved for support from their classmates. This year, student pep seems to be on an upswing, which comes through exceptionally strong at home basketball games.

Some might conclude that the notable increase of verve in the student section can be traced to the respective successes of the men's and women's teams. The evidence is there; the men have an impressive .722 winning percentage as of press time with two SEC road wins, including a come-from-behind victory at then-number-7 ranked Florida Gators. There's even talk of an NCAA berth in a season that most believed to be "a rebuilding year." The women are top-20 ranked and have dropped only four of their 19 games. But the decidedly upward swing in student spirit and game-time volume can, in large part, be credited to the students themselves.

"School spirit changes from year to year," said Larry Dowdy, dean of students. "It really depends on leadership."

At Vanderbilt, this is where Open Dores, the official student pep squad, comes in. Its basketball offshoot calls itself the "Memorial Maniacs." Dressed in matching yellow "Memorial Maniacs" T-shirts donated by the Follett-managed Vanderbilt Bookstore, they have courtside seats to each home game.

"Our mission is to be the students at the game showing the most spirit," said Beth Baker, Open Dores president and active Memorial Maniac. "That's why we're at the games up to one hour before the game. We want the visiting team to know that we are there to be loud, and support our athletes."

The organization has more than quadrupled in size since last year, now boasting 327 students, according to sophomore Kim Creteur, basketball chairperson of Open Dores and official keeper of the attendance roll. Each game she "checks Maniacs in," meaning they show her their membership card, and she marks them down on her omnipresent clipboard as having attended.

"You sign a contract requiring that you'll attend a certain number of men's and women's basketball games," said Baker.

Apparently, attendance hasn't been a problem this year. The number of yellow-shirted Memorial Maniacs seems to grow with each men's home game, and they can boast student-athletes from most sports as members. Campus personalities who are honorary Maniacs include Dowdy, and Chancellor Gordon and Constance Gee. Even the irrepressible "Vandy Lance," a lifelong fan widely known for his attendance at virtually all things relating to V.U. athletics, has reportedly cheered with the Maniacs.

Thanks to corporate sponsors such as McDonald's, sometimes the members are given coupons for free food from local restaurants as they check in before the game. Other perks include a game pass -- which means no more lines to get student tickets -- and a prime seat next to the band and in front of the cheerleaders.

The student leaders share credit with the Vanderbilt Department of Athletics for the organization's recent success.

"The fact that we've had a huge increase [in participation] is due to word-of-mouth," said Creteur. "Plus, the athletic department has helped us to get our name out, and they helped us with promotions and with working with outside sponsors."

Game time in the Maniac mosh pit is interesting. There are face-painters, and wig-wearers. Students frequently don latex masks. A foam "cheese-head" customized to Vanderbilt specs by an enterprising Maniac with a permanent marker is a regular at the games. Black-and-gold shakers are plentiful, and Mardi Gras beads have been known to make the scene.

As Baker said, the work of a Maniac begins as much as an hour prior to tip-off. It has long been customary for students in the Southeastern Conference to distract visiting opponents during their pre-game warm up, and Vanderbilt is no exception. It's a tried-and-true form of home-court advantage that junior guard Sam Howard would like to see exploited even more.

"They're great, and I'd love to see them come even earlier," said Howard. "It really adds to the home-court advantage."

As the Commodores' women's team battled the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers last week, 147 Maniacs packed the sideline section between the band and the media section, cheered loud, and as is tradition, stood for the entire game.

Freshman guard Russell Lakey said that the loud fan base at Memorial Gymnasium helped the Commodores defeat the defending SEC champion in a nationally televised game earlier this month.

"When the crowd gets into it, it pushes the game up to a new level," said Lakey. "It was a major factor in the Arkansas game."

The secret to home-court advantage, according to the players, is volume, both in terms of noise and the number of fans in attendance.

"I think they make the atmosphere positive for us. They get here early and really help," said senior forward Anthony Williams. "That says a lot about our student body."