IMPORTANT READ

[Corso]

This was posted originally by "stangdad 40" and it's a great idea. If there's anyway the Webguys can make this stay at the top of the board, that would be great.

"As i arrived early last week at the unt game was walking to the stadium and here comes police cars escorting buses.They stop buy there tailgate area. people lined up everywhere,here comes the band the cheerleaders through the hundreds that formed leading to the stadium and behind them is the team.These kinds of things go on at all the places we play.As i watched this i thought to myself this is unt doing this not some big university.As hard as these young men work its never happened at smu. this saturday at 4:35 [approx] as usual the team and coaches will walk from the chapel to the stadium,and as normal there will be the same 25 people cheering for them.Just a thought that mabey once things could be different,mabey some students and or fans might actually show up.Save all the remarks about win and they will. I still believe in this team and still believe they will turn it around this year.and can promise you they wont quit."

Let's start this as a tradition .... EVERYONE come down to the path between Perkins Chapel and Ford Stadium, and let these guys know that we're pulling for them.

Great idea, stangdad 40.
GO PONIES!

[Hoop Fan]

didnt cavan try to do this by walking the team down the boulevard at a certain time? i thought it was cool, but it never really got any traction. SMU is just not a very rah rah place. Not sure it ever will be.

[mr. pony]

Great idea. Let's do it.

[DiamondM75]

The team started this last year and the Alumni Band was asked to play as the team walked from Perkins to Ford. I hate to put a downer on this, but, the band got there early to cheer and play for the team as they walked. Well the players were as flat as a pancake under a steam roller. They walked by with no emotion, listening to headphones and barely acknowledging anybody was there.

Again this year, the Alumni Band has been asked to play as the team walks from Perkins to Ford, and the issue of the teams attitude toward those that were there in support last year has been addressed and supposively resolved.

If the university, coaches and players want fan support, they all need to remember, it is a two way street. Don't take what little fan support you are currently getting for granted, the least you can do is welcome and acknowledge what you are getting.

[steps down from soapbox]

[PonyTales]

I'll be there.

Is the Alumni Band going to play there again this year?

[ponyte]

There was nothing more exciting then coming out of the tunnel onto the playing field with the Mustang band playing. I got all fired up and excited. I still get a tear when the SMU team comes on the field with the band playing. I loved the Mustang band before I went to SMU, while I was at SMU and to this day. That said, I never had contact with the 'outside' world on the day of a game. This allowed me (and others) to lock in on what we needed to do, last minute mental preparations and to deal with ones nerves. Had we marched across the campus with band and fans in attendance, one wonders how that might have been. One imagines that the first time or two (or season for that matter) would have been somewhat disruptive to the pre game routine and somewhat invasive on one's routine to mental prepare. I know it would have been for me.

The pre game mental preparation can be an intensely private and personal matter. It may be very intimidating to have to share those fears, concerns and excitement with the rest of the world.

My point is this is a new situation for these players. Players may need time and experience to appreciate this new ‘intrusion’ on their previously private pre game mental preparation. This new experience isn’t even remotely simulator to their previous game preparation routine. Give the kids a break and allow them to develop and appreciate the support. If I can get my clan there in time, we will be there to support the band and team.

[NavyCrimson]

"SMU is just not a very rah rah place. Not sure it ever will be."
Hoopfan

Try 'winning' & things like this will take care of themselves.

[stangdad 40]

Oh you're probally right smu isn't a rah rah place and there's no reason to try and make something different.And for the ones that do come i can assure you the players appreciate it more than you can imagine even though they have their game faces on and are very focused

[Stallion]

is this Pony Walk thing really in the best interest of winning each week. That's all I care about_ i really could care less if it gets alumni and fans all giddy. I don't know. Anybody who has actually been a player who has done this got an opinion. In my opinion it sounds like a waste of energy on a Day that may be in the mid-90s. Is this the proverbial Pregame "Swinging-Gate" Formation Waste of Time?

[stangdad 40]

stallion I'm probally close enough to some of the players to know what i'm talking about,Its not to make the fans all giddy.

[mrydel]

Ponyte is a player testimonial. I never played in as big of games as he did, but can say that my focus kept me from even noticing fans pregame. I did enjoy fan support after games win or lose, but I can not ever recall whether or not there was even anyone else on earth during pregame preparation other than my teammates. But realize, that also means it never distracted me either.

[Maryland78]

Hi Stangdad 40...just a little feedback from the Maryland football games, which I regularly attend. They also practice this pregame tradition...the team arrives by bus and walks along a designated path to the teamhouse about 3 hours before the game...hundreds (maybe a thousand for big games) of fans, the band, cheerleaders, etc...lead the way. Coach Fridge instituted the tradition and seems to like it. But DiamondM75, you are right...the Maryland players for the most part trudge along focused on their headsets and game faces and don't really seem to be enjoying the parade. The Maryland fans are out in force tailgating in the area 3 hours before the game and it is no big deal to move over to the Terp Walk...not sure how many SMU fans are on the Boulevard when the players move over to Ford. Anyway, just some feedback from another school's tradition...

[PonyPride]

I'll be there, too

[tmustangp]

The team started this last year and the Alumni Band was asked to play as the team walked from Perkins to Ford. I hate to put a downer on this, but, the band got there early to cheer and play for the team as they walked. Well the players were as flat as a pancake under a steam roller. They walked by with no emotion, listening to headphones and barely acknowledging anybody was there.

Again this year, the Alumni Band has been asked to play as the team walks from Perkins to Ford, and the issue of the teams attitude toward those that were there in support last year has been addressed and supposively resolved.

If the university, coaches and players want fan support, they all need to remember, it is a two way street. Don't take what little fan support you are currently getting for granted, the least you can do is welcome and acknowledge what you are getting.

[steps down from soapbox]

if you watch tv this weekend.. well you won't be able b/c you will be at the smu game.. but Auburn does Tiger walk and I believe its about a mile long.. the path is paved w/ tiger paws painted on the pavement and the fans align themselves along this path and the players walk through.. if you watch the fans are going nuts and some are slapping players on the back but every player is stone faced b/c they are about to play an SEC team, they are focused..

Football players are getting ready to go hurt someone, that is their mentality.. look at boxers, do they walk in slapping hands and greeting fans no (with the exception of Apollo Creed and everyone knows what happened to him)

Several years ago I was in the SMAC (student group who tried to make the fans get more interaction) and we talked about doing this..

Another idea would be for the team to take a bus to from Perkins past umphrey and get out at the flagpole and then walk down the boulevard w/ teh band and cheerleaders leading them.. the band and cheerleaders do it anyways why not have the team do it again..

[Arkpony]

It's "I could NOT care less" Stallion.