By Matthew Berberea
Imagine attending a school with great events and outstanding athletics. Imagine a school where the education is truly second to none in its state. Imagine a university celebrating over 100 years of excellence. If you are a Cameron Aggie, you are part of such a university; you just may not realize it.
Week in and week out Cameron University puts out top-flight athletics. So far this season the men’s basketball team is off to an 11-3 (8-1 in conference) record while the women’s basketball team is sitting at an incredible 13-3 (8-1 in conference).
While these two teams continue to impress, the student section routinely looks like a ghost town at the Aggie Gym. If not for the Lawton/ Fort Sill community, our athletes would be playing in front of next to nobody.
In addition to the success of the basketball teams, both men’s and women’s tennis are ranked in the top 20 of the nation this preseason. Baseball is also looking to continue to build off of a great season in which they went 33-16 (22-11 in conference) last spring.
The time is now for students to start supporting our student athletes. This can be the first step towards building Cameron University into a destination school, a university that students from Oklahoma and beyond want to attend. What easier way to build spirit than showing up to a gym and getting loud and rowdy?
As a student with two jobs, I certainly understand that we are a busy student body. I know that many of us work hard at school only to turn around and go straight to work. Remember, though, that these athletes also attend school and turn around and practice daily, then play twice a week.
These players represent our student body and everything that is associated with Aggie Pride. It is the least we could do to come out and support them on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. Bring your books and study if you need to, but let’s give them some of the energy that they are giving our school.
I know that some of you may not be sports fans and that a sporting event may not be your idea of excitement. I fully understand that as the Sports Editor I may be more passionate about this than many of our readers.
Consider these events, then, as an opportunity to meet with friends and have a good time. With free admission for students and a great atmosphere there is nothing to lose. We can all build a stronger sense of pride in our university starting with our great athletics department.
Many of the students I speak with simply have no idea when and where the games are taking place. Although there are schedules in the halls, many students are in such a hurry to get to class they never see them. The schedules are also posted online at www.cameronaggies.com, but again many students are unaware.
To help combat this problem, we will be adding current team schedules to the sports section of the collegian for all upcoming home games. I am sure that being informed will lead to attendance and support for our student athletes.
Together we can turn the Aggie Gym into a place our players love and our opponents fear. With winning programs in place, strong student support may be the only thing left to take the next step towards national championships.
I challenge each and every reader to start showing up to the Aggie Gym and support our teams. Bring a friend or two and use this as a weekly opportunity to forget bout work and school and all of the stress that may be in your life. It is time for us to give back to the student athletes that have been representing us so well. Go Aggies and Back the Axe