I am a firm believer in the "sit down during matches" theory. In the past, my team had decided to show spirit by standing the whole time, when no one was behind us. However, in Atlanta, we got the front seats, and stood up for cheering, then i promptly sat once we were done being announced, to allow those behind me to see. I was questioned as to why I wasn't standing like the rest of the team, and i politely answered that it's rude to block other people's views of the field whether or not it's our match, many people, scouts included need/want to see the match. The adults then had everyone else sit down once we were done cheering, for every match. You CAN cheer sitting down, but those behind you CAN'T see when you cheer standing up.
First wants to become spectator friendly...how friendly is it when you can't see the field?
I believe that spirit has slightly decreased since 02 (when i started) but that may be purely due to changed seating arrangement. In 02, everyone sat with their team, no 2 reps, and everyone was near(ish) to the stage, not as spread out as the dome. I also believe that less people are coming, more teams, but less people, as it costs more to travel, go to championships, etc. But there's still plenty of spirit (as long as MOE's there
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Either way I'm coming back to volunteer next year!!