Syracuse students have been camping out outside the Dome for more than a week for the Georgetown Game. Last season, this was the scene outside of Gate E before Senior Day.
Otto's Army Representing the Syracuse Student Body
2/25/2007 3:50:46 PM | Men's Basketball
In college basketball, a team’s home court advantage is only as strong as its student section. The Carrier Dome is unique from all other home stadiums because of its size, but also because of the strength of its student section. Decked out in Orange from head-to-toe, the Syracuse University students have provided an edge that has led the Orange to a winning season every year it has been in the Dome.
Beginning in the 2002-03 season, the student section changed from its assigned seating format to general admission. This change created a slight problem when students would rush through the gates as they opened to get the best seats; even if they had to fight and push each other to do so. The Carrier Dome staff had trouble controlling them and creating a safe environment for all of the fans. Rather than strap on a helmet and continue to fight their way through, a group of students attempted to organize their classmates and create a more peaceful and enjoyable environment for everyone.
“We tried to organize everyone who was waiting in some way,” Menotti Minutillo, one of the founder’s of Otto’s Army, said. “Towards the end of the 2004-05 season, we talked to the people who were waiting in order to create some sort of unwritten code where we could agree to choose seats based on the order which people arrived.”
Following that season, Minutillo and some of his companions decided that they needed to become more organized. Thus, Otto’s Army was formed as a group to represent the Syracuse student fans and organize the student cheering section. They approached the Student Association with their proposal and were granted status as an official student organization. They have a constitution, a president and chairs for men’s basketball, football, women’s sports, men’s lacrosse and community service. The chairs serve as the organizers for their respective sports, organizing the lists of students and handling any issues that may arise during games. While the first delegates were simply chosen out of the founders, next year’s representatives will be elected.
Students congregate at Gate E prior to home games where a member of Otto’s Army is there to add their name to what they have deemed “The List.” It is exactly what it sounds like, a list of the names of those in the line and the order that they came in. The students are also given a card with their place on it and must stay in line until the gates open. For games against Syracuse’s biggest rivals, students will camp out for days in advance so that they can ensure their favorite seats.
“Last year, for Gerry McNamara’s final game against Villanova, we had people camping out on Tuesday for a Sunday game,” Minutillo said. “That was the first really long stretch. For this year’s finale against Georgetown, we had people get here more than a week in advance. That is the longest I have seen. We would like it to be bigger, but in Syracuse, weather is an issue. This isn’t North Carolina, where students can camp out in 50 degree weather with their laptops.
The List system has a few simple regulations. One person can represent a group in the line, which allows students to attend classes. Groups are limited to four people for the sake of fairness and order. This way, one person cannot save a space for 20 people and the organizers can keep track of how many people are being represented. One hour before the gates open, the groups are lined up in order and all group members must be present. Once the gates open, everyone files into the Dome and the person with the list allows the groups to choose their seats in the order in which they arrived. The order of The List does not designate what seats the groups are given, but rather the order which they are allowed to choose their seats
Before each school year, Otto’s Army sends a copy of the constitution to each student season ticket holder. The constitution provides them with an understanding of how the process works. Otto’s Army even has help from the Carrier Dome staff. All of the ushers are aware of the system and if a problem arises with seat selection, they can step in to help resolve it.
Otto’s Army has grown into more than just a way to manage the student section in a safe and fair way. They didn’t want to seem like a group that was trying to monopolize the best seats for basketball games, so they have become active on campus and in the community.
“Two members of our executive board served as chairs for the Syracuse Winter Carnival this February,” Minutillo said. “We are also going to participate in the Relay For Life at the Dome this spring. We have raised more money than any other organization involved right now.”
While the cluster of tents outside the Dome isn’t quite as big as Krzyzewskiville at Duke, it represents the intense dedication that Syracuse students have for its athletic programs. For this final game of the season against Georgetown, the members of Otto’s Army have started a blog to chronicle their week outside the Dome and create some more buzz around their mission of supporting Syracuse athletics. As the support of the students grows each year, the Orange should find the Dome a sweet place to play for years to come.
“The student-athletes need our support,” Minutillo said. “We know that not everyone can wait out as early as some of us do, but we are hoping to create a mystique that people will know about and can be passed along to future students. We know the weather is tough, but we want this to be present in spite of it. If a game is on TV and the announcers talk about a group of student they saw outside of the Carrier Dome the day before, waiting to get in, then that shows a great connection between the fans and the school.”
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