Semoball

Freshman duo is lining up another Rowdy Crowd for Southeast football game

Southeast Missouri State freshman Aidan Gremminger cheers next to fellow freshman Sophie Machen, in pink, during the Redhawks' win over West Virginia State on Sept. 21 at Houck Stadium.
Jacob Wiegand

If you see students in the far bleachers wearing brightly colored shirts for Saturday's Southeast-Tennessee Tech football game, give Aidan Gremminger and Sophie Machen credit.

The Southeast freshmen have been hired by the university athletics department to fire up their peers for football.

Specifically, their job is to fill Rowdy Crowd SEMO, a new student section at Houck Stadium this fall.

Machen, a native of St. Clair, Missouri, said she was a little shocked at the lack of a fan culture when she got to Cape.

"There has been a culture here," said Machen. "The culture is tailgating."

"We know lots of juniors and seniors who party outside," added Gremminger, "but who've never actually been inside Houck for the game."

"It's our job to try to change the mindset," said Gremminger, a graduate of St. Charles West High School.

The pair got the word out about donning bright shirts for "Neon Night at Houck" via Facebook and through taking a page from stone-age marketing 101.

"We chalked the sidewalks," Machen said. "Those messages are hard to miss."

Passing out flyers in the University Center, going to student association meetings and talking to fraternities and sororities are also part of the duo's game plan.

Their efforts are starting to see results.

The freshmen say 1,400 students sat in the Rowdy Crowd SEMO bleachers for the Aug. 29 home opener with Southern Illinois.

The number dropped to about 600 for the West Virginia State game three weeks later.

"We think we know why it fell off," Gremminger said. "It was Family Weekend and a lot of kids sat with their parents."

Freshmen and sophomores are the demographic group being targeted.

"Juniors and seniors are already locked into an attendance pattern," Gremminger admitted. "We want them but understand we may not get them."

Gremminger is clearly the "face" of Rowdy Crowd.

He shows up without a shirt, wearing red and black paint, and leading cheers.

The goal-line cheer is pretty straightforward.

"What do we want?"

"Touchdown!"

"Let's get one!"

For kickoffs, the focus is on encouraging the special teams.

"Hit squad!"

For field goals and extra points, the protocol is you don't make any noise at all.

"We get the crowd to silently make twinkly fingers in the air," Gremminger said.

"It's pretty cool when a bunch of people do it."

The standard cheer after first downs, "S-E-M-O!" is still done, but now it's just just one of many exclamations at Gremminger's disposal.

Gremminger calls his home high school "very spirited" and recalls the full warrior costumes worn by students at games.

"There are all sorts of stuff we can do here (at Houck)," he said.

Creating a new enthusiasm has not been without a stumble.

"Campus police escorted me off the bleachers once," Gremminger said, recalling an incident in the third quarter of the SIU game.

"I wasn't supposed to be standing on the railing."

Machen is the quiet one, working on planning and strategy.

"I'm working more behind-the-scenes, making connections," she said.

Gremminger and Machen, who are each being paid $500 this semester for their work, are finding disciples.

"We met with four students Wednesday night," Machen said. "Hopefully they will lead right alongside us."

The template being consulted to build up Rowdy Crowd SEMO is a program called "Biggest Fan Accelerator," promising success in creating a fan culture in just eight weeks.

According to the program website, Southeast is one of 19 universities -- and the only one in this region -- using the "Accelerator."

Gremminger and Machen said university administrators have been helpful and encouraging.

Football is the first target of their efforts, but not the only one.

"We also want to create a Rowdy Crowd SEMO section at basketball games at the Show Me Center," Machen said.

The vision is to expand to soccer, track and baseball after establishing the program in Southeast's revenue sports.

"Tailgating is fun," Gremminger said, "but having a fan section at the actual game boosts everybody's morale."

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