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Defending cheerleading part one MR. FARRELL: I too attended the game against State and it was, as was for Mr. Mark S. Brock, my first game here at Carolina. And that is where the similarities in our letters end. (I am in my first year here). This letter is not to attack Mr. Brock personally, for I am sure he is a lovely person and meant no real harm by his criticisms. Although, I would like to point out that Mr. Brock could not (in my opinion) be a true sports enthusiast or Carolina fan if he, in four years at Carolina, has attended only one football game. Evidently, Mr. Brock doesn't realize the importance of loyal fans who do not feel silly or ashamed to cheer their team on, regardless of the point margin. In my senior year of high school, our basketball team went to the semifinals in the state tournament. We had only 7 active members on the team. (By active, I mean that only 7 members were used ** * * * * 4 Stunning All-Around Stretch Boot. A perfect accent to y new fall outfits at a * Price you'li love. 'ruf;xs * al Wednesday Student Specii Our Regular $1.85 Barbecue Pla $1 Old fashioned hickory Chopped Barbecue, H~ steam ing rice, Cole Slav Beans and Roll 5 P.M. til Cic Letters throughout all of the games.) Of these 7, five were the regular starters, one was the islith man and the last but not least was a bym packed with loyal, cheering, fans. In the game of football we, the fans, are the 12th man on the field at all times; and in times of need, we must pull together to form the 13th, 14th and 15th. It is in these times of need that the cheerleaders join forces with the spontaneous desire to cheer and organize and lead the cheering to reach its maximum peak of effectiveness. And it is not the job of the cheerleaders to use their effective means of organized cheering only in times of excitment, but it is their job to keep the 12th man on his toes at all times. I'm sure that Mr. Brock would. consider it very unsportsmanlike if the team were to quit with five minutes left in the game just to avoid the unavoidable traffic. So Mr. Brock, don't you think that the loyal fans whom you disturb, the cheerleaders, and the team members themselves consider it ver unsportsmanlike to see the 12th man quitting with five minutes left in the game, regardless of the reason? DUr Black Brown or Navy at $21.00 1501 N. Main 253-2331 los Exclusively in Columbia" Dil flavored ash over i, Bar- B-Q sing 9 Blossom St. -At the Bridge,, to the I thought that our cheerleaders did a very good job, especially head cheerleader, Bryant Wright, who, until the gun sounded to in dicate the end of the game, did his best to keep the 12th man present and cheering. And I do not think it is fair for Mr. Brock to criticize him and his squad for intimidating the "people in the stands" when throughout his letter he clearly states, "I felt odd, I felt silly, I was intimidated", ."I" he clearly states, not the whole crowd. Cheerleaders; keep up the good work, for nothing is more fan tastically exciting than a loyal, enthusiastic crowd. ROBERT HENDRICKS Defending cheerleading part two MR. FARRELL: In reply to Mr. Brock's letter commenting on the cheerleaders' rather stupid mistake of trying to inject some spirit and enthusiasm in the Carolina students and fans, let me say that if he expects those cheerleaders to sit back until the fans feel like cheering, and then, only when something fantastic happens to cheer about, he's out of his mind. First of all, if Mr. Brock would break down and attend games more often, he'd find that the majority of games aren't the super exciting, fingernail-biting contests that keep fans screaming for 60 minutes. So what are the cheerleaders supposed to do, wear out the artificial turf by sitting in one spot until a play happens that start fans yelling? Secondly, in THE CARO Colur newest a night university si Watch for og 4327 Fort J4 'Nect door to SI editor many cases, it's the fans and not the team who make a game seem "lack-lustre" by remaining silent and not boosting the players. I feel that the main purpose of the Gamecock cheerleaders is to coax the fans into screaming and cheering with them in order to, not only boost the team, but also to add more excitement to the game. Yes, Mr. Brock, the job of the cheerleaders is to lead. True some of the cheers should be disposed of permanently, but I find that~to be the only thing the cheerleaders have done wrong. Mr. Brock accused head cheerleader, Bryant Wright, of intimidating him. How, by saying that it was wrong to leave the game so early-that the remaining fans and team.could get along without him? Wel, Mr. Wright was obviously right, since everyone who remained voiced their disapproval of those spectators who were leaving early. In closing, let me say that if Mr. Brock and others like him feel it is too much to go to a game and listen to the cheerleaders' attempts to inject some spirit in, otherwise, seemingly apathetic fans, may I suggest staying home and tuning in to Joe Petty and the "voice of the Gamecocks", Bob Fulton, for the radio broadcast. GARY A. FIELDS Parking lot being used incorrectly MR. FARRELL: There exists what is referred to as a "parking area" in front of LINA RINK nbla's nd largest club udents Only ening soon zckson Biwi. orlight Drive-h' Chargse .Aeeumat $100 RLTTO1 McBryde Quadrangle. The students residing in these buildings, however, are not per mitted to park in the lot as it is reserved for the married students living in University Terrace. I have made careful ob servations of this lot at various times of the day. This was not difficult as the lot is right outside my window, while my car is parked half a mile away. The lot is never even half full. It is usually closer to one quarter full. Resident students are forced to park beside meters, if they can find them, while this lot remains almost empty. This is insanity. Everyone knows that the parking facilities here at the University are totally iqadequate, but why worsen things by this outrageous allotting of space? As a $5 fine is levied against the unfortunate soul who parks in this lot without the proper sticker, ID card, visa, and password, the tyrants at 438 Main St. are par ticularly zealous about ticketing cars parked there. The students who were so foolish as to attempt parking there anyway soon realized this fact. Finding an improperly stickered car in the lot became an impossibility. The Traffic Division was not to be denied, however. Through brilliant deduction they surmised that some students were outwitting them by parking in the lot late at night and moving in the eqrly. morning. Last night at 8:30 an officer of the Traffic Division, armed with flashlight and ticket book, crept into the lot and was rewarded with the discovery of two lawbreakers taking up valuable space. Only three cars were parked there at the time, but this fact did not sway the astute officer from his duty. He whipped out two tickets in record time. crawled back under the rock and was gone. I will not be so rash as to suggest that the Traffic Division change their'parking allotments. Might I propose, however, that the University put up a couple of basketball goals in the lot. This way all that empty space could be put to some use. BRIAN BONHAM The advertisement for Lum's Restaurant in the Monday, Oct. 4 edition of the Gamecock was in correct. Lum's will be closed on Sundays.