the Informer

Adam Manison

When one thinks of NCAA Division I basketball cheering sections there is an immediate image of students cheering wildly with their entire bodies painted school colors, with the stands roaring with school spirit.

Setting the tone of the building as the opponent enters hostile territory, there isn’t that at the University of Hartford.

Junior Gabriel Lim has began to make efforts to change that with a new plan of attack he is putting together to bring students in the stands to cheer for the Hawks.

That same impact in the stands as the Cameron Crazies that the Duke Blue Devils’ basketball cheering section has, where opposing players can always feel the breathe of the screaming fans down their necks, is desired.

“I think that it’s something important that other schools have that we really don’t have, our fans deserve it,” Lim said.

Lim hopes to bring fans to the stands and replace The Red Army, the name of the Hawks current student cheering section, to something students can enjoy the games even more with.

“I like the name of The Red Army, they had a good run but I think we have a new idea for a name that a few students put together, ‘The Caged Crew’,” Lim said.

Lim gathered some ideas for chants off of Youtube that he plans on incorporating into the new cheering section and wants to incorporate all freshman as well to get them to continue the “The Caged Crew” tradition after his graduation.

“I want a good foundation of students to continue the tradition and culture that comes with college sports, but it’s going to start with the students becoming informed during Freshman Orientation,” Lim said.

Upon freshman putting their first steps on campus, Lim wants them to know of the tradition of “The Caged Crew,” and the responsibility that each student has to continue the fan base and help it grow.

Right now, Lim currently doesn’t have a large enough body of committed supporters for the SGA to be able to properly fund the creation of the club nor appropriate funds themselves for apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and other clothing items to help spread the word.

SGA President, Ben Accardo, used to head The Red Army the last two years but has become too busy to be able to properly give it the attention it deserves.

“The last year and a half we had a really strong following, but I became busy with becoming SGA President this year that we haven’t found anyone interested in heading it,” said Accardo.

To no fault of his own, the student cheering section wasn’t able to continue thriving without a head of the section and club, but Accardo likes where Lim is going with his idea.

“I think it’s great, he loves sports and is very involved in clubs so, I think, he’d do well heading it,” Accardo said of Lim’s proposition of heading the new cheering section.

The only obstacle holding back Lim from getting the funding and attention he needs to start “The Caged Crew” for good is the lack of members he has right now.

Accardo said SGA is more than welcome to fund any club that has a lot of interest and support behind it, but there just isn’t that large amount of structured support yet for Lim’s cause.

Gabriel is seeking any and all students who are interested in helping start the Caged Crew to contact him via email at lim@hartford.edu to hopefully bring his aspiration for a crazy college cheering section to come true before he graduates.

With the help of all the students on campus lending their support, it can happen.