Mailbag

Speakers must stay for now

Dear Mr. Stover and Zona

Zoo members,

I would like to address the issue raised about the cheerleaders and the loudspeakers at the football game.

I am a fourth-year member and senior captain of our cheerleading squad and would just like to let you know we do our best to find new and better ways to help lead the crowd at sporting events. For the last three years, the cheerleaders have used small black speakers on the sideline of the field to help create energy and noise, and each year we heard complaints that the student section could not hear the chants and cheers.

There were discussions with the leadership of Zona Zoo, who initiated a few changes this year – one of which was to incorporate louder speakers in the student section to help create more noise.

In addition, the cheerleaders met with incoming freshmen at their convocation to teach them school traditions and several cheers and chants so they too could add to the energy at games. Also, the cheerleaders are splitting up their time to be in the northeast corner of the stadium and the 50-yard line behind the bench to help the student section get more involved.

The ultimate goal for you as the student section, and us as the cheerleaders, is to make our stadium as difficult as possible for the opposing team to play in.

At this time, I, as do the other members of my team, realize that the sound system is not the most ideal situation because of the age of the speakers. The athletics department would like us to use this system and is continually working to make it better.

Instead of taking out your frustration on the cheerleaders, it would be more beneficial to offer advice on how our student section, the largest in the Pac-10, might actually sound that large. Just to let you know, at an athletics department meeting after the NAU game (Sept. 8), athletics staff said that one of the positive comments heard that weekend was that the crowd could hear how loud the cheerleaders were.

We want to help our crowd be as spirited as possible and will take into consideration what you have said to improve the situation. We will make an effort to pick up on the students’ chants, and it is our hope that the students will make an effort to pick up on ours as well.

At this time, however, because it is out of our control, the loud speakers must stay.

Sincerely,

Angela Peiffer

biochemisty and molecular biophysics senior

Leave Stoops alone!

I can hear it now. Everyone is probably going to start calling for (UA football head coach Mike) Stoops’ head. Well, this is what I have to say: How dare anyone make fun of Stoops after all he’s been through. All you people care about is making money off of him. He’s a human. Stoops is making you all this money, and all you do is write all this crap about him. All you people want is more, more, more, more, more! Leave him alone. You’re lucky he even coached for you. Leave Stoops alone, please. Leave Stoops alone right now, I mean it. Anyone who has a problem with him, you come to me, because he’s not well right now.

Jessica Wertz

alumnus and former

Wildcat columnist

Blogs

Arizona defense needs to get back on track

For yet another week, the Arizona football team has submitted a disappointing performance. The Wildcats were handed a 45-27 loss Saturday by No. 6 California. Now, I understand it’s Cal and the team’s No. 6 in the country, but that does not excuse Arizona’s defensive effort, especially in the first quarter.

Twenty-eight points were enough to win the game for the Golden Bears, and they dropped that in only 15 minutes. What is happening to the solid defense Arizona was able to rely on last year when the offense was gasping for air? Has Arizona really become a team worse than the one last year?

I understand it is still early in the season. I mean, heck, the Wildcats have only played four games.

The problem is Arizona is diving head-first into a tough Pacific 10 Conference with a 1-3 record under its belt. What positive have the Wildcats showed us in these four games?

Sure, against NAU, UA quarterback Willie Tuitama threw five touchdown passes and then put up 446 yards passing – second-most all-time in Arizona history – against New Mexico. This issue still remains: where are the wins this school has been promised?

What worries me the most is Arizona’s defense. True, its offense has solidified since last season, but this should not mean that the defense can take the year off.

In the loss to New Mexico two weeks ago, Arizona allowed more than 400 yards of offense, including three touchdowns. Things got worse Saturday as Arizona’s big D allowed five touchdowns while the Golden Bears compiled 421 total yards.

What hurts the most about Cal’s four touchdowns in the first quarter is how close Arizona came to completing a comeback later in the game. If the Wildcats had given up only one touchdown in the first quarter as opposed to four, they would have won the game, 27-24. Of course, that is a big “”if.””

One encouraging thing Saturday was that the Wildcats’ offense actually performed very well after their first-quarter issues. However, it was too little, too late.

While the curtain may be quickly closing on Arizona’s chances for a bowl game in 2007, there may still be reason to cheer for these Wildcats.

Whether this chance will depend primarily on Arizona’s defense. If the units wish to join the offense production-wise, then the Wildcats may still have a chance at a successful season, even if that season is only a success in solidifying a team for next year.

Are you ready for some basketball?

The NBA returns to McKale Center next week when the three-time Pacific Division champion Phoenix Suns invade campus for training camp Oct. 2-7.

This will mark the second time in three years the Suns hold camp in McKale after going up to Flagstaff 16 of the previous 19 years.

Although the practices are closed to the public, the Suns will host an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. in McKale Center. General admission tickets cost $6 for adults and $3 for youth under 18. They are available online at www.arizonaathletics.com, by calling (520) 621-CATS or in person at the McKale Center Ticket Office.