School spirit is seen as a major part of the university lifestyle, but is that the case for the University of Regina?
The Globe and Mail’s Canadian University Report 2015 stated one of the things U of R students complained about was “a lack of school spirit.”
Dilan Elgert, a first year cornerback for the Regina Rams, wants to see more support for sports teams. “I just wish it was a lot better. When you get a big crowd, it really helps the team. You get pumped up, you get psyched.”
The Cougars men’s hockey team recently held their Cougar Crawl, an event where students purchase tickets and get a free beer and burger. The students get bused to and from the game and there is an after-party. The event drew 1,100 fans but that’s not the norm. Ryan Gobeil, event manager for the men’s and women’s Cougar hockey teams, said it’s tough to get a large crowd to the games.
“Generally for our CIS games you’re not seeing a whole lot of people. Maybe out at the hockey games (we’ll get) 100 or 200 on a good night.”
Though the team doesn’t draw a lot of fans to the games, the ones that show up are supportive.
“We are lucky to have great fans, if maybe not as many as colleges in the U.S. get, especially at the hockey rink.” Gobeil said.