This board and love for WCBB

[UcMiami]

So, Nan started a thread a few weeks ago asking what was going on with the board which she locked quickly. I asked a few questions on PM and found that the mods had been deleting a lot of posts and that some long time members of the board had terminated their participation because of the tone on the board and attacks on them. It seems we have a lot of new members, or newly active members, and we have a bunch of new visitors (fans of other teams.) I have been thinking about posting something during the last week - sort of my personal experience, my paean to this board, its members and moderators, and a bit of a plea for maintaining it's standards. This is probably going to be pretty long:

Me - I've been a sports fan my whole life and started following UConn WCBB during the 1995 season, but became more fanatic around 2000. As time has passed and various pro games have changed I find my sports fandom has narrowed to UConn, the Patriots, and occasional professional league playoffs. And my passion is the UConn women.

WCBB - We fans of this sport remain a minority and while UConn gets lots of coverage and has a very active fan base, most WCBB fans get served the dregs of coverage. It make those who are passionate about the sport and any specific team into a community who may ardently dislike other teams, but who have more in common with those other teams fans than with sports fandom in general - they too deal with the slings and arrows directed at their heroes by bozos who cannot appreciate the skill and artistry of the athletes they support. And we are all starved of the quality of coverage for the sport in general that men's sports receive. Remember that!

Sports Forums - I spend some time on other sports boards, but less and less. There are occasionally interesting discussions that last for a few posts in a row, before they devolve into babbling BS with flame wars and stupidity. Occasionally there is some breaking news, but in general the time taken to weed through the crap being posted for the occasional gems is just not worth it. With WCBB the Baylor site and the TN site are the two I visit and occasionally post on - Baylor is well moderated, TN tends to be hostile to visitors and has been having a running battle between the Holly fans and the Holly haters and that overwhelms pretty much everything else at the moment. The ND and SC sites are just too hard to deal with the format and are surprisingly sparse of real discussion or analysis. And then there is the Boneyard!

The Boneyard and its moderators - When I found this site years ago, it was amazing. A place to go to get news and analysis of UConn WCBB that was regulated and did not have pages of meaningless drivel to wade through. I lurked for a few years and then got the courage to start making posts, and 10,000 later it is hard to shut me up! This place became a daily visit, and then a place to check in a few times a day because there was so much information being posted (and so many opinions that needed to be corrected! ) And it was not just UConn fans, but fans of other teams were bringing useful information and different perspectives to the discussion. And the moderators kept the wheels greased and weeded out or shut down things that got out of hand. Occasionally it seemed a little heavy handed, but you have a choice in many areas of life - complete freedom and anarchy, or putting rules in place and someone to inforce those rules, and having moments where your freedom is a little curtailed. I choose the latter because I visit sites with the former and do not enjoy them. I applaud our moderators, do not envy them the tasks they perform, and hope everyone else respects the authority we have vested in them as a community.

New posters and new visitors: Please take time to appreciate what distinguishes the boneyard from other sports forums. If you haven't visited other forums, chose a sport and a site and read some threads, especially for men's money sports. Check out the comments sections of web postings or ESPN comments sections, or the comments on newspaper articles. And then read a thread here and really think about the difference - no poster is being called names, players aren't being denigrated, and the discussions and disputes are civil and thoughtful, usually backed up with some stats. It isn't perfect, but it is so much more interesting and informative.

For all posters - a few rules to live by:
1. If some post makes you angry, walk away and think about your response before you post it. Is it actually advancing a discussion or just negating what the post said?
2. There are no winners being declared in a discussion, and do you really have to have the 'last word'? or have you grown up since that was of paramount importance?
3. Have you already said the same thing in the same thread?
4. Visitors - understand that we are very protective of our team (as no doubt you are of yours) and see the world through national flag blue glasses. Be a little respectful of that.
5. UConn fans - visitors really do add a lot to our experience here, and unfortunately if they are WCBB fans they don't have a lot of other places to go for the breadth of information and discussion that happens here. Not every thing has to be us vs. them, our player vs. their player. Praising a star player on another team is not an attack on UConn. And telling them to go home is really childish. If you think they are out of line there is a 'report' button on every post - let the moderators know and let them handle it. If you disagree with their opinion, fine, post a reply but try to make it interesting.
6. Try to make the moderators life easier! Think before you post!
7. If you enjoy the standard sports forum and want to have that experience of trash talking - maybe find a different forum. There are others where former yarders hang that enjoy that stuff. You can still visit here for the information, but maybe get your kicks elsewhere.

So if this survives and you got to this point - wow! You are dedicated.

 

[WBBFanInOK]

For a new fan of WCBB and UCONN, this was a great post and much appreciated! Thank you!

 

[eebmg]

I have stated previously that I really cannot remember a thread where there was any real lack of civility. Perhaps some posters get a little too animated or perhaps a little to dismissive of visitors but that should be understood. As a newbie, the one time I posted a questionable post (did not know it was questionable at the time), I was gently made aware of the issue and this became a non-issue. I do remember one thread that was locked and I could not for the life of me see why but I imagine there is some behind the scene info that we are not privy to. By any measure, there is not a better more informed and energetic forum than the BY.

 

[BigBird]

I didn't get off to a very good start here, as I posted in a style I had used on another sports board (a "free fire zone"). What I came to see is that the BY is an online culture. That culture deserves some restraint and mutual respect. That is the most brief summary I can make about this place.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[UcMiami]

I have stated previously that I really cannot remember a thread where there was any real lack of civility. Perhaps some posters get a little too animated or perhaps a little to dismissive of visitors but that should be understood. As a newbie, the one time I posted a questionable post (did not know it was questionable at the time), I was gently made aware of the issue and this became a non-issue. I do remember one thread that was locked and I could not for the life of me see why but I imagine there is some behind the scene info that we are not privy to. By any measure, there is not a better more informed and energetic forum than the BY.

Just as an FYI on this - the moderators sometimes end up deleting a lot of posts quite quickly, and when they get tired of that, they just lock the thread because it is obviously generating too great emotion in the hearts of a few posters or because they grow weary of the process. Seldom do we see the nasty stuff as it is long gone before our too virginal eyes get sullied!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The BY is truly a wonderful board for WBB fans.

For the non-UConn fan, you have to be discriminating. Lots of threads are of interest to UConn fans only, and even if the thread could be marginally interesting, I don't know enough detail about the UConn team to contribute - so I skip them. Historically, Tony C is a great example - one of the greatest and most optimistic UConn fans on this board, a great guy from all I've heard, but - his threads are not geared to a non-Uconn fan.

That doesn't mean that all things UConn need to be ignored - you just have to be discriminating as I said, and be respectful of others opinions.

For me, there is never a time I come on the board (usually a couple of times a day) and don't see something that is interesting to me as a fan of the sport. And yes, kudos to not only the mods but all the excellent posters that keep it interesting.

 

[mntncougar]

For a new fan of WCBB and UCONN, this was a great post and much appreciated! Thank you!

I echo that sentiment exactly. But it made me realize something. I'm anything but a new fan of UCONN WCBB. I started listening to the games on WHUS somewhere around 1988 I think, and I was in Windsor Locks in '95 to see Rebecca "first off the plane" and followed the bus south on I-91, waving back at all the fans and banners hanging off the bridges.
However, truthfully, I'm not sure I was ever a fan of WCBB in general until this season, after I joined the BY last November. I have learned more about "the game" since then than I probably did in all the previous years, by hanging on here and reading the posts. Now I'm an addict, and I spend an hour or 2 every day following the threads and probably more than that following all the links that are provided. I never make it to bed on time any more because I'm always caught up in the various videos of games of yesteryear, recruit highlights, etc., etc.
I suspect the vast majority of the team's "rabid" followers are more like I used to be. This board is a treasure trove of information for those of us hungry for more about our heroes. And for me at least, I am so much more involved in the everyday ins and outs of the game than I ever used to be.
Until this year it was watch (or listen to) the game, read a Courant article or two, then wait for the next game (if I could remember the right date).
I can't thank you all enough for the excellent information and opinions that add so much more to my enjoyment of the team and the sport.

 

[Huskee11]

UcMiami, Thank you for that great post. I think your "rules to live by" are especially well thought out. In particular, I can relate to your advice to "walk away" at times and keep things in perspective.

I am a fan of UConn WCBB since around 1995 but am relatively new to the Boneyard. It has added greatly to the overall experience that is UConn WCBB. Tremendous source of information and ideas!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Nice thread! I follow UConn, but they are not my primary team I root for. I very much appreciate this forum as a place to talk about women's basketball. Not many options out there.

 

[HuskyNan]

Thanks to UCMiami and others for the kind words about the board. We do try to have an open and welcoming board - with a definite UConn focus but also with an interested eye on other programs. Thanks to everyone for making the Boneyard an interesting place to be.

 

[triaddukefan]

Thanks to UCMiami and others for the kind words about the board. We do try to have an open and welcoming board - with a definite UConn focus but also with an interested eye on other programs. Thanks to everyone for making the Boneyard an interesting place to be.

Any way I can get a bump in my trophy points? Ive been stuck on 590 for awhile now.... Before you answer.. take a look at my avatar again

 

[HuskyNan]

Any way I can get a bump in my trophy points? Ive been stuck on 590 for awhile now.... Before you answer.. take a look at my avatar again

Better?

 

[triaddukefan]

Better?

much, thanks

 

[LETTERL]

I have been a WCBB fan since 1982; the first game I watched was the first NCAA Championship game between Louisiana Tech and Cheyney State and it was "interesting" seeing women play the sport. I grew up in North Carolina and knew I was going to NCState, as it was the only university in the state at the time that offered the major I wanted to pursue...and I knew NCState was already a recognized power in the women's game and even in those days, it seemed everyone knew who Kay Yow was, whether they followed women's basketball or not. Following women's basketball from then on, it was like following another universe...with many teams being powerful that did not have reciprocal highly-recognized teams on the men's side.

When I finally got to NCState in the fall of 1984, I found that getting tickets to the men's games was difficult, often requiring days of camping out in front of Reynolds Coliseum and since I was taking a full load of challenging classes, I really couldn't afford to take turns holding a group's place in line so I didn't go to very many of the men's games.

However, getting into the women's games was easy, since it seemed very few people cared, despite the presence of Kay Yow and the competitive teams she fielded, and I rarely missed a home game and often traveled when the team played on the road. For nearly six years, I had an almost permanent seat right behind the bench and it was always a special moment when Kay Yow would walk to the bench while the team was in their pre-game routine and give me a nod of acknowledgement. Back in those days, NCState, Maryland and Virginia were the premier program in the ACC and I got to see some great battles as primarily those three team shared the top of the standings through the 80s and into the 1990s.

Then, I moved away to start my career but still kept tabs with the Wolfpack Women and WCBB in general, and got to see the emergence of new teams as more and more programs put emphasis on the sport...and NCState became a faded southern belle, occasionally making noise on the national scene but no longer dominating like they had in the early days. I will never forget the telephone call I got from a friend in March of 1991, when NCState had probably its best team and was a heavy favorite to win the national title (we had beaten Tennessee, the eventual national champion, by 15 points earlier in the season), announcing that the Wolfpack Women had lost in the Sweet 16 to a team from Connecticut. I was like "WHO???".

I've got a bunch of stories I could share...but this post is already long enough, so I'll close here and may post some more later. I will say that I joined this board after my brother-in-law told me about it. He was a huge UCONN fan and often posted on the Boneyard. I joined but really didn't post much until this season. It is nice being around other fans of WCBB who are passionate about it; we have a few fans who post about the Wolfpack Women on the NCState boards but nothing compares to the community here at the Boneyard.

 

[Zorro]

Just as an FYI on this - the moderators sometimes end up deleting a lot of posts quite quickly, and when they get tired of that, they just lock the thread because it is obviously generating too great emotion in the hearts of a few posters or because they grow weary of the process. Seldom do we see the nasty stuff as it is long gone before our too virginal eyes get sullied!

They have also been known, when necessary, to remonstrate gently but firmly with folks who needed to improve their comportment just a tad.

 

[j66kicker]

I have been a WCBB fan since 1982; the first game I watched was the first NCAA Championship game between Louisiana Tech and Cheyney State and it was "interesting" seeing women play the sport. I grew up in North Carolina and knew I was going to NCState, as it was the only university in the state at the time that offered the major I wanted to pursue...and I knew NCState was already a recognized power in the women's game and even in those days, it seemed everyone knew who Kay Yow was, whether they followed women's basketball or not. Following women's basketball from then on, it was like following another universe...with many teams being powerful that did not have reciprocal highly-recognized teams on the men's side.

When I finally got to NCState in the fall of 1984, I found that getting tickets to the men's games was difficult, often requiring days of camping out in front of Reynolds Coliseum and since I was taking a full load of challenging classes, I really couldn't afford to take turns holding a group's place in line so I didn't go to very many of the men's games.

However, getting into the women's games was easy, since it seemed very few people cared, despite the presence of Kay Yow and the competitive teams she fielded, and I rarely missed a home game and often traveled when the team played on the road. For nearly six years, I had an almost permanent seat right behind the bench and it was always a special moment when Kay Yow would walk to the bench while the team was in their pre-game routine and give me a nod of acknowledgement. Back in those days, NCState, Maryland and Virginia were the premier program in the ACC and I got to see some great battles as primarily those three team shared the top of the standings through the 80s and into the 1990s.

Then, I moved away to start my career but still kept tabs with the Wolfpack Women and WCBB in general, and got to see the emergence of new teams as more and more programs put emphasis on the sport...and NCState became a faded southern belle, occasionally making noise on the national scene but no longer dominating like they had in the early days. I will never forget the telephone call I got from a friend in March of 1991, when NCState had probably its best team and was a heavy favorite to win the national title (we had beaten Tennessee, the eventual national champion, by 15 points earlier in the season), announcing that the Wolfpack Women had lost in the Sweet 16 to a team from Connecticut. I was like "WHO???".

I've got a bunch of stories I could share...but this post is already long enough, so I'll close here and may post some more later. I will say that I joined this board after my brother-in-law told me about it. He was a huge UCONN fan and often posted on the Boneyard. I joined but really didn't post much until this season. It is nice being around other fans of WCBB who are passionate about it; we have a few fans who post about the Wolfpack Women on the NCState boards but nothing compares to the community here at the Boneyard.

What was your major at NC State?

 

[LETTERL]

What was your major at NC State?

Meteorology...with a minor in Statistics. Now, there are two universities in the state with Meteorology programs.

 

[j66kicker]

Meteorology...with a minor in Statistics. Now, there are two universities in the state with Meteorology programs.

Cool! Appreciate your contributions here

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Meteorology...with a minor in Statistics. Now, there are two universities in the state with Meteorology programs.

We would get along well. I always wanted to be a meteorologist, but when I started college in 1982 there weren't a lot of available jobs so I majored in business. Statistical analysis is a big part of my job, today (Sr. VP of Lending at a credit union).

 

[LETTERL]

We would get along well. I always wanted to be a meteorologist, but when I started college in 1982 there weren't a lot of available jobs so I majored in business. Statistical analysis is a big part of my job, today (Sr. VP of Lending at a credit union).

I was with National Weather Service for 16 years...but resigned one week after my 16th anniversary because I had just burned out...and got a Master of Arts in Teaching, and now teach mathematics at a community college. The course I teach the most is Probability and Statistics.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I was with National Weather Service for 16 years...but resigned one week after my 16th anniversary because I had just burned out...and got a Master of Arts in Teaching, and now teach mathematics at a community college. The course I teach the most is Probability and Statistics.

Math geeks rule.

 

[wire chief]

I applaud ucmiami's post. Our boneyard is a special site.
I bemoan that there are some haters, some overly strident, some who pursue argumentum ad hominem, and ways that detract from civility.

I'd like to offer a different view of the ND Board, however. I don't find the format difficult at all. Also it is informative and almost always respectful of what our ladies (and Geno) have accomplished.

 

[UcMiami]

I applaud ucmiami's post. Our boneyard is a special site.
I bemoan that there are some haters, some overly strident, some who pursue argumentum ad hominem, and ways that detract from civility.

I'd like to offer a different view of the ND Board, however. I don't find the format difficult at all. Also it is informative and almost always respectful of what our ladies (and Geno) have accomplished.

Thanks - I just went over there again and spent an enjoyable half hour. I still find the format with the threads having multiple sub-threads to be cumbersome to navigate, and determining which responses are just the post title and which actually have a little meat inside is annoying. But when you find it, there is some good meat.

 

[wire chief]

Thanks - I just went over there again and spent an enjoyable half hour. I still find the format with the threads having multiple sub-threads to be cumbersome to navigate, and determining which responses are just the post title and which actually have a little meat inside is annoying. But when you find it, there is some good meat.

Do you click on "show all thread"?