Spirits high at Rage in Da' Cage

On Thursday October 30, students filled the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse to its capacity to show off their Pierce Pride for the men's and women's Basketball teams during the 2008 Rage In Da' Cage. Rage In Da' Cage was put together by Brothers Reaching Out (B.R.O), and was filled with performances by the Raven Thunder Dance Team, SISTUHS, and the Raven Cheerleading Team. The first hundred guests through the doors received Pierce Pride T-Shirts, and others received noise makers, and whistles to use during the event to show their teams support. The evening started out with a performance by the Raven Thunder Dance Team, which got the crowd energized and ready for a highly anticipated night. "Our dance went great," said senior Jen Croce, President of the Raven Thunder Dance Team. "We have been working on this dance from the beginning of the semester. The crowd was great during our performance, they were cheering so loud." Fan support was the main purpose of Rage In Da' Cage and students supported their home teams by coming out in large numbers and packing into the Fieldhouse. "The turnout was great. In past years, we have never been filled to absolute capacity," said Croce. It was announced during Rage In Da' Cage that the women's basketball team was ranked fourth in the nation during pre-season. It comes as no surprise that the team is eager for the upcoming season to start with hopes that fans take the Pierce Pride they showed at Rage In Da' Cage over to the upcoming games. "I am really looking forward to this season. Being in such a competitive conference makes the whole college basketball experience that much better," said Toby Martin, the women's basketball teams' senior guard. "Seeing all the support at Rage In Da' Cage was awesome [and] hopefully all the support can carry throughout our season." The evening was packed with events, from a three on three relay, a super-fan contest, a freestyle dance-off and a three point shoot contest between the men's and women's basketball teams. Martin commented on the three point shoot contest when she said, "The women's team beat the men's team in the three point contest, which is always a good thing, and it was probably one of the highlights of my night." Most that attended enjoyed the jam-packed evening, though some students did leave the event early. Freshman Scott Spolidoro enjoyed his first Rage In Da' Cage experience, for the most part. "I enjoyed the event but I feel that if it was better organized it would have been more enjoyable," said Spolidoro. Martin said, "I think some people were really involved and into it and others weren't. It was more organized this year then in the past, we knew what we were doing and when we were doing it." Rage In Da' Cage is not just a Franklin Pierce event. Similar events for basketball teams are held at colleges nation-wide, though it is often referred to as "Midnight Madness," according to Martin. A lot of work was put into Rage In Da' Cage and freshman cheerleader Paula Slowe summed the evening up when she said, "I thought everyone put in a really good effort and I think it all came together really well."