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A perfect storm of COVID-19 and graduating seniors crippled Ram Ruckus, the official student-led group that supports Colorado State University athletic teams at games, right as it was starting to flourish. 

This year, hopefully before basketball season, Ram Ruckus is looking to make a return. 

Isabel Mayoss, Ram Ruckus president, said the group was starting to take off in spring 2020, right when the pandemic hit. 

“We really started getting ramped up the February of 2020, and then half the (executive) board graduated,” Mayoss said.

Ram Ruckus officially launched in 2012, and for a $25 membership fee, students would receive a Ram Ruckus T-shirt, presale tickets for the Rocky Mountain Showdown, priority seating at games, entry into a points program and opportunities to travel to athletic events. 

The cost and rewards of the group has changed over the years, but ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ram Ruckus has been noticeably absent from campus and CSU sporting events. 

When Ram Ruckus was functioning before the pandemic, they held weekly meetings on Wednesdays that were open to students. At these meetings, they would plan themes for games and scout teams CSU would be playing that week.

A unique feature of these meetings was that occasionally coaches would show up and talk to the students about what they wanted from them at games.

“It may seem like a small thing that Ram Ruckus took a brief hiatus because of the pandemic, but having Ram Ruckus return will be a major boost for CSU Athletics.”

“There used to be all-student meetings with coaches and a couple players to hear what they have to say and how we can support them,” Mayoss said. 

Mayoss is one of the last members of the Ram Ruckus executive board who was part of the group before the pandemic took place, meaning she is part of a small group of individuals left on campus that has first-hand knowledge of the group and its inner workings. 

Ram Ruckus’ recent lack of organization represents a bigger issue that CSU Athletics faced after the pandemic.

At last year’s home football opener against South Dakota State University, half of the undergraduate CSU population had never been to a sports game at CSU, at least as students. This pause in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions caused a culture gap in the student population.

Much credit to the students of Colorado State University, who in the past two seasons have only seen the football team produce two home wins, who continue to show up in force to games.

Attendance is likely to decline during the rebuilding season under coach Jay Norvell as his first season continues, but having a strong, organized student section is important to athletic success in collegiate sports.

The University of Utah has the Mighty Utah Student Section, the University of Arizona has the ZonaZoo and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has The Rebellion.

All of these student groups function as Ram Ruckus does, bringing students together for sporting events. The purpose of Ram Ruckus is to be a group that every CSU student feels a part of and has a home at all CSU athletic games. 

“It’s just coming together as one to support athletics,” Mayoss said. 

CSU athletics are suffering from not having an organized student section. There have been talks of CSU wanting to move conferences in future years to bigger, more competitive conferences, but in order to do this and be successful, they will have to address the lack of an organized student section. 

CSU has all of the makings to be an athletic powerhouse, and it is amazing that the student section at major sporting events is as full as it is given there is not an organized group like there is at most major universities.

It may seem like a small thing that Ram Ruckus took a brief hiatus because of the pandemic, but having Ram Ruckus return will be a major boost for CSU Athletics. 

“We’re going to get meetings going again, and we will get the (executive) board built up,” Mayoss said. 

For students looking to join Ram Ruckus’ leadership, they should keep an eye out for announcements coming sometime before basketball season.