The saber incident happened at Kyle Field.
The four male SMU cheerleaders were spelling out those three letters, one at a time, using the lengths of their bodies.
They had been told to stay off the field, but they kept turning flips and spelling out SMU, gradually leaving the sidelines and moving onto the field and into the end zone.
One of our yell leaders kept telling them to stay off the field, but he was ignored.
Finally an OD came out to where the male SMU cheerleaders were "body spelling" on the field and motioned for them to get back to the sideline.
He and one cheerleader were face to face arguing about it when another cheerleader snuck up and got on his hands and knees right behind the OD.
The first cheerleader then quickly pushed the OD backwards so that he fell to the ground over the cheerleader who was on all fours behind him.
The SMU cheerleaders and fans thought this was very cool and they celebrated the belittlement of this Aggie among themselves
It really pissed the OD off and he began to chase the cheerleader he had been pushed over with closed fists, ready to throw a punch.
That cheerleader kept moving away and when several other SMU cheerleaders came up to get between the OD and the cheerleader being chased, the OD drew his saber.
He never swung it or thrust with it, but he did brandish it threateningly.
Other ODs and our yell leaders came up and intervened.
The OD should never have drawn his saber, but he was not unprovoked.
And he was tag teamed by two SMU cheerleaders when he was pushed down.
It was a somewhat like the incident last football season, when the teasip band harassed and verbally abused an Aggie doing his duty, scooping up horse poop.
The cheerleaders from SMU and later tu were trying to have fun at the expense of two Aggies who were on the job and those visiting students provoked the incidents.
The buttons they pushed sent each of those Aggies past their limit of self control and, in reaction, they each did something they should never have done.
Should ODs and poop scoopers be forwarned to not over react to abuse?
Yes.
Should pooper scoopers throw poop?
No.
Should ODs even carry potential weapons on the sidelines.
In my opinion, no.
Should opposing team cheerleaders be allowed on Kyle Field.
That doesn't bother me much either way, but students with ceremonial sabers shouldn't be charged with enforcement, if the opposing cheerleaders are supposed to keep off the field.
That's for stadium officials and/or adult representatives from both schools to anticipate, decide, observe, control and enforce.
The scooper and the OD were wrong and deserving of punishment.
But they were both provoked and supervision was lacking from authorities and parties on both school's sides.
The scooper shouldn't have thrown the poop and the OD shouldn't have drawn his saber, but they and the tu band and the SMU cheerleaders all were at fault and out of control.
Self control is to be hoped for, but authoritative oversight and adult intervening responsibility was lacking on both sides.
Gig 'em, FAST FRED '65.
Before the world wide web, village idiots usually stayed in their own village.
[This message has been edited by FAST FRED (edited 2/4/2006 8:31p).]