OK, GHS fans I got your point. Quite clever you are, too.

It appears quite a few Purple Peeps were a bit perturbed about my notebook Wednesday, which outlined a few instances of fan unruliness that occurred in recent volleyball meetings between Gainesville and archrival Buchholz. Mind you, none of what was written was untrue (GHS principal Dr. Wiley Dixon concurred with that without prompting), but the Hurricanes felt some Buchholz indiscretions should have been alluded to.

The point of the story was to discuss happenings in GHS’s gym as a lead-in to Wednesday’s match… in GHS’s gym. The column on previous Bobcats’ home behavior (which included vulgar T-shirts with items unfit for print) would be all up and ready to run next year when the two teams meet at Buchholz.

Apparently, many thought I was just picking on the Hurricanes.

That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

In fact I actually think GHS has some of the best fans in the area. They are rabid in their support and show up in droves to express themselves. No Hurricane athlete can ever say “I wish we got crowds like (so-and-so school) gets” because they would be laughed out of the packed gym.

I do think they crossed a line two years ago when they made then Bobcats’ junior Kelsey Hodge, who had transferred from GHS, cry for close to 45 minutes after a match. One Hurricanes’ administrator disagreed with my assessment that it is never right for fans to be so brutal and unchecked by adults that they make a high school girl sob uncontrollably, no matter what the circumstances. I will never change my mind on that one.

With all of that said, I must say the GHS fans were a lot of fun Wednesday night.

They came out with playful signs mocking Buchholz’s coach, Jeff Reavis (”Reavis and Butt-Head”), Bobcats’ libero Nicki Meyer (”Daddy Can’t Help You” and “Shelley, Rip This” referencing Nicki’s father, Gator football coach Urban Meyer, and his wife, who tore up last year’s “Daddy Can’t Help You” sign before that match) and my personal favorite “John Patton Sucks” (sadly for memorabilia sake, Dr. Dixon trashed that one before I could take it home with me to hang up on the wall).

And guys, I’ve never had a better laugh than when you chanted (first) “Go Home Patton” and then “Go Home John” after I entered the gym.
I’m no rock star, but for a few minutes hundreds of you made me feel like one. I will always remember that, even if it wasn’t your intention.

Hey, some things really are funny. And Wednesday night, you GHS fans were Chris Rock-hysterical.

Best of all, nobody got hurt.