Seeking to solve a decline in student attendance at home sporting events, the Oklahoma Christian University Student Government Association (SGA) has worked to reinstate the Flight Club, an incentive-driven membership program, which ended after the 2015-2016 school year.
Campus Spirit Committee chair member Madison Arnold, the SGA member responsible for bringing the program back, said she thinks an increased attendance at these events will lead to a great campus environment.
“It’s like a loyalty program for attending athletic events,” Arnold said. “The goal is to create more of a student section on OC’s campus and encouraging students to go to athletic events and be excited for athletics.”
Flight Club hopes to attract students with an incentive system, which rewards attendance at athletic events with a certain amount of points. Home games and meets closer to Oklahoma Christian will be less valuable than games and events out of state or less likely to attract big crowds. Arnold said she hopes the point system will convince more students to attend more events and support Oklahoma Christian’s various athletic teams.
“There will also be some exclusive raffles and giveaways that are exclusive to Flight Club members,” Arnold said. “There are a lot of other benefits, so even if people think [they’ll] never have enough points to win, there are other incentives as well.”
Athletes, such as freshman track and field athlete Verrell McBride, said they are excited for the reintroduction of Flight Club, as those in less-recognized sports get a chance to create a fan base and enjoy the support the more prominent sports programs on campus often benefit from.
Upon hearing about the renewal of Flight Club, McBride said he is elated people will step out of their comfort zone. When thinking of how the larger school support would impact the team, McBride said he feels confident the track team can benefit tremendously.
“I think it would be very positive,” Mcbride said. “It would make things more fun. It’s great to have that kind of school spirit around you because it motivates you to run faster, jump higher and throw farther.”
The Flight Club and the Oklahoma Christian Eagles’ Twitter pages will keep students updated on upcoming events. The next opportunities for points will come Thursday, Jan. 24 as men’s basketball competes at Dallas Baptist University, with the women’s team at Newman University.
Points can also come Saturday, Jan. 26 as Oklahoma Christian track and field competes in the Central Oklahoma Invitational at Mosier indoor facility in Norman, OK.
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