(if you don't know what a capo is, read this for a decent explanation)

Well, we're two games settled into our new/old home, and things are going pretty well! Moving up in the table, a bit at a time, and support like this league rarely sees!

But let's not go patting ourselves on the back just yet; there's ALWAYS room for improvement!

Here's a few pointers on things everyone can do to make our curva among the best and to ensure that our club has the best support possible, as well as some reasons why you should care:

Why you should care

Have you seen photos from back in the early years of USL era Timbers, and wondered why there weren’t those assholes up front yelling back then, but there are now? It has to do with the growth of the North End and a maturation of supporters culture in Portland.

Let’s think about the North End as a political rally or protest for a minute.

What would be a more effective strategy, everyone yelling out whatever it was that made them happy or sad and creating a wall of indecipherable noise, or everyone chanting “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Sammy Sounder has got to go!”? It would be the gimmicky chant that everyone does at once because it creates the illusion of a united front. The same is true in the North End. We capos are part of a larger vision that can only succeed if EVERYONE in the North End participates. Participating is fun and easy and makes everything more meaningful because you are not an observer, but an active participant. There are a few simple things that can be done that will make everyone’s experience more awesome.

The easiest thing to do is just sing. (Capo says: "Open your mouths!" "Sing!!")

Sing and chant with all your heart. Try to use pitch and harmonies if possible. Don’t worry about the people standing next to you. If they are not singing, when you start up the people around you won’t feel foolish joining in, and eventually the small group not singing will be the ones acting the fool.

When chanting and singing, use your arms and clap above your head. (Capo says: "Hands up!" "Claps up!" "Use your arms!")

This is really important! The arm gestures help add visual clues to people in other parts of the stadium (or even our own section, it's pretty big now!) that may not be able to make out what we are chanting, but recognize the beat/pattern by looking at our arms. The speed of light is almost one million times the speed of sound, which means that people will be able to see what you're doing long before they hear you. This is even more important on away days and when doing “call and response” chants.

On “call and response” figure out what your section is. (Capo alternately points at you and other parts of stadium, or raises arm and drops it to let you know when your turn is)

If everyone around you is doing the "call" don’t think you need to do the “response.” With the Ultras section of the stadium being almost all of the North End, the sections are going to be huge. Expect to do call and response with other parts of the Park and with the North End cut in half. These call and response chants will only work if everyone works together. Otherwise it no longer becomes a call and response and becomes that wall of noise that we talked about before.

Flags fly. (Capo says: "flags up!" or starts waving their flag)

Flags were meant for waving. Not just for after the Star Spangled Banner (free Cascadia) or after goals, or at the end of the match, but for the whole thing. Flags are placed before the match in strategic locations for maximum visual effect; if you do not wave these flags, their meaning is lost. Feel free to wave the flag until your arms burn and then pass it to someone that will do the same. Another suggestion, make 2 or 3 friends that want to wave the flag, and pass it every 15 or so minutes so not one person is feeling all of the burn. Your chest and shoulders will end up getting pretty buff by the end of the season. REMINDER: flags stay in the section. If you didn't bring it, and you take it home, you are stealing from your fellow fans and your brothers and sisters. Either leave your flag where you found it, or pass it to someone who's collecting them. (or help pick them up at the end!)

Have mercy on your capo. (Capo has a sad face, or looks confused)

Sometimes we capos kill a chant too soon, or start a bad one, or miscommunicate, or...you get the picture. We're human too, and we're learning what works best and what doesn't as we go along. Please bear with us, because when we get it right, it's pure magic.

If a media person points a camera at you, please don't look into it and sing.

We do what we do for our club and each other, for our city and our pride, not because a journalist asked nicely. The PTFC belongs to us. Remember: football for fans, not TV.

So consider the match your weekly workout, but with beer. Jump, clap, circle-pit, etc. hold your arms high and sing will all of your heart. 5,000 of your best friends just joined you for a workout night. Everyone will be hot, tired, sweaty, and hoarse at the end of the match, and we will all love every minute of it.

Help us make 2011 special by helping and encouraging others to participate. Take a n00b under your wing and tell them the lyrics. If it’s a song that has a particular meaning to you or in its origin, share that as well. Make the experience personal for people. Lets make PTFC and the North End mean as much to them as it does to us.

Love,

Your capos